India GO
Mammal · Martes gwatkinsii
Nilgiri marten
IUCN VU · VulnerableProtected under Indian law · I
The only marten in southern India, dark brown with a bright orange-yellow throat patch. It is rare, poorly known, and a genuine piece of luck to see.
How to recognise it
Diurnal and fast, usually a glimpse of a long dark body bounding across a road or a wattle plantation edge. The orange throat is the only field mark you will get.
Protection
Schedule I, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972
Where to see it
Munnar
Only a handful of published sightings exist from Eravikulam at all, and the total population is estimated at around a thousand animals. Treat it as a bonus, never as a plan.
Eravikulam National Park · Pampadum Shola National Park (Vattavada road)