Saharan Striped Polecat
Poecilictis libyca
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Mammals
The Saharan striped polecat, also known as the Saharan striped weasel and Libyan striped weasel, is a species of mammal native to northern Africa. It belongs in the family Mustelidae, and debate exists among experts over what genus it belongs to; though formerly placed in Ictonyx along with the striped polecat, it is now placed in the lone member of a separate genus called Poecilictis. Genetic analysis has shown that its closest living relatives are the striped polecat and African striped weasel. It mainly inhabits dry, steppe-like environments with sparse bush cover along the edges of the Sahara desert and on its mountains, avoiding the most arid regions in its center. Occasionally, it is found in oases, woodlands and cultivated land.
Classification
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Genus
- Poecilictis