49-500: Viverra binotata Gray 1830 The African palm civet ( Nandinia binotata ), also known as the two-spotted palm civet , is a small feliform mammal widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa . It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List . The African palm civet is grey to dark brown with dark spots on the back. It has short legs, small ears, a lean body, and a long, ringed tail. It has two sets of scent glands on
98-400: A German collector after Adolf Hitler in 1933 when he had recently become chancellor of Germany. It is not clear whether such a dedication would be considered acceptable or appropriate today, but the name remains in use. Species names have been chosen on many different bases. The most common is a naming for the species' external appearance, its origin, or the species name is a dedication to
147-403: A certain person. Examples would include a bat species named for the two stripes on its back ( Saccopteryx bilineata ), a frog named for its Bolivian origin ( Phyllomedusa boliviana ), and an ant species dedicated to the actor Harrison Ford ( Pheidole harrisonfordi ). A scientific name in honor of a person or persons is known as a taxonomic eponym or eponymic; patronym and matronym are
196-470: A dominant male includes home ranges of several females. In Gabon, females were recorded to give birth in the long wet season and at the onset of the dry season between September and January. The female usually gives birth after a gestation period of 2–3 months. A litter consists of up to four young that are suckled for around three months. While she has suckling young, the female's mammary glands produce an orange-yellow liquid, which discolours her abdomen and
245-488: A foreign company. Feliformia Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats (large and small), hyenas , mongooses , viverrids , and related taxa . Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniformia (also Canoidea, "dog-like" carnivorans). The separation of the Carnivora into the broad groups of feliforms and caniforms
294-412: A single bone. This feature, however, is problematic for the classification of the extinct Nimravidae as feliforms. Nimravid fossils show ossified bullae with no septum, or no trace at all of the entire bulla. It is assumed that they had a cartilaginous housing of the ear mechanism. The specific characteristics of extant feliform bullae suggest a common ancestor, though one has not been identified in
343-555: A single common ancestor that was a herpestid (Yoder et al. 2003). Phylogenetic analysis supports this view and places all of the Malagasy carnivorans in the family Eupleridae. The differences in form make it difficult to concisely summarise the species in this family. The range in size is as diverse as the range in form, with smaller species at less than 500 g (1 lb) and the largest species at up to 12 kg (26 lb). Some have retractile or semi-retractile claws (the fossa and
392-471: A single work documenting every species. Publishing a paper documenting a single species was much faster and could be done by scientists with less broadened scopes of study. For example, a scientist who discovered a new species of insect would not need to understand plants, or frogs, or even insects which did not resemble the species, but would only need to understand closely related insects. Formal species descriptions today follow strict guidelines set forth by
441-607: A species of lemur ( Avahi cleesei ) was named after the actor John Cleese in recognition of his work to publicize the plight of lemurs in Madagascar. Non-profit ecological organizations may also allow benefactors to name new species in exchange for financial support for taxonomic research and nature conservation. A German non-profit organisation, BIOPAT – Patrons for Biodiversity , has raised more than $ 450,000 for research and conservation through sponsorship of over 100 species using this model. An individual example of this system
490-544: Is a nocturnal , largely arboreal mammal that spends most of the time on large branches, among lianas in the canopy of trees. It eats fruits such as those of the African corkwood tree ( Musanga cecropioides ), Uapaca , persimmon ( Diospyros hoyleana ), fig trees ( Ficus ), papayas ( Carica papaya ), and bananas ( Musa ). Males have home ranges of 34–153 ha (0.13–0.59 sq mi) and females of 29–70 ha (0.11–0.27 sq mi). The home range of
539-729: Is a polyphyletic family of extinct viverrid -like feliforms. The phylogenetic relationships of feliforms are shown in the following cladogram † Nimravidae (false saber-toothed cats) [REDACTED] Nandiniidae (African palm civet) [REDACTED] Viverridae (viverrids) [REDACTED] Herpestidae (mongooses) [REDACTED] Eupleridae (Malagasy mongooses) [REDACTED] † Lophocyonidae † Percrocutidae [REDACTED] Hyaenidae (hyenas) [REDACTED] † Haplogale Prionodontidae (Asiatic linsangs) [REDACTED] † Barbourofelidae † Stenogale Felidae (cats) [REDACTED] Scientific description A species description
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#1732781097125588-474: Is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species , typically articulated through a scientific publication . Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have been previously described or related species. For a species to be considered valid, a species description must follow established guidelines and naming conventions dictated by relevant nomenclature codes . These include
637-554: Is hostile; they consider them a menace to their food resources and safety of children. In Gabon, it is among the most frequently found small carnivores for sale in bushmeat markets. Upper Guinean forests in Liberia are considered a biodiversity hotspot . They have already been fragmented into two blocks. Large tracts are threatened by commercial logging and mining activities, and are converted for agricultural use including large-scale oil palm plantations in concessions obtained by
686-540: Is no clear common ancestor of the Feliform families in the fossil records. As forest dwellers, the early Feliforms were subject to more rapid decomposition in the absence of sedimentary materials, resulting in large gaps in the fossil records. For more discussion on feliform evolution and the divergence from the caniforms, together with additional external references on this subject, see the articles on Carnivora , Miacoidea and Carnivoramorpha . Family Stenoplesictidae
735-421: Is not divided and cartilaginous at the end. The African palm civet ranges throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa from Guinea to South Sudan , south to Angola , and into eastern Zimbabwe . It has been recorded in deciduous forests , lowland rainforests , gallery and riverine forests , savanna woodlands, and logged forests up to an elevation of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). In the 1950s, one individual
784-1124: Is the Callicebus aureipalatii (or "monkey of the Golden Palace"), which was named after the Golden Palace casino in recognition of a $ 650,000 contribution to the Madidi National Park in Bolivia in 2005. The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants discourages this practice somewhat: "Recommendation 20A. Authors forming generic names should comply with the following ... (h) Not dedicate genera to persons quite unconcerned with botany, mycology, phycology, or natural science in general." Early biologists often published entire volumes or multiple-volume works of descriptions in an attempt to catalog all known species. These catalogs typically featured extensive descriptions of each species and were often illustrated upon reprinting. The first of these large catalogs
833-669: Is widely accepted, as is the definition of Feliformia and Caniformia as suborders (sometimes superfamilies). The classification of feliforms as part of the Feliformia suborder or under separate groupings continues to evolve. Systematic classifications dealing with only extant taxa include all feliforms into the Feliformia suborder, though variations exist in the definition and grouping of families and genera. Indeed, molecular phylogenies suggest that all extant Feliformia are monophyletic . Systematic classifications dealing with both extant and extinct taxa vary more widely. Some separate
882-555: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) for animals, the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) for plants, and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) for viruses. A species description often includes photographs or other illustrations of type material and information regarding where this material is deposited. The publication in which
931-520: The Middle East , India and Africa . Hyenas are large, powerful animals, up to 80 kg (176 lb) and represent one of the most prolific large carnivorans on the planet. The aardwolf is much smaller and is a specialised feeder, eating mainly harvester termites. Family Herpestidae ( mongooses , kusimanses , and the meerkat ) has 32 species. Previously, these were placed in the family Viverridae. However, Wilson and Reeder (1993) established
980-496: The codes of nomenclature . Very detailed formal descriptions are made by scientists, who usually study the organism closely for a considerable time. A diagnosis may be used instead of, or as well as the description. A diagnosis specifies the distinction between the new species and other species, and it does not necessarily have to be based on morphology. In recent times, new species descriptions have been made without voucher specimens, and this has been controversial. According to
1029-535: The fossil records. There are other characteristics that differentiate feliforms from caniforms and probably existed in their stem taxa. But, due to speciation, these do not apply unambiguously to all extant species. Feliforms tend to have shorter rostrums (snouts) than caniforms, fewer teeth, and more specialized carnassials . Feliforms tend to be more carnivorous and are generally ambush hunters. Caniforms tend more toward omnivorous and opportunity-based feeding. However, omnivorous feliforms also exist, particularly in
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#17327810971251078-752: The "cat-like" carnivorans. There are 41 extant species, and all but a few have retractile claws. This family is represented on all continents except for Australia (where domestic cats have been introduced ) and Antarctica. The species vary in size from the tiny black-footed cat ( Felis nigripes ) at only 2 kg (4.5 lb) to the tiger ( Panthera tigris ) at 300 kg (660 lb). Diet ranges from large to small mammals, birds and insects (depending on species size). Family Hyaenidae ( hyenas and aardwolf ) has four extant species and two subspecies. All show features of convergent evolution with canids , including non-retractile claws, long muzzles, and adaptations to running for long distances. They are extant in
1127-463: The 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, but many species names are based on words from other languages, and are Latinized. Once the manuscript has been accepted for publication, the new species name is officially created. Once a species name has been assigned and approved, it can generally not be changed except in the case of error. For example, a species of beetle ( Anophthalmus hitleri ) was named by
1176-592: The British naturalist Peter Scott proposed the binomial name Nessiteras rhombopteryx ("Ness monster with diamond-shaped fin") for the Loch Ness Monster; it was soon spotted that it was an anagram of "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S". Species have frequently been named by scientists in recognition of supporters and benefactors. For example, the genus Victoria (a flowering waterplant) was named in honour of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. More recently,
1225-405: The Malagasy civet) and others do not (the falanouc and Malagasy mongooses). They all tend to have slender bodies and pointed rostra (except the fossa, which has a blunt snout). Diet varies with size and form of the species and, like their mainland counterparts, ranges from small mammals, insects and invertebrates through to crustaceans and molluscs. Family Felidae (cats) are the most widespread of
1274-841: The Nigerian part and around 3,300 in the Cameroon part of the Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests . In Guinea, dead African palm civets were recorded in spring 1997 on bushmeat market in villages located in the vicinity of the National Park of Upper Niger . Dried heads of African palm civets were found in 2007 at the Bohicon and Dantokpa Markets in southern Benin, suggesting that they are used as fetish in animal rituals . The attitude of rural people in Ghana towards African palm civets
1323-592: The case. In the Middle Eocene (about 42 mya), the miacids started to branch into two distinct groups of the order Carnivora: the Feliforms and Caniforms. The miacid precursors to the extant Feliforms remained forest-dwelling, arboreal or semi-arboreal ambush hunters, while the Caniform precursors were more mobile, opportunistic hunters. While it is clear that the first Feliforms appeared at this time, there
1372-552: The family Nandiniidae , with the genus Nandinia as sole member. He argued that it differs from the Aeluroidea by the structure and shape of its ear canal and mastoid part of the temporal bone . Results of morphological and molecular genetic analyses indicate that it differs from viverrids and diverged from the Feliformia about 44.5 million years ago , It is the most genetically isolated Carnivoran , being
1421-518: The family Viverridae . Many feliforms have retractile or semi-retractile claws and many are arboreal or semi-arboreal. Feliforms also tend to be more digitigrade (walking on toes). Most caniforms are terrestrial and have non-retractile claws. Seven families are extant, with 12 subfamilies, 56 genera, and 114 species in the Feliformia suborder. They range natively across all continents except Australia and Antarctica . Most species are arboreal or semiarboreal ambush hunters. Target prey vary based on
1470-448: The feliforms (extant and extinct) as Aeluroidea (superfamily) and Feliformia (suborder). Others include all feliforms (extant, extinct and "possible ancestors") into the Feliformia suborder. Some studies suggest this inclusion of "possible ancestors" into Feliformia (or even Carnivora) may be spurious. The extinct (†) families as reflected in the taxa chart are the least problematic in terms of their relationship with extant feliforms (with
1519-528: The gendered terms for this. A number of humorous species names also exist. Literary examples include the genus name Borogovia (an extinct dinosaur), which is named after the borogove, a mythical character from Lewis Carroll 's poem " Jabberwocky ". A second example, Macrocarpaea apparata (a tall plant) was named after the magical spell "to apparate" from the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling , as it seemed to appear out of nowhere. In 1975,
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1568-897: The herpestids as morphologically and genetically distinct from viverrids. They are extant in Africa, Middle East and Asia . All have non-retractile claws. They are smaller as a family, ranging from 1 kg (2.2 lb) to 5 kg (11 lb), and typically have long, slender bodies and short legs. Diet varies based on species size and available food sources, ranging from small mammals, birds to reptiles , insects and crabs . Some species are omnivorous , including fruits and tubers in their diet. Family Nandiniidae (the African palm civet ) has only one species ( Nandinia binotata ), extant across sub-Saharan Africa . They have retractile claws and are slender-bodied, arboreal omnivores (with fruit making up much of their diet). They are relatively small with
1617-421: The island of Madagascar . The eight species in the family exhibit significant variations in form. These differences initially led to the species in this family sharing common names with, and being placed in the different families of, apparently more similar species on the mainland (e.g. civets and mongoose). However, phylogenetic analysis of DNA provides strong evidence that all Malagasy carnivorans evolved from
1666-544: The larger males weighing up to 5 kg (11 lb). Family Prionodontidae ( Asiatic linsangs ) has two extant species in one genus. They live in Southern-East Asia. All are arboreal hypercarnivorans . They are the closest living relatives of the family Felidae. Family Viverridae (all but two civets , genets , oyans , and the binturong ) has 30 living species. They all have long bodies, short legs with retractile claws, and usually long tails. In weight,
1715-515: The lower abdomen and between the third and fourth toes on each foot, which secrete a strong-smelling substance used to mark territory and in mating. Adult females reach a body length of 37–61 cm (15–24 in) with a 34–70 cm (13–28 in) long tail and weigh 1.2–2.7 kg (2.6–6.0 lb). Adult males reach 39.8–62.5 cm (15.7–24.6 in) in body length with a 43–76.2 cm (16.9–30.0 in) long tail and weigh 1.3–3 kg (2.9–6.6 lb). The African palm civet's ear canal
1764-401: The miacids, with a full complement of molars, and the viverravines with a reduced number of molars and more specialized carnassials. These dental differences resemble the difference between Caniforms (with more teeth) and Feliforms (with fewer teeth) but this may not mean evolutionary lineages. It was thought that Viverravidae was basal to the Feliforms. However, some studies suggest this is not
1813-430: The most problematic being Nimravidae ). All extant feliforms share a common attribute: their auditory bullae (bony capsules enclosing the middle and inner ear ). This is a key diagnostic in classifying species as feliform versus caniform. In feliforms, the auditory bullae are double-chambered, composed of two bones joined by a septum . Caniforms have single-chambered or partially divided auditory bullae, composed of
1862-415: The only species within its superfamily as a whole. The phylogenetic relationships of African palm civet is shown in the following cladogram: Felidae Prionodontidae Hyaenidae Herpestidae Eupleridae Viverridae Nandinia The African palm civet is threatened by habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat . In 2006, an estimated more than 4,300 African palm civets are hunted yearly in
1911-460: The same far-away mythological creatures. Toward the end of the 12th century, Konungs skuggsjá , an Old Norse philosophical didactic work, featured several descriptions of the whales, seals, and monsters of the Icelandic seas. These descriptions were brief and often erroneous, and they included a description of the mermaid and a rare island-like sea monster called hafgufu . The author
1960-468: The scientist has performed the necessary research to determine that the discovered organism represents a new species, the scientific results are summarized in a scientific manuscript, either as part of a book or as a paper to be submitted to a scientific journal . A scientific species description must fulfill several formal criteria specified by the nomenclature codes , e.g. selection of at least one type specimen . These criteria are intended to ensure that
2009-447: The species is described gives the new species a formal scientific name . Some 1.9 million species have been identified and described, out of some 8.7 million that may actually exist. Additionally, over five billion species have gone extinct over the history of life on Earth . A name of a new species becomes valid ( available in zoological terminology) with the date of publication of its formal scientific description. Once
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2058-411: The species name is clear and unambiguous, for example, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature states that "Authors should exercise reasonable care and consideration in forming new names to ensure that they are chosen with their subsequent users in mind and that, as far as possible, they are appropriate, compact, euphonious , memorable, and do not cause offence." Species names are written in
2107-781: The species range from 0.5–14 kg (1.1–30.9 lb). Some occur in Southern Europe, but most in Africa and Asia. Their diet ranges from fruit and plants to insects, crustaceans and molluscs , and small mammals. In the Middle Palaeocene (60 million years ago), Miacoidea appears. Miacoids were a group of paraphyletic taxa believed to be basal to Carnivora. They had Carnivora-like carnassials but lacked fully ossified auditory bullae. Miacids were small arboreal carnivorans and, based on their size (roughly that of mongooses), they probably fed on insects, small mammals and birds. The miacoids are divided into two groups:
2156-495: The species size and available food sources (with the larger species feeding mainly on small mammals and the smallest species feeding on insects or invertebrates ). An overview of each family is provided here. For detailed taxa and descriptions of the species in each family, follow the links to other articles and external references. Family Eupleridae (the "Malagasy carnivorans") includes fossa , falanouc , Malagasy civet and Malagasy mongooses , all of which are restricted to
2205-494: The young civets' fur. This probably discourages males from mating with nursing females. Its generation length is 7.8 years. In 1830, John Edward Gray first described an African palm civet using the name Viverra binotata based on a zoological specimen obtained from a museum in Leiden . In 1843, Gray proposed the genus Nandinia and subordinated Viverra binotata to this genus. In 1929, Reginald Innes Pocock proposed
2254-518: Was Aristotle 's History of Animals , published around 343 BC. Aristotle included descriptions of creatures, mostly fish and invertebrates, in his homeland, and several mythological creatures rumored to live in far-away lands, such as the manticore . In 77 AD Pliny the Elder dedicated several volumes of his Natural History to the description of all life forms he knew to exist. He appears to have read Aristotle's work since he writes about many of
2303-416: Was hesitant to mention the beast (known today to be fictitious) for fear of its size, but felt it was important enough to be included in his descriptions. However, the earliest recognized species authority is Carl Linnaeus , who standardized the modern taxonomy system beginning with his Systema Naturae in 1735. As the catalog of known species was increasing rapidly, it became impractical to maintain
2352-567: Was recorded in forested areas during a camera-trapping survey in 2012. In Batéké Plateau National Park , it was recorded only west of the Mpassa River during surveys carried out between June 2014 and May 2015. In Liberian Upper Guinean forests , it was sighted in Gbarpolu County and Bong County during surveys in 2013. In Zanzibar , it was recorded in groundwater forest on Unguja Island in 2003. The African palm civet
2401-490: Was wild-caught on Bioko Island. However, it was not recorded on the island during subsequent surveys between 1986 and 2015. In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger , it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997. In Senegal , it was observed in 2000 in Niokolo-Koba National Park , which encompasses mainly open habitat dominated by grasses . In Gabon 's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park , it
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