Stripe-necked mongoose

The stripe-necked mongoose ("Herpestes vitticollis") is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka.
Characteristics.
It is rusty brown to grizzled grey, has a stout body and short legs, a black stripe that runs laterally on both sides of its neck. Its short tail is mostly black, but grey at the base. Head to body length is 46-50 cm with tail length of 32 cm. Males are larger and heavier than females with the weight of 3.1 kg. Females weigh about 1.7 kg.
Distribution and habitat.
The stripe-necked mongoose is distributed in the Western Ghats and in Sri Lanka.
In 1911, one individual was observed in southern Andhra Pradesh.
Behaviour and ecology.
It is diurnal and feeds on frogs, crabs, mouse deer, black naped hares, rodents, fowl, and reptiles. It generally avoid human habitation. They usually inhabit in riparian habitats or near abandoned tanks. In Sri Lanka, they are sparsely found within protected ranges such as national parks and sanctuaries. However, populations are commonly found over 2000 m altitude. Even though reproduction habits are unclear, pups have been noticed in mid-May.
Taxonomy.
There are two subspecies. "H. vitticollis vitticollis" is from the provinces of Western Ghats, Coorg and Kerala, and has more of a reddish tint to its fur. The other, "H. vitticollis inornatus", is found in the Kanara province, and lacks a reddish tint to its fur.