Nilgiri marten
| Nilgiri marten | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Martes |
| Species: | M. gwatkinsii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Martes gwatkinsii (Horsfield, 1851)
| |
| |
| Nilgiri marten range | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Charronia gwatkinsii | |
The Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii) is the only
Nilgiris and parts of the Western Ghats. With only around a thousand members left it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.[1]
The Nilgiri marten is deep brown from head to rump, with the forequarters being almost reddish, with a bright throat ranging in colour from yellow to orange. It has a prominent frontal
preys on birds, small mammals and insects such as cicadas.[4][2] It has also been observed feeding on a variety of fruits and seeds.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The Nilgiri marten mainly inhabits the
The species is named after the collector Reynolds Gwatkins who gave a specimen to Colonel W.H. Sykes and was described by Thomas Horsfield from the skin in the museum of the East India Company.[12]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ a b Prater, S. H. (2005) [1971]. The Book of Indian Animals (3rd ed.). Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University Press.
- ISSN 0972-088X.
- ISSN 0006-6982.
- .
- from the original on 19 April 2020.
- from the original on 19 April 2020.
- ISSN 0006-6982.
- ISSN 0972-088X.
- from the original on 19 April 2020.
- from the original on 19 April 2020.
- ^ A Catalogue of the Mammalia in the Museum of the Hon. East India Company. 1851. pp. 99–101.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martes gwatkinsii.
- Photographs: Close encounters in the wild
- NilgiriMarten.com (archived 26 December 2009)