Field observations of Yellow-throated Martens 0DUWHVÁDYLJXOD feeding RQÁRZHUVLQ0HJKDOD\D1RUWKHDVW,QGLD

R. NANDINI¹ and T. KARTHIK²

The Yellow-throated Marten 0DUWHVÀDYLJXOD is a wide-ranging species consecutively. The tree species was very distinctive due carnivore distributed from Pakistan and Afghanistan in the west WRLWVSURIXVHÀRZHULQJDQGZHQRWHGWKDWWKHWZRWUHHVYLVLWHG WRWKH5XVVLDQ)DU(DVWDQG,QGRQHVLDLQWKHHDVW &RUEHWW +LOO ZHUH WKH FORVHU WRJHWKHU RI WKUHH YLVLEOH ÀRZHULQJ C. polyan- 1992). In India, the species is reported to occur in the foothills of dra trees on the slope. We suggest from our observation that the the Himalaya across , and east martens intentionally capitalised on this opportunity to forage on into (Hussain 1999), (Choudhury 1997a), Aru- this species. However, further studies on resource tracking based nachal Pradesh (Choudhury 1997b), (Choudhury on availability and use of resources need to be conducted before 1999), (Choudhury 2000), and (Ramakantha conclusions can be made. 1994). In , it is reported to occur in the as well as in Balpakram National Park (Kumar et al. 2002). Little is Acknowledgments known of the ecology of the species, a trend that is true for most We thank Kashmira Kakati and Christy Williams for their hospitality non-Holarctic species of carnivores (e.g. Grassman et al. 2005). DQGHQFRXUDJHPHQWDQG1LPHVK9HGDQGWKH6DPUDNVKDQ¿HOGRI¿FHLQ This short note is based on observations made during a visit Baghmara for assistance in organising this trip. We also thank the Garo to Balpakram National Park, Meghalaya. The park (220 km²; local, Penarson Marak, and the botanist at the Zoo for their Khan et al. 1997) is located in the south Garo Hills district and DVVLVWDQFHZLWKLGHQWL¿FDWLRQRIWKHSODQWVSHFLPHQ the elevation ranges from 200 m to 1,027 m. The habitat com- prises of tropical moist deciduous and tropical evergreen forests References +DULGDVDQ 5DR 2Q0DUFKZHZHUHZDONLQJ Choudhury, A. 1997a. The distribution and status of small carnivores along a trail close to Mahadeo aking (village) Inspection Bunga- (mustelids, viverrids, and herpestids) in Assam, India. Small low at Balpakram, when we saw two Yellow-throated Martens &DUQLYRUH&RQVHUYDWLRQ 16: 25–26. on a Cynometra polyandra (Roxb.) tree at 06h20. The tree was Choudhury, A. 1997b. Small carnivores (mustelids, viverrids, herpestids, approximately 20 m off the road on a declivity and was in full and one ailurid) in , India. 6PDOO &DUQLYRUH EORRP7KHWZRDQLPDOVVHHPHGWREHIHHGLQJRQWKHÀRZHUV &RQVHUYDWLRQ 17: 7–9. and moved along branches between a height of 8 and 15 m. The Choudhury, A. 1999. Conservation of small carnivores (mustelids, martens foraged for about 10 minutes till the presence of passers- viverrids, herpestids, and one ailurid) in north Bengal, India. Small by on the trail caused them to look up and move down the tree &DUQLYRUH&RQVHUYDWLRQ 20: 15–17. into the undergrowth. Choudhury, A. 2000. Some small carnivore records from Nagaland, India. We walked further along and as we were approximately 100 6PDOO&DUQLYRUH&RQVHUYDWLRQ± m further down the trail we again saw two Yellow-throated Mar- &RUEHWW * %  +LOO - (  The mammals of the Indomalayan tens running after each other on the ground through an Areca-nut region. Oxford University Press, New York, USA. Areca catechu plantation. The martens stopped for a while and Ewer, R. F. 1998. 7KHFDUQLYRUHV. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New sat on a broken tree stump at the edge of the Areca-nut plantation, York, USA. and after a few minutes climbed another tree of the same species, *UDVVPDQ-U/,7HZHV0( 6LOY\1-5DQJLQJKDELWDWXVH C. polyandra, also in full bloom. The two martens foraged on and activity patterns of Binturong Arctictis binturong and Yellow- the tree, walking around in both the lower and upper reaches of throated Marten 0DUWHVÀDYLJXODin north-central Thailand. Wildlife WKHFDQRS\DQGIHHGLQJRQÀRZHUV7KHPDUWHQVVWD\HGRQWKLV Biology 11: 49–57. tree for approximately 10 minutes, till a strong gust of wind and +DULGDVDQ .  5DR 5 5  )RUHVW ÀRUD RI 0HJKDOD\D. Bishen a light rain caused the tree to sway. The martens ran down and Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, India. we did not see them after this. The surrounding habitat was an Hussain, S. A. 1999. Mustelids, viverrids and herpestids of India: species Areca-nut plantation interspersed with few remnant native forest SUR¿OHDQGFRQVHUYDWLRQVWDWXVENVIS Bulletin  ± trees, and the area nearby had been cleared for MKXP (shifting .XPDU$*XSWD$.0DUFRW%*6D[HQD$6LQJK63 0DUDN cultivation). Both the trees were mid-storey trees approximately T. T. C. 2002. 0DQDJHPHQWRIIRUHVWVLQ,QGLDIRUELRORJLFDOGLYHUVLW\ 17–20 m high. DQGIRUHVWVSURGXFWLYLW\DQHZSHUVSHFWLYH±YROXPH,9*DUR+LOOV Yellow-throated Martens are known to be dietary generalists &RQVHUYDWLRQ$UHD *&$ . WII–USDA Forest Service Collaborative similar to other martens (Ramakantha 1994, Ruggiero et al. 3URMHFW5HSRUW:LOGOLIH,QVWLWXWHRI,QGLD'HKUD'XQ,QGLD (ZHU3DUU 'XFNZRUWK 7KH\DUHNQRZQWR .KDQ 0 / 0HQRQ 6  %DZD . 6  (IIHFWLYHQHVV RI WKH eat rodents, small mammals, birds, reptiles, fruits and honey (Ra- protected area network in biodiversity conservation: a case study of PDNDQWKD DQG3RFRFN  UHSRUWHG³DIRQGQHVVIRU´ Meghalaya state. %LRGLYHUVLW\DQG&RQVHUYDWLRQ± WKHQHFWDURIÀRZHUV0DUWHQVDUHNQRZQWRWDNHDGYDQWDJHRI Mudappa, D. C. 2001. (FRORJ\ RI WKH %URZQ 3DOP &LYHW Paradoxurus seasonal variation and locally available resources (Ewer 1998). MHUGRQL LQ WKH WURSLFDO UDLQIRUHVWV RI WKH :HVWHUQ *KDWV ,QGLD. A similar plasticity has also been observed with another omnivo- Bharathiar University (Ph.D, Dissertation), Coimbatore, India. rous carnivore in tropical forests, the Brown Palm Civet 3DUD- 3DUU-:. 'XFNZRUWK-:1RWHVRQWKHGLHWKDELWXDWLRQ GR[XUXVMHUGRQL (Mudappa 2001). During our observations, we and sociality of Yellow-throated Marten 0DUWHV ÀDYLJXOD. Small QRWHGWKDWWKHPDUWHQVYLVLWHGWZRÀRZHULQJWUHHVRIWKHVDPH &DUQLYRUH&RQVHUYDWLRQ±

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Pocock, R. I. 1941. 7KH)DXQDRI%ULWLVK,QGLD,QFOXGLQJ&H\ORQDQG Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Burma. MammaliaQGHGLWLRQYRO7D\ORU )UDQFLV/RQGRQ Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO, USA. Ramakantha, V. 1994. Natural distribution and ecology of mustelids and viverrids in Manipur, north-eastern India. 6PDOO &DUQLYRUH ¹National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of &RQVHUYDWLRQ 11: 16–18. Science campus, Bangalore 560012, India. 5XJJLHUR/)$XEU\.%%XVNLUN6:/\RQ-/ =LHOLQVNL Email: [email protected] : -  7KH VFLHQWL¿F EDVLV IRU FRQVHUYLQJ IRUHVW FDUQLYRUHV $PHULFDQ0DUWHQ)LVKHU/\Q[DQG:ROYHULQHLQWKHZHVWHUQ86 ² ‘Skanda krupa’, Bangalore 560092, India. General Technical Report RM-254. Rocky Mountain Forest and

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