Binturong and Small-clawed otter discovered in Kaziranga National Park

The Binturong and Small-clawed otter, two previously undocumented mammalian species, have been discovered in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

About the Binturong (Arctictis binturong):

• The Binturong is a nocturnalarborealmammal exclusively distributed to the northeast in India.
  • It remains active both during the day and at night.
• It is the largest civet in India, also known as the bearcat.
• Habitat of the binturong is dense tropical rainforests, and it also prefers regions with a thick canopy.
• It is distributed across a range of Southeast Asian countries, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
• It is omnivores, with a diet consisting of fruits, small mammals, birds, and occasionally, insects.
• It plays a crucial role in seed dispersal, aiding in the regeneration of forests by consuming fruits and excreting seeds in different locations.

Physical Characteristics:

• It has long, prehensile tails, which can be as long as their bodies.
• Their shaggy fur is mainly black, with a unique scent gland located near the base of the tail, producing a distinctive musky odour.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN: Vulnerable
• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule I

About the Small-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus):

• The Small-Clawed Otter is the world’s smallest otter species, whose distribution range from India to Southeast Asia and southern China.
• In India, it is mostly distributed along the hills of Western Ghats, in regions of Western Himalaya, mangroves of east Calcutta and Sundarbans, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and some sites in Odisha.
• It is primarily found in freshwater habitat, including mangrove swamps, rivers, and freshwater wetlands.
• It is primarily carnivorous, feeding on fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Physical Characteristics:

• Its distinctive features include short claws and a more streamlined body as compared to other otters.
• It has a flattened head and a short, thick neck; eyes are located toward the front of the head.
• The ears are small and rounded and have a valve-like structure.
• Nose pads are dusky or pinkish in color. 
• It is an agile swimmer, as it uses its sensitive fingers to locate prey in murky waters.

Social Behavior:

• It is a highly social animals, and lives in family groups.
• The families work together in hunting and raising their young ones.

Conservation status:

• IUCN: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I
• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule I

About the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNP):

• The KNP is a protected area located in the core area of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong of Assam.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.
• It was formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the wife of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India.
• It was declared as a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
• It acts as a crucial corridor for wildlife migration between the Eastern Himalayas and the Indo-Malayan region.
• It is drained by 4 major rivers including the Brahmaputra River.
• The type of habitat of Kaziranga is tall elephant grass, alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical semi-evergreen forests, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests.
• Flora of Kaziranga includes- Aphanamixis polystachya, Talauma hodgsonii, Dillenia indica, Garcinia tinctoria, Ficus rumphii, Cinnamomum bejolghota, etc.
• It is home to the big 5- One-horned rhinoceros, Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, wild water buffalo, and eastern swamp deer.
• It has the largest population, about two third, of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros.
• Other recorded mammals in Kaziranga are- Indian wild boar, Indian gaur, sambar, hoolock gibbon, Gangetic dolphin, capped langur, sloth bear, leo

Ref: Source