My great and alas late friend John Burton, the maverick genius of conservation, was a great one for the underdog. He always maintained that elephant shrews were more interesting then elephants. I never asked him, but I have no doubt whatsoever that he believed zorillas are more interesting than gorillas. The zorilla or striped polecat is a small predator – well, small by African standards, a little over two foot long and a lot of it tail.
I was delighted to run into two of them on the same night-drive at Samara in the Great Karoo and, not for the first or the last time, I wished I could have discussed the matter with John: an in-depth examination of the relative merits of these smashing little animals and gorillas.
Zorilla comes from zorro, which means fox in Spanish; the name was appropriated by the eponymous masked hero. Zorillas are extremely effective creatures, preying on rodents, snakes, birds and large insects. They have strong black and white markings – and that’s a warning. When threatened, they turn their backs on the adversary and raise their tails: any sensible would-be predator backs down at once.
Those that don’t get a face-full of noxious liquid blasted from the zorilla’s anal gland – yes, like a skunk, though they’re not close relatives. Both sexes look the same but they carry themselves differently: males with their tails high, females with the tail at the trail.
The point about the zorilla/gorilla debate is that it takes all types to make an ecosystem. Here in Samara, where for 25 years they have been healing land ruined by intensive farming, they have introduced elephants and lions and rhinos and cheetahs and all that is wonderful. No actual gorillas: they live in tropical forest much further north of this arid region.
But every ecosystem works from the bottom up: starting with micro-organisms in the soil, and moving on through insects and other invertebrates, until you reach the glamorous species that give us all so much pleasure. The zorilla is a great reminder: it’s not about superstar species, it’s about intact ecosystems.
Such a fascinating piece, Simon. Thank you
From the bottom up. Yes, that is what I keep telling our British re-wilding “experts”. That is what you told me at the Rutland Bird Fair a few years ago. So-il, so-il right. Hope you like that one.
So love the way you flesh out a generalization with supporting detail. The idea that an ecosystem grows ground up from all microorganisms to zorillas is memorable. Thank you.
Simon, Thanks for your always interesting sight of the the natural world that few ever see. It’s difficult to believe that Zorillas and Skunks are not closely related given their similar features. Presumably their common ancestors date back to the Jurassic period?
I have expanded my list of known about animals by two!