Abstract

The Nilgiri marten is a rare mustelid which is endemic to the forested tracts of the Western Ghat mountain range. Sightings of this species have also been very few. The present observations are the first records of the Nilgiri marten from the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary and the Silent Valley National Park. The NIlgiri marten is well known to the Kani tribals of the region. They believe that a disturbed marten (Koduvalli) in the forest will call other members of its kind and will attack an unarmed person. In addition to the Nilgiri Biosphere region, the Ashambu Hills of the southern Western Ghats may be another potential area for studying small carnivore communities. The tribal myths and taboos help in the conservation of this endagered mustelid to some extent