Recorded from Angola, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia (Crawford-Cabral in press). The northernmost record is from “Turu” (Singida area, central Tanzania), which although regarded as questionable by Schlawe (1980), has since been confirmed by P. Gaubert (pers. comm.).

Angolan genets occur in a narrow band across southern Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean between 5 and 15 degrees S latitude.

Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )

The Angolan genet is a cat-sized carnivore with a small head on a long, slender body with relatively short legs and a long tail. Genets have large eyes and blunt, triangular ears of medium size. Fore and hind feet have five digits equipped with short, sharp claws that are curved and semi-retractile. The soles of the feet are furred between the digital and plantar pads. Hindfeet are further equipped with long, narrow metatarsal pads. There are four teats and the males have a well-developed baculum. Both sexes have paired anal and perineal glands. Genets have 40 teeth with a tooth formula of 3/3 1/1 4/4 2/2; the molars are broad and relatively unspecialized. Males may be slightly larger and heavier than females.

The pelage of the Angolan genet is a dark gray or dark reddish-gray background with black to brownish-black spots in a complex, symmetrical pattern. On the neck and back are round or elongate dark brown to black spots forming five longitudinal rows on either side of the dark dorsal crest. The upper two rows of spots may blend together, and the lower rows are often imperfect. Separate spots continue down the proximal portion of each limb. The underside of the body is paler gray and unspotted. The undersides of the fore and hindfeet (to the heel) are grayish-black to black. The spinal hair crest of G. angolensis is relatively long (up to 6 cm) and erectile. The tail is more thickly furred than in other species of Genetta and sports a black underside and eight black rings. The tail tip may be light, or the last black tail ring may merge into a black tip. Angolan genets have a dark gray face with a slightly paler supra-orbital spot. The sub-orbital region, front of the upper lip, and chin are white, while the back of the upper lip and dorsal surface of the nose are black. There is also a black stripe from the middle of the forehead that is continuous with the black spinal crest. Very dark or melanistic individuals are not uncommon.

Range mass: 1 to 2 kg.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

Rain forests and moist savannahs (Haltenorth & Diller 1980, Estes 1991).

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; rainforest

Details unknown. Presumed to be similar to G. genetta in being a generalized predator, taking a wide variety of small vertebrate and invertebrate prey. May also eat fruit and carrion.

Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Insectivore )

Details unknown. Presumed to be similar to G. genetta with the range of single male overlapping that of several females, and from 1-2 reproductive cycles per year depending upon latitude. Males and females probably come together only for breeding, with 1-4 young born helpless and blind in a burrow or tree cavity after a gestation period of 70-77 days.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); viviparous

The classification of genets (genus Genetta), particularly allocation to subspecies, is uncertain, so the status of different groups is also uncertain. The Angolan genet may be relatively common within its range, however the habitats known to be important to this species are shrinking due to human land-use practices which include logging, farming, and grazing of livestock in lands set aside for wildlife .

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions

Details for this species unknown. Other species of Genetta are known to occasionally attack and kill poultry.

Details for this species unknown. However, as important predators on small vertebrates including rodents, Genetta spp. are often tolerated around farms and towns and even kept as pets in some areas.

Positive Impacts: controls pest population