Striped-necked Mongoose
Encyclopedia
The Stripe-necked Mongoose (Herpestes vitticollis) is a species
of mongoose
found in southern India
to Sri Lanka.
The stripe-necked mongoose is the largest of the Asiatic mongooses. It has a stout body set on short legs. It is easily distinguished by the black stripe that runs laterally on both sides of its neck. The body coloration is a rusty brown to grizzled grey. The relatively short tail is mostly black, with grey at the base.
The stripe-necked mongoose feeds on frogs, crabs, mouse deer, hares, rodents, fowl, and reptiles.
This mongoose species is more diurnal in habits. They prefer forested areas near a fresh water source. They are often found in swamps and rice fields.
There are two subspecies. H. vitticollis vitticollis from the provinces of Western Ghats, Coorg and Kerala, and has more of a reddish tint to its fur. The other, H. vitticollis inornatus, is found in the Kanara province, and lacks reddish tint to its fur.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
found in southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Sri Lanka.
The stripe-necked mongoose is the largest of the Asiatic mongooses. It has a stout body set on short legs. It is easily distinguished by the black stripe that runs laterally on both sides of its neck. The body coloration is a rusty brown to grizzled grey. The relatively short tail is mostly black, with grey at the base.
The stripe-necked mongoose feeds on frogs, crabs, mouse deer, hares, rodents, fowl, and reptiles.
This mongoose species is more diurnal in habits. They prefer forested areas near a fresh water source. They are often found in swamps and rice fields.
There are two subspecies. H. vitticollis vitticollis from the provinces of Western Ghats, Coorg and Kerala, and has more of a reddish tint to its fur. The other, H. vitticollis inornatus, is found in the Kanara province, and lacks reddish tint to its fur.