Johnston's Genet
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Johnston's genet (''Genetta johnstoni'') is a genet
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
native to the Upper Guinean forests. As it is threatened by
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
and conversion of rainforest to agriculturally and industrially used land, it is listed as
Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...
on the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
. It is considered one of
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
's least known carnivores, and until the turn of the century was known only from museum collections. In January 2000, a dead individual was found near the
Taï National Park Taï National Park () is a national park in Ivory Coast that contains one of the last areas of primary rainforest in West Africa. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its flora and fauna. Five mammal species ...
in
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...
. In July of the same year, the first live individual known to science was trapped. In 2011, it was recorded for the first time in Dindefelo Nature Reserve, a protected area in southeastern
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
.


Characteristics

The short fur of Johnston's genet is rich golden to ochre yellowish with small reddish spots on the sides, a dark stripe along the spine and dark limbs. Its hind legs are dark grey. Its tail has eight black and seven pale rings, and a brown tip that is whitish below.Pocock, R. I. (1907)
Report upon a small collection of Mammalia brought from Liberia by Mr Leonard Leighton.
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (May to December): 1037–1047.


References

Johnston's genet Mammals of West Africa Johnston's genet {{carnivora-stub