Abstract
The diel activity pattern of small carnivores was studied using the camera trap technique at Nelliampathy Reserve Forest, Kerala, India. Six species of small carnivores were recorded during the study. These include Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni, Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Stripe-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitticollis, Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus, Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii, and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis. The maximum diel activity overlap was detected between the Brown Palm Civet and Small Indian Civet, while the activity overlap was minimal between the Stripe-necked Mongoose and Small Indian Civet.
Highlights
Small carnivores are medium-sized mammals belonging to the order Carnivora
The small carnivores recorded from NRF include Brown Palm Civet P. jerdoni (43.65 %) (Image 1), Stripe-necked Mongoose H. vitticollis (26.39 %) (Image 2), Brown Mongoose H. fuscus (13.19 %) (Image 3), Small Indian Civet V. indica (13 %) (Image 4), Nilgiri Marten M. gwatkinsii (3 %) (Image 5), and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis (1 %) (Image 6) (Figure 3)
Maximum overlap was observed between two nocturnal small carnivores, Brown Palm Civet and Small Indian Civet
Summary
Small carnivores are medium-sized mammals belonging to the order Carnivora. There are 195 species of small carnivores globally belonging to 10 families (Wilson & Mittermiere 2009). A study on the impact of various factors on habitat selection of Smooth-coated Otters Lutrogale perspicillata in Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) found that the otters showed affinity towards areas with less rocky and gently sloped banks with vegetation and adjoining streams (Anoop & Hussain 2004). Small carnivores of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve showed a negative relationship to the distance from the villages. Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii showed an affinity towards degraded forests, whereas Stripe-necked Mongoose H. vitticollis preferred subtropical evergreen and dry deciduous forests. Open dry forests with moderate canopy were chosen by Ruddy Mongoose H. smithii and Small Indian Civet (Kalle et al 2013a). The niche of Brown Mongoose H. fuscus fuscus was greatly influenced by temperature, rain and topography (Raman et al 2020)
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