The short-tailed mongoose (Urva brachyura) is a mongoose species native to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. It inhabits evergreen forest and rural gardens from sea level to an elevation of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2008.[1]
| Short-tailed mongoose | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Herpestidae |
| Genus: | Urva |
| Species: | U. brachyura
|
| Binomial name | |
| Urva brachyura (Gray, 1837)
| |
| |
| Short-tailed mongoose range | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Herpestes brachyurus | |
It was first described by John Edward Gray in 1837.[2]
It is red-brown to black and has black limbs. The head is grayish with a black spot on the chin. Its total body length is 60–65 cm (24–26 in) including a 25 cm (9.8 in) short tail. It weighs about 1.4 kg (3.1 lb).[citation needed]
Subspecies
edit- U. b. brachyura
- U. b. hosei (by some considered a species, Hose's mongoose Herpestes hosei)[3]
- U. b. javanensis
- U. b. palawanus
- U. b. parvus
- U. b. sumatrius
References
edit- ^ a b Duckworth, J. W.; Mathai, J.; Ross, J. & Wilting, A. (2016). "Herpestes brachyurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41610A45206655.
- ^ Gray, J. E. (1837). "Description of some or little known Mammalia, principally in the British Museum Collection". The Magazine of Natural History and Journal of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology and Meteorology. I (November): 577–587.
- ^ Francis, C.M. & Payne, J. (1985). A field guide to the mammals of Borneo. Malaysia: Sabah Society