Abstract
Reports on the concurrence of mammals in the Meghamalai landscape were collated from published literature and also the data obtained from a recent study spanning over 18 months (June 2011-December 2012). Sixty-three species belonging to 24 families occur in the landscape, which include 24 globally threatened (one Critically Endangered; seven Endangered; 11 Vulnerable and five Near Threatened) species. Of the recorded species, four species are endemic to India and nine are endemic to the Western Ghats. The present study added five species, viz., Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus, Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse Platacanthomys lasiurus, Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macroura, Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphrodites and the Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii to the six decade old mammal list. But, 13 species reported by Hutton were not recorded during the study. Among them, occurrence of Malabar Civet Viverra civettina and Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus in southern India remains unresolved. During our study, anthropogenic pressures such as conversion of natural habitats, encroachment, hunting, cattle grazing and tourism were observed to affect the distribution of mammals in the landscape.
Highlights
ĎƐƚƌĂĐƚZĞƉŽƌƚƐŽŶƚŚĞĐŽŶĐƵƌƌĞŶĐĞŽĨŵĂŵŵĂůƐŝŶƚŚĞDĞŐŚĂŵĂůĂŝ ůĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ ǁĞƌĞ ĐŽůůĂƚĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚ ůŝƚĞƌĂƚƵƌĞ ĂŶĚ ĂůƐŽ ƚŚĞ ĚĂƚĂ ŽďƚĂŝŶĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ƐƚƵĚLJ ƐƉĂŶŶŝŶŐ ŽǀĞƌ ϭΘ ŵŽŶƚŚƐ ;:ƵŶĞ ϮϬϭϭĞĐĞŵďĞƌ ϮϬϭϮͿ ^ŝdžƚLJͲƚŚƌĞĞ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ďĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐ ƚŽ Ϯκ ĨĂŵŝůŝĞƐ ŽĐĐƵƌ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ Ϯκ ŐůŽďĂůůLJ ƚŚƌĞĂƚĞŶĞĚ ;ŽŶĞ ƌŝƟĐĂůůLJ ŶĚĂŶŐĞƌĞĚ ƐĞǀĞŶ ŶĚĂŶŐĞƌĞĚ ϭϭ sƵůŶĞƌĂďůĞ ĂŶĚ ĮǀĞ EĞĂƌ dŚƌĞĂƚĞŶĞĚͿ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ KĨ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ĨŽƵƌ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĞŶĚĞŵŝĐ ƚŽ /ŶĚŝĂ ĂŶĚ ŶŝŶĞ ĂƌĞ ĞŶĚĞŵŝĐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ 'ŚĂƚƐ dŚĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ƐƚƵĚLJ ĂĚĚĞĚ ĮǀĞ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ǀŝnj͘ ZƵƐƚLJͲƐƉŽƩĞĚ Ăƚ Prionailurus rubiginosusDĂůĂďĂƌ ^ƉŝŶLJ dƌĞĞDŽƵƐĞ Platacanthomys lasiurus 'ƌŝnjnjůĞĚ 'ŝĂŶƚ ^ƋƵŝƌƌĞů Ratufa macroura ŽŵŵŽŶ WĂůŵ ŝǀĞƚ Paradoxurus hermaphrodites ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚŝĂŶ 'ƌĞLJ DŽŶŐŽŽƐĞ Herpestes edwardsiiƚŽƚŚĞƐŝdžĚĞĐĂĚĞŽůĚŵĂŵŵĂůůŝƐƚƵƚϭϯƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ƌĞƉŽƌƚĞĚ ďLJ,ƵƩŽŶ ǁĞƌĞ ŶŽƚ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚLJ ŵŽŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ ŽĐĐƵƌƌĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ DĂůĂďĂƌ ŝǀĞƚ sŝǀĞƌƌĂ ĐŝǀĞƫŶĂ ĂŶĚ &ŝƐŚŝŶŐ Ăƚ
It is bestowed with certain remnant patches of wet forests in high elevation plateaus (>1400m), which have been severely fragmented and over-exploited for raising commercial crops and plantations that have left the natural forests as fragments or islands
The earliest survey on mamals in the hill range was started in the beginning of the 19th century by Prater. He explored and collected mammals from the Cumbum Valley and the northern slopes of High Wavy Mountains, and these specimens were preserved in Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Museum collections
Summary
ĎƐƚƌĂĐƚZĞƉŽƌƚƐŽŶƚŚĞĐŽŶĐƵƌƌĞŶĐĞŽĨŵĂŵŵĂůƐŝŶƚŚĞDĞŐŚĂŵĂůĂŝ ůĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ ǁĞƌĞ ĐŽůůĂƚĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚ ůŝƚĞƌĂƚƵƌĞ ĂŶĚ ĂůƐŽ ƚŚĞ ĚĂƚĂ ŽďƚĂŝŶĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ Ă ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ƐƚƵĚLJ ƐƉĂŶŶŝŶŐ ŽǀĞƌ ϭΘ ŵŽŶƚŚƐ ;:ƵŶĞ ϮϬϭϭĞĐĞŵďĞƌ ϮϬϭϮͿ ^ŝdžƚLJͲƚŚƌĞĞ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ďĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐ ƚŽ Ϯκ ĨĂŵŝůŝĞƐ ŽĐĐƵƌ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ Ϯκ ŐůŽďĂůůLJ ƚŚƌĞĂƚĞŶĞĚ ;ŽŶĞ ƌŝƟĐĂůůLJ ŶĚĂŶŐĞƌĞĚ ƐĞǀĞŶ ŶĚĂŶŐĞƌĞĚ ϭϭ sƵůŶĞƌĂďůĞ ĂŶĚ ĮǀĞ EĞĂƌ dŚƌĞĂƚĞŶĞĚͿ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ KĨ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ĨŽƵƌ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĞŶĚĞŵŝĐ ƚŽ /ŶĚŝĂ ĂŶĚ ŶŝŶĞ ĂƌĞ ĞŶĚĞŵŝĐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ 'ŚĂƚƐ dŚĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ƐƚƵĚLJ ĂĚĚĞĚ ĮǀĞ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ǀŝnj͘ ZƵƐƚLJͲƐƉŽƩĞĚ Ăƚ Prionailurus rubiginosusDĂůĂďĂƌ ^ƉŝŶLJ dƌĞĞDŽƵƐĞ Platacanthomys lasiurus 'ƌŝnjnjůĞĚ 'ŝĂŶƚ ^ƋƵŝƌƌĞů Ratufa macroura ŽŵŵŽŶ WĂůŵ ŝǀĞƚ Paradoxurus hermaphrodites ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚŝĂŶ 'ƌĞLJ DŽŶŐŽŽƐĞ Herpestes edwardsiiƚŽƚŚĞƐŝdžĚĞĐĂĚĞŽůĚŵĂŵŵĂůůŝƐƚƵƚϭϯƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ƌĞƉŽƌƚĞĚ ďLJ ,ƵƩŽŶ ǁĞƌĞ ŶŽƚ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚLJ ŵŽŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ ŽĐĐƵƌƌĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ DĂůĂďĂƌ ŝǀĞƚ sŝǀĞƌƌĂ ĐŝǀĞƫŶĂ ĂŶĚ &ŝƐŚŝŶŐ Ăƚ. Materials and Methods We carried out a study on the status and distribution of large mammals in the landscape between June 2011 and December 2012. The status of each mammal species observed by Hutton was compared with the current population status (consolidated from the study) to understand the influence of six decades of disturbance on the distribution of large mammals (41 species).
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