Denison's Barb

Sahyadria denisonii

Finally we move to a cold-blooded inhabitant of the Western Ghats-- the Denison's Barb. This small fish makes it home in the fast moving rivers and streams of that particular range.

Like the other creatures this week, the Denison's Bard is Endangered. Unlike those animals, it's number one threat isn't habitat loss. Primary issue for the Barb? Overfishing for the Aquarium Trade. While these animals are becoming rare in the wild, they are growing in popularity in captivity. Which is really unfortunately, because they don't breed well in captivity, which means even more are taken from the wild as a result.

Denison's Barbs grow to around 6in in length, are can be identified by the lateral black and red lines on their bodies. They live in small schools, and forage for just about anything they can find. Algae, Crustaceans, Insects, and plant detritus are all commonly consumed.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : India
Size : Body Length around 6in (15cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Cypriniformes
Family : Cyprinidae -- Genus : Sahyadria-- Species : S. denisonii
Image :  Stan Shebs

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Malabar Large-spotted Civet

Viverra civettina

The Malabar Large-spotted Civet is yet another creature endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is also the rarest of the ones we have learned about so far.

It is estimated that there are less than 250 of these guys left alive, and because the population is fragmented, no single group numbers more than 50. Worse still is that the decline is ongoing, which means the population could be extinct very soon. They were actually thought to be extinct until the early 1990s, when a few were spotted in the wild again. But in the last 20 years sightings have been very few and far between.

Unsurprisingly, we know very little about these Mammals. Their biology and behavior has not been extensively studied. What we do know is that they live a nocturnal lifestyle, and prefer lowland forests in their range.

In the past, the Civets were hunted for their oil, and to keep them away from chickens and other domesticated poultry. Today habitat loss and a fragmented population are their biggest worries. Sadly, they do not live in any protected areas, and unless an urgent conservation plan is put into place they could be gone forever.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : India
Size : Body Length around 13in (33cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Viverridae -- Genus : Viverra-- Species : V. civettina
Image :  Kerala Tourism

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Black-chinned Laughingthrush

Continuing with our "Animals of the Western Ghats" theme-- today we have the Black-Chinned Laughingthrush, an Endanered bird that lives above elevations of 4,000ft.

This bird has a a confusing taxonomic past, and you will sometimes see it referred to as the Nilgiri or Rufus-Breasted Laughingthrush. It has also gone through 3 different genera before ending up in Trochalopteron!

Today, we know it as T. cachinnans, though it does have a few different subspecies. You can tell those apart based on their coloration and location. Different subspecies have varying amounts of grey and red on their breasts.

All of the subspecies exhibit similar behavior. They live at higher elevations hear forest edges. They forage for berries and insects either alone or in small groups. And they nest between February and June, building nests in low bushes near the ground. Two blue eggs are laid at a time, and the chicks are fully fledged after 3 weeks. Interestingly, the parents will completely deconstruct the nest after fledging!

Like the other animals we've been learning about this week, the Black-chinned Laughingthrush is in trouble due to habitat loss. They also have a small, fragmented range that does their population size no favors.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : India
Size : Length up to 10in (24cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Leiothrichidae -- Genus : Trochalopteron-- Species : T. cachinnans
Image :  Lee's Birdwatching

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Nilgiri Wood Pigeon

Columba elphinstonii

Like our previous entry, the Lion-tailed Macaque, the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon is also an animal found only in the western Ghats of India. It is also, unsurprisingly, a rare and Vulnerable creature.

Nilgiri Wood Pigeons are best identified by the black and white checkerboard pattern that appears on the back of their neck. Aside from that pattern they are brown and grey, with a purple sheen that is more prominent on the males.

These Pigeons are most active during the daytime, and are most commonly seen alone or in pairs. They feed on fruits and seeds, but are not averse to snacking on the occasional insect or snail!

In the past these birds where hunted for sport, which led to a population decline. Today their major nemesis is habitat destruction. These birds rely on forests to live, and those forests are being chopped down for agriculture and human settlement.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : India
Size : Length up to 16in (42cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Columbiformes
Family : Columbidae -- Genus : Columba-- Species : C. elphinstonii
Image :  N. Kishor

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Lion-tailed Macaque

Macaca silenus

The Lion-tailed Macaque is a Monkey found only in the western Ghat Mountains of India. The inhabit the moist evergreen forests of that range, and live in groups of between 10 and 20 members.

The Macaques are diurnal, and spend most of their time up in the trees. They travel all day, foraging as they go and stuffing food (Fruits, seeds, and small animal) into their cheeks for storage. When they reach a nightly resting point, they rub their cheeks to get the stored food out.

Lion-tailed Macaques get their name from their long tails that sport lion-like tufts at the end. They also have grey manes that contrast with their dark black-furred bodies. The dark coloration makes it difficult to see them up in the trees.

Sadly, these Monkeys are Endangered. They are found only in one specific part of India, and human settlements have been taking over their precious home range. They have also been captured for the pet trade, and for use in traditional medicines.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : India
Size : Length up to 2ft (62cm), Weight up to 22lbs (10kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cercopithecidae -- Genus : Macaca -- Species : M. silenus

Image :  N.A. Naseer

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Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

Meet the Rhinoceros Auklet, a seabird that is a close relative to the more well-known Puffins. Like Puffins, they live in cold arctic areas-- specifically the northern Pacific Ocean.

One curious feature of these birds is the horn on their beaks. Both males and females have it, but no one really knows what its purpose is! Decoration? Protection? Attracting a mate? Either way, it has given them their Rhinoceros name!

Another cool fact about these birds is that they can dive down quite far in search of food. Dives of 150-180 feet have been observed! They catch fish, krill, and squid, but always wait until nightfall to take food back to their nests. The reason for this is that other, larger seabirds will try and steal their prey. Flying home with food at night helps them keep more of their hard-earned food.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North Pacific
Size : Length up to 11in (27cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Charadriiformes
Family : Alcidae -- Genus : Cerorhinca -- Species : C. monocerata
Image :  Tokumi

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Maltese

The Maltese is a dog breed with ancient and confusing origins. It was bestowed that name "Maltese" during the 19th century, but it actually dates back much farther-- possibly to Greek and Roman times!

Maltese Dogs have always been small. Today they weigh less than 10lbs and stand less than a foot tall. It is believed that their small size came from either Spitz breeds that were bred to be tinier than normal, or from Tibetan Terriers. Either way, by around 500BC there were depictions of Maltese-looking dogs in northern Italy. These dogs were mentioned by writers like Pliny and Strabo, and were said to come from a Mediterranean Island (of which Malta is one).

By the 1800s these dogs were very popular with the upper class, though years of crossing with other breeds led to nearly a dozen different varieties. An official breed club was established, and they were recognized by the AKC in 1888. Official standards came along with the formal recognition, and today all Maltese Dogs are white furred (in the past other colors, and even mixed color dogs were seen).

The Maltese has always been a companion breed, ever since its creation thousands of years ago. They are lively and playful, and do well in small home and apartments. They also do not posses an undercoat, and shed very little. For this reason they are popular with dog owners who suffer from allergies.

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Status : Domesticated
Location : Central Europe
Size : Height up to 12in (30cm), Weight up to 10lbs (4.5kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Canis -- Species : C. lupus -- Subspecies : C. l. familiaris
Image : SheltieBoy

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