Two new mammalian species have been added to the list of fauna in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
- The two mammals are the elusive binturong (Arctictis binturong), the largest civet in India also known as the bearcat, and the small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus).
- Both are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
- The two species were recorded during a recent enumeration, taking the mammalian count in the 1,302 sq. km tiger reserve to 37.
- An arboreal mammal native to South and Southeast Asia, the binturong is not easily found due to its nocturnal and arboreal habits.
- It is also uncommon in much of its range and is known to have a distribution exclusive to the northeast in India.
- A binturong has a face like a cat’s and a body like a bear’s. Binturongs are also called bearcats, but that name is rather misleading since they are not related to bears OR cats.
Kaziranga
- Kaziranga was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
- The list of mammals in Kaziranga, is topped by the Big Five — the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), wild water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), and the eastern swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli).
