Galidia elegans
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The ring-tailed vontsira (Galidia elegans), locally still known as the ring-tailed mongoose, is a euplerid in the subfamily Galidiinae, a carnivoran native to Madagascar. It is the only species in the genus Galidia. There is much disagreement about the placement of Madagascar's carnivores, including the ring-tailed vontsira, within the phylogenetic tree. A 2003 study reported evidence that the Malagasy Carnivora evolved from a single herpestid ancestor.
A monotypic genus, Galidia literally means "little weasel", being a diminutive form of galē (γαλῆ, "weasel" in ancient Greek). Its local common name is vontsira mena, 'red vontsira' in Malagasy. The ring-tailed vontsira is relatively small but is the largest member of the subfamily Galidiinae. It is usually 32 to 38 cm (12.5 to 15 in) long and weighs only 700 to 900 g (25 to 32 oz). Its body is long and slender, and the rounded head has a pointed snout. The body is a dark red color and the feet are black. As the name implies, its bushy tail is covered with black and red rings and is similar to the red panda.
Ring-tailed vontsira are very agile, and good climbers. They are quite playful...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montagne d'Ambre National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ankarana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Allwetterzoo Münster | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Münster Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Łódź Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Dierenpark Zie-ZOO | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
No species of the same family or order lives in Montagne d'Ambre National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose sighting in Montagne d'Ambre National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose in Montagne d'Ambre National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January, the lowest month. That is one of Montagne d'Ambre National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 410 mm in January. March and June–July have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose sightings, Montagne d'Ambre National Park has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 70%) and Ankarana National Park (Madagascar, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Malagasy Ring-tailed Mongoose is recorded against all the mammals logged in Montagne d'Ambre National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
