Abyssinian genet
Ethiopian genet ( Genetta abyssinica )
The Ethiopian genet ( Genetta abyssinica ) is a predatory species from the family of mongooses ( genus genets ). The distribution area of the Ethiopian Genet is limited to parts of Ethiopia and the neighboring countries.
Features
The Ethiopian Genet reaches a snout-vent length from 40.8 to 43 centimeters, the tail length is 38 to 40.3 inches and weight of 1.3 to 2 kg. The coat is short and soft. The type has a creamy white to yellow ground color, the belly is pale gray. The animals in the lowlands are lighter and paler in color than the animals in the highlands of the distribution area. The dorsal spots are elongated and merge into five strips. The spots of the lower flanks are elongated and form rather strip than spots. The neck bands are considerably trained and merge in the neck to two dark lines. The dark line along the spine is clearly laid out and broken by a bright line; the hair of the center line do not form a crest. The tail has seven to nine bright rings, which are interrupted by dark circles; the tail tip is black. Front and rear legs are light gray with dark spots; the feet are unspotted. The face is also drawn clearly. It shows below a well-trained, dark mask and a gray line in the snout and white spots and above the eyes.
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Ethiopian Genet is limited to parts of Ethiopia and the neighboring countries. She comes in the north of Somalia, in Eritrea, Djibouti and the South East of Sudan.
The habitats of the species are very different. You could either present in the montane dry forests, their vegetation of Erica arborea, Hypericum revolutum and Rosa abyssinica is dominated. In addition, she lives in montane grassland and marshland as well as in the steppes and semi- desert areas in the lowlands. The altitudinal distribution extends to 3,750 meters.
Way of life
The Ethiopian genet is primarily nocturnal, but can often also be observed during the day. It is assumed that the activity of the day is a regional adaptation to the lifestyle of some diurnal rodents in the highlands. They also probably living primarily as a loner.
The species feeds like all genets mainly prey on small vertebrates, particularly rodents. Complemented the food by insects and fruit. In studies of the feces was found that the proportion of insects and fruits in lowland areas is higher than in the mountains.
System
The Ethiopian genet is a distinct species assigned to genets ( genus Genetta ), which consists on the current status of 14 species. At times she was together with the Hausa genet ( Genetta thierryi ) faced as a separate genus Pseudogenetta the other genets.
Threat and protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) classified the species as not at risk (least concern), despite the absence of the stocks little information. It justifies this with the large distribution area and the wide dispersion of the habitats in which the species occurs. Potential declines in stocks are not regarded as a going concern risk.
The main threats to this species are unclear. Habitat loss due to declines in the stocks of acacia and thorn forests and the increasing pressure by the livestock herd is mentioned in the circulation area of the Art