Prionodon linsangbanded linsang
Geographic Range
Western Malaysia, Sumatra, Bornea, Java, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Habitat
Banded linsangs live in tropical rainforests. They spend a large portion of their time in the trees.
- Terrestrial Biomes
- rainforest
Physical Description
The body of the banded linsang is 40 cm long, and the tail is about 34 cm. Banded linsangs are very pale yellow with five large transverse dark bands on their backs. They have broad stripes on their necks with small elongate spots and stripes on their flanks. The tail has seven or eight dark bands and ends in a dark tip. Banded linsangs have retractile claws which are very sharp, and have specialized razor-sharp teeth for shearing their food. The soles of their feet have hair between the pads and their toes. (Cincinatti Zoo, 1997)
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
-
- Average mass
- 700 g
- 24.67 oz
- AnAge
Reproduction
Very little is known about these animals' reproduction behavior.
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
-
- Average number of offspring
- 2.25
- AnAge
Lifespan/Longevity
-
- Average lifespan
Status: captivity - 10.0 years
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
- Average lifespan
-
- Average lifespan
Status: captivity - 10.7 years
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
- Average lifespan
Behavior
Banded linsangs are secretive and elusive creatures. They are solitary. The female offspring stays with the mother until maturity, but the male offspring leave soon after weaning. Linsangs are semiarboreal and well-adapted for such a lifestyle. Their bodies are long and slender with short legs, suited for running through the trees and jumping between branches. Their long tails aid in balancing. When hunting, their slender bodies move snake-like along the path of the prey, very well camouflaged by their coats. (LA Natural History Museum, 1997)
- Key Behaviors
- motile
Communication and Perception
Food Habits
Banded linsangs are omnivorous. A main part of their diet consists of small vertebrates such as squirrels, rats, birds and lizards. (LA Natural History Museum, 1997)
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Potentially important as an attraction to ecotourism. The Banded Linsang is found in many parks and reserves throughout Thailand, and they could be a draw for wildlife observers.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
none noted
Conservation Status
CITES Appendix II.
-
- IUCN Red List
-
Least Concern
More information
Other Comments
The banded linsang is the rarest of the civets. This animal is sometimes referred to as the Tiger-civet.
Contributors
Sarah Frantom (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Glossary
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- chemical
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uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- oriental
-
found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.
- rainforest
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rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
References
Cincinatti Zoo. "http://www.cincyzoo.org/animals/endangered/banded_linsang.html"
Los Angeles Natural History Museum. "http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats/links/wild_Cats/index_shtml"
"Prionodon Linsang," Mammalian Species. American Society of Mammologists, New York, New York.
McDonald, David. 1984. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Facts on File, Inc. New York, New York.