The ruddy mongoose (''Urva smithii'') is a

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

native to hill forests in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and Sri Lanka.

Description

The ruddy mongoose's fur is brownish and coarse, long in hindquarters, but short in other parts of the body. Its head to body length is with a long tail. Males are larger and heavier than females with a weight of ; females weigh about . Tail constitute about 75-90 % of body length. It is distinguished by the Indian grey mongoose by its slightly larger size and jet black-tipped tail.

Distribution and habitat

The ruddy mongoose is mainly a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

-living animal and prefers more secluded areas. It has also been recorded in secluded paddy fields and in comparatively open fields.

Taxonomy

''Herpestes smithii'' was the scientific name proposed by

John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for ...

in 1837 for a

zoological specimen A zoological specimen is an animal or part of an animal preserved for scientific use. Various uses are: to verify the identity of a (species), to allow study, increase public knowledge of zoology. Zoological specimens are extremely diverse. Exampl ...

in the collection of the

British Museum Natural History The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

. All Asian mongooses are now thought to belong in the genus ''

Urva Urva (also, Urvan, lez, Вурвар) is a village and municipality in the Qusar Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,472. The municipality consists of the villages of Urva and Urvaoba Urvaoba is a village in the municipality of Urva ...

.'' Subspecies: * ''U. s. smithii'' * ''U. s. thysanurus'' * ''U. s. zeylanius''

Ecology and Behavior

It usually carries its black tipped tail tip curved upward which is visible from a distance. Like other mongooses, it hunts by day and by night, and feeds on birds, rat snakes, land monitors, rodents and snails. Generally a solitary animal, rarely can be seen in pairs during mating season. However, mother and pup family groups consisting about five animals have been observed. It is found in thick jungles, forest edges near paddy fields and tea estates. However, withdraw quickly in a crevice or underneath a rock shelf during human confrontation. When cornered, they fight fearlessly with loud and shrill cries.

In culture

In Sri Lanka this animal is usually regarded as an unlikable animal and a pest. The

golden palm civet The golden palm civet (''Paradoxurus zeylonensis'') is a palm civet endemic to Sri Lanka. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Its distribution is severely fragmented, and the extent and quality of its habitat in Sri Lanka's hill ...

(''Paradoxurus zeylonensis''), altogether a different species endemic to Sri Lanka, is also called due to similar appearance and coloration.

References

External links

* Mammals described in 1837 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Carnivorans of Asia Mammals of India Mammals of Sri Lanka Urva (genus) {{carnivora-stub