Indian short-tailed mongoose
| Indian short-tailed mongoose | ||||||||||||
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Indian short-tailed mongoose ( Herpestes fuscus ) |
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| Herpestes fuscus | ||||||||||||
| Waterhouse , 1838 |
The Indian short-tailed mongoose ( Herpestes fuscus ) is a species of predator from the family of the mongoose (Herpestidae). The distribution area is limited to a small area in southern India and Sri Lanka .
features
The short-tailed mongoose is a relatively large and heavy mongoose. It reaches a head-torso length of about 33 to 48 centimeters. The tail measures approx. 19 to 33 centimeters and thus takes up between 69 and 70% of the body length. The weight is around 2 to 7 kilograms. The fur is dark to black-brown and speckled slightly yellowish to sand-colored, the feet are black. The tail is bushy.
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 4th | · | 2 | = 40 |
The kind has both in the upper as well as in the lower jaw of three cutting teeth (incisors), a canine (canine), four Vorbackenzähne (Praemolares) and two molars (molar) in each jaw half. The animals have a total of 40 teeth. Compared to the little mongoose ( Herpestes javanicus ), the front part of the tympanic bladder (Bulla tympanica) is flattened and it extends below the occiput .
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Indian short-tailed mongoose is limited to parts of southern India and Sri Lanka. It comes in southern India at altitudes of 700 to 1300 meters from Virajpet in the southern part of the Kodagu district to Udagamandalam in the Nilgiri Mountains , the Tiger Shola in the Palni Mountains , in Madurai , Kalakad-Mundanthurai in the Meghamalai - and the Valparai Plateau in the Annamalai Mountains and in Peeramedu in Kerala .
The short-tailed mongoose inhabits dense primary forests and surrounding landscapes. It is also found in tea and coffee plantations in South India . In Sri Lanka this species lives in forests of the lowlands, the central mountains and the dry areas.
Way of life
The Indian short-tailed mongoose is crepuscular and, above all, nocturnal. No data are available on the species’s diet; like other Herpestes species , it probably feeds on small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, fruits and roots. Little is known about reproduction either. It forms structures under stones, the females probably give birth to three to four young animals.
Systematics
The Indian short-tailed mongoose is recognized as a separate species, but has been described by some authors as a subspecies of the short-tailed mongoose ( Herpestes brachyurus ).
Four subspecies are distinguished within the species. In addition to the nominate form H. f. fuscus , it is H. f. phillipsi , H. f. siccatus and H. f. rubidior .
Threat and protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the Indian short-tailed mongoose as "threatened" (vulnerable) because it is assumed that the population will change within the last three generations or the last 15 years due to habitat loss has decreased by more than 30%. However, there is no reliable information on the size of the population or the development of the population.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e J. S. Gilchist, AP Jennings, G. Veron, & P. Cavallini (2009). Family Herpestidaae (Mongooses). In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , (p. 311).
- ↑ a b c Herpestes fuscus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: D. Muddapa, A. Choudhury, C. Wozencraft, P. Yonzon, 2008. Accessed April 5, 2012 Design.
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Herpestes fuscus ( Memento of the original from May 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
literature
- JS Gilchist, AP Jennings, G. Veron, & P. Cavallini (2009). Family Herpestidaae (Mongooses). In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , (p. 311).
Web links
- Herpestes fuscus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: D. Muddapa, A. Choudhury, C. Wozencraft, P. Yonzon, 2008. Accessed April 5, 2012 Design.