SMALL
CARNIVORES
OF BOTSWANA
(page 2)
The small carnivores of
Botswana
Our
discussion of small carnivores of Botswana continues
below. Here we cover the African civet, aardwolf,
the genets, mongooses and the meerkat.
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small carnivores of Botswana >>
African civet
Civettictis
civetta
The
African civet looks a bit like a large racoon
with spots. It has been mistakenly referred
to in the past as the "civet cat",
but in fact, it is not a cat. Instead,
along with genets, they are members of the
Viverridae family, which are considered
the most primitive of today's carnivores. The
African civet is the largest member of this
family.
Civets are
distinctive animals, with long, heavy bodies
and long legs. They are about the size
of a medium-sized dog (up to 16 kg). They
have a lovely coat of light-brown fur with
bold, black spots and markings. There
is a characteristic black band over their
eyes, which makes it appear like they
are wearing a mask.
Civets are
solitary, nocturnal animals. They are
seldom seen during the day as they usually
lie up in tall grass, dense undergrowth or
in a hole in the ground until nightfall. Civets
are mainly carnivorous, feeding on snakes,
rodents, insects, birds, spiders and millipedes. They
will however also eat fruits, berries and
other vegetation. They wander widely
in search of food and are good swimmers. They
use their acute senses of smell and hearing
to locate their prey.
The African
civet is widespread in northern Botswana
and they are commonly seen on safari during
night drives in the Okavango Delta, Linyanti
and Chobe areas. |
Aardwolf
Protelas cristatus
The
aardwolf is a timid and non-aggressive, nocturnal
animal with a beautiful buff to tawny-gold
background and black vertical striping. They
have long, coarse hair and a long mane of hair
which becomes erect when the animal is frightened.
Aardwolves
are mainly active at night but it may also
be seen during early morning or late afternoon,
as well as on overcast days. They spend
the day underground in a burrow which they
excavate or in unused aardvark holes.
Their
diet consists mostly of termites but they
will also feed on small rodents, bugs,
ants and millipedes. They locate termites
using their acute hearing and it then excavates
them with its front paws. It licks
up the insects with its broad tongue.
Aardwolves usually
occur singly or in pairs and rarely
in family groups, but it is clearly not a
social animal. Their
range is dictated by the availability of
termites and it prefers open habitats and
avoids forests. They are widespread
throughout Botswana but the likelihood
of seeing an aardwolf is low, owing to
its shy nature. An aardwolf sighting,
especially in good light is a definite
highlight! |
Large-spotted
genet
Genetta tigrina
Small-spotted genet
Genetta
genetta
Both
of Botswana's genet species are long, slender,
cat-like animals, with long tails and short
ears. They are at home both in trees
and on the ground. They are sometimes
referred to as genet-cats; however, they are
not cats.
These two species
are similar in appearance, both having off-white
fur with black spots. The small-spotted
species usually has a white tip to its tail,
while the large-spotted genet's tail tip
is black. The
large-spotted also generally has larger,
more rusty-colored spots, and its legs
are usually paler. The
black-and-white facial markings on the small-spotted
are also more prominent. However, there
is substantial variation is both species'
coloration and overall, they are very similar.
Genets are
nocturnal and mainly solitary, lying up in
dense cover during the day. They are
superb climbers but forage mainly on the
ground. Their diet consists of rodents,
reptiles, invertebrates, especially insects,
birds, frogs, and wild fruits. They
are well-known poultry raiders and will wreak
havoc if they gain access to a hen-house.
The small-spotted
species has a much larger range then its
cousin, but both species are found in the
Okavango Delta, Chobe and in the Linyanti
and Kwando areas. They are most often
spotted on night safari drives using a spot
light and usually in a tree or in scrub brush
at the base of trees. Close scrutiny
may be necessary to correctly identify the
species. |
Banded
mongoose, slender mongoose, dwarf
mongoose
These
three species of mongoose are the most commonly
seen on safaris in Botswana. The banded
and dwarf are gregarious species, living
in territorial packs, with communal care
of the babies. The slender mongoose
is a solitary animal. All three species
are diurnal.
Banded
mongoose
Mungos mungo
|
 Banded
mongooses live in large
groups of up to 35 adults. They
have10-12 dark brown horizontal bands
on their backs. The family
groups live together in termite mounds
or holes which they dig themselves. When
foraging, the the pack maintain contact
through constant soft churring and
twittering. They rush across
open spaces and range widely while
foraging. The pack will move
between several dens or sleeping
sites as it moves within its range.
There
are typically 3 to 4 breeding females
in a pack, but all the young are cared
for communally. Their diet consists
primarily of insects and they love
to dig up beetle larvae from buried
dung beetle balls. They will
also eat rodents, spiders, millipedes,
termites, snails, roots, reptiles,
amphibians and birds' eggs. Like
most mongooses, they are skilled at
killing snakes. The banded mongoose
will mob an attacker and have been
known to fend off animals like serval,
eagles and large dogs. They are
a curious animal and really are a pleasure
to watch. |
Slender
mongoose
Galerella
sanguinea |
The slender
mongoose is a diurnal and
solitary species with a wide habitat
tolerance. Their color varies
somewhat from brownish-yellow to
red-brown. They have a long,
slender body, similar to a weasel
in shape. Their tail is long,
with a black tip and when they run,
the tail is held well clear of the
ground and sometimes up and curving
over the back. When moving
at slower gaits, the tail is held
behind it, with just the tip pointed
upwards.
They
are the most predatory of all mongooses
and are efficient killers of small
rodents, lizards, snakes and birds. They
also eat insects and other invertebrates
but rarely fruit. They will also
scavenge leftovers from larger animals'
kills and we have seen one feeding
from a recently killed adult buffalo
as two large, male lions slept unaware
only meters away. Slender
mongooses are
mainly terrestrial, but are good climbers
and will forage in trees for birds'
eggs. It is preyed upon mainly
by raptors.
Their
wide habitat tolerance makes it one
of the most successful and widespread
of African carnivores and it is found
throughout Botswana wherever there
is cover, except in the deserts. They
are very active during the day, and
will forage even during the midday
heat. They are common throughout
the drier areas of the Okavango Delta,
especially on Chief's Island. They
are often seen on a game drive as they
dart across a sandy track or across
open ground to reach the next bush. |
Dwarf
mongoose
Helogale
parvula |
The dwarf
mongoose is the smallest
carnivore in Botswana. It looks
similar in color and size to a red
squirrel (40 cm). Like the
banded species, they live in large
family groups in aardvark holes in
termitaria, old logs, and burrows. Their
fur is a uniform dark reddish-brown
to grizzled or even grey in some
individuals.
The
dwarf mongoose is strictly diurnal
and lives in cooperative packs of
10-30 individuals, led by a dominant
female. She and the dominant
male are the only breeding pair in
the pack. All adult members
of the pack, both related and unrelated
immigrants, assist the dominant pair
with the care and feeding of the
young. It has been demonstrated
through studies of the dwarf mongoose
that emigrating from one's natal
pack increases their chances of becoming
a dominant breeder in their new pack. Emigration
also contributes to the animal's
genetic diversity.
Dwarf
mongooses feed primarily on insects
and other invertebrates, but they
will also eat reptiles, birds, birds'
eggs, rodents grubs, and wild fruit. They
are very agile, climb well and are
very fast. Hornbills will
often join dwarf mongoose packs as
they forage, hopping along with them
and eating much of the same items. The
birds eat up insects disturbed by
the pack as they forage. The
mongooses benefit from the relationship
by the warning calls the hornbills
give when they spot avian predators,
one of the dwarf mongooses chief
predators. The mongooses also
fall prey to larger predators and
snakes.
Dwarf
mongooses are found throughout northern
Botswana, in the Okavango Delta,
Linyanti and Chobe. Like their
cousins, the banded mongooses, their
social behaviors make them very entertaining
to watch and they are worth stopping
for if seen on a game drive. |
|
Suricate
(meerkat)
Suricata suricatta
 |
| Image © Michael
Poliza |
Suricates
are a highly sociable and distinctive looking
mongoose. Their slender bodies are
fawn or silver-grey in color, with irregular
dark bands running transverse down their
backs. They
have dark eye patches and toes with long
claws for digging in the hard, dry desert
ground which they inhabit.
Suricates,
more commonly known as meerkats, live in
large, highly social colonies of up to
40 individuals, with the average being around
15. As
with the banded mongoose, reproduction is
not restricted to an alpha pair, rather,
a pack may have several breeding females
and males. Meerkats may excavate their
own burrows but more commonly utilize
those of ground squirrels.
Meerkats
are strictly diurnal and they thoroughly
and systematically forage with a home range,
using different route every day and usually
only revisiting an area after a week has
passed. Their range will typically
include 4 or 5 warrens (their sleeping burrows
or dens) which they use on a rotation. Like
most social mongooses, meerkats spread out
and forage individually while maintaining
contact with each other by sight and vocalization. They
have a vast array of sounds and communicate
constantly with one another when on a forage.
Their diet consists mainly of insects and
invertebrates, reptiles, small mammals, and
birds. They
use their acute sense of smell to locate
underground prey such as scorpions and
beetle larvae, which they then dig out
by rapid digging with their forefeet. Adults
readily share food with all juvenile pack
members. They are well designed
for standing erect, a posture used by the
packs "lookouts". Members
of the pack alternate on lookout duty,
which is to keep watch for hawks, eagles
and other predators while the pack forages. The
lookout often climbs into a bush and stands
up at the top for a better view. Meerkats
to not run well and the lookout duty is
therefore crucial to avoiding predation.
Meerkats
live in open habitats, and especially in
Botswana's semi-desert environments. The
best place to see meerkats in Botswana
is in the Makgadikgadi Pans and in the
Central Kalahari. A
visit to Jack's
Camp should always include
a drive to go and watch the meerkats. |
Aardvark (antbear)
Orycteropus
afer
 The
aardvark, or antbear, is a most unusual looking
animal. It has a long, pig-like snout,
long tube-shaped ears, a long well-muscled
tail, and short, powerful legs which end in
shovel-shaped nails. Their face and most
of the body is covered in a fine layer of greyish
to gold hair, but the skin beneath is easily
visible. The legs are covered in thick
black hair and they have a distinctly arched
back.
Mainly solitary,
the aardvark is rarely seen during the day,
with most of its activity taking place only
at night. The excavate extensive burrow
systems, some up to 40 or more feet in length.
They sleep inside the burrows or sun
at the entrance during the day. Their
abandoned burrows are used by all manner
of animals as dens, including jackals, hyenas,
warthogs, wild dogs, leopards, African wild
cats, mongooses, pythons and porcupines.
At
nightfall, aardvarks may walk several kilometers
in search of food. Their acute senses
of scent and hearing are used as they walk
slowly, with nose held close to the ground,
until they locate termite or ant colonies. When
they locate their prey, they rip into the
ground with incrdedible speed and efficiency
with their massive front claws. Aardvarks
have a 18-inch long, sticky tongue which
probes into the colony for the insects,
larvae and eggs, all of which are eaten.
The aardvark
is mainly preyed upon by lions, but may also
be killed by leopards. They are rarely
encountered on a safari, but evidence of
their presence may be seen in the form of
large holes dug into the bases of termite
mounds. If you do see one, you are
very lucky indeed! |
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