Stripe-necked mongoose


The stripe-necked mongoose is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka.

Characteristics

It is rusty brown to grizzled grey, has a stout body and short legs, a black stripe that runs laterally on both sides of its neck. Its short tail is mostly black, but grey at the base.

Distribution and habitat

The stripe-necked mongoose is distributed in the Western Ghats and in Sri Lanka.
In 1911, one individual was observed in southern Andhra Pradesh.

Behaviour and ecology

It is diurnal and feeds on frogs, crabs, mouse deer, hares, rodents, fowl, and reptiles.

Taxonomy

There are two subspecies. H. vitticollis vitticollis is 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 a reddish tint to its fur.