Alexander's kusimanse

The Congo Kusimanse ( Crossarchus Alexandrian ) is a carnivore from the mongoose family ( Herpestidae ).

Features

The Congo Kusimanse is the largest of the four types of Kusimansen, it reaches a body length of 35 and 44 centimeters, of that there is a 23 to 32 centimeters long tail. The weight is 1-2 kg. Your body is slender and elongated, the legs are relatively short. The front legs and the rear legs carrying five toes, the front legs carrying well-developed claws. The dark brown coat is dense and shaggy, the guard hairs are longer towards the rear. On the neck there is a noticeable head of hair along the spine runs a mane.

The snout is elongated, as in all Kusimansen in the Congo Kusimansen it is longer than the other Kusimansen. The dental formula is I 3/ 3 - C 1/1- 3/3- P M 2 /2, for a total of 36 teeth.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​Congo Kusimansen includes large parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between the rivers Ubangi and Kasai in the north to the south, they also live in western Uganda An isolated population occurs at Mount Elgon. Their habitat are the low-lying rainforests of the Congo Basin and mountain forests. In contrast to the partially sympatric Angola Kusimanse this type is less sensitive to human disturbance.

Way of life

Little is known about the lifestyle of the Congo Kusimansen. They are predominantly diurnal, although they sometimes go at night in search of food. They live in groups of up to 20 animals, the groups roam their territory and have no fixed burrows. The animals communicate with each other with grunts and Zwitscherlauten. Their diet consists primarily of invertebrates such as earthworms, snails and beetles, in addition they also eat small vertebrates and fruit.

Endangering

The stocks go through the hunting for their meat and by habitat destruction and declining but not yet at worrying levels. The IUCN lists the species as " not at risk " ( least concern ).