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Small-toothed ferret badger Melogale moschata Gray, 1831

Distribution

It is also known as Chinese ferret badger. In India it is distributed throughout northeast India from West Bengal eastwards in Assam Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh (Pocock 1941, Ramakantha 1992b,1995, Choudhury 1997a,b, 1999, Datta 1999). Outside India it occurs in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos PDR, Taiwan and south China (Pocock 1941, Walker 1975, Wozencraft 1993).

Description

This is a small badger in which the length of head and body is 330 to 430 mm, tail length 152 to 230 mm and weight is around 1.75 kg (Walker 1975). The general colour of the dorsal body surface varies from blackish or deep purplish-grey, to various shades of brown, often giving a silvery or grey cast to the pelage. The mask, cheeks, nuchal stripe, and ventral side is yellowish-buffy or white. It has a shorter, frequently interrupted dorsal streak (white tipped erectile hair) beginning from the forehead extending up to the shoulders which are white or reddish in colour. It has rounded ears with white margins.

It has three subspecies millsi, taxilla and moschata. The subspecies M. moschata millsi Thomas, 1922 is reported from India.

Behaviour

In India ferret-badgers live in tropical and subtropical forests, and also in grasslands. They are nocturnal, coming out usually at dusk. Like most badgers they live in holes dug out by themselves or in burrows of other animals and in rock crevices. They are good climbers and often sleep on the branches of trees. They are omnivorous and known to feed on small animals, insects, earthworms and fruits. The young ones are born during May and June and the litter size is 1-3. Because it preys upon insects and pests such as cockroaches the local people like Lepchas and Bhotias encourage them to enter their huts (Prater 1971).

Conservation status

It is listed in Schedule I part I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix III of CITES, and EN B1 2c during the CAMP Workshop.

| Introduction | Mustelids | Viverrids | Herpestids | 
| Conservation Significance | References |