Trivia question for Sep-19-2011

Carter likes the fact that these guys look so much like civets, yet are so different.  Lets see how you do with this one.  These guys stalk prey, from mammals to insects, on the ground or in the tree.  They can have up to two litters of 2-3 young each year.

These guys are nocturnal, generally solitary tree dwellers. They are carnivorous, eating squirrels and other rodents, small birds, lizards and insects. Typical size is a little over 1 foot, with a tail that more than doubles that length. Bodies are long, with short legs, giving a low appearance. All species have yellowish bodies with black markings (stripes, blotches and spots), though the distribution and nature of the markings varies between species.

So here are Carter’s questions: Tell us what this mammal is and where they can be found?  Also, both the spotted and the banded version of this species are listed as endangered, tell us what the major cause of their decline is?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Aaliyah from Atlanta GA for being the first to get the species correct. The little mammal we featured is the Oriental or Asiatic Linsangs. The name linsang is from Javanese linsang or wlinsang, which used to be wrongly translated as “otter” in English dictionaries. Linsangs are nocturnal, generally solitary tree dwellers. They are carnivorous, eating squirrels and other rodents, small birds, lizards and insects.

These guys can be found in Nepal through Indochina; also in western and southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Bangka, Java, and Borneo.  These guys are listed as being Endangered and the main cause is due to habitat destruction through the harvesting of lumber or the clearing of land for farming.  Here is more on these cool looking cats: Oriental or Asiatic Linsangs

Thanks for playing along 😉