THE CANIDS OF BENGAL

 Sheyal (শিয়াল): Golden Jackal (Canis aureus).



Khek-sheyal (খেঁকশিয়াল): Bengal Fox / Indian Fox (Vulpes bengalensis).



If you see a larger, dog-like wild animal howling at night near a village, it's a Sheyal (Jackal). If you spot a small, agile creature with a big, bushy, black-tipped tail and a sharp pointed nose running through open fields, that's a Khek-sheyal (Fox).

Nekre / Nekde (নেকড়ে): Indian gray wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) native to Bengal. Also called Nekre Bagh (নেকড়ে বাঘ) (Wolf Tiger)



Herol / Herol (হেরোল / হেড়োল): The hyper-local dialect name specifically used in the rural forest belts (Jangalmahal) of West Bengal—such as Paschim Bardhaman, Bankura, and Birbhum—to refer to the Indian gray wolf.

Adh-bagha (আধবাঘা) (Half Tiger/Semi Tiger): Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena).



Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is not a canid. Despite their dog-like appearance, stocky build, and sloped backs, hyenas do not belong to the dog family (Canidae).

The inclusion of "Bagh" (বাঘ)—which strictly translates to "tiger" in modern standard Bengali—in names like Nekre Bagh (নেকড়ে বাঘ) for wolves or Chita Bagh (চিতা বাঘ) for leopards often causes confusion.

The "tiger connection" isn't a biological one, but rather a linguistic and cultural artifact of how predatory animals were historically classified in Bengal. Rather than reserving Bagh exclusively for Panthera tigris (the Royal Bengal Tiger), rural communities appended Bagh to various predators to signify their status as dangerous, meat-eating beasts

During the 18th and 19th centuries, early British naturalists and translators compiling Bengali-English dictionaries noticed that local villagers used Bagh as a suffix for almost all large mammalian hunters.

Bagh (বাঘ): The Royal Bengal Tiger (the ultimate benchmark predator).

Chita Bagh (চিতা বাঘ): Leopard / Panther (literally "spotted predator").

Adh-bagha (আধবাঘা): Striped Hyena (literally "semi-predator").

Nekre Bagh (নেকড়ে বাঘ): Indian Gray Wolf (literally "tearing/clawing predator").

Etymology of "Nekre" (নেকড়ে)

The prefix Nekre comes from the root action of tearing, dragging, or gouging flesh.

It derives from Bengali/Prakrit roots associated with নখ (Nokh - claw/nail) or verbs related to mauling/snatching.

Combining Nekre with Bagh created a descriptive name: "The mauling/tearing predator."

Oh, finally our very familliar canid Bengal pye dog (or Indian Pariah Dog) (Canis lupus familiaris). The word "Pye" or "Pi" is derived from the Anglo-Indian adaptation of the Hindi/Prakrit word pāhī (পাহী), meaning "outsider," "wanderer," or "stranger".

লেডি কুত্তা or লেডি কুকুর ("Ledi Kutta"): Directly imported from the Hindustani term Lendi Kutta (লেণ্ডি কুত্তা / लेंडी-कुत्ता), it is used in urban Bengali slang to refer to a worthless mongrel, street stray, or non-pedigree dog.



দেশি কুকুর (Deshi Kukur): "Native/Local Dog."

খেঁকি কুকুর (Kheki Kukur): "Yapping/Alert Dog."

ঢোলে / বাঘা কুকুর (Dhole / Bagha Kukur) (Tiger Dog): In rural parts of Bengal, native pye-dogs with reddish-tan or brindle coats are sometimes called Bagha (striped/tiger-like) or Dhole-type, owing to their visual resemblance to the wild Asiatic dhole.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE POLITICS OVER BORDER FENCING

  When Modi sarkar came into office in 2014, 1. Roughly 1,520 km of the total 2,216.7 km border was already fenced in West Bengal. All of it by UPA-I and UPA-II under Dr Manmohan Singh. 2. By August 2025, Modi sarkar managed to fence only 127km in 12 years. 3. Pending (Feasible): 456.2 km 4. Non-Feasible/Unfenceable: 112.8 km (Rivers/Swamps/Sundarbans mangroves etc) For 12 years Modi and Shah have been screaming Ghuspethiya because they failed to fence a mere 456 kms while past govts, UPA-I and UPA-II under Dr Manmohan Singh, since the year 2000 managed to complete 1,520 km of the total 2,216.7 km border in Bengal and also the rest of the Indo-Bangla border stretching across 4,096.7 km Nobody asked when over 3,232 km is already fenced and sealed, what prevented BSF from sealing a mere 456.2 km by physical control and patrolling? Border sealing in any case is the primary responsibility of the BSF. Suvendu Adhikar says that BSF will be provided land within 45 days for border fencing ...
Read more
Image
  CROSSING "THE THIN RED LINE" The "Thin Red Line" often means the final boundary or division between order and chaos, or between good and evil. It is also used to denote a limit beyond which someone must not go without facing severe consequences. It suggests the idea of a physical boundary marking the limits between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. The expression is part of the English language vocabulary. However, there is a military origin to this phrase which goes back to the British Crimean War, particularly the Balaklava Campaign. Though the Balaklava Campaign became infamous for one of the most infamous blunders in military history, the Charge of the Light Brigade, made immortal by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of h...
Read more
Image
THE BJP COMMUNAL EFFECT ON THE ARMED FORCES THE SAD CONNECT OF SAD(SHIROMANI AKALI DAL) WITH ARMED FORCES SIKH TOP BRASS....... The latest news of former Army Chief Gen JJ Singh jumping into the electoral fray on a SAD nomination is nothing unusual. Serving Sikh officers have had a history of being associated with SAD and that have resulted in some very SAD outcomes in the past. DISMISSAL OF NAVAL CHIEF ADMIRAL VISHNU BHAGWAT Former Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat was the first victim of Fernandes' bizarre understanding of what civil control of the armed forces means. In 1998, Bhagwat refused to promote the Andaman and Nicobar Fortress Commander, Vice Admiral Harinder Singh, as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS). His decision was well-founded. Apart from several legal issues, Harinder Singh had drawn adverse notice after he accepted hospitality from two arms traders during a visit to Moscow in 1997, one of whom figures o...
Read more