Brown Palm Civet
Encyclopedia
Brown Palm Civet also called the Jerdon's Palm Civet is a civet
endemic to the Western Ghats
of India. There are two subspecies, the nominate P. j. jerdoni and P. j. caniscus. The Sulawesi Palm Civet is sometimes referred to by the same English name due to its brown colour.
in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
to Castle Rock
in Goa
to the north. They are nocturnal, and not as rare as previously thought and sight records of the species in Kodaikanal
and Ootacamund where they were earlier considered to be locally extinct are an indication of their ability to go unnoticed.
, darker around the head, neck, shoulder, legs, and tail. Sometimes the pelage may be slightly grizzled. Two subspecies have been described on the basis of the colour of the pelage although the colour is extremely variable, ranging from pale buff or light brown to dark brown. The dark tail sometimes has a white or pale-yellow tip. It has no distinct markings on the body or the face as in the Common Palm Civet
. A distinctive feature is the reversed direction of hair growth on the nape, similar to that in the Golden Palm Civet
(P. zeylonensis) of Sri Lanka. It is about as large as the Common Palm Civet
, but with a long and sleek tail. The body weight of the males ranges from 3.6 kg to 4.3 kg, head and body length 430 mm to 620 mm, and tail length from 380 to 530 mm. The species was described in 1885 on the basis of a skull and pelt obtained in Kodaikanal by Mr F. Levinge and forwarded by Rev. S. B. Fairbank to W T Blanford
. Blanford noted the long foramen on the anterior palate. He also found the pelt matching another specimen collected by Francis Day
. Blanford named the species in honour of T. C. Jerdon
. Subspecies caniscus was described by R I Pocock
on the basis of a specimen collected at Virajpet in southern Coorg.
, and drupe
s with moderate to high water content, along with several large (>2 cm) fruits like Palaquium ellipticum, Elaeocarpus serratus
, Holigarna nigra, and Knema attenuata
. They have also been recorded feeding on flowers such as those of Cullenia exarillata and Syzygium
species.
nests and forks of branches. The day-bed trees are large and are usually in dense mature forest stands with high canopy connectivity. They sometimes rest in the night in open branches.
in the Western Ghats
rainforest by being predominantly frugivorous and dispersing a diverse array of plant species. Their large range and presence within several protected areas have led them to be classified as being of low conservation concern. The brown palm civet occurs in fragmented landscapes containing remnants of tropical rainforest amid commercially exploited land patches such as tea and coffee plantations
. Their ability to persist in such landscapes depends on the occurrence of a diversity of fruit tree species in these areas (e.g., shade trees in coffee plantations). However, these areas often do not have large mammalian dispersers and birds like hornbills and large pigeons due to habitat loss and hunting. Hence, the brown palm civet gains importance in such human-impacted landscapes as an important disperser and maintains biodiversity.
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
endemic to the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
of India. There are two subspecies, the nominate P. j. jerdoni and P. j. caniscus. The Sulawesi Palm Civet is sometimes referred to by the same English name due to its brown colour.
Distribution
The Brown Palm Civet's distribution extends from the southern tip of Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve , situated in the Southern Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second largest protected area in Tamil Nadu State.-History:...
to Castle Rock
Castle Rock, Karnataka
Castlerock is a village in the Uttara Kannada district Indian state of Karnataka, The town is located in the Western Ghats on the state's border with Goa at an elevation of 621 m ....
in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
to the north. They are nocturnal, and not as rare as previously thought and sight records of the species in Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
and Ootacamund where they were earlier considered to be locally extinct are an indication of their ability to go unnoticed.
Description
Brown Palm Civet has a uniformly brown pelageHair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, darker around the head, neck, shoulder, legs, and tail. Sometimes the pelage may be slightly grizzled. Two subspecies have been described on the basis of the colour of the pelage although the colour is extremely variable, ranging from pale buff or light brown to dark brown. The dark tail sometimes has a white or pale-yellow tip. It has no distinct markings on the body or the face as in the Common Palm Civet
Common Palm Civet
The Asian Palm Civet , also called Toddy Cat, is a small member of the Viverridae family native to South and Southeast Asia...
. A distinctive feature is the reversed direction of hair growth on the nape, similar to that in the Golden Palm Civet
Golden Palm Civet
The Golden Palm Civet is a civet endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a smallish civet and has a coat that is a golden brown or dark brown in color. The hair on the back of its neck grows reverse grain, from the shoulders toward the head...
(P. zeylonensis) of Sri Lanka. It is about as large as the Common Palm Civet
Common Palm Civet
The Asian Palm Civet , also called Toddy Cat, is a small member of the Viverridae family native to South and Southeast Asia...
, but with a long and sleek tail. The body weight of the males ranges from 3.6 kg to 4.3 kg, head and body length 430 mm to 620 mm, and tail length from 380 to 530 mm. The species was described in 1885 on the basis of a skull and pelt obtained in Kodaikanal by Mr F. Levinge and forwarded by Rev. S. B. Fairbank to W T Blanford
William Thomas Blanford
William Thomas Blanford was an English geologist and naturalist. He is best remembered as the editor of a major series on The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma.-Biography:Blanford was born in London...
. Blanford noted the long foramen on the anterior palate. He also found the pelt matching another specimen collected by Francis Day
Francis Day
Francis Day CIE was Inspector-General of Fisheries in India and Burma and an ichthyologist.He was born on 2 March 1829 Maresfield, Sussex, UK third son of William and Ann Day. He became the medical officer in the Madras Presidency, East India Company services in 1852.Francis Day was created a...
. Blanford named the species in honour of T. C. Jerdon
Thomas C. Jerdon
Thomas Caverhill Jerdon was a British physician, zoologist and botanist. He is best remembered for his pioneering works on the ornithology of India...
. Subspecies caniscus was described by R I Pocock
Reginald Innes Pocock
Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. was a British zoologist.Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward's School, Oxford. He received tutoring in zoology from Sir Edward Poulton, and was allowed...
on the basis of a specimen collected at Virajpet in southern Coorg.
Diet
The Brown Palm Civet is predominantly frugivorous. Fruits form a large proportion (97 per cent) of its diet and more than 53 native and four introduced species of plants have been recorded. The diet patterns vary across years and even within the same year. They adapt to climatic variations in fruit availability by feeding on a diverse range of species of invertebrates and vertebrates. They eat fruits of trees and lianas, rarely those of herbs or shrubs. The diet is mostly composed of small (<1 cm diameter), many seeded, pulpy berriesBerry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
, and drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
s with moderate to high water content, along with several large (>2 cm) fruits like Palaquium ellipticum, Elaeocarpus serratus
Elaeocarpus
Elaeocarpus is a genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs. The approximately 350 species are distributed from Madagascar in the west through India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, southern China, and Japan, through Australia to New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii in the east. The islands of...
, Holigarna nigra, and Knema attenuata
Knema
Knema is a genus of plant in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species :...
. They have also been recorded feeding on flowers such as those of Cullenia exarillata and Syzygium
Syzygium
Syzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...
species.
Behaviour
Brown Palm Civet is a solitary, nocturnal small carnivore. They rest during the day in day-bed sites, such as tree hollows, canopy vine tangles, Indian giant squirrelIndian Giant Squirrel
The Indian giant squirrel, or Malabar giant squirrel, is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia.-Description:...
nests and forks of branches. The day-bed trees are large and are usually in dense mature forest stands with high canopy connectivity. They sometimes rest in the night in open branches.
Conservation
The brown palm civet is a key mammalian seed disperserSeed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
rainforest by being predominantly frugivorous and dispersing a diverse array of plant species. Their large range and presence within several protected areas have led them to be classified as being of low conservation concern. The brown palm civet occurs in fragmented landscapes containing remnants of tropical rainforest amid commercially exploited land patches such as tea and coffee plantations
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. Their ability to persist in such landscapes depends on the occurrence of a diversity of fruit tree species in these areas (e.g., shade trees in coffee plantations). However, these areas often do not have large mammalian dispersers and birds like hornbills and large pigeons due to habitat loss and hunting. Hence, the brown palm civet gains importance in such human-impacted landscapes as an important disperser and maintains biodiversity.