Bdeogale jacksoni Peters 1850
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Herpestidae
Bdeogale
Bdeogale jacksoni

description: 21.
Jackson’s Mongoose
Bdeogale jacksoni
French: Mangouste de Jackson / German: Jackson-Manguste / Spanish: Mangosta masai
Taxonomy. Galeriscus jackson: Thomas, 1894,
Mianzini, Masailand, Kenya.
Some authors consider B. jackson: conspecific with the Black-footed Mongoose (B. migripes), but others believe that there are sufficient skin and skull differences to consider them as two separate species. Monotypic.
Distribution. Kenya (Aberdares & Mt Kenya), Tanzania (Udzungwa Mts), and SE Uganda.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 50.8-57. 1 cm, tail 28.3-32. 4 cm, hindfoot 8.6-10. 8 cm, ear 2.3-3. 5 cm; weight 2-3 kg. A large mongoose with a bushy tail. The long, dense dorsal pelage is grizzled black and white; the legs are dark brown or black, and the tail is white. The dorsal hairs have black and white rings and are 20 mm long. The underparts are light gray and the under fur is dense and woolly. The muzzle and chin are brownish-white, and the cheeks, throat, and the sides of the neck are yellowish. The muzzle is blunt and the ears are round and broad. The rhinarium is large with a median groove running down to the upperlip, which is divided by a naked groove. The foreand hindfeet have four digits: the hallux and pollex are missing. The claws are thick and strong, and the soles are naked. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40.
Habitat. Montane forest and bamboo zones, but also lowland forest. Found up to 3300 m.
Food and feeding. Rodent remains of rodents of the genera Dasymys and Otomys have been found in stomachs. In the Aberdare Mountains (Kenya), the volume of food items in 40 scats was over 50% rodents (Otomys sp., Dasymys sp., and Praomys sp.) and 40% insects (army ants Anona sp., beetles, caterpillars, and weevils), with millipedes, snails, lizards, and eggs also part of the diet. About 80% of the juveniles’ diet was rodents (Otomys sp., Lophuromys sp., Mus sp., Praomys sp.), but beetles, lizards, birds, and a few ants were also included.
Activity patterns. Appears to be nocturnal. In the Udzungwa Mountains National Park (Tanzania), 25 camera-trap photographs were recorded during the night; 73% of these were taken between 19:00 h and midnight.
Movements, Home range and social organization. Possibly solitary, but often seen in pairs and occasionally in groups of four.
Breeding. Nothing known.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened in The IUCN Red List. Listed as Threatened in the 1989 IUCN Action Plan for the Conservation of Mustelids and Viverrids. Occurs in isolated populations and appears to be rare. Given its apparent dependence on forest habitat, the main threat to this speciesis likely to be ongoing forest loss within its range. Field surveys, ecological studies, and assessments of any threats are urgently needed.
Bibliography. De Luca & Mpunga (2005, 2006), IUCN (2008), Kingdon (1971-1982, 1997), Pocock (1916b), Schreiber et al. (1989), Van Rompaey & Kingdon (In press), Wozencraft (2005).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Herpestidae, pp. 262-328 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 319, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5676639