Ictonyx striatus Perry, 1810

Order: Carnivora > Family: Mustelidae > Genus: Ictonyx > Species: Ictonyx striatus Perry, 1810

Common Name: Zorilla [English]

Type Description

Arcana, Mus. Nat. Hist. Signature Y, Fig. [41][1810].

Type Locality

'South America'. This is clearly in error and Hollister (1918) fixed the type locality as 'Cape of Good Hope'. [South Africa].

Measurements

Head and body: 280-380 mm
Tail length: 200-300 mm
Weight: 1.02-1.4 kg

Description

The black band over the top of the head differentiate the zorilla from the striped weasel.

Distribution

Ictonyx striatus is common within cool, well-grazed grassy uplands and in steppe country throughout Africa south of the Sahara, except in moist forest and woodland zones and the tip of the Horn of Africa. (Kingdon, 1989, 1997)

Key References

1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Carnivores). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3A:70-77. 2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 230-231.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:704-705, 737-739.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.