The small spotted genet lives in oaks, holm oaks, pine forests or olive groves with streams and rocks.
Although not an endangered species, their numbers have declined sharply due to illegal hunting.
Except the mating season, which takes place at the beginning of spring, the genet lives as a solitary creature. The female can have two litters a year.
It is a skilled hunter of small birds, mammals, reptiles, rodents, insects, and rabbits, and also feeds on fruits, herbs, and insects.
Wonders in the forest. Ibizan Genet (Genetta Isabellae)
It’s been nearly three months since we started our fieldwork tracking and studying the behavior of this beautiful mammal, the Ibizan subspecies of the Genetta; unfortunately, the last nocturnal predator on the island of Ibiza.
It’s indescribable what made us feel to hear its peculiar sounds and see it at night moving, cleaning itself or resting.
Our nerves were obvious when we started to set up our gear. In our harassed minds, the real possibility of the Genet not turning up after all the hard work. But she did, the “beautiful killer” as doctor Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente used to call the Genet, showed up and finally seeing the result in our cameras made us feel a great emotion and makes us imagine future encounters with her.
It’s been three exciting months, and we are already planning new works.
Photos & text by Marcos Yuste y Mar Mérida – Ommo Photonatura
