| Angolan slender mongoose | |
|---|---|
 | |
| An individual at Okaukuejo waterhole,Etosha National Park, Namibia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Herpestidae |
| Genus: | Herpestes |
| Species: | H. flavescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Herpestes flavescens Bocage, 1889 | |
 | |
| native range | |
| Synonyms | |
Galerella flavescens | |
TheAngolan slender mongoose (Herpestes flavescens) is amongoose native to southwesternAfrica, specifically southwesternAngola and northwesternNamibia. It has been listed asLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List, as it is not threatened and thought to be common.[1] It has a long, slim body and there are different colour forms, a black or dark brown form in the southern part of its range, and a yellowish- or reddish-brown form in the north. This mongoose inhabits dry, rocky habitats and feeds on insects, scorpions and small vertebrates.
The scientific nameHerpestes gracilis varflavescens was proposed byJosé Vicente Barbosa du Bocage in 1889 who described an adult female collected in Angola'sBenguela Province.[2]
Theblack mongoose (H. f. nigratus) is now thought to be conspecific.[3]
The Angolan slender mongoose is a small, slender species with a long, well-furred tail. Males have a head-and-body length averaging 343 mm (13.5 in) with females smaller at 310 mm (12.2 in), the tail in each case being about 340 mm (13.4 in) in length. The skull is moderately broad and the ears are neat and rounded. This mongoose has several different colour forms; most individuals are black or deep brown, but some individuals are reddish-brown to yellowish-orange, the underparts being yellowish-orange and the tapering tail being a similar colour but with a black tip.[4]
The Angolan slender mongoose isendemic to southern Africa, its range including southwestern Angola and northwestern Namibia. The animals in Namibia are dark brown or black, while those in Angola are mostly the pale morph.[1] Where the two types abut, in the vicinity of theCunene River, there are no intermediate colour forms. The naturalhabitat of this mongoose iskopjes, rocky outcrops and areas with large granite boulders, and the woodlands and slopes surrounding these features.[1]
This mongoose isdiurnal and largely solitary, with a home range of up to 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) containing several dens. The ranges often overlap with the neighbouring mongoose. The diet consists largely ofinsects,solifuges,scorpions,lizards,snakes, smallbirds andmammals.[1] The mongoose is itself preyed on by largerpredators such as theAfrican hawk-eagle.[4]
The Angolan slender mongoose has a somewhat limited range, and though its population size has not been estimated, it seems to be common and no particular threats have been identified. TheInternational Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
Media related toGalerella flavescens at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toGalerella flavescens at Wikispecies