Striped Vontsira

About the Striped Vontsira

The broad-striped Malagasy mongoose or broad-striped vontsira (Galidictis fasciata) is a species of small mongooses native to Eastern Madagascar. The species contains two known subspecies. The broad-striped Malagasy mongoose belongs to the animal family Eupleridae, which includes various mongoose-like animals found in Madagascar. The species has two known subspecies– Galidictis fasciata fasciata and Galidictis fasciata striata. The species name fasciata means "banded" in Latin. It is commonly known as the vontsira fotsy or white vontsira in Malagasy language.

Broad-striped mongooses are small to medium sized mongooses with short legs and long bushy tails. They have long and slender heads with a pointed snout. The species has a distinctive coat pattern with broad dark stripes with the body fur varying from reddish-brown to gray. Adults measure about 40–50 cm (16–20 in) in body length with a bushy tail roughly equal in length to the body. The primary characteristics that set the subspecies apart are their stripes and tails. The fasciata sub-species has a fuller, reddish-brown tail and about eight to ten stripes, while the striata sub-species has... Wikipedia →