| Jackson's mongoose | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Herpestidae |
| Genus: | Bdeogale |
| Species: | B. jacksoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Bdeogale jacksoni (Thomas, 1894) | |
 | |
| Jackson's mongoose range | |
Jackson's mongoose (Bdeogale jacksoni) is amongoosespecies native to montane forests inKenya,Uganda andTanzania. It appears to be rare and has been classified asNear Threatened since 2008.
Its long and dense fur is grizzled black and white. The cheeks, throat and sides of the neck are yellowish. The legs are dark brown or black, and the bushy tail is white.With a head and body length of more than 50 cm (20 in) and a body weight of 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb), it is a large mongoose. It is mainly nocturnal andcrepuscular and possibly solitary. It feeds onrodents andinsects.
Galeriscus jacksoni was thescientific name proposed byOldfield Thomas in 1894 based on a skin of a badger-like animal collected byFrederick John Jackson in Kenya. He specified thetype locality as Mianzini inMaasailand at an elevation of 2,400 m (8,000 ft).[2]The generic nameGaleriscus was recognised as avalidtaxon byPaul Matschie,Glover Morrill Allen and Donovan Reginald Rosevear.[3][4][5][1]
Jackson's mongoose was placed in the genusBdeogale byReginald Innes Pocock in 1916, who recognised that the animal was a mongoose and consideredGaleriscus asynonym ofBdeogale.[6] This classification has been widely followed.[7][8][9][10]
Jackson's mongoose is silvery grey with yellowish cheeks, throat and sides of the neck, a grizzled grey crown, but a brownish white muzzle and chin and a few brown hairs around the eyes. Its round ears are grizzled grey outside and yellowish inside. Its belly is light grey, its legs blackish brown or black, and the tip of the tail white. The dorsal hair is 20 mm (0.79 in) long with black and white rings, and it has dense and woolly underfur.[9] Themuzzle is blunt. Therhinarium is large, and the hairless extension of the median groove divides the upper lip. The fore and hind feet have only fourdigits without hallux and pollex. Thesoles are naked, and theclaws are thick and strong. It is a large mongoose with a head and body length of 50.8–57.1 cm (20.0–22.5 in) and a 28.3–32.4 cm (11.1–12.8 in) long bushy tail. Its hind foot is 8.6–10.8 cm (3.4–4.3 in) long and its ear 2.3–3.5 cm (0.91–1.38 in) long. It weighs 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb). Thedental formula is3.1.4.23.1.4.2 × 2 = 40, with threeincisors, onecanine, fourpremolars and twomolars on either side of the jaw.[11] Young but already breeding animals may be markedly smaller than adults. From the black-footed mongoose, it is distinguishable by its much longer fur, especially on the tail, and yellowish tints on neck and throat.[10]
Jackson's mongoose is distributed in central and southern Kenya and southeastern Uganda, where it was recorded in theAberdare Range,Mount Kenya and theMount Elgon mountains at elevations from 300 to 3,300 m (980 to 10,830 ft).[1] It inhabits lowland forests,bamboo andmontane forests.[10] In Tanzania'sUdzungwa Mountains, it was first recorded in 2002 in theMatundu Forest.[12][13]
Jackson's mongoose is mainlynocturnal andcrepuscular.[10]In the Udzungwa Mountains, most of the 25camera trap photos were taken by night. It is possibly solitary, but was also recorded in pairs and occasionally in groups of four.[13] Nothing is known about itsreproduction.[11]
It probably hunts frequently in the thickherbaceous vegetation aroundswamps.[1]It is anomnivore. Analysis of 40feces samples collected in the Aberdare Mountains revealed that they contained remains ofarmy ants,beetles,weevils,millipedes andcaterpillars,rodents includingOtomys,Dasymys andPraomys, as well assnails,lizards, andsnake eggs. The diet ofjuveniles consisted foremost of rodents and insects.[9] Feeding on army ants may be a recent evolutionaryadaptation to this diet.[10]
Jackson's mongoose occurs in isolated populations and appears to be rare.[11]It has been listed asNear Threatened on theIUCN Red List since 2008, assuming a decliningpopulation size within the last 10 years due tohabitat destruction. Given its dependence on forest habitat, its main threat is likely to be ongoingforest loss. It has been recorded inprotected areas suchAberdare National Park,Mount Kenya National Park andUdzungwa Mountains National Park. It is suspected to also live inMount Elgon National Park and probably more widely distributed than currently known. Full protection of forests adjacent to the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and a survey in other groundwater-dependent forests in the region has been recommended.[1]
