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Marsh mongoose
The marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), also called water mongoose, is a medium-sized mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa that inhabits freshwater wetlands. It has been listed as a Least-concern species on the IUCN Red List since 2008.
The generic name Atilax was introduced in 1826 by Frédéric Cuvier. In 1829, Georges Cuvier referred to a mongoose in the marshes of the Cape Province using the scientific name Herpestes paludinosus. It is the only extant member of the genus Atilax, although an extinct ancestral species from the Early Pleistocene known as Atilax mesotes was also a member of the genus.
The marsh mongoose's fur is dark reddish brown to black with white and fawn coloured guard hairs. The hair behind the neck and in front of the back is short, but longer on the hind legs and on the tail. Its muzzle is short with a fawn coloured mouth, short whiskers and a naked rhinarium. It has 3.1.3.23.1.3.2 × 2 = 36 teeth. Its short ears are round. It has two nipples. Its feet have five flexible digits each with curved claws, but without any webbing. The soles of its feet are naked.
Females measure 48.72 cm (19.18 in) in head-to-body length, and males 51.38 cm (20.23 in), with a 32.18–34.11 cm (12.67–13.43 in) long tail. In weight, adults range from 2.56 to 2.95 kg (5.6 to 6.5 lb). Both sexes have anal glands in a pouch that produce a musky smelling secretion.
Female marsh mongooses have 36 chromosomes, and males 35, as one Y chromosome is translocated to an autosome.
The marsh mongoose occurs across much of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and The Gambia to Ethiopia, and throughout much of Central, Eastern and parts of Southern Africa. It inhabits freshwater wetlands, marshes and swamps along slow-moving rivers and streams, in forested, jungle and savanna regions. It is occurs in river deltas, estuarine and brackish-water habitats in coastal areas. It was likely introduced by humans to Pemba Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago.
In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997. In Gabon's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was recorded only in forested habitats during a two-month survey in 2012.
In the Ethiopian Highlands, it was recorded at an elevation of 3,950 m (12,960 ft) in Bale Mountains National Park.
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Marsh mongoose
The marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), also called water mongoose, is a medium-sized mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa that inhabits freshwater wetlands. It has been listed as a Least-concern species on the IUCN Red List since 2008.
The generic name Atilax was introduced in 1826 by Frédéric Cuvier. In 1829, Georges Cuvier referred to a mongoose in the marshes of the Cape Province using the scientific name Herpestes paludinosus. It is the only extant member of the genus Atilax, although an extinct ancestral species from the Early Pleistocene known as Atilax mesotes was also a member of the genus.
The marsh mongoose's fur is dark reddish brown to black with white and fawn coloured guard hairs. The hair behind the neck and in front of the back is short, but longer on the hind legs and on the tail. Its muzzle is short with a fawn coloured mouth, short whiskers and a naked rhinarium. It has 3.1.3.23.1.3.2 × 2 = 36 teeth. Its short ears are round. It has two nipples. Its feet have five flexible digits each with curved claws, but without any webbing. The soles of its feet are naked.
Females measure 48.72 cm (19.18 in) in head-to-body length, and males 51.38 cm (20.23 in), with a 32.18–34.11 cm (12.67–13.43 in) long tail. In weight, adults range from 2.56 to 2.95 kg (5.6 to 6.5 lb). Both sexes have anal glands in a pouch that produce a musky smelling secretion.
Female marsh mongooses have 36 chromosomes, and males 35, as one Y chromosome is translocated to an autosome.
The marsh mongoose occurs across much of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and The Gambia to Ethiopia, and throughout much of Central, Eastern and parts of Southern Africa. It inhabits freshwater wetlands, marshes and swamps along slow-moving rivers and streams, in forested, jungle and savanna regions. It is occurs in river deltas, estuarine and brackish-water habitats in coastal areas. It was likely introduced by humans to Pemba Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago.
In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997. In Gabon's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was recorded only in forested habitats during a two-month survey in 2012.
In the Ethiopian Highlands, it was recorded at an elevation of 3,950 m (12,960 ft) in Bale Mountains National Park.