Africa's rarest carnivore discovered in Tanzania.
19/12/2006 00:00:00
Africa’s least-known and probably rarest carnivore, Jackson’s mongoose, known only from a few observations and museum specimens, has been found in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains. The mongoose was captured during a camera-trap study in the mountains of Southern Tanzania conducted by The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The findings mark a range extension for the bushy-tailed carnivore, previously known to exist only in Kenya.
WCS scientist Dr. Daniela De Luca, together with Dr. Francesco Rovero from Italy’s Trento Museum of Natural Sciences, captured several images of the Jackson’s mongoose in Matundu Forest, one of East Africa’s largest lowland forests, in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. Most of the photos were taken between the hours of 7pm and 6am, indicating that the animal is largely nocturnal.
‘These mongooses may represent a separate subspecies from the one that exists in Kenya,’ said Dr. De Luca. ‘Given the fragmentation and small sizes of the forest patches in which they live, full protection of nearby forests would improve conditions for conserving this species.’
In 2004, WCS conservationists working in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania discovered a new species of primate—the Kipunji monkey—which in 2006 they described as a new genus as well. The Kipunji turned out to be present also in the Udzungwa Mountains. A few years prior, WCS researchers working in the same area ‘photo-trapped’ a Lowe’s servaline genet, the first of its kind recorded in 70 years.
Jackson’s mongoose has round, broad ears, with yellow fur on the neck and throat, and a white bushy tail. It is a close relative of the bushy-tailed mongoose, and is poorly known; previous records for the Jackson’s mongoose are limited to forests in Kenya over 900 kilometers (559 miles) to the north. There are 14 museum specimens in existence from Kenya, and next to nothing is known about its biology.
‘These mongooses may represent a separate subspecies from the one that exists in Kenya,’ said Dr. De Luca. ‘Given the fragmentation and small sizes of the forest patches in which they live, full protection of nearby forests would improve conditions for conserving this species.’
In 2004, WCS conservationists working in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania discovered a new species of primate—the Kipunji monkey—which in 2006 they described as a new genus as well. The Kipunji turned out to be present also in the Udzungwa Mountains. A few years prior, WCS researchers working in the same area ‘photo-trapped’ a Lowe’s servaline genet, the first of its kind recorded in 70 years.
Jackson’s mongoose has round, broad ears, with yellow fur on the neck and throat, and a white bushy tail. It is a close relative of the bushy-tailed mongoose, and is poorly known; previous records for the Jackson’s mongoose are limited to forests in Kenya over 900 kilometers (559 miles) to the north. There are 14 museum specimens in existence from Kenya, and next to nothing is known about its biology.
