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Herpestes sanguineus 

Scope: Global
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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Herpestidae

Scientific Name: Herpestes sanguineus
Species Authority: (Rüppell, 1835)
Common Name(s):
English – Common Slender Mongoose, Slender Mongoose
French – Mangouste rouge
Synonym(s):
<i>Galerella</i> <i>sanguinea</i> (Rüppell, 1836)
Taxonomic Notes: In accordance with Hoffman and Taylor (2013) this assessment does not include Herpestes ochraceus, which is treated separately following many sources, notably Taylor (2013). Sometimes included in the genus Galerella (e.g., Wozencraft 1993, 2005; Veron et al. in press).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2016
Date Assessed: 2015-02-28
Assessor(s): Do Linh San, E. & Maddock, A.H.
Reviewer(s): Duckworth, J.W. & Hoffmann, M.
Contributor(s): Hoffmann, M. & Pacifici, M.
Justification:
Listed as Least Concern as the species is common and widespread in a variety of habitats, there are no major threats, and it is present in several protected areas across the range.
Previously published Red List assessments:

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:One of the most widely distributed African mongooses, ranging from Senegal in the west to the Red Sea coast in Sudan in the east and south to the Northern Cape in South Africa (Hoffmann and Taylor 2013). Bahaa-el-din et al. (2013) recently obtained the first records of Common Slender Mongoose in Gabon, >350 km outside its previous known range. Past records of this species on the Cape Verde archipelago are in error (Masseti 2010, Hazevoet and Masseti 2011) and are in fact based on confusion with occurrence on the mainland Cape Verde itself. Stuart (1981) mentions a museum record of this species from Mountain Zebra N.P., but this specimen is not mentioned in the studies of Watson and Dippenaar (1987) and Watson (1990), and their most southerly distribution limit is probably the far eastern part of the Eastern Cape in South Africa (Hoffmann and Taylor 2013). Also occurs on Zanzibar (Stuart and Stuart 1998, Goldman and Winther-Hansen 2003). Ranges from sea level to 2,700 m a.s.l. in the Ethiopian Highlands (Yalden et al. 1996).
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Angola (Angola); Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Djibouti; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Additional data:
♦ Upper elevation limit (metres):2700
Range Map:Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:Common Slender Mongooses are among the most common mongooses in Africa. In the Serengeti N. P. (Tanzania), population densities between 1975 and 1990 ranged from 3–6 individuals/km2 (Waser et al. 1995).
Current Population Trend:Stable
Additional data:
♦ Population severely fragmented:No

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:Present in a wide variety of habitats, but absent from true deserts and in sub-desertic parts of the Sahara such as Air, Niger. They occur on forest fringes, and may penetrate into forests along roads and are sometimes found around villages (Hoffmann and Taylor 2013). Slender Mongooses are generalist carnivores, their diet primarily comprising small vertebrates and invertebrates (Maddock 1988, Hoffmann and Taylor 2013).
Systems:Terrestrial
Generation Length (years):3

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade: They have been recorded in bushmeat markets (e.g., Colyn et al. 2004) and Cunningham and Zondi (1991) listed this species among those used in traditional medicine in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): There are no major threats to the species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: Present in numerous protected areas across their range.
Citation: Do Linh San, E. & Maddock, A.H. 2016. Herpestes sanguineus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41606A45206143. . Downloaded on 25 September 2016.
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