BHUBANESWAR: Colour variation in pelage (coat) of common palm civet, caught in the cameras at Satkosia Tiger Reserve, has prompted wildlife researchers to call for revisiting the taxonomic and distribution status of the mammal to validate the existence of its sub-species in the region.
According to a research paper published in Zoo’s Print journal in June, the coat colour variation in common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) - also called Indian palm civet - was reported centuries back in Kandhamal and southern Rajasthan in 2004. This time, the colour variation was reported in civets that were photographed through camera traps installed in the western part of the tiger reserve to monitor big cat movement and prey distribution.
These mammals in Satkosia were partially albinistic. The first photograph of a partial albino individual of common palm civet was captured at two locations in Majhipada reserve forest of Satkosia wildlife division in March last year. It showed that the body below the shoulders of the mammal had creamish and whitish fur without any visible marks or spots. Similarly, its legs and tail lacked any pattern or pigmentation. The fur is pigmented only behind the ears and near eyes and close to the muzzle. Besides, patches on the head below the eyes were distinctly visible.
Another civet with normal coat colour was captured the next month with distinct markings as described for common palm civet. In May, the researchers recorded a civet having an unpigmented (creamish) band of fur near the abdomen and the middle section of the tail in the same area.
The researchers who carried the study in the western part of Satkosia since 2018 stated that some rare specimens collected previously in Kandhamal in the pre-Independence era had only the head and shoulders normally coloured and the rest of their body was white. In 1891, they were described to be partially albinistic and termed as subspecies nictitatans.
Two other specimens from this region having a broad band of white fur and some parts of the tail as white were admitted as a potentially different race. Similarly, the specimens collected near the tiger reserve in 1988 with different patterns were described as a new species Paradoxurus jorandensis.
In the fresh survey, the researchers said, though there is no molecular evidence available to support splitting of the species, their findings for the specimen photographed in May 2020 suggests the distribution of the coat pattern beyond the Similipal region. “Since coat colour variations are often influenced by climate and geography, further investigation using both morphologic and pelagic characteristics besides molecular data is required,” the study suggested.
The researchers said a study that incorporates samples/specimens from the Indian region specifically from eastern India is required to validate the existence of sub-species within Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, which has been lacking in earlier studies.
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 were part of the study team.