| Banded linsang | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Prionodontidae |
| Genus: | Prionodon |
| Species: | P. linsang[1] |
| Binomial name | |
| Prionodon linsang[1] (Hardwicke, 1821) | |
 | |
| Banded linsang range | |
Thebanded linsang (Prionodon linsang) is alinsang, a tree-dwellingcarnivorousmammal native to theSundaic region ofSoutheast Asia.[2]
The banded linsang grows to 35–41.1 cm (13.8–16.2 in), with a long tail that can reach 36.2 cm (14.3 in).[3] It is a pale yellow with five dark bands. The average weight is around 700 g (25 oz). It has broad stripes on its neck and its tail consists of several dark bands with a dark tip. The tail has seven or eight dark bands and ends in a dark tip. The banded linsang has very sharp retractable claws.[4]
The banded linsang has been recorded in southernMyanmar,Thailand, PeninsularMalaysia, and theSunda Islands ofBorneo,Sumatra,Java,Bangka andBelitung Islands. It lives inevergreen forests. In Thailand and Malaysia it has been recorded indeciduous forest, and inSarawak also insecondary forest and close tooil palm plantations.[2]
In 2013, a banded linsang was recorded for the first time by a camera-trap in the hill forests ofKaren State.[5]
The banded linsang isnocturnal[2] and usually solitary.[6] It is carnivorous, with its diet consisting of small vertebrates, such as birds, rats, and snakes.[3]
Very little is known about the banded linsang's reproduction. It is thought that litters of 2–3 are born semiannually in a nest in burrows or hollow trees.[7]
Until recently, the two species of Asiatic linsangs were considered to be members of the familyViverridae and to be related to the morphologically similargenets. However, recent genetic taxonomy investigations have strongly suggested that the Asiatic linsangs are a sister-group of the cat family,Felidae. It has been proposed that the Asiatic linsangs be placed in themonogeneric family Prionodontidae.[8]
