Jerdon-Musang
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Jerdon-Musang ( Paradoxurus jerdoni ) |
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| Paradoxurus jerdoni | ||||||||||||
| Blanford , 1885 |
The Jerdon-Musang ( Paradoxurus jerdoni ) is a crawling cat from the genus of the Musangs ( Paradoxurus ). Its distribution area is limited to southern India , where it occurs in the Western Ghats .
features
The Jerdon Musang reaches a head-trunk length of 43 to 62 centimeters with a tail length of 38 to 53 centimeters. The body weight is 3.6 to 4.3 kilograms. The body color is uniformly brown, with the area of the head, neck and shoulders as well as the legs and tail are slightly darker. The brown color is relatively variable and ranges from a pale sandy brown and light brown tone to a very dark brown, occasionally the fur is partly gray. The tail can have a white or yellowish tail tip.
Unlike the Fleckenmusang ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) it has no markings on the body or face. It is about the same size as the Fleckenmusang, but the tail is longer and smoother. As with gold musang ( Paradoxurus zeylonensis ), the hairs on the back of the neck grow against the grain towards the head instead of the rear end.
distribution
The distribution area of the Jerdon Musang is limited to southern India , where it occurs in the Western Ghats . The exact distribution area is not known because the animals are mainly nocturnal and live in the trees. The altitude distribution is usually over 1,000 meters, although it has also been observed at heights of around 700 meters.
Way of life
The Jerdon-Musang is nocturnal and lives mainly in strongly evergreen and humid forest areas and sometimes also in coffee plantations , where it is mainly in the trees ( arboreal ). It occurs both in undisturbed forest habitats and in residual forest stands in the middle of tea plantations and in the vicinity of human dwellings. The Jerdon Musang lives partly sympathetically with the related Fleckenmusang. The habitats of these two species overlap in the drier forest areas, while in the rainforest areas only the Jerdon-Musang and in the surrounding arid areas only the Fleckenmusang occurs.
It feeds mainly on fruits, about 40 different forage plants are known. He also hunts small birds, mammals and insects.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Jerdon-Musang was first scientifically described in 1885 by William Thomas Blanford in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London .
It is recognized as an independent species within the genus of the Musangs ( Paradoxurus ). In addition to the nominate form , a second subspecies is described with Paradoxurus jerdoni caniscus .
Threat and protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified the species as “Least Concern” since 2008, as it can obviously adapt very well to changed and disturbed habitats. Previous assessments in 1994, 1996 and 2000 led to a classification as “endangered” (vulnerable). Little is known about the actual population size, but the species is considered to be relatively common in its habitat in undisturbed forest areas above 1,000 meters.
However, the species lives in a very limited area and is very much affected by changes in agricultural use from coffee and cardamom plantations to tea plantations; while the animals can live well in the former, this is not possible in tea plantations. However, the loss of habitat is assessed as insufficient to justify classification of the species in a hazard class; further observation is advised.
supporting documents
- ^ A b c N. Rajamani, D. Mudappa D., H. Van Rompaey: Distribution and status of the Brown Palm Civet in the Western Ghats, South India. ( Memento of the original from July 28, 2011 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. (PDF; 821 kB) Small Carnivore Conservation 27, 2002: pp. 6-11.
- ↑ a b c d e f Paradoxurus jerdoni in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.2. Posted by: D. Muddapa, A. Choudbury, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ William Thomas Blanford : A Monograph of the Genus Paradoxurus, F. Cuv. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 53, 1885: pp. 780-808.
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Paradoxurus jerdoni in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
Web links
- Paradoxurus jerdoni inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.2. Posted by: D. Muddapa, A. Choudbury, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2012.