| Brown palm civet | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Viverridae |
| Genus: | Paradoxurus |
| Species: | P. jerdoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Paradoxurus jerdoni Blanford, 1885 | |
 | |
| Brown palm civet range | |
Thebrown palm civet (Paradoxurus jerdoni), also called theJerdon's palm civet, is aviverridendemic to theWestern Ghats of India.[1]
Thescientific nameParadoxurus jerdoni was introduced byWilliam Thomas Blanford in 1885 who described a skull and pelt of a brown palm civet collected inKodaikanal. Blanford noted the longforamen on the anteriorpalate and also that the pelt matched anotherzoological specimen collected byFrancis Day. Blanford named the species in honour ofThomas C. Jerdon.[3] The subspeciescaniscus was described byReginald Innes Pocock on the basis of a specimen collected atVirajpet in southern Coorg.[4]
There are two subspecies, the nominateP. j. jerdoni andP. j. caniscus.[5]
The brown palm civet has a uniformly brownpelage, darker around the head, neck, shoulder, legs, and tail. Sometimes the pelage may be slightly grizzled. Two subspecies have been described on the basis of the colour of the pelage although the colour is extremely variable, ranging from pale buff or light brown to dark brown. The dark tail sometimes has a white or pale-yellow tip. It has no distinct markings on the body or the face as in theAsian palm civet. A distinctive feature is the reversed direction of hair growth on the nape, similar to that in thegolden palm civet (P. zeylonensis) of Sri Lanka. It is about as large as the common palm civet, but with a long and sleek tail. The body weight of the males ranges from 3.6–4.3 kg (7.9–9.5 lb), head and body length 430–620 mm (17–24 in), and tail length from 380–530 mm (15–21 in).[7][6][8]
The brown palm civet's distribution extends fromCastle Rock inGoa to the southern tip of theWestern Ghats inKalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.[9] It inhabits rainforest tracts at an elevation of 500–1,300 m (1,600–4,300 ft).[7]This landscape is fragmented with remnants oftropical rainforest amidst commercially exploited patches such as tea and coffeeplantations. Its ability to persist in such a landscape depends on the occurrence of a diversity of fruit tree species in these areas such as shade trees in coffee plantations.[10]
Brown palm civets are solitary and nocturnal. They rest during the day in day-bed sites, such as tree hollows, canopy vine tangles,Indian giant squirrel nests and forks of branches. The day-bed trees are large and are usually in dense mature forest stands with high canopy connectivity. They sometimes rest in the night in open branches.[11]
The brown palm civet is a key mammalianseed disperser in theWestern Ghats rainforest by being predominantlyfrugivorous and dispersing a diverse array of plant species. Fruits of more than 53 native and four introduced plant species have been recorded forming about 97% of its diet. It eats foremost fruits of trees and lianas with a diameter of less than 1 cm (0.39 in), rarely those of herbs or shrubs; fruits include many-seeded, pulpyberries,drupes with moderate to high water content, and fruits likePalaquium ellipticum,Elaeocarpus serratus,Holigarna nigra andKnema attenuata with a diameter of more than 2 cm (0.79 in). Its diet pattern varies across years and even within the same year depending on fruit availability. It also feeds on a diverse range of invertebrates and vertebrates.[12] It has also been recorded feeding on flowers ofCullenia exarillata[13] andSyzygium species.[12]
Because of its large range and presence within several protected areas it has been classified as being of low conservation concern. However, these areas often do not have large mammalian dispersers and birds like hornbills and large pigeons due to habitat loss and hunting. Hence, the brown palm civet gains importance in such human-impacted landscapes as an important disperser and maintains biodiversity.[14]
