Dologale dybowskii
Pousargues's mongoose

Dologale dybowskii is found in Africa in the Central African Republic, northeast Zaire, southern Sudan, and throughout western Uganda (Nowak, 1999).

Dologale dybowskii has a wide range of habitats ranging from the shores of Lake Albert to the forest grasslands of the Imatong Mountains. It has also been spotted in the savanna forests of Mubende and is therefore, often referred to as the African Savanna Mongoose (Kingdon, 1979).

Dologale dybowskii is a relatively small mongoose with brown fur covering its body and limbs. Its tail is bushy and is also brown. Both its underparts and face are gray with the latter being darker. Its claws on its forefeet are robust and powerful (Kingdon, 1997).

The head to body length of this African mongoose ranges from 25 to 33 cm while the tail length ranges from 16 to 23 cm. The hind leg is approximately 5.5 cm and its weight ranges from 300 to 400 grams (Kingdon, 1979).

Dologale dybowskii is sometimes confused with the dwarf mongoose Helogale due to their similar size and appearance. However, Helogale has a groove in its upper lip that Dologale dybowskii lacks (Kingdon, 1979). Furthermore, Dologale dybowskii has a shorter palate and weaker teeth than Helogale (Kingdon, 1997).

Relatively little is known about the behavior of this species (Dorst, 1970). However, it has been hypothesized that Dologale dybowskii is partly diurnal and hides in termite mounds and trees (Dorst, 1970). Its large claws suggest some sort of digging behavior but there has been little field work to support this. There have been no sightings of the animals in packs; however, the social behavior is not clear.

The food habits of Dologale dybowskii are not certain. However, the large digging claws, as well as the lack of specialization of the teeth, suggests that it may eat fossorial invertebrates, including termites, and small vertebrates (Kingdon, 1997).

There has been no direct evidence linking Dologale dybowskii to any ecosystem roles. However, due to its habitat and hypothesized food behavior, one may assume that Dologale dybowskii affects plant, vertebrate, and invertebrate populations.

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Little is known about Dologale dybowskii. In fact, in 1989, Schreiber noted that there had been no sightings for 10 years (Nowak, 1999). This lack of sightings may be due to the fact that Dologale dybowskii is often hiding and or perhaps the lack of researchers in its habitat (Kingdon, 1979). Nevertheless, research concerning Dologale dybowskii must be greatly accelerated if this species is to be studied before it becomes extinct.