The Saharan striped polecat, Poecilictis libyca, also called the Saharan striped weasel or Libyan striped weasel, is a mustelid native to northern Africa. It was formerly placed in Ictonyx with the striped polecat but is now the lone member of its own genus, Poecilictis, and genetic analysis shows its closest relatives are the striped polecat and the African striped weasel. Measuring 23 to 29 centimetres without the tail, it is a small slender animal with short legs and a bushy tail, usually with a black face, underside and legs, white facial patterns and dark stripes down a light back. Its striking colouring is aposematic, warning predators of the noxious fluid it can spray from glands near the anus. It mainly inhabits dry steppe-like country with sparse bush along the edges of the Sahara and on its mountains, digs burrows, and is nocturnal, hunting mostly lizards but also insects, birds, eggs and small mammals. The IUCN rates it Least Concern, though habitat loss, harvest for traditional medicine and feral dogs may threaten it.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 ThreatsInvasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases 1 Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Activity Pattern Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Saharan striped polecat
In Biome
In Ecosystem
Source Saharan striped polecat
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Saharan striped polecatLead, living or extinctQuote, Lead, living or extinct
The Saharan striped polecat (Poecilictis libyca), also known as the Saharan striped weasel and Libyan striped weasel, is a species of mammal native to northern Africa.
Sources
1. Saharan striped polecat
Lead
Though categorized as a least-concern species by the IUCN, little research has been done on its population.
Lead, living or extinct
The Saharan striped polecat (Poecilictis libyca), also known as the Saharan striped weasel and Libyan striped weasel, is a species of mammal native to northern Africa.
Lead, diet
It mainly preys on lizards, but will also take insects, birds, eggs and small mammals.
Section: Behaviour and biology
The Saharan striped polecat is nocturnal, with activity beginning at dusk.
Lead, system
It mainly inhabits dry, steppe-like environments with sparse bush cover along the edges of the Sahara desert and on its mountains, avoiding the most arid regions in its center.
Lead, relationship to people
Considering the pressure it faces from the loss and modification of its habitat, human-wildlife conflict, harvest for traditional medicine, and feral dogs, this species may actually be threatened.
Life span, captivity
=== Predators, parasites and competitors === This species is a short-lived animal, with captive individuals recorded to have a lifespan of up to six years.
Threats, harvest
Considering the pressure it faces from the loss and modification of its habitat, human-wildlife conflict, harvest for traditional medicine, and feral dogs, this species may actually be threatened.
Threats, feral dogs
Considering the pressure it faces from the loss and modification of its habitat, human-wildlife conflict, harvest for traditional medicine, and feral dogs, this species may actually be threatened.
In Ecosystem: Sahara Desert, Distribution and habitat
It mainly inhabits dry, steppe-like environments with sparse bush cover along the edges of the Sahara desert and on its mountains, avoiding the most arid regions in its center.
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