Recently, the staff of the Yulong Xueshan Provincial Nature Reserve Management and Conservation Bureau under the Jurisdiction of the Lijiang Forestry and Grassland Bureau found a group of videos and photos of species similar to badgers in the data recovery and collation of the infrared camera monitoring sample line deployed in the reserve, which was determined by experts to be crab-eating badgers. This is the first time that the crab-eating badger has been monitored in the Yulong Snow Mountain Reserve, which has not had a written and video record of the species before.
Crab-eating badger (Latin scientific name: Herpestes urva), also known as mountain badger, stone badger, water badger, white badger, bamboo beaver, bamboo beaver and so on. It is slightly larger than the red-cheeked badger, weighs 1.5 to 2 kg, has a body length of 400 to 840 mm, and a tail length of 270 to 335 mm. The snout is finely pointed, the base of the tail is thick, and gradually thinns backwards. The body hair is thick and long, especially the tail hair. There is a pair of stink glands near the anus. The back of the body is grayish brownish yellow and mixed with black. The base of the dorsal hair is pale brown, and the tip of the hair is grayish white. The snout and eye areas are pale chestnut brown or reddish brown. There is a white stripe that extends from the corner of the mouth to the shoulder. Chin white. The abdomen is dark greyish brown , and the limbs and feet are dark brown. The color of the back of the tail is slightly the same as that of the body, except that it is mostly brownish yellow in the second half. It is active during the day and feeds on a variety of small animals, especially rodents and snakes. Alert and agile, able to attack or hunt enemies like domestic cats, and defending itself with arched backs, vertical hair, jets, and screams. They often dig their own earthen burrows or preemptively occupy rat holes to live.
The discovery of this newly recorded species complements the basic data of biodiversity in the Yulong Snow Mountain Reserve, expands the understanding of biodiversity, and reflects the integrity of the ecological chain and the superiority of natural habitats in the Yulong Snow Mountain Reserve.
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Editor-in-charge Wang Lixuan
Proofreading Cat Enbo
Editor Zhao Meigui
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