Crested Genet
Encyclopedia
The Crested Servaline Genet (Genetta cristata), also just known as the Crested Genet, is a mammal
from the Carnivora
order, family Viverridae, related to civet
s and linsang
s. Its name comes from the small crest on the back of the animal's neck. It inhabits dry forest of south-eastern Nigeria
.. Its continued presence in southern Cameroon
, and its presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and in Gabon
, are uncertain.
The Crested Servaline Genet is considered vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List
, due to loss of habitat and over-hunting. The Cross River State Forests are being converted into farms and wastelands while the Niger Delta is used as an oil-production area. Both of these regions are common areas where this genet is seen.
Some authorities have considered this species to be a subspecies
of the Servaline Genet
(Genetta servalina), but it is now generally regarded as a full species on its own.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
from the Carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
order, family Viverridae, related to civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
s and linsang
Linsang
The Asiatic linsangs are two species classified in the family Prionodontidae. There is one Southeast Asian genus, Prionodon.The Asiatic linsang and the African linsang formerly were placed in the subfamily Viverrinae , along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their...
s. Its name comes from the small crest on the back of the animal's neck. It inhabits dry forest of south-eastern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.. Its continued presence in southern Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, and its presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
and in Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, are uncertain.
The Crested Servaline Genet is considered vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
, due to loss of habitat and over-hunting. The Cross River State Forests are being converted into farms and wastelands while the Niger Delta is used as an oil-production area. Both of these regions are common areas where this genet is seen.
Some authorities have considered this species to be a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Servaline Genet
Servaline Genet
The Servaline Genet is a species of carnivore of the family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. Like all genets, it is outwardly feline, although not a close relative of the cat family.- Subspecies :...
(Genetta servalina), but it is now generally regarded as a full species on its own.