The Indian brown mongoose (Herpestes fuscus) looks similar to the short-tailed mongoose from Southeast Asia and is sometimes believed to be only a subspecies of this latter. The Indian brown mongoose is found in southwest India and Sri Lanka.
Description[]
The Indian brown mongoose appears large compared to the other mongoose species in southern Western Ghats. This species has a dark brown body and its legs are noticeably in black color. The tail length is two third of its body length and more furry than that of the small Indian mongoose. A pointed tail and fur beneath the hind leg help to distinguish this species from others. The Indian brown mongoose is nocturnal in nature, prefers to live in isolation, and maintains its habitats in dense forests. When ready to breed, Indian brown mongooses burrow in densely-packed rocks and produce two to three young.
Distribution[]
In South India, it is found from 700 to 1,300 m from Virajpet in south Coorg and Ooty in the Nilgiri hills, Tiger Shola in the Palni hills, High Wavy Mountains in Madurai, Kalakad-Mundanthurai in Agasthyamalai hills, Valparai plateau in the Anamalai hills, and Peeramedu in Kerala. This species has also been introduced on Fiji, in the island Viti Levu during the 1970s. Here it lives in sympathy with the similar Herpestes auropunctatus and his ecological impacts are currently unknown, although it is suspected that native prey are affected, as it frequently happens on islands invaded by alien carnivores.
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