Ictonyx libycus, Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Mustelidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 564-656 : 637

24. Saharan Striped Polecat Ictonyx libycus

French: Zorille de Libye / German: Streifenwiesel / Spanish: Huron del Sahara Other common names: Saharan Striped Weasel Taxonomy. Mustela libyca Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833 , Libya. Four subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution. I. I. libycus Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833 — Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia. I. I. multivittata Wagner, 1841 — E Chad and C Sudan. I. I. oralis Thomas & Hinton, 1920 — Egypt, Eritrea, and N Sudan. I. I. rothschildi Thomas & Hinton, 1920 — Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 20-7-26 cm, tail 114-18 cm; weight 200-600 g, adult males are slightly larger than females. The Saharan Striped Polecat has a black and white pelage, with poorly defined black and white stripes along the sides of the body. The head is black with a white patch on the upperlip; there is a large white mark on the forehead. The limbs are short. The tail is short and bushy, and mostly white except for the black tip. There are four pairs of mammae. The skull is small, with a short rostrum. Dental formula: 13/3,C1/1,P3/3,M 1/2 = 34.

Habitat. Sub-desert habitats, especially stony areas, steppes, and areas of sparse brush. Also found in cultivated areas and coastal sand dunes.

Food and Feeding. The diet apparently consists of rodents, small birds, eggs,lizards, and insects. Food is located by smell and by sound, and the front claws are used to dig up food items.

Activity pattern. Nocturnal. Rest sites are in burrows or rock crevices.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Mostly solitary.

Breeding. Gestation is 37 to 77 days. Litter size is one to three. The young are born from January to March. They are born blind and covered with short hair. In captivity, neonates were 5 g at birth; they took some solid food after five weeks, and weighed 250 g at two months.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern in The IUCN Red List. A poorly known species and field studies are needed to learn more about its natural history, ecology, and conservation status.

Bibliography. Hufnagl (1972), Niethammer (1987), Rosevear (1974), Setzer (1957), Sitek (1995), Wozencraft (2005).