User:Amandageorgiagomes/Yellow mongoose

The yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about 0.45 kg (1 lb) in weight and about 510 mm (20 in) in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Evolutionary history has demonstrated that Cynictis Penicillata belongs to the subfamily Herpestinae and is the sister taxon of the Selous Mongoose. The current distribution of the yellow mongoose has remained extremely similar to the historical distribution of this species thus is currently found in Southern Africa including the western parts of this region. The morphology of the yellow mongoose is also very similar to other species of mongoose demonstrating many common evolutionary traits that are shared by all. For example Yellow mongooses have 5 digits on their feet, have pointed noses, with long tails that are covered in fur as well as small rounded ears. This common morphology demonstrates that many species of mongoose including Cynictis penicillata have retained their similar morphological features. It is also important to note that there is not a significant amount of information retaining to the discovery of the Yellow mongoose itself.

Taxonomy
Herpestes penicillatus was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 for a mongoose specimen from the Cape. The generic name Cynictis was proposed by William Ogilby in 1833 for a specimen collected in Kaffraria. Cynictis penicillata is the only member of the genus, but as many as twelve subspecies of yellow mongoose have been described.

Characteristics
In general, the yellow mongoose has lighter highlights on the underbelly and chin, a bushy tail, and a complete lack of sexual dimorphism. Southern yellow mongooses are larger, have yellow or reddish fur, longer fur, and a longer tail with a characteristic white tip. Northern subspecies tend to be towards the smaller size, have grey colouration, a grey or darker grey tip to the tail, and shorter hair more appropriate to the hotter climate. There are also no difference in size between male and female yellow mongoose's. In general yellow mongoose's are smaller in size than other subspecies of mongoose.

Behaviour and ecology
The yellow mongoose is primarily diurnal, though nocturnal activity has been observed. Living in colonies of up to 20 individuals in a permanent burrow complex, the yellow mongoose will often co-exist with Cape ground squirrels or suricates and share maintenance of the warren, adding new tunnels and burrows as necessary. The tunnel system has many entrances, nearby which the yellow mongoose makes its latrines.

The yellow mongoose is a carnivore, feeding mostly on termites, grasshoppers and crickets, but also on rodents and small birds. In urban environments in South Africa, it also forages among human food garbage. There is also seasonality in the diet of the mongoose as as they will eat what is available to them depending on the season. The yellow mongoose has adapted unique tactics for hunting, such as taking eggs as a source of food and using their forepaws to throw the egg at a hard structure so it can be opened and consumed. Although Yellow mongooses are social species that live in group settings, they will hunt or forage for food alone. Besides adaptations that have evolved to help with hunting, the different colour ranges of mongoose as well as sizes can be considered evolutionary changes that have allowed the yellow mongoose to be better suited to its geographical location. Yellow mongooses are red in colour with orange undertones, this best suits them because they are found in deserts in Southern Africa where there is sand that is red in colour and this allows them to camouflage from predators.

Social structure
The social structure of the yellow mongoose is hierarchical, based around a central breeding pair and their most recent offspring. There are also subadults, the elderly, or adult relatives of the central pair. Male ranges tend to overlap, while females from other dens have contiguous non-overlapping ranges. Every day, the alpha male will mark members of his group with anal gland secretions, and his boundaries with facial and anal secretions, as well as urine. The alpha male also rubs his back against raised objects, leaving behind hair as a visual marker of territory. Other members of the group mark their dens with cheek secretions. A colony can have 20-40 members. Yellow mongooses also exhibit territorial behaviour as they have a strong sense of family and membership into a colony is highly exclusive. Social organization and the way in which populations will behave is also impacted by the habitat a group is occupying and how productive a geographic location is. Habitats that have a higher abundance of resources will have mongoose groups that are larger in size and their social interactions will also be more complex. In these high density populations the role of territorial defence and creating border scent markings fall under responsibility of the alpha male in the population. Compared to populations that are lower in density where female yellow mongooses are responsible for protecting the burrow and home for the group. In groups where the population is medium to high in density the role of protection will fall to both female and male yellow mongooses.

Predators
Predators of the yellow mongoose are birds of prey, snakes and jackals. When frightened, the yellow mongoose will growl and secrete from its anal glands. These anal secretions are foul smelling thus their release is a form of self protection from predators as they will be deterred when the fluid is released. This anal secretion is characterized as a milky substance that has a smell similar to foul cheese. The Yellow mongoose can also scream, bark, and purr, though these are exceptions, as the yellow mongoose is usually silent, and communicates mood and status through tail movements. The tail movements that the Yellow mongoose uses include: moving the tail upward so it becomes erect or swishing the tail, and this would communicate a warning to other species that the yellow mongoose is in defensive mode These defences would benefit the Yellow mongoose species as a whole as it protects populations from predators thus is an adaptation that increases overall fitness of the species.

Reproduction
The yellow mongoose's mating season is between July and September, and it gives birth underground between October and December, with no bedding material, in a clean chamber of the burrow system. Usually, two offspring are produced per pregnancy, and they are weaned at 10 weeks, reaching adult size after 10 months. The yellow mongoose has a gestation period of 2 months. The yellow mongoose's have evolved over time to practice Cooperative breeding, so other mongoose's in the group will provide care to offspring in addition to the parents. The yellow mongoose has a generation time of three years, meaning that there will be approximately three years between generations within the population. A strategy that is used by the Yellow Mongoose population is feeding offspring within their burrow up until eight weeks of age. This strategy is advantageous as after eight weeks of age the offspring will be large enough to avoid being preyed on by raptors or other aerial predators and they will also have developed better capabilities to avoid aerial predators.

Rabies
There is some concern about the yellow mongoose's role as a natural reservoir of rabies. Most African wild animals die within several weeks of infection with rabies, but it seems that certain genetic strains of the yellow mongoose can carry it asymptomatically, but infectiously, for years. There is a high incidence of rabies in the yellow mongoose population and this can be explained by the high density of yellow mongoose's in certain areas especially in burrows where the rate of transmission is high. Many south African farmers have attempted to preform different extermination methods to decrease yellow mongoose populations due to the threat they pose to the farmers and livestock because of rabies.

International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Ranking
The yellow Mongoose was placed in the category of least concern by the IUCN in 2015. This ranking is based on the population avoiding serious fragmentation as well as remaining consistent in number.

Geographic Range
The yellow mongoose is native to Southern parts of Africa and can be found in the following regions: South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The yellow mongoose is also found at low elevations. The habitat type of the yellow mongoose includes areas such as grasslands, shrub-lands and the savanna.

Threats to Population
Allow the yellow mongoose population is at low risk of being threatened, there have been incidences of these organisms being hunted by dogs as well as killed with weapons by hunters. The Yellow Mongoose is also at risk of being killed by motor vehicles as the human population encroaches onto their habitat.

The Effect of Urbanization on the Yellow Mongoose
In southern Africa the process of urbanization has caused the Yellow mongoose to have increased interactions with human beings. The yellow mongoose is directly being impacted by the process of urbanization as the mongoose is now increasingly being found in urban areas. Urban yellow mongooses exhibit a slight variation in diet compared to ones that exclusively inhabit wild areas. Urban yellow mongooses primarily feed on insects in the spring and summer and in the fall and winter when insect availability decreases, they will feed on human food items as well as small animals and birds. The population of urban yellow mongooses also tends to be condensed to areas that surround human residences and in areas that exhibit a more open landscape. The urban yellow mongoose will also exhibit a diurnal activity pattern meaning that activity of the animal will occur early in the morning or late afternoon.

Importance of Burrow and Shrubs
The creation of burrows by the Yellow Mongoose is essential to the success of this organism. Burrows are structures that the Yellow mongoose will inhabit, these burrows are excellent at buffering extreme temperatures thus allowing for increased survival rates. Burrows will minimize the effects that extreme temperatures will have on yellow mongooses in the summer and winter months. The intentional strategy of building burrows under shrubs that have sharp thorns is another tactic that the Yellow Mongoose does to have greater success. Animals such as herbivores will be deterred from walking over a shrub that is thorny, and this allows for there to be a decreased chance of the yellow mongoose's burrow being trampled.