white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) Description
English: Photographed in Zambia, near Nkwali camp, outside of South Luanga NP
Date 24 September 2007, 13:01:58
Author MCSchaeffer
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White-tailed_mongoose_(Ichneumia_albicauda).JPG
The white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) is the largest species in the mongoose family (Herpestidae). It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia. The white-tailed mongoose lives in most of Africa south of the Sahara, and the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. The genus name, Ichneumia, is derived from the Greek ichneumon, which means 'tracker'. This name also happens to be the species and common name for the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon). The species name, albicauda, is derived from the Latin words albus, meaning 'white', and cauda, which means 'tail'. Order: Carnivora, Family: Herpestidae, Subfamily: Herpestinae, Genus: Ichneumia, Species: Ichneumia albicauda G. Cuvier, 1829.