NILGIRI MARTEN
DESCRIPTION: The largest and rarest Indian
marten, the Nilgiri Marten is a dark brown to black animal with a pale yellow to
bright yellowish orange neck, and a flat skull with a concave depression on its
forehead. Unlike in the Yellow- throated Marten, the yellow in the Nilgiri Marten
is restricted only to the underside of the neck and chest down to the upper forelegs.
It has been mistaken in the field for the Malabar Giant Squirrel when viewed in
the trees, but can be distinguished at a glance by its shorter, all-black tail
and the lack of rufous or maroon anywhere on the body.
BEHAVIOUR: Very arboreal, it is found often
at canopy level but also equally terrestrial.
DISTRIBUTION: Endemic to the Western Ghats.
Size: 55–70 cm
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
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