small mammal mail

Small Mammal Mail - Bi-Annual Newsletter of CCINSA & RISCINSA Volume 5, Number 2, January 2014, P. 1

Contents

Recent photographic observation of Nicobar Treeshrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) on Great Nicobar Island, Kannadasan Narasimmarajan, Pp. 2-3

Rescue of micro-bats in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Dau Lal Bohra and Shradha Vyas, Pp. 4-8

Common Indian Megachiroptera (My Collections), Azad Ali, Pp. 9-10

Roost of Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus in Badurtola, Chuadanga District, Bangladesh, Tahsinur Rahman Shihan, Pp. 11-12

Ending the journey of PhD in bat ecology - Photo Features, Pushpa Raj Acharya, P. 13

Foliage roosting by the painted bat, Kerivoula picta in Thrissur, Kerala, Madhavan, A., Sreedevi Rajasekar and S. Suthakar Isaac, P. 14

Living with Villagers for Bat Conservation, Sanjan Thapa, Pp. 15-18

Amity University, M.Sc. Wildlife Course, P.18

New site records of the Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777) from the southern Eastern Ghats, India, A. Kalaimani and G. Gokula Krishnan, Pp. 19-20

JRF Position in DST-SERB Funded Project at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, P. 20

First record of White-tailed Wood-rat, Madromys blanfordi from Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, IndiaKartik Upadhyay, Pritesh Patel and Reshma Solanki, Pp. 21-22

Small mammal conservation awareness programs in Tamil Nadu, India, Brawin Kumar, Pp. 23-25

Threat to wildlife from carnivorous pets: (Gray, 1838), Preeti S. Virkar and Shivam Shrotriya, Pp. 26-27

Albinism in Ratufa indica (Erxleben) and other mammals from Satara District, Maharashtra, Amit Sayyed, Anil Mahabal and R.M. Sharma, Pp. 28-29

Sighting of a total albino Ruddy Mongoose Ranthambore National Park, R. Kulkarni and Anil Mahabal , Pp. 30-31

A book “Indian Flying Fox of Assam” and a Bat Rhyme, Azad Ali, P. 31

Small Mammal Mail January 2014Volume 5 Number 2

Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected Mammalsfor CCINSA & RISCINSA -- Chiroptera, Rodentia, Insectivora, & Scandentia

Conservation and Information Networks of South Asia

ISSN 2230-7087

We at ZOO, WILD and all our networks are happy toreport that Dr. Azad Ali, a CCINSA member, recently published a book from Scholars' Press, Germany entitled "Indian Flying Fox of Assam. Ecobiology of Indian Flying Fox, Pteropus giganteus Brunnich, 1782. The poster above will spread the news regarding publication of this book for bat researchers and bat fans. See page 31 for more information.

Congratulations to Azad Ali.The ZOO Crew


Recent photographic observation of Nicobar Treeshrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) on Great Nicobar IslandKannadasan Narasimmarajan*

The Nicobar Treeshrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) (Order: Scandentia, Family: Tupaiidae, Subfamily: Tupainae), is a small arboreal mammal species endemic to India. Its distribution is restricted to Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar Islands (Corbet and Hill, 1992; Alfred et al., 2002, 2006a & b; Molur et al., 2005; Pande et al., 2009). Since entry to Nicobar Islands is restricted and is allowed only after tedious formal permissions from govern-ment authorities, and considering the logistics involved, any recent records of the poorly known, endemic and endangered species like Nicobar Treeshrew are very valuable. In this note, I report the recent photographic obser-ations of this species, taken in its wild natural habitat on Great Nicobar Island.

ObservationsOn 12th February 2012 at 9.00am, during the Long-tailed macaque survey on the Great Nicobar Island, I came across a pair of Nicobar Treeshrew on the East-Coast Road about 28 km from Campbell Bay (6°53’39.3”N; 93°53’49.5”E). The pair was seen on a palm tree in the rainforest at the lower canopy level on the edge of a ravine through which a perennial mountain stream was flowing although only one individual could be photographed. The pair was quite active and the two animals were seen chasing one another. They were observed walking over branches and were seen preferably keeping to the shady parts and were not observed to leap. They were observed searching for food and soon disappeared as they moved away to another tree. The species was seen twice again during our entire survey along a total line transect walk of 215 km

on this island. I did not specifically search for it, since I was concentrating on Long-tailed macaque survey (Narasimmarajan & Raghunathan (2012). It is likely that we could have overlooked some more individuals of Tree shrews.

IdentificationThe features that point to the identification of the species from photographs match with the earlier published descriptions. (Prater, 1971; Menon, 2003; Alfred et al., 2002, 2006; Pande, et al., 2009). The present photograph taken by the author appears to be the detailed visual documentation of this species in the wild in its natural habitat on the Great Nicobar Island. Although Nicobar Tree shrew observation is known, the precise information on this species, with photographic evidence is worth documenting. Nevertheless the previous observation was published five years ago (Pande, et al., 2009).

Threats and recommendationsThis Indian endemic species is listed in C.A.M.P. 1997 as an Endangered (EN-b1, 2c); IUCN 2013, Endangered (B1ab3); but is not included in Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 (as amended up to 2003 (Alfred et al., 2006a,b), and is facing high risk of extinction (Molur et al., 2005). The Nicobar Tree shrew is protected under CITES: Appendix II; however, the region where it occurs is a part of the Great Nicobar Biosphere, hence the habitat is protected. The threats to this species are quantitative and qualitative habitat loss at the rate of <20% decline in the last four decades and a predicted rate of >20% during the next 10 years due to agriculture, change in land use pattern, human settlements, introduction of domestic mammals, predation by dogs and natural disasters like earthquake and tsunami (Molur et al., 2005;

*Care Earth Trust, No.15, 2nd Main road, Thillaiganga Nagar, Nanganallur, Chennai- 600061. Email: [email protected]

Figure: 1. Photograph of the Nicobar Treeshrew clicked on 12.02.2012, at Great Nicobar Island

mailto:[email protected]



Pande et al., 2007). There is nothing much known about its ecology and the natural history. There are no captive stocks of the Nicobar Tree Shrew. Research, management and conservation measures like systematic surveys, taxonomic studies and identification of new protected areas have been recommended by Sankaran (1997). Knowing the threats to the Nicobar Tree Shrew, particularly construction of the 35 km east–coast road, more details about the study area and threats can be found in Narasimmarajan et al. (2012) and this endemic and endangered species needs to be included in the appropriate schedule of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, for its long term conservation on a priority basis.

References Alfred, J.R.B., N.K. Sinha, and S. Chakraborty (2002). Checklist of Mammals of India. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, Occ. Paper 199: 1–289. (Published by the Director, Zool. Sur. India, Kolkata).

Alfred, J.R.B., A.K. Das and A.K. Sanyal (2006a). Animals of India: Mammals. ENVIS-Zool. Surv. India., 1-236pp. (Published by the Director, Zool. Sur. India, Kolkata).

Alfred, J.R.B., Ramkrishna and M.S. Pradhan (2006b). Validation of Threatened Mammals of India., , 1- 568pp. (Published by the Director, Zool. Sur. India, Kolkata).

Corbet, G.B., and J.E. Hill (1992). The Mammals of the Indo-Malayan Region. Oxford University Press. New York. 1- 488pp.

Menon, V., (2003). A Field Guide to Indian Mammals. Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. And Penguin Book India (P) Ltd. 1- 201pp.

Molur, S., C. Srinivasulu, S. Bhargavi, S. Walker, P.O. Nameer and L. Ravikumar (2005). Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals: Conservation Assesment and Management Plan (C. A. M. P.) Workshop Report. Zoo Outreach Organisation. ICBSG-South Asia, Coimbatore, India. 618pp.

Narasimmarajan, K., and C. Raghunathan (2012). Status of the Long-tailed macaque and conservation of the recovery population in the Great Nicobar Island, India. Wildl. Bio. Prac. 8 (2). 1–8.

Pande, S., N. Sant, S. Ranade, S. Pednekar, P. Mestry, P. Deshpande, S. Kharat and V. Deshmukh (2007). Avifaunal survey of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, January 2007. Indian Birds. Vol. 3 No. 5: 162–180.

Pande, S., N. Sant, and S. Pednekar (2009). Recent Observations of Nicobar Tree Shrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) on Great Nicobar Island. Small mammal mail.1 (1); 30–31.

Prater, S.H., (1971). The Book of Indian Animals. Bombay Natural History Society., (Ed.3), 1–324pp.

Sankaran, R., (1997). Developing a protected area network in the Nicobar Islands: The perspective of endemic avifauna. Biodiversity and Conservation. 6, 797-815.

Request

Dear Readers,

I understand that the Vernay Survey of the Eastern Ghats had a mammal section (Vernay Scientific Survey of the Eastern Ghats: Ornithological section, by N.B. Kinnear and Hugh Whistler, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Volume 34, Issue 2, pages 386-403 (1930)). I have been able to find in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society a series of articles on the ornithological work that the survey carried out (series of 16 articles titled Vernay Scientific Survey of the Eastern Ghats (Ornithological Section) by Hugh Whistler and N.B. Kinnear, between 1932 and 1937 (Volumes 35-39)). But there is no report in this journal on the mammal survey. Can anyone suggest how I might gather any details about the mammal section of the Vernay Survey.

Thanking youKumaran SathasivamEmail: [email protected]


Rescue of micro-bats in Bikaner, Rajasthan, IndiaDau Lal Bohra* and Shradha Vyas

Bats are warm-blooded true flying mammals. They are also long-lived, intelligent and have a complex social life. According to Mistry (1997) insectivorous bats prey on nocturnal insects not only in the agricultural ecosystems but also within the towns and cities. Their importance as natural pest-controlling agents have never been highlighted. Larger mines with single or multiple entrances are preferred by bats because they have varying temperature zones that are similar to their natural habitats (Altenbach, 1995; Devkar et al., 2011). Insectivorous bats eat insects and other invertebrates such as spiders, which they catch in flight or pick off water, the ground or foliage. Some bats specialise in catching large insects such as beetles or moths but others eat large numbers of very small insects, midges and mosquitoes during night. Bats gather to feed wherever there are lots of insects, so the best places for them include traditional pasture, woodland, marshes, ponds and slow moving rivers (Kunz, 1988).

Bats have evolved a number of unusual features, mainly connected with their ability to fly. Their wings are formed from a web of highly elastic skin stretched over greatly elongated finger bones, the legs and tail, though their thumbs remain free to help them cling on when roosting (Kunz, 1988). Bats have also developed a highly sophisti-cated echolocation system that allows them to avoid obstacles and catch tiny insects, even in complete darkness. When they're flying, bats produce a stream of high-pitched calls and listen to the echoes to produce a sound picture of their surroundings. Most of these echolocation calls are too high pitched for us to hear, but

electronic bat-detectors that pick up these calls and turn them into sounds that we can hear are now widely used by specialists.

During the winter, there are relatively few insects available, so bats hibernate. In September and October they put on weight and then, as the weather gets colder, they seek out appropriate

sheltered roosts, let their body temperature drop close to that of their surroundings and slow their heart rate to only a few beats per minute. This greatly reduces their energy requirements so that their

Thar Desert Ecological Society of India (TDESI), Khabedi Changaneyo ki gali, Bahthdo ka chowk, Bikaner-334001, Rajasthan, India. Email: *corresponding author- [email protected]

Bat collection

Bat capture during rescue programme




food reserves last as long as possible. Bats have a unique way of fitting their breeding cycle in with hibernation (Barnard, 1989 and Briggs, 2002). They mate during the autumn and winter, but the female stores the sperm alive in her body and only become pregnant the following spring. Pregnancy lasts for six to nine weeks and can vary in length depending on the weather. Usually only one baby is born each year. This is looked after carefully and suckled for between four and five weeks until it is old enough to fly out and hunt for it. Bats do not build nests and bring food back to the roost to feed their young, so the baby lives only on its mother's milk until it is old

enough to fly (Entwistle, 2001). During this spring and summer period female bats gather together into maternity colonies for a few weeks to give birth and rear their babies. Once the baby is independent, the colony breaks up and the bats generally move to other roosts (Freer, 1998). Bats may gather together from over a large area to form these colonies, so any disaster at this summer breeding site can affect all the females from this area (Appleton, 2003). Many of these maternity sites are used every summer and bats have a strong tradition of returning to the same site year after year.

Importance of studyBats are one of the most neglected species that should be given priority and importance in terms of wildlife conservation in India. Population trends in bats are particularly difficult to measure on the basis of any assessment. The fragmentary evidence available supports the view that bat populations have declined over the last century or so.

Due to urbanization bats have lost countless traditional roosts such as caves, rock carvings, old buildings and old tree hollows (Cowan, 2003). Mines are being recognized as key to the life history of bats and are critical for many purposes such as rearing young, hibernation, social activities (courtship and mating), and roosting. The complexity and associated airflow of these mines provides a range of internal temperatures suitable for bats (Altenbach, 1995). In Rajasthan, multiphase development work like infrastructure developments and un-utilized land conversion are happening. In winter, most of the newborn offspring hibernate with the mother and take a long time for maturation. Thar Desert (a part of North-West Rajasthan) is an unique habitat in India, that experience extreme low tempera-ture in winter and in summer hot and dry atmosphere occur, and has an average annual rainfall of 100-400 mm and temperatures range from a minimum of -20C in winter to a maximum of 510C in summer (Sharma, 2009). In India, a total of 110 species of bats belonging to 36 genera and 6 families have been recorded (Agrawal, 1998). This was raised to 112 species belonging to 33 genera and eight families within Indian limits (Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu, 2001). Simmons (2005) revised the checklist which now includes 117 species and 100 subspecies under 39 genera belonging to 8 families. Sinha

Caves damaged due to developmental activities

Release of bats in nearby safe caves by volunteers


(1980) and Bates et al., (1994) have reported the occurrence of 22 species of bats in Rajasthan. In Bikaner, the presence of four species of Microchiropterans Rhinopoma microphyllum, Rhinopoma hardwickii, Pipistrellus tenuis and Rhinolophus lepidus and one Megachiropteran Pteropus giganteus has been recorded (Bohra, 2010). The term threatened according to the IUCN categories means Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU).

Study areaThe study area is located within the Thar Desert. The vegetation is mainly composed of dry open grassland or grassland interspersed with trees and thorny drought resistant bushes growing in sandy soils (Gupta, 1975). Bats are flying or crawling in the living area of the old havalis. The most common source of bats in the inhabited parts of a building is through some connection habitually used by bats. In modern houses, such connections are common where pipes, such as sink waste pipes, pass through a cavity wall (Mitchell-Jones, 1999). In older houses particularly, there is a wide range of possible entry points such as between floor joists, around window frames where there is a gap between the wood and brick or stone, through gaps. Caves, mines and structures such as ice-houses, tunnels provide the protected and stable conditions that many bats seek during hibernation. Within such sites, there is relatively little variation in temperature and humidity throughout the year, although each site will provide a range of conditions. Bats use such sites both as mating and gathering areas in early and late summer, as night roosts and as hibernation sites. Many species prefer to roost in cracks or crevices. Some sorts of artificial tunnels or natural caves are

lacking in these, and the provision of additional places can sometimes increase the attractiveness of the site to bats.

Urbanization, mining and industrialization have made major inroads in this desert. The low temperatures and humid conditions of bat caves create ideal breeding and residence. Our programme, considers how to protect bats natural safe zone. Thar Desert Ecological Society of India (TDESI) is working on Bat

conservation aspects including habitat restoration (protect natural caves and bats translocation) in Thar Desert of India.

Bats Rescue in Bikaner, Rajasthan Programme I Between October and December 2011, 20 caves (sites rich in bat roosting), near old city (Near Temple of Harolai Hanuman Ji) were damaged by urban improve-ment trust of Bikaner (UIT,

Bats were safely removed from the cotton bags.

Rescued bats released in new habitat


Bikaner). During our routine bat survey we observed, about 3000 bats to be dead (Rhinopoma hardwikii and Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneri). Rescue of bats were carried out in five caves:

Cave A. (Latitude 28.009088 and Longitude 73.289065), Cave B. (Latitude 28.009301 and Longitude 73.289334), Cave C. (Latitude 28.009021 and Longitude 73.288910), Cave D. (Latitude 28.009334 and Longitude 73.289613) and Cave E. (Latitude 28.008818 and Longitude 73.289175) with the help of local volunteers, 500 cave bats were protected by relocating them in nearest safe cave (Latitude 28.006695 and Longitude 73.284720).

All operation was done in daytime with permission from the local forest department. For rescue we used insect net and standard protocols used for collection of bats. No single bat was injured in this operation.

The Department of Local Bodies (D.L.B. Dept.) Rajasthan has to be informed about the existing protection laws and species of Rajasthan. According to list of wildlife animals, bats are treated

as very common animals as house rats and other rodents. According to IUCN reports habitat loss is one of the major threats for many listed Critically Endangered species. The bats of this region are also experiencing the same threat. So they need more attention to protect local and available wild species in this Desert area. Programme IIIn Bikaner old city, traditional havillaies (Rhinopoma hardwikii roosting sites) were reducing due to modernization and reforms of house structure. At present Bikaner city has about 50+ sites available in central Bikaner. In a Damani Chok, old city (Latitude 28.01426 and Longitude 73.29897) we conducted bats rescue programmes in 2012 with the help of local volunteers and house owner Vyas Ji in havali underground. According to house owner, they do not want to kill bats by fire (for Hindu mytho-logical reason), so they contacted us to protect them and to remove the bats from their house. In preliminary stages of rescue, we collected all supportive information regarding depth of havillaies underground, humidity and temperature so as to find a

similar natural caves at a distance away from the city.

Steps used for bats rescue: 1. Procure all supportive apparatus like insect net, loop net, gloves, Thermo-hygrometer, Point lesser beam temperature recorder, light weight metal tag, and cotton bag for collection of specimens.

2. Records all ecological parameters of havilies underground

3. Find similar climatically natural caves in out side of city (<20km) of same species of bats for release

4. Daily monitoring

On observation we found that no single bat returned to the previous site and also we are monitoring nearest roosting site.

Some reasons to avoid bats in house by house owners:Noise: Noise from bat colonies can be temporary but annoying problem during the summer. Noise is usually noticeable at dusk and on hot sunny days. The problem can be particularly acute in house with hanging tiles pinned directly onto block work walls. Smell: Smell from droppings is relatively uncommon but sometimes exists. Problems usually arise either where a building defect allows droppings to get wet or where large quantities of droppings are accumulating rapidly in a poorly ventilated area.

Transmission of disease: Fears about the possibility of disease being spread by bat droppings or urine. Such fears are under-standable in view of the number of diseases that can be spread by the excreta of other species, including domestic pets.

Damaged bat caves of the region


RecommendationOur aim is to minimize problems of bats and promote bat conservation with local community person, and also develop prominent community leaders who in turn help to impart the message of conservation to their community fellows. Both programmes of bats rescue was very helpful for local people as compared to kill them. Thar Desert is having a good bat population and hence is a very important place regarding bat conservation.

AcknowledgementWe thank local volunteers Mr. Hanish and Mr. Deeraj Bhati for support wonderful conservation work during rescue programme and I thankful to Forest Department, Bikaner for key inputs and suggestions.

ReferencesAgrawal, V.C. (1998). Faunal diversity in India: Mammalia. In: Faunal diversity in India (eds. Alfred, J. R. B., Das, A. K. and Sanyal, A. K.), Envis Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 460–469.

Altenbach, J.S. (1995). In Inactive Mines as Bat Habitat: Guidelines for Research, Survey, Monitoring, and Mine Management in Nevada (ed. Riddle, B. R.), Biological Resources Research Center, University of Nevada, Reno, pp. 57–61.

Appleton, C. (2003). The effect of building work on bats: ten case studies. The National Trust. Available on CD from The National Trust, Conservation Directorate, 33 Sheep St., Cirencester, Glos. GL7 1RQ.

Barnard, S.M. (1989). The use of microchip implants for identifying Big Brown bats. Animal Keepers Forum, 16(2). 50–52. DAAN, S. 1969. Frequency of displacements as a measure of activity of hibernating bats. Lynx, 10, 13–18.

Kenward, R.E. 2000. A Manual for Wildlife Radio Tagging (2nd edn). Academic Press. ISBN 0124042422.

Bates, P.J.J., D.L. Harrison & M. Muni (1994). The bats of the western India Revised. Part 3. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 91(3): 360–380.

Bohra, D.L. (2010). Biodiversity of Megachirpterans and Microchiropteran bats in Bikaner City. (IP-6) pp.63 in pro. of International Symposium on “Role of biotechnology in conserving biodiversity and livestock development for food security and poverty alleviation”& XVII Annual Convention of Indian Society of Veterinary Immunology & Biotechnology” in CVAS, Rajasthan University of Veterinary & animal Science, Bikaner-334001 (Rajasthan).

Briggs, P. (2002). A study of bats in barn conversions in Hertfordshire in 2000. Hertfordshire Biological Records Centre, Hertford. Available on CD from HBRC, County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8DN.

Cowan, A. (2003). Trees and bats. Arboricultural Association Guidance Note 1 (Second Edition). Arboricultural Association, Hants. http://www.trees.org.uk/

Entwistle, A.C., S. Harris, A.M. Hutson, P.A. Racey, A. Walsh, S.D. Gibson, I. Hepburn & J. Johnston (2001). Habitat Management for Bats - A guide for land managers, land owners and their advisors. JNCC, Peterborough. 48 pp. ISBN 1 86107 528 6. Available online at:http://www.jncc.gov.uk/communications/pubcat/publications/Habitat_Management_for_bats.pdf

Freer, R.A., D.A. Waters & J.D. Altringham (1998). Artificial maternity roosts for Rhinolophus hipposideros, the lesser horseshoe bat. CCW Contract Science Report 250.

Gupta, R.K. (1975). “Plant life in the Thar”, in R.K. Gupta and I. Prakash (eds) Environmental analysis of the Thar Desert, English Book Depot, Dehra Dun. 1975.

KUNZ, T.H. (ed.). 1988. Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington & London. 533 pp. ISBN 0 87474 411 3.

Mitchell-Jones, A.J. & A.P. McLeish (1999). The Bat Workers’ Manual (2nd Ed.). JNCC, Peterborough. ISBN 1-86107-462-X. [3rd edition in 2004].

Srinivasulu, C. & B. Srinivasulu (2001). Bats of the Indian subcontinent. Current Science 80 (11): 1378-1380.

Simmons, N. B. (2005). Order Chiroptera. In: Mammal species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference, Third Edition, Volume 1 (D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder, eds.). Johns Hopkins University Press. 312-529

Sinha, Y.P. (1980). Further observations on the field ecology of Rajasthan bats. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 77(3): 465 – 470.

Sharma, K.K. and S.P. Mehra (2009). “The Thar of Rajasthan (India): Ecology and conservation of a desert ecosystem”, in C. Sivaperuman, Q. H. Baqri, G. Ramaswamy and M. Naseema [eds], Faunal ecology and conservation of the Great Indian Desert, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

http://www.trees.org.uk




http://www.jncc.gov.uk/communications/pubcat/publications/Habitat_Management_for_bats.pdf







Common Indian Megachiroptera (My Collections)Azad Ali*

Nancy Simmons of the American Museum of Natural History reported a new total of at least 1,293 living bat species during the recent International Bat Research Conference (IBRC) in Costa Rica. That's more than 20 percent of all mammal species. She also noted that about a dozen other potentially new species are in the process of being confirmed and named. And another 247 bat species are listed as Extinct. Simmons had raised the total to 1,232 at the 2010 IBRC in Czech Republic, and in 2003 she boosted the number of bat species to 1,105 – from the 925 cited since 1993 (e-Newsletter of BCI, September 2013, Volume11, Number 9).

Bats are the Volant (true flying) mammals. There are also other mammals in the globe that have the flight skin development, like the flying lemurs, flying squirrels, flying marsupials; but their flight travel is only a short distance, downwardly, almost like a gliding jump. So, it cannot be termed as an actual flight like that of the bats.

As per standard classification the bats belong to the order “Chiroptera” meaning hand – winged, as forelimbs are modified into simple wings. The order chiroptera is again subdivided into two suborders, “Megachiroptera” (known as the Old World fruit bats) and “Microchiroptera” which include all the insectivore and carnivore bats.

The suborder magachiroptera is represented by a single family called “Pteropodidae”. Old World fruit bats (Megachiropterans) are restricted to the Old World tropics and subtropics and are almost exclusively phytophagous.

I encountered Short Nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) from Srimantapur area of Guwahati city under Kamrup District of Assam in the year 1998 (Ali, 1999; and Ali,

Shortnosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx) from Kamrup District of Assam.

Shortnosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx) from Kamrup District of Assam.

Fulvous Fruit Bat (Rousettus leschenaulti)

(A Note on the Photo: This Rousettus leschenaulti colony was found inside a cave on a hill at Thrissur, Kerela during field visit in the “Practical workshop in field techniques, ecological studies, captive management and public education for conservation of chiroptera” which was organized by CCINSA and hosted by College of forestry, KAU, Thrissur, Kerala from 28th July to 1st August 2003.)

*Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Zoology, B. N. College, Dhubri-783324, Assam, India. Email: [email protected]

Some photographs of the three common Indian Megachiropteran species which I have encountered in different times of my bat study (1998-2013) are given below:




2001). First scientific study on Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus) Colonies in and around Guwahati city of Assam was also conducted by me from June to November 1998 (Ali, 1999). Then onwards I am regularly doing my surveys on Pteropus giganteus colonies basically in the lower reach of the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam (Ali, 2013). I came across a Rousettus leschenaulti colony inside a cave on a hill at Thrissur, Kerela during field trip period in the “Practical workshop in field techniques, ecological studies, captive management and public education for conservation of chiroptera” which was organized

by CCINSA and hosted by College of forestry, KAU, Thrissur, Kerela from 28th July to 1st August 2003.

References:Ali, A. (1999). Asttittor Sankatot Nikhar Atithi Baduli (In Assamese). Prantik, Vol.XVIII, No. 14: 25–26, 51.Ali, A., and S.K. Basistha (1999). Fruit Bats in and around Guwahati city, Assam. ZOOS’ Print Journal, Vol. I-XIV, No. 1–10: 136.Ali, A. (2001). New Chiropteran localities in Assam. Newsletter, The Rhino Foundation for nature in NE India, No. 3:16.Ali, A. (2013). Indian Flying Fox of Assam. Scholars’ Press, Germany. 136pp (https://www.morebooks.de/store/gb/book/indian-flying-fox-of-assam/isbn/978-3-639-51988-4)

Fulvous Fruit Bat (Rousettus leschenaulti): Same colony.

Fulvous Fruit Bat (Rousettus leschenaulti) : Same colony.

Fulvous Fruit Bat (Rousettus leschenaulti) : Same colony.

Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus): Adult breeding male from Dhubri district of Assam.

Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus): Fox like Head and ear!

Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus): Adult breeding female with a baby on the chest from Kacharighat Roosting Site of Dhubri district of Assam.

https://www.morebooks.de/store/gb/book/indian-flying-fox-of-assam/isbn/978-3-639-51988-4%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank







Roost of Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus in Badurtola, Chuadanga District, BangladeshTahsinur Rahman Shihan*

Badurtola is a famous location close to the eastern side of Chuadanga Paurashava of Chuadanga District, Bangladesh. Its geographic specs are (230 38’ ,26.60´N and 88041’ 08.30´E). It is named after the roosts of Indian Flying Fox. (In Bengali Indian Flying Fox is called Badur). Locally known, this place is being used for roosting for more than 70 years. It is the centre point of this district and one of the most important roosting sites for the Flying Fox.

In the observed area the present study was conducted between 29 June 2012 and 1 July 2012. Here, four large Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) trees are found which are being used for roosting by the Indian Flying Fox. A population of about 155 were roosting in those trees (Table 1). Mating activities were observed in the month of July. An oil mill is present under those trees and the district highway runs just beside the habitat.

We interviewed some local people: the oil mill owner was of the opinion that bats caused no harm. Local people said that several times some of the ethnic tribal people called Kol catch and kill them for food. Locally Flying Fox are important for seed dispersal. In this area they eat leaves and fruit of Ficus bengalensis and Ficus sp., fruits of Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Syzygium javanicum, Ficus comosus, Musa sepientum, Syzygium spp, leaf of Dalbergia sisoo, nectar and flower of Bombax sp. and Anthocephalus kadamba. They have also been known to feed on cultivated fruits such as Mangifera indica and Litchi chinensis. *Research assistant and M.Sc student

of Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University. Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: [email protected]

Colony of Indian Flying Fox in Tamarind tree in Badurtola

Roosting of Indian Flying Fox in Tamarind tree in Badurtola




During peak fruiting season orchard owners use fishing net to protect their fruits from the Flying Fox by which a large number of bats are getting killed.

However, the roosting place is being disturbed by the local people, development of settlements, concrete buildings, industries and factories are causing rapid decline of habitat. Survival of these roosts in the long-run needs awareness among local people and legislative measures.

Colony of Indian Flying Fox in anotherTamarind tree in Badurtola

Tree height in feet No. of trees No. of bats

31-40 1 5

41-50 1 50

51-60 0 0

61-70 1 70

71-80 1 30

Table 1. Roost tree details of Indian Flying Fox recorded in Badurtola, Chuadanga District, Bangladesh.

Map of roosting place of Indian Flying Fox in Badurtola, Chuadanga District.


Ending the journey of PhD in bat ecology - Photo FeaturesPushpa Raj Acharya*

The dawn bat on durian (Durio zibethinus Murr.) flowers. Durian is mass flowering tree

The dawn bats on Petai (Parkia speciosa) flowers of popular vegetable crop of Southeast Asia.

Indian trumpet flower (Oroxylum indicum). Late successional plant

*Researcher, Nepal. Email: [email protected]

Foraging ecology of nectarivorous bat, the dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea: Pteropodidae) in Southern Thailand

The dawn bats foraged most at agricultural areas. It feeds merely on floral diet and thus assists in pollination of food plants through outcrossing. The major diet crops at cultivated orchard are Durian (Durio zibethinus), Petai (Parkia spp.) and banana (Musa spp.). Conserving the dawn bat population in local caves is crucial for better yield of crops which links to the livelihood source of farmers.

Colony of dawn bat roosting at tall and dark part of ceiling. Srikesorn Cave

Researcher exploring the outlet of day roost cave of the dawn bat, Srikesorn Cave, Khaophra village, Rattaphum district

The dawn bat with radio-collar, observing inside the cage before to release




Foliage roosting by the painted bat, Kerivoula picta in Thrissur, Kerala Madhavan, A., Sreedevi Rajasekar and S. Suthakar Isaac*

The painted bat, Kerivoula picta (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) is one of the most beautiful of all bats and distinctively looks brilliantly reddish orange scarlet, with black wings and orange along the fingers. It is recorded from many parts of South-East Asia (Philips, 1980) and found distributed from Southern and Eastern India to Southern China, Sri Lanka, India to Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sumatra, Java, Bali and the Lesser Sunda and Moluccas Islands (Bates and Harrison, 1997). Among the vespertilionids, comparatively little is known about the roosting ecology and distribution of K. picta.

The present study area is confined to Thrissur District (100 32’ N; 760 14’E), which is the central part of Kerala State with 1041 sq km. It lies in the western slope of the Southern Western Ghats (Sasidharan and Sivarajan, 1996). The Weekly mean maximum temperature ranges from 28.70C to 36.50C and the weekly minimum temperature ranges from 220C to 25.50C. The annual humidity ranges from 66% to 93.7%. The average annual rainfall recorded in the region is 3500 mm. Survey was made throughout the district to study the distribution of K. picta during 2009. During the weekly field trips enquires were made with local farmers and the roosts were identified in plantain farms. Bats were hand picked from the roost sites and their morphometric parameters with reproductive status were recorded.

K. picta is a relatively small insectivorous species with a mean forearm length of 32.14 + 0.9 mm (range 31.5 – 33.0 mm) and body mass of 4.25 + 0.25 g (4.0 – 4.5 g). Observations reveal that it is phytophilic, and the bats were located to either observe or capture in 96 foliage roosts. It prefers dried, rolled up and drooping leaves of plantain as diurnal roosts. Among the dry leaves of banana, their resting posture merges very much with the environment of the bright yellowish and dry leaves. Unique climatic conditions of Thrissur district play an important role in their roosting ecology.

Generally, this species is found in banana plantations. The plantain groves are generally situated on the fringes of paddy fields and the Kole wetlands which usually support a rich insect population. More concentrated distribution occurred in commercially cultivated banana fields. They were also sighted in banana plants grown in Kitchen gardens in urban areas. Bats were also located in roosts distributed in urban areas but sparsely populated. K. picta is of considerable interest in

having a peculiar roosting habit. They usually roost inside dry and drooping funnel shaped plantain leaves and seldom roosts inside tender green shoots of plantain tree. The roosts are exposed with minimum protection from temperature and humidity.

Ambient conditions such as the temperature and humidity within and around the roost play an important role in balancing energy budget (Kunz, 1980) and evaporative water loss (Webb et al., 1995). K. picta prefer habitats with low temperature and high humidity, with terrain in banana plantation and in the vicinity of water logged paddy fields. It seems that the climatic conditions of the Thrissur district support K. picta at a greater level for its roosting ecology and distribution.

References:Bates, P.J.J. and D.L. Harrison (1997). Bats of the Indian Subcontinent. Harrison Zoological Museum, TN 13, England.Kunz, T.H. (1980). Daily energy budgets of free–living bats. In : Proceedings of the Fifth International Bat Research Conference (Wilson, D.E., and Gardner, A.L. Eds.), 369-392 Pp. Texas Tech Press, Lubbock, 434 pp.Philips, W.W.A. (1980). Manual of mammals of Sri Lanka, Part I. Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka., 1-116.Sasidharan, N. and V.V. Sivarajan (1996). Flowering plants of Thrissur forests (Western Ghats, Kerala, India). Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur. 579 pp.Webb, C.L., M.A. Kirr, C.H. Knight and P.A. Racey (1995). Lactation in vespertilionid bats. Sym. Zool. Soc. London., 67: 148-149.

*Research Department of Zoology, St. John’s College, Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu. Email: [email protected]




Several bat conservation projects have been carried out including surveys in different parts of Nepal, most of them in remote areas. These projects run for a short period of about two months each in each project area. The effectiveness of the projects are sustained only to the date of project activities, and the project aim could not be reached because of the project’s short duration.

There is a limited fund for the conservation of species like bats. With this in mind, these realities required a long-lasting, effective, self-sustaining project, thus “Living with villagers for bat conservation” was planned. It is a volunteer project, without financial support from funding agencies.

In this project the BCO (Bat Conservation Officer) had to spend time at different parts of Nepal for about 9 months a year. BCO will make substantial visits to villages or sub-urban areas interacting with the villagers for five years in total. This project has three objectives; first one surveying the species diversity, second raising awareness through the outreach materials and the last educating the schoolchildren. Last two objectives are expected to inform about bats and their role in ecosystem services and change the misconception among local people. Subsequently, it will aid in the local long-term conservation of bats in Nepal.

The project started from a remote part of eastern Nepal. For the first year, 2012-13, Madi, Madi-Rambeni Village Development Committee, Sankhuwasabha District was selected. BCO worked as a high school teacher to teach Biology and Chemistry to class XI and XII pupils. From the teaching salary, living expenses could be managed. The project

Living with Villagers for Bat ConservationSanjan Thapa*

*Bat Conservation Officer, Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation Kathmandu, Nepal


area included Madi-Rambeni ward no. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9; Madi-Mulkharkha; Manglabare Chauki (in Tinjure-Milke-Jaljala area); Umling V.D.C. put up at local people’s homes as well as school, and shop walls.

A bat detector (Bat Box) was opened and bat sounds were recorded. Bat roosts were surveyed. Four species namely; Rhinolophus pusillus, Hypsugo sp., Megaderma lyra and Pipistrellus sp. were recorded. For the second and third objectives, the following activities were conducted;

Schedule survey and interview: this was conducted to gather the information on people’s perception regarding bats. Eighty schedule forms were filled up.

Most of the people can recognize bats but, still, some identify bats as birds. They have good knowledge of habitats (living in caves, under banana leaves etc.) and certain habits of bats such as flight times and season, diet and foraging habits. According to the respondents they have neither killed bats nor were informed of bat culling. They have ignored the bats as they have perceived bats not to be dangerous or not harming them. Almost all of them had no idea of the role of bats in pollination, seed dispersal and pest control. Therefore, a neutral attitude (neither positive nor


negative) for bats had been developed in the local people of the project area, and this was very good for bat conservation.

Awareness campaigna. Bat Art Drawing: Bat Art Drawing was organized at Madi Higher Secondary School, Madi Rambeni-2. Sixty schoolchildren of class IX participated in the bat art drawing. The drawings indicated that a few schoolchildren were aware of bats, their habits and habitats but they still had no idea about the ecological role of bats. Precisely, most of them had no interest or idea of bat conservation.

b. Poster dissemination: About 400 posters were disseminated to schoolchildren of Madi Higher Secondary School, Narayan Secondary School. Those posters were also distributed among head teachers of 35 schools under Madi H.S.S. Resource center during a meeting at the resource center. About 50 posters were attached and displayed at local people’s homes as well as school, and shop walls.

c. Leaflets and greeting cards dissemination: About 200 leaflets and 100 greeting cards were disseminated to school children also. The leaflets in Nepalese included detailed information on bats and their importance. The greeting card included photographs of two bats Myotis sicarius and M. csorbai. Short information on the status of these species were also given in English. M. sicarius is a vulnerable species worldwide while M. csorbai is an endemic species to Nepal. The leaflets and greeting cards were provided by SMCRF.

d. Lecture on bat and their importance: A thirty minute lecture was delivered at two schools of Madi Rambeni among 170 schoolchildren of class VIII of Narayan Secondary School and classes IX and X of Madi H.S.S.


Each lecture included information on bats and importance of bats for human beings. The schoolchildren were asked to convey information they had learned about bats and their ecological role to their youngsters and elders at the schools, their family members, friends, relatives and in the society.

e. Bat documentary show:A documentary show was organized at Madi Namuna English Boarding School. Fifty schoolchildren of class V, VI and VII and teachers of the school enjoyed the bat documentary “Secret of bats”. The documentary was provided by Bat Conservation International.

f. Display of bat material:Fifty schoolchildren of class V, VI and VII and teachers of the Madi Namuna English Boarding school read the bat publications published by UNEP (Year of the Bat 2011-12), Bat Conservation Trust, Kent Bat Group and SMCRF.

g. Providing ‘Bat of Nepal’:A complimentary copy of the book “Bats of Nepal” was provided to the head teacher of Madi Higher Secondary School, Madi Mr. Bishwanath Prasad Subedi for the school library.

AcknowledgementsI am grateful to Madi H.S.S. Family, Madi Namuna English Boarding School Family and Narayan Secondary School Family and the villagers of the project

area for their kind co-operation during the project. I am thankful to Caroline Ware, British Natural History Museum; Bat Conservation Trust, UK; Year of the Bat 2011-12 Secretariat for providing the outreach material and Bat Conservation International for providing the video. I would like to express esteem acknowledgement to Prof. Dr. Paul A. Racey for continuous support and guidance. I would like to honor my sincere gratitude to Sally Walker, Dr. B.A. Daniel, R. Marimuthu, Dr. Sanjay Molur, Dr. Hem Sagar Baral, Prof. Karan Bahadur Shah and Dr. Maheshwar Dhakal for the encouragements and continuous support. I would like to thank Mr. Hem Bdr. Katuwal, SMCRF for the map.


New site records of the Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777) from the southern Eastern Ghats, IndiaA. Kalaimani¹ and G. Gokula Krishnan²

The Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica is endemic to southwestern, central and eastern peninsular India specifically in the Western Ghats, Satpuras and Eastern Ghats, where it is known from Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (Molur et al. 2005). This species is widely distributed with several fragmented populations at elevation 180-2300 m asl. (Molur et al. 2005). There are four or five generally recognized subspecies which might be elevated to species level. Abdulali and Daniel (1952) reported eight colour forms of this taxon from its range in India. Ellerman (1961) listed five subspecies - R. i. indica (Erxleben, 1777), R. i. superans Ryley, 1913, R. i. bengalensis (Blanford, 1897), R. i. centralis Ryley, 1913, and R. i. maxima (Schreber, 1784). However, presently only three subspecies are recognized namely R. i. indica (Erxleben, 1777), R. i. maxima (Schreber, 1784) and R. i. centralis Ryley, 1913 (Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu 2012).

Ratufa indica centralis (Ryley, 1913) was recorded from South Arcot (now Villupuram and Cuddalore districts) in Tamil Nadu (Abdulali and Daniel 1952). The present communication adds to the knowledge of its presence in Pakkammalai (East) Reserve Forest, Gingee Range, Villupuram Forest Division, Tamil Nadu. Between December 2011 and April 2012 several direct and indirect evidences of the presence of the Indian Giant Squirrel were recorded. Two instances of direct sighting and six inactive and an active nest were recorded in three different sites of Pakkammalai R.F

(Figure 1). All these nests were recorded on a Tamarind tree Tamarindus indica. Bhaskaran et al. (2011) also reported that the fruit of the Tamarindus indica is one of the preferred foods for Indian Giant Squirrel. The approximate height of the nesting trees in Pakkammalai ranged from 15 to 35 m, whereas nests were found at approximately a height of 10 to 15m. The habitat of Indian Giant Squirrel in Pakkammalai represents rocky, isolated hills and low mountains with large expanses of sparsely wooded vegetation. This area forest type categorized as tropical dry deciduous (Ali and Ripley, 1968).

Habitat degradation due to expansion of agro-industry based large-scale and small-scale plantation, monoculture plantation, clear felling, selective logging, construction of dam, hunting for local consumption have been observed to be the major threats for this species throughout its range (Molur et.al. 2005). It is being hunted extensively in the Eastern Ghats where new human settlements have been built. Population decline and habitat loss is at an alarming rate (Rajamani et al.

2010). In Gingee Hills (Pakkamalai RF) a small populations of R. indica is facing severe problems like, human disturbance, wood cutting and poaching.

The following conservations measures such as,(a) restoration of habitat and maintenance of canopy continuity, (b) reducing anthropogenic pressure along the habitats.

AcknowledgmentOur grateful thanks to Mrs. Geethanjali, District Forest Officer, Villupuram Forest Division, Tamil Nadu. We also thank K. Thiyagesan, R. Nagarajan, J. Pandiyan, T. Sumathi and M. Karthikeyan of my college’s Zoology Department and S. Bhupathy (Principal Scientist) and S.Babu (Scientist) SACON, Coimbatore for their comments and suggestions during manuscript preparation. I would like to thank T. Konneri Rao and K.V. Sudhakar (Madras Naturalists Society, Chennai) for their help. Finally, I thank my friends, Anukul Nath, Lakshmi Narayan, Sneha,

Fig: 1. Distribution of the Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica in the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats (marked areas) Inset Fig: Star symbols indicate locations of the Indian Giant Squirrel nesting sites in the Gingee Hills.

¹&²Department of Zoology & Wildlife Biology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu. Email: ¹[email protected] (Corresponding author) and ² [email protected].






Baburao, Reddy, Naresh, Thiruvel and Shek Dhavooth Ali for their help during the survey.

ReferencesAbdulali, H. & J.C. Daniel (1952). Races of the Indian giant squirrel (Ratufa indica).Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 50: 469–474.

Ali, S & S.D. Ripley (1968). Hand book of the birds of India and Pakistan, Vol.i, Oxford University press, Bombay, PP.350-352.

Baskaran, N., K. Senthilkumar & M. Saravanan (2011). A new site record of the Grizzled Giant Squirrels Ratufa macroura (Pennant,1769) in

the Hosur forest division, Eastern Ghats, India and its conservation significance. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(6): 1837-1841.

Champion, H.G & A.K. Seth (1968). A revised Survey of forest types of India. Manager of Publications, Govt of India, New Delhi, PP .1-404.

Molur, S., C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu, S. Walker, P.O. Nameer & L. Ravikumar. (2005). Status of Non-volant Small Mammals: Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P) Workshop Report. Zoo Outreach Organization/CBSG-South Asia, Coimbatore, India, 618pp.

Rajamani, N., Molur, S. & Nameer, P.O (2010). Ratufa indica. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2.

<www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 27 November 2012.

Srinivasulu, C. and B. Srinivauslu (2012). South Asian Mammals, their diversity, distribution and status. Springer, New York. xii+467 pp.

University School of Environment ManagementGURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY

Sector-16C, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078, IndiaA Grade NAAC-Accredited & ISO 9001:2000 Certified

(Govt of NCT, Delhi) Website : www.ipu.ac.in

JRF Position in DST-SERB Funded Project

Applications are invited for purely time bound position of Junior Research Fellow under Department of Science & Technology, Science & Engineering Research Board (DST-SERB) funded research project entitled “Ecology and habitat-suitability of Indian spiny-tailed lizard Saara hardwickii (Gray, 1827) in Rajasthan, India”.

Duration of project: Three years (wef date of start of project)

Name of the post: Junior Research Fellow (JRF) – two posts.

Qualification: M.Sc. (Animal Sciences/Zoology/Life Sciences/Wildlife/ Biodiversity & Conservation/Any other branch of Biological Sciences/Environmental Studies/Geoinformatics) and NET (including LS) qualified. The person to be considered must have second class master degree with a minimum of 55% marks (50% in case of SC/ST/PH)

Desirable: Persons who are highly motivated towards extensive field survey in desert conditions.

Salary: NET Qualified-Rs 16,000 p.m. plus HRA as applicable (for first two years), Rs 18,000 p.m. plus HRA as applicable (for third year); NET Qualified for Lectureship-Rs 12,000 p.m. plus HRA as applicable (for first two years), Rs 14,000 p.m. plus HRA as applicable (for third year).

If suitable NET (including LS) qualified candidates are not available, non-NET qualified candidates will be considered, but their appointment and emoluments will be as per rules of the funding agency.

Application on plain paper along with CV supported by one passport size photograph and other supporting documents may be sent by post or e-mail to the following address on or before 12th February, 2014.Short-listed candidates will be called for interview by phone or e-mail. No TA/DA will be paid for appearing in the interview.

Dr. Sanjay Keshari Das, Assistant Professor & Principal Investigator, AFR-007, University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sec 16C, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078.E-mail: [email protected], Tele: 011-25302372.

http://www.iucnredlist.org/



First record of White-tailed Wood-rat, Madromys blanfordi from Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, IndiaKartik Upadhyay1, Pritesh Patel2 and Reshma Solanki3*

Madromys blanfordi (Thomas, 1881), White-tailed Wood-Rat, also known as Blanford’s Madromys belongs to the Order: Rodentia; Family: Muridae; Subfamily: Murinae is endemic to South Asia. This species is thought to be ubiquitously distributed in India and Sri Lanka, and known from a single location in Bangladesh, however, its presence has been discretely reported in western India (Molur et al. 2005). This research note reports on presence of Madromys blanfordi from Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary (Figure 1).

The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is located between latitudes 22º20’-20º33’ N and longitudes 73º35’-73º45’ E in the Panchmahal and Vadodara districts of Gujarat State, India. Terrain is undulating covered by hills, forests and cultivated lands in villages situated in the valley. The Sanctuary encompasses 130 km2 of forest at altitudes ranging from 230 to 354 m above mean sea level. There are about 51 villages located in and around the sanctuary area, out of which 31 villages are situated inside the sanctuary (Vyas 2006). The entire forest area is of the Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous type, further classified into four sub-types, i.e. 5A/ C 1b dry teak forest, 5A/C 2 southern dry mixed deciduous forest, 5/E 9 dry bamboo brakes, and 3B/C 2 southern moist mixed deciduous forest (Champion and Seth 1968). A dead specimen of Madromys blanfordi (Image 1) was accidently collected from an Eco-tourism centre at village Bhat, JWLS on 20th September 2012 at 21:30 h. The specimen was relatively fresh with a dark brown dorsal side and white ventral side. The tail was proximally brown and

distally white. Approximately, one fourth of the distal tail was white in colour. These physical features are characteristic Madromys blanfordi (Image 2) (Blanford’s Madromys or White-tailed Wood-Rat) (Prater 1971; Wilson & Reeder 2005). During our subsequent field surveys, we were able to observe and

1104, Premsagar Apartment, Near Rameshwar temple, Ellora park, Vadodara. Email: [email protected] cell, Forest Department, Van Bhavan, Vadodara. Email: [email protected] of Zoology, Faculty of Science, The M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara. Email: *[email protected]

Image 1: White-tailed Wood-Rat (Madromys blanfordi) sighted at Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat (Juvenile). Photo by Kartik Upadhyay

Image 2: White-tailed Wood-Rat (Madromys blanfordi) sighted at Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat (Adult). Photo by Kartik Upadhyay








photograph seven adult and two pups of Madromys blanfordi from the same location.

In India, Madromys blanfordi has been reported from Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal (Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu 2012). Its presence has also been reported from Wildlife Sanctuaries (Aralam, Parambikulam, Peechi-Vazhani, Chimmony) and National Parks (Pench, Mudumalai, Chandaka-Dampara) of India (Molur et al. 2005) and is listed in Schedule V of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Molur & Nameer 2008). It is nocturnal, terrestrial and fossorial and inhabits rocky areas, caves, crevices, tree hollows and subterranean habitats in tropical / subtropical dry deciduous, scrub, moist deciduous and evergreen forests (Molur et al. 2005). There is no confirmed report of Madromys blanfordi from Gujarat. Thus, the present report is the first record of Madromys blanfordi from Gujarat. Though, rodent communities seriously dent human economy by damaging standing crops and stored food grains, they are significant in food

chains of any forest ecosystem (Shanker 1997). Hence, scientific information on their reproductive biology, population dynamics, food preferences and interspecies interactions in protected ecosystems in India is pertinent as the same will help us in deciphering their larger role in an ecosystem.

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Dr. Raju Vyas for his expert advice and all the volunteers for the valuable help. Also, the CCF, Gandhinagar and DCF, Vadodara are duly acknowledged for granting official permission and due encouragement.

ReferencesChampion, H.G. & S.K. Seth. (1968). A revised survey of the forest types of India. Government of India, Delhi, 404 pp.Molur, S. & P.O. Nameer (2008). Madromys blanfordi. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 December 2012.Molur, S., C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu, S. Walker, P.O. Nameer & L. Ravikumar (2005). Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals: Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report. Zoo Outreach Organization/ CBSG South Asia, Coimbatore, India, 618pp.Prater, S.H. (1971). The Book of Indian Animals. BNHS-Oxford, Mumbai, xxiv+324pp.Shanker, K. (1997). Nature watch: Will the meek inherit the earth?. Resonance:Journal of Science education 2(5):54-59.Srinivasulu, C. & B. Srinivasulu (2012). South Asian Mammals: Their Diversity, Distribution, and Status. Springer science + Business Media, New York, xi+178pp.Vyas, R. (2006). Reptilian diversity of Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat. Tigerpaper 33(1): 20-23.Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds.) (2005). Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference, 3rd edition, Vol. 1 & 2. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp.i-xxxv+1-743 & pp. i-xvii+745-2145.

Figure 1: Map of Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary

Wood MouseIllustration by Arnab Roy




Small mammal conservation awareness programmes in Tamil Nadu, IndiaBrawin Kumar*

Small mammal conservation outreach is to educate the importance of small mammals and their immense role in ecosystem with a wider audience. Four different small mammal awareness programs were conducted in Tamil Nadu from July to December 2013.

1) Bat and biodiversity awareness program in Pillur village, Nilgiris 2) Bat education program in Pannaikaadu, Kodaikanal3) Bat awareness program in Government School, Attapakavundanpudhur, Coimbatore 4) Small mammal conservation and awareness program in Government tribal school, Kaani Kudiyirupu in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tirunelveli.

India has a total of 423 mammals, there are 115 species of bats, 101 species of rodents, 29 species of shrews, 11 species of lagomorphs, three species of hedgehogs, three species of tree shrews and two species of pangolins are the small mammals. These 64.77% mammals are small mammals in the mammalian diversity in India. Out of these many species are

less studied and less focused and they are under severe threats and under no protection. The conservation outreach of this lesser studied mammals will help to save the species directly and indirectly.

The main objective of this series was to teach the kids about ‘bats, small mammals as a whole and their role in ecosystem’. Attitude

assessment, ‘Know each other’ game, bat video sessions, drawing and painting activity and pledge activity were common in all the four programs. A bat puppet was used to attract the attention of the kids and teens towards the ‘less-charismatic’ group. Team interactive sessions were conducted in all the sessions. Zoo Outreach Organization’s bat education packets were used to inform the kids about common names, ecological role, food pattern, role in pollination of bats in India. Information on the two major groups of bats namely megachiroptera & microchiroptera and their different feeding behaviour using sense of smell and echolocation respectively was presented.

1. Bat and biodiversity awareness program in Pillur village, NilgirisOne-day bat and biodiversity education awareness program was

*Researcher, Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society, Coimbatore, TN. Email: [email protected]

The Attapakavundanpudhur school kids actively listening in the bat session

A bat video session




conducted on 11 August 2013, at the Keystone Resource Center, Pillur dam, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve for 40 kids (aged 5-19). Tribal kids from Sengalur, Sethumadai, Pochimarathur, Keel Pillur, Neeradi, Korappathi and Sittukonai villages participated in the program. A special mention of pollinators & seed-dispersers such as bats, insects such as honeybees, Garden Lizard, squirrels, rodents & primates and the important role they play in our day-to-day lifestyle was explained. The students informed of their experience with bats and the types of bats seen by them in their vicinity. The vital ecological roles of bats in reducing insect populations (example: mosquitos) as seed dispersers and the effects of global warming on bats were explained.

2. Bat education program in Pannaikaadu, KodaikanalOne-day bat education program was conducted in Pannikaadu Vaanavil Tribal Foster House, Kodaikanal on 18 August 2013. The program was attended by 32 local Paliyar tribal kids. There was a question-answer session conducted to understand the perception of the students towards bats (Table 1). Many of

them shared their experiences of hunting bats. The issue of evicting bats from temples by hunting and general disturbance was also discussed. The Palliyar tribal kids are a treasure house of traditional knowledge and their observation skills are very sharp and also they are effective learners. After the program one of the kids committed not to kill or hunt the bats anymore, because the program helped him understand that bats eat 600 to

1000 insects per hour, so these small bats help us a lot and also save humans from various infectious diseases. Basically these kids are ready to mend their ways when they are steered in the right direction. Traditionally, they respect and revere the forest and its wild animals.

3. Bat awareness program in Government School, Attapakavundanpudhur, CoimbatoreAn half-day bat awareness program was conducted on 5th October 2013 in Government school, Attapakavundanpudhur, Coimbatore. 45 students of the school participated in the program. This program was conducted during the Wildlife Week. Bat facts and myths were related wherein each child read out one myth from the bat booklet and discussed it to understand it thoroughly. By using a bat poster and the bat mask the different body parts of a bat were explained. The school kids actively participated in the program. One of them said that they used old broken mirror pieces to reflect light on bats in caves to disturb them. After he understood the importance of

During the bat puzzle game

A group photo of the session with the kids holding a bat placard


bats, he said that he would not harass the bats anymore.

4. Small mammal conservation and awareness program in Government tribal school, Kaani Kudiyirupu in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, TirunelveliSmall mammal conservation and awareness program was conducted in Government tribal school, Kaani Kudiyirupu in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tirunelveli on 4th December 2013. The main goal of this program was to create awareness about the lesser-known animals such as bats and rats. There were 40 students for the program. They said some of the small mammals they had seen last were hares, rats, squirrels, bats and hedgehogs. Bats facts and their importance were explained to the kids. The ecological role of rodents in the food chain and as pollinators were explained to the participants. Information on the three species of hedgehogs, their importance and their ecological role as insectivores was shared. Two kids out of the entire group had seen a live Madras Hedgehog in Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli District in Tamil Nadu recently.

We learned various things from the tribal kids and the school children. The attitude towards the forest and wild animals and their eagerness to understand various species is fascinating. The natural observation skills of the tribal kids need to be encouraged. More such grassroots-level education programs for local communities in remote locations to help them understand the threats faced by wildlife and ecosystems within their region, is essential. They are stakeholders who understand the forests and different ecosystems for they live and interact with them on a daily basis. They have a crucial role to play in protecting the forests and its wild denizens. The kids in all their innocence informed us of hunting activities that they conduct for sport and for consumption. Some of the animals include bats, small birds (sunbirds, sparrows, Blue Rock Pigeon etc.). These kids do not understand the effects of their actions and need to be informed about it for they are the hope for our forests and streams!

Acknowledgements:I thank Zoo Outreach Organization and Wildlife Information and Liaison Development for their valuable bat education materials to conduct the programmes. I thank Sally Walker Madam and Dr. Sanjay Molur for their encouragement and Dr. B.A. Daniel and Mr. Marimuthu for their enormous support in conducting the programs. I thank Key Stone Foundation and Nilgiri Natural History Society to organize the program in Key Stone Pillur village resource center. I thank Mr. Sudhakar, Mr. Sumin and Mr. Vinodh from Keystone Foundation and Ms. Sangeetha from Nilgiri Natural History Society for enormous support to conduct the program. I thank Mr. Nimesh Ved for ideas for the program. I wish to thank Mr. Naveen Haldorai for the snacks to kids attending the bat program in Pillur village. I wish my sincere thanks to Mr. Ashok Raja of Act India Foundation, Kodaikanal. I thank the headmasters of the Government school, Attapakavundanpudhur and Kaani Kudiyirupu for their kind help to conduct the program in their school. I thank Mr. Sakthi Raj for accompanying with me for the KMTR program.

Table 1. Questionnaire inspired by the bat booklet of the Zoo Outreach Bat Education packets1) How do you feel you are living in a village with a 1000 of bats? 2) Do you know bats help to farmers? 3) Bats are mammals? 4) In the world one forth of mammals are bats? 5) Bats clean their body like cats with their tongue 6) Bats are living in this world for the past 50 million years 7) Bats are community animals 8) Climate change leads the animals in worry.

A group showed their coloured bat picture with the audience


Threat to wildlife from carnivorous pets: A case of cat attacking Indian Pipistrelle Pipistrellus coromandra (Gray, 1838)Preeti S. Virkar1* and Shivam Shrotriya1

Ecology of urban wildlife is sparsely known despite its relevance in sustaining exclusive populations of many species and instilling environmental awareness among citizens. While a number of species have adapted to human modified habitats, domestic pets pose an impending risk to their populations.

We can report such an incidence from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) campus in Dehradun, Uttarakhand (300 17' 2.47"N 77˚ 58' 30.48"E), a semi-natural habitat of forest and human-built areas with a large interface between wild and domestic life (Figure 1). On April 15, 2013, at 22:15 hrs, a semi-domesticated cat was spotted with an unusual catch. A small bat was rescued from its mouth. The animal was still alive, but injured with visible and very small blood stain, a hole in the patagia, and was breathing rapidly. The animal was covered with a cloth and kept in a box away from disturbances to relieve its stress and come out of trauma. Holes were made in the box for air circulation and a fan was supplied and used continuously to lower the body temperature of the animal. After the animal became active and commenced normal behaviour, it was examined, measured and identified to species level.

Despite a little injury caused by the cat, there was no critical effect on its flight as it was observed flying comfortably within a confined space. The bat was set free before dawn, and it flew away successfully.

The rescued bat was identified as a male of Indian Pipistrelle Pipistrellus coromandra (Gray, 1838), also called the Coromandal Pipistrelle or the Little Indian bat. Order Chiroptera is one of the 26 mammalian orders, characterised by the ability of sustained flight. The order is divided into two sub-orders: Microchiroptera and

Megachiroptera. Small body size and absence of claw at the second toe of the forelimb of the rescued bat indicated it to be a michro-chiropteran. Species level identification was done with the help of keys to identify the South Asian bats (Srinivasulu et al. 2010). It was classified to the family Vespertilionidae based on its small eyes, well developed tragus, long tail, interfemoral membrane covering the tail, absence of nose leaf or dermal ridge on muzzle, and a slightly longer second phalanx of third finger in forelimb than the first phalanx. Further, it was classified to the genus Pipistrellus based on its short and broad ears, short

and wide tragus with rounded tip, dentition characteristics, and the absence of clearly visible anti-tragus. Morphometric measure-ments of head to tail length (75 mm), ear pinna length (7 mm), forearm length (34 mm), condylocanine length (11 mm), an occlusion to form a bicuspid canine of the upper jaw and interfemoral membrane having sparse and dark coloured hairs near the body dorsally and ventrally confirmed the species to be Pipistrellus coromandra (Gray 1838).

Rescued Indian Pipistrelle. Full view of the animal in hand (a hole in right side patagia is visible)

Animal kept in box after the rescue

1Wildife Institute of India, Dehradun,*Email: [email protected], [email protected] (Corresponding Author)






P. coromandra is found in small groups in forested, agricultural and urban areas, and its roosting sites include trees, cracks and crevices in buildings, roof tiles of huts, old buildings etc. It feeds on flies, ants and small insects; and are seen in fast erratic foraging flights. The species is found at elevations ranging from 185 m to 2769 m above mean sea level (Molur et al. 2002). Its life history comprises of three breeding seasons with 2 pups per season (Bates and Harrison 1997, Csorba 2008).

Hibernation has been evident in this species from the northern parts of the country (Prater 1948). P. coromandra is listed as Least Concern in the Red List of IUCN in view of its wide distribution, therefore, presumed large population.

The WII campus is spread over 80 acres, and with a large portion under mixed Sal forest, agricultural fields of the adjoining village Chandrabani, and some unused rooms and structures, it offers a variety of roosting and foraging habitats for different bat species. The campus holds a rich faunal biodiversity, estimated at 310 species of birds, 90 species of butterflies, 16 species of moths, 22 species of reptiles and 17 species of mammals (http://www.wii.gov.in/biodiversity). The number of

bat species present within the campus is not known, while a substantial number of cats and dogs could be hunting on them and other fauna without being frequently detected. Incidental records of cats and dogs hunting on ground-dwelling birds, rodents, mongooses, skinks, juvenile monitor lizards and shrews have also been reported from the campus.

Carnivorous pets, if kept without movement restrictions, can follow their natural instincts and hunt available prey in the surroundings. While their populations are sustained by human food provisioning (pet food and garbage), they are known to kill their natural prey as substitute food. Stray dogs have been reported forming hunting packs and killing wild animals as well as livestock (Bhatta 2008; Habib et al. 2013). Cats particularly have been reared in homes to hunt on rodents for thousands of years. A considerable impact of domestic cats on wildlife of the United States of America has been estimated where free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4–3.7 billion birds and 6.9–20.7 billion mammals annually (Loss et al. 2013). Presence of domestic/semi-domestic cats and dogs turns into a concerning issue around wild/semi-wild habitats. Such areas are not only important for big, charismatic, well-known and threatened species, but also for small, cryptic, ignored and often Data Deficient (DD) species. Carnivorous pets around such areas could impose a threat to many small mammals, birds and reptiles by hunting them, and such events should be avoided to the best possible extent.

ReferencesBates, P.J.J. & D.L. Harrison (1997). Bats of the Indian Subcontinent. Harrison Zoological Museum Publications. 258pp.Bhatta, S.R. (2008). People and Blackbuck: Current Management Challengs and Opportunities. The Initiation 2(1): 17–21.Csorba, G., P. Bates, N. Furey, S. Bumrungsri, S. Molur & C. Srinivasulu (2008). Pipistrellus coromandra. In IUCN 2013. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 03 August 2013.Habib, B., S. Shrotriya & Y.V. Jhala (2013). Ecology and Conservation of Himalayan Wolf. Wildlife Institute of India - Technical Report No. TR - 2013/01. 46pp.Loss, S.R., T. Will & P.P. Marra (2013). The Impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States. Nature Communications 4:1396. doi: 10.1038/ncomms2380Molur, S., G. Marimuthu, C. Srinivasulu, S. Mistry, A.M. Hutson, P.J.J. Bates, S. Walker, K.P. Priya & A.R.B. Priya, (editors) (2002). Status of south Asian Chiroptera: Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report. Zoo Outreach Organization, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group South Asia and Wildlife Information & Liaison Development Society, Coimbatore, India, viii+154pp.+CD.Prater, S. (1948). The Book of Indian Animals. Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. pp 170-187.Srinivasulu, C., P. A. Racey, & S. Mistry (2010). A key to the bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of South Asia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(7): 1001-1076.

Close view of facial characters of the bat

Figure 1. Location of the bat rescue- Campus of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

http://www.wii.gov.in/biodiversity

http://www.wii.gov.in/biodiversity

http://www.iucnredlist.org

http://www.iucnredlist.org


Albinism in Indian Giant Squirrel, Ratufa indica (Erxleben) and Lesser Bandicoot Rat, Bandicota bengalensis (Gray) (Rodentia: Mammalia) from Satara District, MaharashtraAmit Sayyed*, Anil Mahabal# and R.M. Sharma**

A study was undertaken to inventory the faunal diversity of vertebrates and some inverte-brates from Satara district, Maharashtra, since 2010. During this study, various places in the district especially Vasota Fort, Mahabaleshwar, Koyna, Satara city, Kas Plateau, Phaltan, Myani Lake etc. were surveyed number of times to record the faunal elements. On two different occasions we encountered two separate cases of genuine albinism from two dissimilar places in Satara district.

Total albinistic Indian Giant Squirrel: While surveying the city evergreen forested area of Mahabaleshwar (17° 56' N and 73° 58' E, 1330 mts asl), a part of Northern Western Ghats, we sighted a live example of albino Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777) (Rodentia: Sciuridae) on 22nd February 2013. The albino squirrel was totally white in colour with pink mouth, pink ears, pinkish limbs and blood red eyes. It was a male resting on a tall tree branch. Its long bushy tail too was white in colour and typically falling over (Photo. 1). The normal colour of the Giant Squirrel in Northern Western Ghats area is brownish-maroon on the back and brownish/whitish on underside together with tail (Menon, 2003).

The same place was again visited on 23rd April 2013 to reconfirm its occurrence, to our astonishment the albino squirrel was frequenting the same area. The normal coloured squirrel too was sighted along with this albinistic individual. The enquires with local people especially the aged ones disclosed that the white coloured squirrel has been seen by them for decades here. A perusal of literature revealed there is a single report of sighting of a pure white, pink eyed albino

Giant Squirrel R. indica from Mahabaleshwar at 4000 Ft. along with normal coloured squirrels on 29th December, 1952 by Mr. Jamshed Panday (Abdulali and Daniel, 1953). If at all, both these localities are same then the report of Abdulali and Daniel (1953) and our present findings suggest that there could be a persistent expression of total albinism in subsequent generations in wild population of Indian Giant Squirrel from at

least 1952 (may be even earlier) till date.

Mahabal et al (2005) have indicated that the sighting of total albinos, a young and an

Photo. 1: Albino Giant Squirrel, Ratufa indica (Photo credit: Anup Deodhar)

Photo.2: Albino Lesser Bandicoot Rat, Bandicota bengalensis (Photo credit: Amit Sayyed)

*Wild Life Protection & Research Society, Satara - 415002 **Retired Scientists, Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune - 411044. Email: [email protected] , [email protected] (corresponding author), [email protected]






adult together in November, 2001, there could be likelihood of naturally breeding albino population of Five - striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti (Rodentia : Sciuridae) in the wild. Further, the second author (AM) has again sighted the above referred adult albino squirrel in the same nesting locality at Deogad Fort, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra in November, 2002 and in December, 2008.

Genuine albinistic Lesser Bandicoot Rat: Two different specimens of total albino Lesser Bandicoot Rat, Bandicota bengalensis (Gray, 1835) (Rodentia: Muridae) were sighted near a residential area at foothills of Ajinkya Durg (17° 40' N and 73° 59' E) in Satara city, Maharashtra. The first specimen was a road kill found on 17th January, 2013. A second specimen was caught live on 22nd August 2013, in the same locality. It measured 22.4 cm (head and body) and tail 16.6 cm in length (Photo 2 ). It was released back after taking photograph and measurements. Both the specimens were totally white with pinkish tinge, pink mouth, pink ears and red eyes. The normal Lesser Bandicoot Rat is identified by its more brown colouration. The undersides are greyish in colour, face is more rounded and tail is shorter than its head and body length (Menon, 2003).

Although, a substantial population of Lesser Bandicoot Rat ocurs near human habitation and crop fields all over the country, but there are no published records on albinism in this species. However, there is a single report of partial albino Lesser Bandicoot Rat B. bengalensis from Rangoon, Myanmar (Harrison, 1950). Hence, the present sighting of total albino Lesser Bandicoot Rat B. bengalensis could be the first record of the species from India.

It is well known that the albinism is a rare phenomenon in animal world. It’s occurrence is also rare in wild populations of rodent species. Besides these present albinistic cases of Indian Giant Squirrel R. indica and Lesser Bandicoot Rat B. bengalensis, some instances of partial and total albinism have also been reported in few other rodent species such as: Five-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti (Chaturvedi and Ghose,1984; Sharma, 2004; Mahabal et al 2005; Mehra et al 2007); Indian Gerbil Tatera indica (Prakash et al 1973); Common House Rat Rattus rattus (Hossack, 1907); Blanford’s Rat Madromys (=Rattus) blanfordi (Rajagopalan, 1967); Himalayan White-bellied Rat Niviventer (= Rattus) niviventer (Rajagopalan and Mandal,1965) and Crestless Himalayan Porcupine Hystris brachyura (Mandal and Ghosh, 2000).

AcknowledgementsWe are thankful to Shri Anup Deodhar, Satara for the photograph of the albino Giant Squirrel. We are also thankful to the team members of Wild Life Protection & Research Society, Satara, Maharashtra for helping in the field work.

ReferencesAbdulali, H and J.C. Daniel (1953). A colour variation and albinism in the Giant Squirrel Ratufa Indica. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 51 (3): 731.

Chaturvedi, Y and A.K. Ghose, (1984). A case of albinism in the Five –striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti Wroughton. Bulletin of Zoological Survey of India, 6 (1-3): 321–322.

Harrison, J.L. (1950). The occurrence of albino and melanic Rats. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.,49 (3): 548–549.

Hossack, W.C. (1907). An account of the rats of Calcutta. Mem. Indian Mus., 1.:17

Mahabal, Anil, R.M. Sharma and M.S. Pradhan (2005). A case of total albinism in the Five - striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti Wroughton in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra state . J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.,102 (1): 98–99.

Mandal, A.K. and M.K. Ghosh (2000). First record of occurrence of albino Crestless Himalayan Porcupine Hystrix brachyura Linnaeus, 1758 (Rodentia: Hystricidae) in India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 97 (2): 274.

Mehra, S.P., J.S. Khawar and N.S. Kharwar (2007). Second record of albino Five - striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti Wroughton from Udaipur, Rajasthan. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.,104 (3): 344–345.

Menon, Vivek (2003). A Field Guide to Indian Mammals. Darling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. and Penguin Book of India (P.) Ltd. Delhi 201 pp.

Prakash, I., A.P. Jain and B.D. Rana (1973). A white Indian Gerbil. Tatera indica indica (Hardwicke). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.,70 (2):375–376.

Rajagopalan, P.K. (1967). A case of albinism in Rattus blanfordi (Thomos, 1881) (Rodentia: Murinae). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 64 (3): 554–555.

Rajagopalan, P.K.and A.K. Mandal (1965). Partial albinism in Whitebellied Rat, Rattus niviventer Hodgson from Khasi Hills. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 62 (2):299–300.

Sharma, S.K. (2004). Occurrence of albino Common Palm Civet and Northern Palm Squirrel in Southern Rajasthan. Zoo’s Print Journal, 19(5): 1483.

Mus species. Illustration by Arnab Roy


Albinism, in general, is a congenital disorder characterised by a total or partial absence of pigment melanin. In total albinism there is a simultaneous complete absence of pigment melanin from eyes, skin and feathers (as in birds, Mikkola 2003) and hairs, fur (as in mammals). Total albinos are with red-coloured eyes (Smielowski 1987), and in general, they have fully white to pinkish white body and many times pinkish ears and fingers of both limbs as indicated by Mahabal et al 2012 in case of Bonnet Macaque (Macaca radiata).

The first author (RK) along with a tourist group and a guide visited Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan during 30th May to 10th June 2009 for wildlife study and photography. On 31st May while travelling through the dry- deciduous forest a white-coloured plump animal ran in front of the vehicle. After running some distance it halted, looked back. It was identified as an albino Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii Gray, 1837 (Carnivora: Herpestidae) with pinkish red eyes and pinkish snout (Image 1). In December 2009, the guide informed about the sighting of the albino mongoose twice in the same locality.

The Ranthambore National Park was visited by us on earlier (2005-2008) occasions; however, no sighting of any albino individuals was made although normal coloured ruddy mongoose was sighted at different places in the park area. In general, the body length of ruddy mongoose is 45 cm. Its overall body colour is brownish grey with reddish brown tinge on head, neck and shoulders. The tip of tail is black in colour (Alfred et al. 2006).

A perusal of literature revealed that there are number of cases of partial and total albinism reported in mammals from all over India, for instance Hog Deer (Adamson 1916), Tigers (Gee 1959), White-bellied Rat (Rajagopal & Mandal 1965), House shrew (Khajuria 1983), Nilgai (Ranjitsinh 1987), Common Palm Civet and Northern Palm Squirrel (Sharma 2004), Five-striped Palm Squirrel (Mahabal et al. 2005) and Bonnet Macaque (Mahabal et al. 2012).Similarly, there is a record of an albino Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii (E’. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1818) from Udaipur city, Rajasthan (Tehsin & Chawra 1994). Hence, the present sighting of a total albino Ruddy Mongoose H. smithii could be the first record of albinism for this species from India and a second record from the family Herpestidae.

AcknowledgementThe authors are thankful to Dr R. M. Sharma, Scientist-D and Officer-in-Charge and Dr. S. S. Jadhav of Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune for encouragement and assistance in literature survey respectively.

ReferencesAdamson, P.G. (1916). Albino Hog Deer (Cervus porcinus). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 24(3): 589–590.

Alfred, J.R.B., A.K. Das & A.K. Sanyal (2006). Animals of India: Mammals. ENVIS, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata: 1–236.

Gee, E.P. (1959). Albinism and partial albinism in Tigers. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 56(3): 581–587.

Khajuria, H. (1983). Albinism in the House shrew Suncus murinus Linnaeus. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 80(1): 206.

Mahabal, A., R.M. Sharma & M.S. Pradhan (2005). A case of total albinism in the Five-striped Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennanti Wroughton) in Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra State. Journal of Bombay

Sighting of a total albino Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii Gray from Ranthambore National Park, RajasthanRaghunandan Kulkarni1 and Anil Mahabal2

Image 1. Albino Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii Gray Photo credit: Raghunandan Kulkarni

1Sai Nagar, D1, Flat No.06 Singhgad Road, Pune and associated with Indian Wildlife Experiences, Saket, New Delhi. Email: [email protected] 2Scientist (Retd.), Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune. Email: [email protected] (Corresponding author)






Natural History Society, 102(1): 98–99.

Mahabal, A., P.D. Rane & S.K. Pati (2012). A case of total albinism in the Bonnet Macaque Macaca radiata (Geoffroy) from Goa. Zoo’s Print XXVII (12): 22–23.

Mikkola, H. (2003). Colour variation in Owls: Albinism and melanism. In: Owls of the World by James Duncan, Keyporter Books Ltd., Toronto, Canada, p. 137–141.

Rajagopal, A.S. & A. K. Mandal (1965). Partial albinism in white-bellied Rat Rattus niviventer Hodgson from Khasi Hills. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 62(2): 299–300.

Ranjitsinh, M.K. (1987). Unusual colouration of Nilgai Boselaphus tragocameleus. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 84(1): 203.


Smielowski, J. (1987). Albinism in the Blue Bull or Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelas (Pallas 1766). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 84(2): 427–429.

Tehsin, R. & S.S. Chawra (1994). Albino Common Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii Geoffroy sighted near Udaipur. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 91(2): 304-305.

Rajagopal, A.S. and A. K. Mandal (1965). Partial albinism in white-bellied Rat Rattus niviventer Hodgson from Khasi Hills. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 62(2): 299-300.

Ranjitsinh, M.K. (1987). Unusual colouration of Nilgai Boselaphus tragocameleus. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 84(1): 203.


Smielowski, J. (1987). Albinism in the Blue Bull or Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelas (Pallas 1766). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 84(2): 427–429.

Tehsin, R. & S.S. Chawra (1994). Albino Common Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii Geoffroy sighted near Udaipur. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 91(2): 304–305.

A Bat Rhyme

Mammals but fly, Day for rest,

Night in the sky!

Can not walk, All can see,

Give birth one, Twin can be!

Some eat insects, Some take fruits, Pollinate flowers, Disperse seeds!

Caves may be home, Trees may be room,

Holes are for someone, Foliage for other one!

What are they?They are bats!They are bats!!

Written by:Dr. Azad Ali, Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Zoology, B. N. College, Dhubri, Assam.

This book is a comprehensive research oriented book for researchers who require an introduction to fruit bat ecology and biology. In the literature review section , the text draws on a wealth of examples from around the Old World tropics and subtropics particularly on Flying foxes. Brief description on the study area and its climatic condition are integrated in the beginning of the text followed by the ecobiological findings on the major objectives of the Ph.D. thesis like taxonomy and external morphology, distribution, habitat selection and roosting behavior; food

and feeding habits; breeding and parental care; diurnal behavior; and the population status along with the prevailing threats and conservation related issues of Pteropus giganteus in the lower reach of the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam, India. A discussion behavior , and the population status along with the prevailing threats and conservation related issues of Pteropus giganteus in the lower reach of the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam, India.

A discussion, summary and references are found at the end of the book. Moreover the author is the pioneer worker in the field of bat research in NE India (a Biodiversity Hot Spot) and deserves credit for being the first Ph.D. holder from Assam in chiropteran/bat fauna.

ISBN:978-3-639-51988-4; www.scholars-press.com

Indian Flying Fox of Assam

http://www.scholars-press.com

http://www.scholars-press.com

Small Mammal Mail - Bi-Annual Newsletter of CCINSA & RISCINSA Volume 5, Number 2, January 2014, p. 32

SMALL MAMMAL NETWORKS

Chiroptera Conservation and InformationNetwork of South Asia (CCINSA)

CCINSA is a network of South Asian Chiropteraspecialists, educators and enthusiasts. Thenetwork aims to enhance communication,cooperation and collaboration amongchiroptera specialists of this region and therebycreate a chiroptera conservation “community”for better biodiversity conservation.

Chair: Sripathi KandulaConvenor and Administrator: Sally WalkerRed List and Technical Advisor: Sanjay Molur

Rodentia, Insectivora, and ScandentiaConservation & Information Network ofSouth Asia (RISCINSA)

RISCINSA network of South Asia wassuggested by interested biodiversityconservation specialists and the purpose of thisnetwork, then is to link together rodent fieldresearchers and their field knowledgethroughout South Asia (Afghanistan,Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives,Pakistan and Sri Lanka) so the pooling of information can lead to conservation action.

Scientific Chair: Sujit ChakrabortyConvenor and Administrator: Sally WalkerRed List and Technical Advisor: Sanjay Molur

SMM 2013 DONORS AND PARTNERS

Chester Zoo, North of England Zoological Society Chester Zoo Conservation Fund has been supporting ZOO/CCINSA office, BAT NET newsletter and field techniquest training for the last decade. www.chesterzoo.org

Bat Conservation International BCI is one of the most active, innovative and respected bat conservation organisations in the world. See BCI’s wonderful website: www.batcon.org

Universities Federation for Animal Welfare http://www.ufaw.org.uk/

IUCN SSC Bat Specialist GroupCCINSA represents the IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group in South Asia. BSG utilises the CCINSA Network to locate specialists in different subject areas, to organise training as well as conservation assessment workshops and other activities to assist the CSG in their mission. Contact : Chair Paul Racey: [email protected]

See Website: www.iucnbsg.org/

Small Mammal MailSMM is a web-based bi-annual Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected Mammals for both CCINSA & RISCINSA -- Chiroptera, Rodent, Insectivore, & Scandens Conservation and Information Networks of South Asia.

Editor: Sally Walker; Technical Advisors: Sanjay Molur, B.A. Daniel, R. Marimuthu; and Publication Assistants: Latha Ravikumar and Radhika Suresh.

CCINSA and RISCINSA are an activity of Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO) and Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) in association with CBSG, South Asia and RSG, South Asia.

Note: ZOO’s PRINT Magazine, Journal of Threatened Taxa, Newsletters and a variety of reports can be found on our websites: www.zooreach.org, www.threatenedtaxa.org and www.zoosprint.org.

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