Nilgiri marten
| Nilgiri marten | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Martes |
| Species: | M. gwatkinsii |
| Binomial name | |
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Martes gwatkinsii (Horsfield, 1851) |
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| Nilgiri marten range | |
The Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii) is the only species of marten found in southern India. It occurs in the hills of the Nilgiris and parts of the Western Ghats. The Tamil name is "Neer Naai".
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 . It is 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 head to vent and has a tail of 40 to 45 cm. It weighs about 2.1 kg.
The species is reported from the Nilgiris, parts of southern Kodagu and Travancore Kerala, up to the Charmadi ghats.
Very little is known about the Nilgiri marten. It is diurnal, and though arboreal, descends to the ground occasionally. It is reported to prey on birds, small mammals and insects such as cicadas.
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Wikipedia