Observations of Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Herpestidae) in the wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, India

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Published: Sep 26, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5143.11.12.14587-14592
Keywords:
Activity pattern, animal behaviour, camera-trapping, diet, scavenging, Western Ghats

Main Article Content

Vignesh Kamath
Gubbi Labs, #2-182, 2nd Cross, Extension, Gubbi, Karnataka 572216, India. Current address: School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Kadaba Shamanna Seshadri
The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, Post Bag No 4, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India

Abstract

Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus is crepuscular in habit and rarely encountered.  Information on its natural history and ecology is limited and consequently its conservation requirements are not well understood.  We report observations of a Brown Mongoose feeding on a Nilgiri Langur Semnopithecus johnii carcass in the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, southern India.  A camera trap was deployed over the Nilgiri Langur carcass over 10 nights during which, the mongoose visited the carcass on eight nights.  Based on the images captured, the mongoose behaviour was broadly categorized as vigilance, feeding, walking and grooming.  The mongoose was most active between 03.30–06.00 h and 19.00–00.00 h. Additionally, we report observations of a pair of Brown Mongoose foraging, and an incident of road mortality.  These observations will add to the limited current understanding of the species, necessary for assessing its conservation status and identifying interventions.


 

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 11 No. 12 (2019)
Section
Short Communications

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Author Biographies

Vignesh Kamath, Gubbi Labs, #2-182, 2nd Cross, Extension, Gubbi, Karnataka 572216, India. Current address: School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Vignesh Kamath is a Research Fellow with Gubbi Labs. He is an environmental engineer and wildlife researcher with research interests in long term biodiversity monitoring, ecology and biodiversity conservation using an interdisciplinary approach.

ORCID id: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0953-4653

Kadaba Shamanna Seshadri, The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, Post Bag No 4, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104, India

Dr. Seshadri KS is the Research Director at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station. He completed his PhD from the National University of Singapore during which he studied the ecology and behaviour of frogs in the Western Ghats, India. His research is focussed on animal behaviour, ecology and conservation of diverse taxa.

ORCID id: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6788-7860

References

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