The pardine genet (''Genetta pardina''), also known as the West African large spotted genet, is a
genet species living in
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 ...
. As it is widely distributed and common, it is listed as
Least Concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
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 ...
.
Characteristics
The pardine genet's fur is yellowish grey with round black spots, which are bigger on the hind legs than on the shoulders. Its head is more reddish, and the muzzle brownish. It has white spots under each eye and below the chin. Its ears are grey. Its tail has six to seven narrow white and six to seven broader black rings. The tip of the tail is black.
Measurements of adult males range from in head and body with a long tail. Adult females range from in head and body with a long tail.
[Gaubert, P. and Dunham, A. E. (2013). ''Genetta pardina'' Pardine Genet (West African Large-spotted Genet). In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 237–238. Bloomsbury, London, UK.]
Distribution and habitat
Pardine genets are distributed from
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 ...
eastwards to
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
, where the
Volta River
The Volta River (, , ) is the main Drainage system (geomorphology), river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso Department, Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso.
The three main part ...
is possibly a barrier to dispersal. They live in
rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
s,
gallery forest
A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...
s, moist woodlands, but also in plantations. They also venture into suburbs.
Ecology and behavior
Pardine genets are solitary, and active at night. They are very adept at climbing trees.
[Djagoun, C. A. M. S., & Gaubert, P. (2009). Small carnivorans from southern Benin: a preliminary assessment of diversity and hunting pressure. Small Carnivore Conservation 40: 1–10.]
Threats
Major threats to pardine genets are not known.
Heads and skins of pardine genets have been recorded in local markets in
Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
, where they are used as
fetish.
[
]
In captivity
Captive pardine genets are currently kept in 5 collections in the UK, Shepreth Wildlife Park, Wingham Wildlife Park, All Things Wild, Wild Animal Adventures in Stockton and Wild Discovery in Wrea Green. Napoli Zoo in Italy has also kept them since 2015.
Taxonomy
This pardine genet was considered synonymous with other species of large-spotted genets, namely the Rusty-spotted genet ''Genetta maculata'' and the Cape Genet
The Cape genet (''Genetta tigrina''), also known as the South African large-spotted genet, is a Genetta, genet species endemic to South Africa. As it is common and not threatened, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Like other gene ...
''Genetta tigrina'', but all three are now each recognised as distinct species.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q43213
pardine genet
Mammals of West Africa
pardine genet