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Order : CARNIVORA
Family : Herpestidae
Species : Herpestes semitorquatus
Head-body length : up to 43 cm
Tail length : up to 28 cm
Weight : up to 1.5 kg
The Collared Mongoose is a
broadly forest-dependant species which occurs in lowlands and lower montane
habitats up to 1400 metres elevation. It can survive in degraded forest, and
occasionally peat swamp forest, but appears to be scarce in agricultural
areas.
This species occurs on the islands of Borneo (Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan)
and Sumatra (known from a few localities, where it is possibly introduced),
but is absent from the mainland of Southeast Asia.
Mongooses which occur on the islands of Palawan province, in the south of
the Philippines (which includes the main island of Palawan and the Calamian
Islands), are recognised by some researchers as being a form of Collared
Mongoose, rather than the Short-tailed
Mongoose which they were previously considered to be.
This is a terrestrial, mainly diurnal carnivore which preys on small
vertebrates and invertebrates. It is mainly solitary in habits, however it
is not uncommon for pairs (presumably male-female pairs) to be recorded on
trail cameras.
On Borneo, two colour forms are recognised - a brown morph and a less common
reddish morph. On Sumatra the reddish form is seen, but the occurrence of
the brown morph is unclear. In all forms the fur on the throat is more pale
than on the rest of the body, and there is a distinctive pale stripe below
the ear. The fur on the legs is noticeably darker.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
categorise the species as 'Near Threatened', mainly due to the loss of
lowland forest (Mathai et al, 2015).
Figs 1 and 2 : Brown morph from lowland, logged
forest in Kalabakan Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo at an elevation of 380
metres. Photos thanks to Oliver Wearn.
References :
Mathai, J., Hearn, A., Brodie, J., Wilting, A., Duckworth, J.W., Ross, J.,
Holden, J., Gemita, E. & Hon, J. 2015. Herpestes semitorquatus. The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41616A45208027
Phillipps Q. & Phillipps K. (2016). Phillipps’ Field Guide to the
Mammals of Borneo and Their Ecology: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan.
Second Edition. John Beaufoy Publishing. 400 pp. |