Indian brown mongoose | |
---|---|
Western Ghats, India | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Herpestidae |
Genus: | Urva |
Species: | U. fusca |
Binomial name | |
Urva fusca Waterhouse, 1838 | |
Indian brown mongoose range | |
Synonyms | |
Herpestes fuscus |
The Indian brown mongoose (Urva fusca) is a mongoose species native to the Western Ghats in India and the western coast in Sri Lanka and introduced to Fiji. [2] It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List. [1]
The Indian brown mongoose appears large compared to the other mongoose species in southern Western Ghats. This species has a dark brown body and its legs are noticeably in black colour. Head to body length is 33–48 cm. Tail is about 20–34 cm which is two-thirds of its body length and more furry than that of the small Indian mongoose. A pointed tail and fur beneath the hindleg help to distinguish this species from others. [3] Males are larger and heavier than females with a weight of 2.7 kg. Young are much darker in color with yellowish eyes. [4]
In South India, the Indian brown mongoose lives at an elevation range of 700–1,300 m (2,300–4,300 ft) from Virajpet in south Coorg and Ooty in the Nilgiri Hills, Tiger Shola in the Palni Hills, High Wavy Mountains in Madurai, Kalakad-Mundanthurai in Agasthyamalai Hills, Valparai plateau in the Anamalai Hills, and Peeramedu in Kerala. [1] In Sri Lanka, the species is confined to west coast, central hills and western urban centers. [4]
In the 1970s, it has been introduced to Fiji, where it lives in sympatry with the Javan mongoose. [5]
The Indian brown mongoose is nocturnal in nature, prefers to live in isolation, and maintains its habitats in dense forests. In Sri Lanka, it prefers jungle patches covered with ferns and brush to tea estates. Generally a shy animal that avoid human habitation, but sometimes enter suburban gardens to feed on snakes and mice. When threaten, it will flee to a hole or termitaria but make ferocious fight when cornered. [4]
When ready to breed, Indian brown mongooses burrow in densely-packed rocks and give birth to two to three young. The brown mongoose is opportunistic carnivore, feeding primarily on small rodents, snakes, lizards, spiders, grubs, birds, eggs, frogs and at times also on berries and flowers. [5] During hunting, it stops motionless to detect sound emitted by the prey and quickly pounce on the prey with a bite to head. [4]
Parturition is usually in a burrowing dug well concealed embankment or underneath a rock or an anthill. Female gives birth to three to four pups in any time of the year. [4]
Herpestes fuscus was the scientific name proposed by George Robert Waterhouse in 1838 for a greyish brown mongoose skin that had been purchased in Madras. [6] All Asian mongooses are now thought to belong in the genus Urva . [7]
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about 21.8 ± 3.6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19.1 and 18.5 ± 3.5 million years ago.
The stripe-necked mongoose is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka.
The crab-eating mongoose is a mongoose species ranging from the northeastern Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to southern China and Taiwan. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The Egyptian mongoose, also known as ichneumon, is a mongoose species native to the coastal regions along the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and Turkey, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands in Africa. Whether it is introduced or native to the Iberian Peninsula is in some doubt. Because of its widespread occurrence, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The golden palm civet is a viverrid endemic to Sri Lanka. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Its distribution is severely fragmented, and the extent and quality of its habitat in Sri Lanka's hill regions are declining.
The Angolan slender mongoose is a mongoose native to southwestern Africa, specifically southwestern Angola and northwestern Namibia. It has been listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List, as it is not threatened and thought to be common. It has a long, slim body and there are different colour forms, a black or dark brown form in the southern part of its range, and a yellowish- or reddish-brown form in the north. This mongoose inhabits dry, rocky habitats and feeds on insects, scorpions and small vertebrates.
The Indian grey mongoose is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The Javan mongoose is a mongoose species native to Southeast Asia.
The ruddy mongoose is a mongoose species native to hill forests in India and Sri Lanka.
The Nilgiri striped squirrel is a threatened species of rodent, a small squirrel (Sciuridae) from rainforests in the southern Western Ghats, including the Nilgiris, in Peninsular India. It formerly included Funambulus obscurus from Sri Lanka as a subspecies, at which point the English name of the "combined species" also was dusky striped squirrel.
The collared mongoose is a mongoose species native to Borneo and Sumatra; its presence in the Philippines is uncertain. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Herpestes is a genus within the mongoose family Herpestidae. Several species in the family are known as slender mongooses. It is the type genus of the family, and comprises 5-6 living species, each with several subspecies. Fossil remains of three prehistoric species were excavated in France, and described in 1853.
The small Indian mongoose is a mongoose species native to Iraq and northern South Asia; it has also been introduced to many regions of the world, such as several Caribbean and Pacific islands.
Urva is a genus comprising the Asian mongooses within the mongoose family Herpestidae. Species in the genus were formerly classified in the genus Herpestes, which is now thought to comprise exclusively African mongooses; phylogenetic evidence indicates that the Asian mongooses form a monophyletic group and had an Asian common ancestor. Urva forms a clade with Xenogale and Atilax, while Herpestes forms a clade with all other African mongoose species.