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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.

Contents

Description

Distribution

Ecology and Behaviour

References

Description

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 unmistakable in the field as it is dark above with a bright throat ranging in colour from yellow to orange. ^[1]
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.
Local names include the generic Tamil names of ''Maranai'' and in Malayalam as ''Karumvernku'' and ''Koduvalli''.

Distribution

The species is reported from the Nilgiris, parts of southern Kodagu and northern Kerala.^[2][3][4][5]

Ecology and Behaviour

Very little is known about the Nilgiri marten. It diurnal, and though arboreal descends to the ground occasionally. It is reported to prey on birds, small mammals and insects such as Cicadas.^[6][7]

References

1. Zoological Survey of India, Pune [1] Accessed September 2006
2. Christopher, G. & Jayson, E.A. (1996) Sightings of Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii Horsfield) at Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, 15, 3-4.
3. Madhusudan, M.D. (1995) Sighting of the Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii) at Eravikulam National Park, Kerala, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, 13, 6-7.
4. Gokula, V. & Ramachandran, N.K. (1996) A record of the Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii Horsfield). J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 93, 82.
5. Muduppa, D. 1999 Lesser known carnivores of the Western Ghats IN ENVIS Bulletin : Wildlife, Protected areas: Mustelids, Viverrids and Herpestides of India 2(2): 65-70 Publisher: Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, Editor: S. A. Hussain.
6. Hutton, A.F. (1944) Feeding habits of the Nilgiri marten. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 48, 374-375
7. ENVIS website [2] Accessed September 2006