Two new mammalian species added to Kaziranga’s fauna

  • January 23, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Two new mammalian species added to Kaziranga’s fauna

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

Details:

  • The two mammals are the elusive binturong (Arctictis binturong), the largest civet in India also known as the bearcat, and the small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus).
  • Both are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
  • The list of mammals in Kaziranga is topped by the Big Five — the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), wild water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), and the eastern swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli).
  • The other mammals found in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve include the Indian wild boar (Sus scrofa), Indian gaur (Bos gaurus), sambar (Cervus unicolor), hoolock or white-browed gibbon (Hylobates hoolock), Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), capped langur or leaf monkey (Presbytis pileatus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), leopard (Panthera pardus), and the jackal (Canis aureus).

Binturong (Arctictis binturong) (bearcat):

  • An arboreal mammal native to South and Southeast Asia, the binturong is not easily found due to its nocturnal and arboreal habits. It is also uncommon in much of its range and is known to have a distribution exclusive to the northeast of India.
  • The binturong is the only species in the genus Arctictis.

Small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus):

  • Also known as the Asian small-clawed otter, the mammal has a wide distribution range extending through India eastwards to Southeast Asia and southern China.
  • In India, it is found mostly in the protected areas of West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and some parts of Kerala in the Western Ghats region.
  • Small-clawed otters have partially webbed feet with short claws, which make them skilled hunters in aquatic environments.
  • They are primarily found in freshwater habitats where they feed on a diet of fish, crustaceans, and molluscs.
  • The small-clawed otter was previously reported from the western Himalayas and parts of Odisha.

Source: TH

Environment Two new mammalian species added to Kaziranga’s fauna