User talk:144.173.6.76

Please adhere to standard formatting when adding pages: taxonavigation, no prose (which should go on Wikipedia), etc. It would also be handy if you would get a username. Thanx. - Lycaon 20:44, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

taxonomic prose

The yellow mongoose had already been described taxonomically to genus level - all that was missing was a description of the species, which thanks to you Lycaon is still missing. Get off your high horse and allow other users to contribute too.

You are very welcome to contribute, however, pages are adhering to a certain format, of which the taxonavigation is the major part. Descriptions of species (what I called prose) are not really supposed to be on Wikispecies, but on the respective Wikipedia's. You might envision tens of pages on the Yellow Mongoose, each in a different language. This is what the 'vernacular links' are for. Don't be discouraged, everybody makes mistake in the beginning... (And do get a user account) - Lycaon 15:25, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

this was your text, so you can put it on Wikipedia:

Cynictis penicillata

Yellow Mongoose; bushy-tailed meerkat; geeletjie witkwas (Northern Cape); witkwas muishond; geel muishond (Northern Cape); rooi muishond (Western Cape)

A beautiful, fox/ferret-like mongoose living in sub-Saharan Africa. The yellow mongoose has golden fur, red-brown eyes and a long bushy tail with a white tip. The thickness of the coat varies across the habitat range (temperate to semi-desert). They live in extensive burrows, for which reason are often treated as pests on farmland. A territory contains outlying burrows and bolt-holes for refuge from predators during foraging trips, or as midday resting places.

This species of mongoose lives in cooperative groups, of 3 to 25 individuals depending on resource availability. Usually, only the alpha female breeds. She mates with the dominant male in her group, but might also solicit matings with males on neighbouring territories. The whole group contribute to care of the pups (usually twins). However, if pups are born to subordinate females they are likely to be neglected and will perish. Adults forage independently or in pairs or trios. Most adults will take part in 'baby-sitting' pups too young to leave the burrow, but the majority of the care appears to be given by the most subordinate members of the group - perhaps to curry favour with dominant group members. All group members bring food items to the burrow for the pups.

Yellow mongooses prey on many creatures, including insects, lizards, snakes, birds and eggs, small mammals, and rarely galls on vegetation.