- Nilgiri Marten
Taxobox
name = Nilgiri Marten
status = VU
status_system = iucn2.3
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
ordo =Carnivora
familia =Mustelidae
genus = "Martes "
species = "M. gwatkinsii"
binomial = "Martes gwatkinsii"
binomial_authority = (Horsfield, 1851)The Nilgiri Marten ("Martes gwatkinsii") is the only species of
marten found in southernIndia . It occurs in the hills of theNilgiris and parts of theWestern Ghats .Description
The Nilgiri Marten is similar to the
yellow-throated marten , but is larger and essentially different in the structure of the skull - it has a prominent frontal concavity. It is unmistakable in the field as it is dark above with a bright throat ranging in colour from yellow to orange. Zoological Survey of India, Pune [http://stp.unipune.ernet.in/zsi/] Accessed September 2006]It is about 55 to 65 cm long from head to vent and has a tail of 40 to 45 cm. It weighs about 2.1 Kg.
Local names include the generic Tamil names of "Maranai" and in
Malayalam as "Karumvernku" and "Koduvalli".Distribution
The species is reported from the
Nilgiris , parts of southernKodagu and northernKerala . [Christopher, G. & Jayson, E.A. (1996) Sightings of Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii Horsfield) at Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, 15, 3-4.] [Madhusudan, M.D. (1995) Sighting of the Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii) at Eravikulam National Park, Kerala, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, 13, 6-7.] [Gokula, V. & Ramachandran, N.K. (1996) A record of the Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii Horsfield). J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 93, 82.] [Muduppa, D. 1999 Lesser known carnivores of the Western Ghats IN ENVIS Bulletin : Wildlife, Protected areas: Mustelids, Viverrids and Herpestides of India 2(2): 65-70 Publisher: Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, Editor: S. A. Hussain.]Ecology and Behaviour
Very little is known about the Nilgiri marten. It diurnal, and though
arboreal descends to the ground occasionally. It is reported to prey on birds, small mammals and insects such as Cicadas. [Hutton, A.F. (1944) Feeding habits of the Nilgiri marten. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 48, 374-375] [ENVIS website [http://www.wii.gov.in/envis/envisdec99/nilgirimartin.htm] Accessed September 2006]References
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