Nilgiri marten

The Nilgiri marten is the only marten species native to southern India. It lives in the hills of the Nilgiris and parts of the Western Ghats. With only around a thousand members left it is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Taxonomy

The Nilgiri marten was described by Thomas Horsfield based on a skin in the museum of the East India Company; it is named after the collector Reynolds Gwatkins.

Characteristics

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 concavity and is larger than the yellow-throated marten.
It is about long from head to vent and has a tail of. It weighs about.

Distribution and habitat

The Nilgiri marten mainly inhabits the shola grasslands and South Western Ghats montane rain forests, and occasionally the adjacent South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests and commercial plantations, that span the Western Ghats in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri Hills form the center of its range, but sightings have also been reported in Charmadi Ghat and in the Neyyar and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Behaviour and ecology

The Nilgiri marten is diurnal. It is mainly arboreal, but descends to the ground occasionally. It is omnivorous and preys on birds, small mammals and insects such as cicadas. It has also been observed feeding on a variety of fruits and seeds.