The Mammals of Sriharikota Island, Southern India, with Insights into their Status, Population, and Distribution

Abstract

Inventory surveys, transect surveys (day), and roadside surveys (night) were carried out from November 2001 to October 2007, to document the mammalian fauna of Sriharikota and assess their population and distribution in the island. The surveys covered four habitat types, namely tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEF), open scrub, eucalyptus, and casuarina plantations. Twenty-eight species of mammals were recorded; most of which are common or widely distributed in India. The records of the Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus and Grey Slender Loris Loris lydekkerianus in Sriharikota are of conservation interest. The Bonnet Macaque Macaca radiata and the nocturnal Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica were not recorded in plantations. The encounter rate of the Three-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus palmarum was higher in forests than in plantations (Mann-Whitney U=1067, p<0.001), and within the natural habitat, it was more in TDEF than in open scrub (Mann Whitney U=288.0, p<0.05). The encounter rates of the Golden Jackal Canis aureus and Indian Hare Lepus ( Indolagus ) nigricollis were higher in natural habitat than in plantations (Mann-Whitney U=1390, p<0.01 and U=1536, p<0.05, respectively). The takeover of the Island by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its high security status has overall been a boon for the wildlife and their habitats. However, the issue of plantations, and expansion plans of the spaceport that will involve loss of forests are threats that call for a long-term conservation plan.