Ichneumia albicauda, I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1837

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Herpestidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 262-328 : 317-318

18.

White-tailed Mongoose

Ichneumia albicauda

French: Mangouste a queue blanche / German: WeiRschwanzichneumon / Spanish: Mangosta coliblanca

Taxonomy. Herpestes albicaudus Cuvier, 1829 ,

southern Africa and Senegal.

Six subspecies are listed here, but their validity is questionable.

Subspecies and Distribution.

I. a. albicauda Cuvier, 1829 — Senegal to E Sudan, Eritrea, and N Somalia; also Arabian Peninsula.

I. a. dialeucos Hollister, 1916 — N Kenya, S Somalia, and S Ethiopia.

I. a. grandis Thomas, 1890 — S Angola, Zambia, S Tanzania to South Africa.

I. a. ibeana Thomas, 1904 — DR Congo to C Kenya.

I. a. loandae Thomas, 1904 — N Angola and S DR Congo.

I. a. loempo Temminck, 1853 — W Africa ( Guinea).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 47-69 cm, tail 34.6-47 cm (males), 39.2-48. 5 cm (females), hindfoot 13-14. 7 cm (males), 13-14. 8 cm (females), ear 4.2-5 cm (males), 3.7-5 cm (females); weight 2:9.5-2 kg (males), 3.1-5 kg (females). No obvious sexual dimorphism. This is probably the heaviest mongoose; Zimbabwe individuals substantially heavier than those in Tanzania. Slender, long-legged, and tall. Variable pelage, but generally dark with coarse, sometimes silvery body fur; grayish head and black legs. On the dorsum, coarse, black-tipped guard hairs extend beyond the thick, woolly, pale undercoat. The guard hairs are short on the head (10 mm) and increase in length to 90 mm toward the rump. Some of these hairs are black, but most have a broad black tip and two silvery bands separated by a black band. The underfur is substantially shorter and off-white. Thetip ofthe tail is white. The guard hairs on the tail are shorter towards the tip. Near the rump, they are white-tipped with a broad black ring; close to the tip, they become pure white. The tail is black-tipped in West African populations. The ventral pelage is pale brown. The tip of the muzzle is dusky brown and the cheeks are whitish. The upper lip is divided by a groove from nose to mouth;the lip is deeper than in most mongooses, extending as far as the blackish rhinarium. The ears are large and squarish. The skeleton is more dog-like than that of other herpestids, reflecting this mongoose’s more cursorial lifestyle and digitigrade locomotion. Foreand hindfeet have five toes. The forefeet have long (13 mm), strong, curved claws; the claws are shorter and less curved on hindfeet. The hallux and pollex are reduced and set back from the plantar pad. The forelimbs are naked to the wrist. The hindlimbs have hair from behind the first digit to the heel. Conspicuous anal scent pouches are used in marking. There are two to three pairs of abdominal mammae. The frontal region of the skull is expanded and more elevated than the parietal region. Postorbital processes well-developed. Sagittal and lambdoidal crests well-developed. Braincase broadest at zygomatic arch. Front chambers of ear bullae small relative to hindchambers. Condylobasal 10.9-11. 9 cm. Dental formula: 13/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40. Heavy dentition. Lower canines recurved, upper canines slightly recurved. Lower molars have high cusps, especially at front of teeth.

Habitat. Found in a wide range of habitats, principally grassland, woodland, and farmland, but not in swamps, tropical rainforest, desert, or above 4000 m.

Food and Feeding. Predominantly insectivorous, feeding on surface invertebrates. However, White-tailed Mongooses are opportunistic and occasionally take small vertebrates, berries and fruits. They feed mainly on termites and ants in the dry season, and dung beetles in the rainy season. When foraging, they use a rapid zig-zag trot with occasional brief stops. In suburban settings, they raid garbage cans. Examination of 65 stomachs collected in Zimbabwe contained the following diet components: 86% Insecta, 31% Amphibia, 18% Muridae , 15% Reptilia, 6% Oligochaeta, 6% fruit, 5% Aves, 1-5% Myriapoda, 1-5% Scorpiones, 1:5% Solifugae, and 1-5% Soricidae.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal, particularly active during first third of the night, with more frequent activity on darker nights. White-tailed Mongooses use daytime resting sites in termite mounds, rocks, or buildings, changing sites from day to day. Their ability to dig dens is apparently limited. Their habit of foraging on roads at night makes them vulnerable to injury or death.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Mainly solitary (79-91% of records; the remainder are male-female pairs). In Ethiopia, the mean male home range was 3-17 km* (range = 1-11-4-27); one female home range was 2-61 km?. In Tanzania, the mean male home range was 0-97 km* (range = 0-80-1-23), mean female home range was 0-64 km® (range = 0-39-1-18), and density was up to 4 individuals/km?* Home ranges in Kenya were reported to be up to 8 km *. Walking pace was recorded at 4-2 km/h. Males did not share ranges with other males, but their ranges overlapped substantially with those of females. Some female ranges were exclusive, but others were apparently shared with other females. In Ethiopia, male-male overlap was less than 3%, whereas male-female overlap was 35-81%. In high-density populations, there appears to be male-biased dispersal; females remain on the maternal home range, but forage independently. This leads to the formation of female clusters or clans. Individuals cover approximately a quarter of the entire home range each night. Females sometimes share day-rest sites with juveniles or other females. Rest site availability may limit population size. There islittle social interaction. Interactions between individuals are generally tolerant, with little attention paid; occasional aggression is directed at members of a neighboring clan. White-tailed Mongooses are quite vocal for a solitary species. They mutter while digging for insects, and if threatened, may growl, grunt, or bark. Thetail is apparently used in visual signalling: a threatened individual will erect its fur and tail as well as vocalize. Individuals scent-mark with anal gland secretions, urine, and dung. They deposit scats at den and central middens (one or two perterritory), which may be used by several adults. Urination is usually accompanied by an arching of the tail.

Breeding. Copulations occur during consortships that last for several hours. Litter size averages 1-4 (rarely three or four). Females rear young alone. The young apparently share the maternal home range for at least four months post-weaning. Longevity up to ten years in captivity.

Status and Conservation. Not CITES listed. Classified as Least Concern in The [UCN Red List. Their wide geographical distribution, relatively wide habitat utilization, and ability to forage in human garbage, suggest it is a robust species. Distribution and population densities are likely limited by suitable den site availability.

Bibliography. Admasu et al. (2004a), Al-Safadi (1995), Dehghani et al. (2008), Estes (1991), Ikeda et al. (1982), Kingdon (1971-1982, 1997), Skinner & Chimimba (2005), Taylor (1972, In press d), Waser (1980), Waser & Waser (1985), Wozencraft (2005).

Figures

On following pages: 15. Somalian Slender Mongoose (Galerella ochracea); 16. Cape Gray Mongoose (Galerella pulverulenta); 17. Common Slender Mongoose (Galerella sanguinea); 18. White-tailed Mongoose (/chneumia albicauda); 19. Selous's Mongoose (Paracynictis selous)); 20. Bushy-tailed Mongoose (Bdeogale crassicauda); 21. Jackson's Mongoose (Bdeogale jackson); 22. Black-footed Mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes); 23. Meller’s Mongoose (Rhynchogale melleri).

Subspecies and Distribution. I. a. albicauda Cuvier, 1829 — Senegal to E Sudan , Eritrea , and N Somalia ; also Arabian Peninsula. I. a. dialeucos Hollister, 1916 — N Kenya , S Somalia , and S Ethiopia . I. a. grandis Thomas, 1890 — S Angola , Zambia , S Tanzania to South Africa . I. a. ibeana Thomas, 1904 — DR Congo to C Kenya . I. a. loandae Thomas, 1904 — N Angola and S DR Congo . I. a. loempo Temminck, 1853 — W Africa ( Guinea ).