Mungos gambianus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & F. G. Cuvier 1795

33.

Gambian Mongoose

Mungos gambianus

French: Mangouste de Gambie / German: Gambia-Manguste / Spanish: Mangosta de Gambia

Taxonomy. Herpestes gambianus Ogilby, 1835,

Cape St. Mary, Gambia.

Monotypic.

Distribution. W Africa from Senegal and Gambia to Nigeria.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 30-45 cm, tail 23-29 cm; weight 1.2-2 kg. No obvious sexual dimorphism. Short face. Brownish-gray fur with a distinctive black streak at the sides of the white neck from ear to foreleg. Fur coarse. Bushy tail that tapers at the black tip. Five digits on feet, with strong claws on the forefeet. Three pairs of mammae. Dental formula: I 3/3, Cl1/1,P3/3,M 2/2 = 36.

Habitat. Semi-moist savannah and grassland, semi-desert, and woodland.

Food and Feeding. Mainly invertebrates (with some vertebrates).

Activity patterns. Diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Senegal, mixed-sex groups average 6-7 individuals (range = 1-40). Twitters continuously while foraging.

Breeding. Nothing known.

Status and Conservation. Not CITES listed. Classified as Least Concern in The [UCN Red List. Apparently widespread and common, but almost nothing known of its ecology and field research is needed. Sometimes considered a pest to farmers and is sold as bushmeat.

Bibliography. Colyn et al. (2000), Ewer (1973), Kingdon (1997), Sillero-Zubiri & Bassignani (2001), Van Rompaey (1991), Van Rompaey & Sillero-Zubiri (In press), Wozencraft (2005).