Angul/Bantala: Indian palm civets with colour variation in their furs have been caught by cameras at Satkosia Tiger Reserve near here in Angul district, a report said.
Pleasantly surprised over the development, wildlife experts conducted a research into the taxonomic and distribution status of the mammal which has thrown up interesting findings on the existence of its sub-species in the region.
The findings have been published in a research paper – the June edition of the journal Zoo.
According to the research paper, the coat colour variation in Indian pal civet was reported centuries back in Kandhamal and in southern Rajasthan in 2004.
This time, the colour variation has been reported in civets that were photographed with the help of camera traps installed in the western part of the tiger reserve.
The camera traps have been installed in the tiger reserve to monitor the movement of big cats and prey distribution in the Satkosia region. The civets found in Satkosia were partially albinistic.
The first photograph of a partial albino palm civet was captured at two places in Majhipada reserve forest of Satkosia wildlife division in March last year.
The photograph showed that the body of the mammal below its shoulders had creamy and whitish fur without any marks or spots on it. However, no pigmentation or pattern was visible on its legs and tail.
Pigmentation on the fur was visible only behind the ears, near the eyes and close to their muzzle. On the other hand, patches on the head below the eyes were distinctly visible.
Later, another civet with normal colour coat was captured by a camera trap in April with distinct markings. Researchers also recorded a civet having a creamy band of fur near the abdomen and the mid-section of the tail in the same area in May.
Researchers engaged in the study in the western part of Satkosia since 2018 claimed that only the head and shoulders of some rare specimens collected in Kandhamal in the pre-Independence era were of normal colour, while their remaining body was white.
In 1891, they were described as partially albinistic and termed as sub-species nictitatans. Researchers confirmed that two other specimens from this region having a broad band of white fur and some parts of the tail as white were of a potentially different species.
This apart, the specimens collected near the tiger reserve in 1988 with different patterns were described as a new species, Paradoxurus jorandensis.
In the fresh survey, researchers said that though there is no molecular evidence available to support the splitting of the species, the findings suggest the distribution of the coat pattern beyond the Similipal region.
These specimens were photographed in May 2020. The study suggested that since the colour variations in furs of pal civet are often influenced by climate and geography, further investigation into their taxonomic and distribution status is required.
Both morphologic and pelagic characteristics besides molecular data will be helpful in the study. According to the researchers, a study that incorporates samples/specimens from the Indian region, especially from eastern India, is required to validate the existence of sub-species within Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, which has been lacking in the earlier studies.
The study was conducted by a team comprising IFS officers Pradeep Raj Karat and P Ramasamy, OFS officers Saroj Panda, Subhendu Behera and researchers from Wildlife Institute of India Vaishali Vasudeva, Gatikrishna Behera, Sandeep Gupta and K Ramesh.
Earlier, wildlife researchers had spotted an alibino chital among a herd in Satakosia tiger reserve in 2014. The body colour of the animal was white with few tainted spots. The eyes, nasal tips and lips of the animal were pink, while its eyebrows were white.
PNN
