Nilgiri Marten - Only species of marten found in India


Now take safari of South Indian Species - Nilgiri Marten; another unknown animal of Western Ghats- India






What is Marten?

  • Answer is : The marten looks like a cuter version of the weasel with  a long, wide tail. These creatures originate from the weasel (Mustelid) family of carnivores, with a long body, short legs and a long tail.


 Introduction Part

  • The Nilgiri Marten ( Martes gwatkinsi) is the only species of marten found in the southern India.
  • It occurs in the hills of the Nilgiris and parts of the Western Ghats. The Kannada name is "Neer Naai".


Physical Characteristics

  • The Nilgiri Marten is similar to the yellow-throated marten, but is larger and essentially different in the structure of the skull.
  • It has a prominent frontal concavity. It is an unmistakable in the field.
  • Its pelage 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 is about 55 to 65 cm long from the head to vent and has a tail of 40 to 45 cm.
  • It weights about 2.1 kg.
  • The marten is an expert burrower, swimmer and tree climber.


Distribution

  • The species is reported from the Nilgiris, parts of Southern Kodagu and Travancore Kerala, upto the Charmadi Ghats.


Foods and Reproduction

  • The marten spends its day seeking out squirrels as a prey and living in a trees.
  • When it is not doing either, it eats insects, nuts and fruits.
  • It lives in a hollow tree throughout the entire year.


  • It produces offspring in April, with a litter of about two to four babies.
  • At birth, the marten is blind, and doesn't open its eyes till the sixth week. Not till three months do they attain adult weight.

Conservation

  • Nilgiri Marten is listed in Schedule II part II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and has been placed on Appendix III of CITES by India.
  • This species occurs in many protected areas and Reserved Forests.


Facts

  • As per the information available; number of mature individuals is around 1000.
  • Their current population trend is stable ( less declination or incrimination  in population ) 



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