Summary ²

The marsh mongoose or water mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) is a medium-sized mammal, though large for a mongoose. Its weight can range from 2 to 5.5 kg (4.4 to 12.1 lb), with an average range of 2.5 to 4.1 kg (5.5 to 9.0 lb). From the head to the base of the tail, these animals range from 44 to 62 cm (17 to 24 in), with the tail adding 25–36 cm (9.8–14.2 in). It is a member of the mongoose family and the only member...

Range description ³

This species is widely distributed from Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone eastward to southern Sudan and Ethiopia and south to southern Africa, where it is absent from most of Namibia, Botswana and large parts of central South Africa, wherever adequate water and cover are unavailable (Baker and Ray 2013). It is present on Pemba Island, but absent from Zanzibar (Pakenham 1984). It has been recorded from sea level to altitudes of 3,950 m asl in Bale Mountains N.P., Ethiopia (Yalden et al. 1996). Wozencraft (2005) lists this species as occurring in Algeria, presumably an error as there are no confirmed records from this country (M. Ahmim pers. comm. 2013).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Colin Ralston, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Colin Ralston
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atilax_paludinosus
3. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34319460

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• VertNet

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