Cusimanse
Common Name: Cusimanse
Scientific Name: Crossarchus obscurus
Cusimanse live in groups of up to 20. They stay in contact with each other by using a variety of contact calls.
Cusimanse sleep in a range of places such as burrows, under logs or in dense vegetation.
Fast Facts
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Status
Least Concern
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Size
Head-body 30-37 cm; tail 15-21 cm
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Weight
0.45-1 kg
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Gestation
58 days
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Young
2-4
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Life span
9 years
In the wild
Cusimanse feed on a wide variety of invertebrates and vertebrates. Their prey includes snails, earthworms, spiders, grasshoppers, frogs, snakes, birds and small mammals. They will also eat fruits and berries. They use their claws and snout to forage for prey on the forest floor, in rotting logs and in thick vegetation.
Cusimanse are found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. They mainly live in rainforest habitats, but will also inhabit savannahs, logged forests and plantations.
The young of this species are born completely helpless with their eyes closed. Their head to body length is only 9 to 10 mm. Their eyes open at about 12 days of age and they are weaned at about 3 weeks.
Cusimanse have a range of predators including large carnivores, and raptors such as the crowned hawk eagle.
This species does not currently face any major threats and are fairly common. They are found in a variety of habitats including a number of protected areas.
