| Bourlon's genet | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Viverridae |
| Genus: | Genetta |
| Species: | G. bourloni |
| Binomial name | |
| Genetta bourloni Gaubert, 2003[2] | |
 | |
| Bourlon's genet range | |
Bourlon's genet (Genetta bourloni) is agenetspecies native to theUpper Guinean forests inWest Africa. It was classified as a separate species in 2003. It is listed asVulnerable on theIUCN Red List.
Bourlon's genet was described as a distinct species by Philippe Gaubert in 2003; thetype specimen was a skin and scull of an adult genet collected in 1958 inSérédou, Cercle de Macenta in Guinea, which is part of the collection at theNational Museum of Natural History, France.[3] It is named in honour of Philippe Bourlon, a zoo keeper at theParis Zoological Park.[4]
Bourlon's genet has cream coloured fur with brown markings and dark spots.[3] Its fur is thick and short. The spots vary in size and shape across the body, with the hind limbs generally free of any spots. There are white coloured markings around the snout, with distinct black lines across the face. It has a large tail covered with a thick fur, and is marked by five to seven annular black rings. Both the sexes are similar in size.[4]
The Bourlon's genet is restricted to theUpper Guinean forests of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast.[1]It was recorded for the first time during acamera trap survey in the Putu Mountains of southeastern Liberia between December 2010 and May 2011.[5]
Habitat loss and hunting are considered to be a major threats to the Bourlon's genet; it is listed asVulnerable on theIUCN Red List as the population has been estimated to consist of fewer than 10,000 individuals.[1]
