Ruddy mongoose


The ruddy mongoose is a mongoose species native to hill forests in India and Sri Lanka. This mongoose, along with the striped-neck and Indian grey mongeese, are the only mongoose species endemic to India and Sri Lanka. The ruddy mongoose is very closely related to Indian grey mongoose, but distinguished by its slightly larger size and black-tipped tail extending for 2 to 3 inches at the distal end. There are two subspecies of this mongoose, H. smithii smithii in India, and H. smithii zeylanicus in Sri Lanka.

Habitat

The ruddy mongoose is mainly a forest-living animal, in contrast to the grey and small Indian mongooses and prefers more secluded areas. They have also been recorded from secluded paddy fields and in comparatively open fields.

Taxonomy

Herpestes smithii was the scientific name proposed by John Edward Gray in 1837 for a zoological specimen in the collection of the British Museum Natural History.
Subspecies:
Like other mongooses, it hunts by day and by night.

In culture

In Sri Lanka this animal is called mugatiya by the Sinhala speaking community and is usually regarded as an unlikable animal and a pest. The golden palm civet, altogether a different species endemic to Sri Lanka, is also called hotambuwa due to similar appearance and coloration.