Eupleridae
Big Wide Stripe mongoose ( Galidictis grandidieri )
The Malagasy predators ( Eupleridae ) are a family living in Madagascar of carnivores ( Carnivora ). It summarizes all naturally occurring on this island predators, their togetherness was found only at the beginning of the 21st century due to molecular genetic studies. It is in relation to body shapes and lifestyles very diverse group, but most species are solitary carnivores. The family includes eight living and extinct in the last millennia Art
- 5.1 Internal systematics and taxonomic history
- 5.2 Outer systematics and evolution
Features
There are no morphological characteristics that clearly distinguish the Malagasy predators from other predators. Rather, they show convergence with various other predator groups, such as the cats, civets and mongooses, which was the reason that on the basis of external criteria, the relationship of these animals could not be detected. The most representative is the fossa with a body length of up to 80 centimeters and a weight of up to 12 kg, while the smallest Madagascar mongooses have a body length of 26 centimeters and a weight of 500 grams. The males and females of the Malagasy carnivores are not, however, differ in coat color, in some species the dimensions - in these cases the males are larger.
In general, the body of these animals is slender and elongated limbs are short. The paws are often relatively large, the claws can be retractable - such as the fossa - or not. The coat is short and dense, it is decorated in different shades of gray or brown tones. In some species it is patterned with spots or stripes. The tail is slightly shorter than the fuselage, it is bushy in the majority of species and can - about the curly tail mongoose - have signal coloration.
The head is compared to the rest of the body rather small. It is characterized in most species by the pointed snout, at the fossa, however, he is cat-like with his short face skull. The crushing scissors from the last upper premolar and the first lower molar ( " fangs " ), a predator feature is, with the exception of the fossa is not pronounced. The Falanuk soaked with his uniform, reminiscent of insectivorous dentition clearly from the other species.
Distribution and habitat
The Malagasy carnivores are endemic to Madagascar off Africa's east coast, on the small offshore islands, they do not occur. They are the only naturally living on this island predators, ranging from people, however, the domestic cat, domestic dog and the Small Indian civet were introduced there. Habitat of the Malagasy carnivores are mainly forests, where they can live in different types of forests. They are found in the rain forests of the east coast as well as in the deciduous forests to the west and the thorn forests in the southwest of the island. Six of the species are strict forest dwellers, only the fossa and to a lesser extent of ring-tailed mongoose looking sometimes in non-forested areas or forest edges for food or use this as a swipe areas. These two species are also the most undemanding in terms of their habitat and can be found in different types of forests, while most other species specialize in a particular type of forest as a habitat.
Species diversity is highest in the rainforests of the east coast, here sometimes for up to five sympatric species. The western and southwestern forests have lower species diversity, but may have higher population densities.
Way of life
Activity times and locomotion
The lifestyle of the Malagasy carnivores is variable. Some species have a kathemerale life, that is, they have no distinct day -night rhythm. Other animals, such as the Broad Area mongooses or Fanaloka are primarily nocturnal. When resting places serve them hollow logs, burrows, crevices or self-dug burrows. Malagasy carnivores are primarily terrestrial, that is, they live mostly on the ground, most species can climb well, and some swimming. The movement can be both on the toes ( digitigrad ) and sole tomboyish ( plantigrade ).
Some species show adaptations to the seasonal climate of Madagascar. Thus, the fossa in her body and the Falanuk in its tail to create fat reserves, while the body weight increases by up to 25%. These reserves are invested in the rainy season in order to survive the cold and food is scarce dry season better. But there is in no way evidence of a dry Rigid or hibernation.
Social and territorial behavior
Also, the social behavior is variable in many species but hardly known. Of the better -researched species Fossa lives solitary and the curly tail mongoose family groups of one male, one female and up to three pups. Also, there are other types of observations of two or more together live animals, these are likely to mothers with their pups. In addition to the ring-tailed mongoose is not a type, in which the males actively participate in the rearing of the young, they probably live solitary outside the breeding season.
Malagasy carnivores are most territorial animals that mark their territories with glandular secretions. The areas are generally relatively large as in carnivores in the fossa for example, they can include up to 26 km ². The olfactory communication with scent trails generally plays an important role in these animals, however, many types are quiet animals who give little noises. Exceptions are the more social ring-tailed mongoose, who have a diverse sound repertoire.
Food
Malagasy carnivores are primarily carnivores, the diet can vary considerably according to habitat and season. The fossa, the largest Malagasy predator is equipped with a powerful bite and eats mainly vertebrates, including lemurs. The Falanuk is matched with its small teeth on soft food and takes mainly earthworms to himself. The other species that weigh all under 2 kg, consume small vertebrates and insects and other invertebrates and are often food generalists. Some species also eat carrion and take a small extent also plant food such as fruits to him.
Reproduction
The reproduction is seasonal, at least in some species, so that the births fall into the rainy season, when food availability is greatest. The gestation period is 40 to 105 depending on the type days, but the data are partially contradictory. The litter sizes are small with one or two, at the fossa only it can be up to four pups. The newborns spend their first weeks of life, usually in a building or in another shelter. The level of development of the newborn is different, so the young animals of Fossas are altricial, while they are precocial at the Fanaloka and partly also in the Madagascar mongoose. Weaning takes place between two and four and a half months of age. About the life expectancy in the wild, there is little information; Fossas and ring-tailed mongoose may be old in captivity for over 20 years.
Malagasy carnivores and people
Since the Malagasy carnivores are mainly forest dwellers, they are threatened by the progressive destruction of their habitat due to fire clearing, logging, charcoal production and mining. Another factor is competition from introduced species such as the domestic dog or the Small Indian Civet. In addition the hunting: on the one hand they are hunted for their meat, on the other hand, because they have a reputation to invade houses and barns and tear poultry and other small pets. The extent to which these incidents actually go to the account of the Malagasy carnivores or whether the entrained predators are responsible is not known. In the Malagasy folklore, there are stories, after which Fossas sometimes pose a threat to humans. Secured reports of attacks on humans but there is no.
A species that Riesenfossa is extinct in the last millennia. The IUCN lists a kind, the Great Wide Stripe Mungo as " critically endangered " ( endangered ); three types, fossa, narrow strip Mungo Mungo and simplicity as " endangered" ( vulnerable ); three other species, broad-stripe mongoose, Falanuk and Fanaloka as "low risk" ( near threatened ) and only one type, the ring-tailed mongoose as not at risk.
Systematics and evolution
Inside systematics and taxonomic history
The Malagasy predators include seven genera with nine living and extinct species, which are divided into two subfamilies:
- Subfamily Madagascar mongoose ( Galidiinae ) Ring-tailed mongoose ( Galidia elegans)
- Genus Wide Stripe mongooses ( Galidictis ) ( Actual ) wide strip mongoose ( Galidictis fasciatus )
- Big Wide Stripe mongoose ( Galidictis grandidieri )
- Simple mongoose ( Salanoia concolor)
- Salanoia durrelli
- Genus Cryptoprocta Fossa ( Cryptoprocta ferox )
- Riesenfossa ( Cryptoprocta spelea ) †
While the genetic evidence clearly indicates that the Malagasy carnivores are a monophyletic group that is descended from a common ancestor, the internal system is more controversial. The Madagascan mongoose probably also form a monophyletic group - the position of the finishing mongoose is not precisely known. Fossa and Fanaloka are closely related to each other, the position of the Falanuk is controversial, so it is not clear whether the Euplerinae are monophyletic. A possible cladogram of the Malagasy carnivores looks like this:
Fanaloka ( fossa )
Fossa ( Cryptoprocta )
Falanuk ( Eupleres, position uncertain)
Wide Stripe mongoose ( Galidictis )
Simple mongoose ( Salanoia, position uncertain)
Narrow strip mongoose ( Mungotictis )
Ring-tailed mongoose ( Galidia )
Due to differences in morphology and in the lifestyle of the predator species of Madagascar were previously divided into three groups: the Madagascar mongooses were considered as subfamily Galidiinae the mongoose ( Herpestidae ), offset by which the mongoose of the African continent and Asia ( herpes Tinae ). Falanuk and Fanaloka were attributed as subfamily Euplerinae the civets ( Viverridae ), the Falanuk was considered at its first description in 1835 even as representatives of the insectivores and not the predators. The taxonomic affiliation of the fossa was controversial. She was usually in a separate subfamily, Cryptoproctinae, led, which were due to some feline characteristics sometimes to cats ( Felidae ), but mostly also counted among the civets and mongooses.
Outer systematics and evolution
Published in 2003 Anne Yoder et al. a comprehensive molecular genetic study in which the systematic position of the domestic carnivores in Madagascar was investigated using two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. Contrary to the previously presumed descent conditions, the investigation showed that the Malagasy carnivores despite all the morphological differences form a monophyletic group. In 2005, a study by Philippe Gaubert et al., That purely morphological criteria do not support the monophyly of the Malagasy carnivores, was therefore proposed to divide it at least several families. However, the recent taxonomic publications recognize the Eupleridae as a whole and lead by Gaubert et al. proposed division not.
The investigations of Yoder et al. showed that the mongoose ( Herpestidae ) are the sister group of the Malagasy carnivores and the hyenas ( Hyaenidae ) the sister group of the clade of Malagasy mongooses and predators. With the civets and cats therefore there is only a distant relationship.
It is discussed how the Malagasy predators have come to Madagascar. Since they are a monophyletic group, is to start from a single colonization process. The 400 kilometers located off Africa's east coast island is home to a peculiar and limited mammalian fauna are found here naturally land-based mammals from only five taxa ago, the lemurs, the tenrecs, the Madagascar rats Malagasy predators and Malagasy hippos. As popular in the 19th century land bridges hypothesis is true in view of plate tectonics as obsolete, remains as a plausible method of ship, either floating or drifting vegetation.
Such transport is, however, for the animals a major challenge you have long periods of time without food and water to survive, and in a larger group arrive to still find there a reproductive partner. As mentioned above, some Malagasy predators can create fat reserves to get through periods of low food. Even if there are no more references to hibernation are in today's species, but it is conceivable that for animals with fat reserves and during rest or sleep state, such a trip would be most likely to survive. Based on the molecular clock calculated Anne Yoder the time of arrival of the animals in Madagascar in front from 24 to 18 million years ago, ie in the late Oligocene or early Miocene.
There are known in Madagascar no fossils of vertebrates from the period between the end of the Cretaceous ( about 65 million years ago) and the late Pleistocene or early Holocene ( 12,000 years ago ). From fossils therefore can be no conclusions about the development history of these animals move.