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Genet
The iconic Kruger National Park has become one of the must-see attractions in beautiful South Africa. It doesn’t matter if you’re not into nature or animals, the Kruger Park is too big of an opportunity to miss. The park is home to a wide and diverse array of animals; amongst these is the Genet.
At first sight, the Genet resembles that of a domestic cat, but is actually part of the same family that includes the mongoose. With their very graceful, cat-like bodies, the Genet sports either spotted, striped, or blotched markings, and their bushy tails account for nearly half their length. The Genet has retractable, razor-sharp claws that are used to catch their prey; it is mainly carnivorous having been recorded as consuming small mammals, bats, birds, amphibians, centipedes, and even scorpions.
Visitors to the Kruger Park are likely to spot the Genet lounging in the branches of trees in the area during the day. However, if they want to really see the Genet in action, a night time game drive is highly recommended as the Genet is a known nocturnal hunter. Studies of the species found in captivity have revealed that they use their touch, memory, smell, eyesight, and hearing in tandem to navigate during the night. An interesting factoid about the Genet is that like the weasel, it was once domesticated in Europe to control the diseases brought about by rodents.
The Genet is largely a solitary animal with pairs of them seen infrequently and usually only during the mating season. The gestation period of the females lasts between 70 and 77 days with two litters of babies produced each year; an interesting fact abt the newborns are that the young only open their ears and eyes after 5-18 days and can eat solid foods after 3 weeks of their birth. Visitors to the Kruger Park are urged to view these fascinating animals and their intriguing behavioural tendencies in a natural habitat that the park is renowned for.