| Grandidier's mongoose | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Eupleridae |
| Genus: | Galidictis |
| Species: | G. grandidieri |
| Binomial name | |
| Galidictis grandidieri Wozencraft, 1986 | |
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| Grandidier's mongoose range | |
Grandidier's mongoose (Galidictis grandidieri), also known as thegiant-striped mongoose orGrandidier's vontsira, is a smallcarnivoran that lives only in a very small area of southwesternMadagascar, in areas of spiny forest vegetation. It is pale brown or grayish coloured, with eight wide, dark stripes on its back and sides. Grandidier's mongoose is larger than the relatedbroad-striped Malagasy mongoose,G. fasciata, and its stripes are not as wide. The species is named afterAlfred Grandidier.
This species has been called one of the least-studied carnivorans in the world.[2] With a few exceptions, the majority of records ofG. grandidieri come from a narrow zone at the western edge of the Mahafaly Plateau in the Parc National deTsimanampetsotsa, making it the Madagascan carnivore with the smallest range.
Nocturnal andcrepuscular, this species lives in pairs which produce one offspring a year, in the summer. They hunt primarily by searching through ground litter and in rock crevices. The diet of Grandidier's mongoose varies markedly between the dry and wet seasons. Whereas food consists mainly of invertebrates throughout the year, small vertebrates are the most important food by biomass, comprising 58% during the dry season and 80% during the wet season. Grandidier's mongoose weighs 1.1 to 1.3 lb (0.5 to 0.6 kg).[3]
The species issympatric with two other carnivores, the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and the introduced Indian civet (Viverricula indica). However, there seems to be virtually no range or dietary overlap between these animals and Grandidier's mongoose. From sub-fossil evidence, it is clear that the region underwent drastic climatic change during the last 3000–2000 years. It is presumed that the distribution of this mongoose was notably broader and the proportion of prey types different in earlier times than today. Grandidier's mongoose must have adapted to dryer conditions, which have resulted in its very limited distribution and the exploitation of notably small prey.[3]
The animals can be vocal, with a cooing mew, and are described as sociable and playful.[2]
The species is named afterAlfred Grandidier, a French naturalist who made zoological collections in Madagascar in the mid-1800s.[4] It was originally given the adjectival nameGalidictis grandidiensis but this was later corrected by the author toG. grandidieri in accordance with Article 31(a) of theInternational Code of Zoological Nomenclature.[5]
