They don’t just pick on prey their own size. There have been accounts of Nilgiri Martens attacking young deer!This small carnivore will prey on almost any small bird or mammal. It is likely that they are found in such a wide-ranging habitat because of their varied diet.They also feed on nectar and are sometimes seen probing fallen logs or flowers of the silk cotton tree with their snouts.While they are largely arboreal, or tree-dwelling, they have been spotted hunting monitor lizards or Mouse Deer on the ground.They’ve also been known to raid bee-boxes places in coffee and cardamom plantations close to forest areas.

The ‘Mara Naai’ Of The Nilgiris

by Prakash Ramakrishnan | Aadya Singh

  • They don’t just pick on prey their own size. There have been accounts of Nilgiri Martens attacking young deer!
  • This small carnivore will prey on almost any small bird or mammal. It is likely that they are found in such a wide-ranging habitat because of their varied diet.
  • They also feed on nectar and are sometimes seen probing fallen logs or flowers of the silk cotton tree with their snouts.
  • While they are largely arboreal, or tree-dwelling, they have been spotted hunting monitor lizards or Mouse Deer on the ground.
  • They’ve also been known to raid bee-boxes places in coffee and cardamom plantations close to forest areas.