Indian River Dolphin
The South Asian river dolphin is split into two subspecies Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin, primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries. Ganges river dolphins are the National Aquatic animal of India and are native to the freshwater river systems of India.
IUCN red list status:- Endangered
Ganges Shark
The Ganges sharks is a critically endangered species of Shark found in the Ganges River and the Brahmaputra River of India. Ganges Shark and common bull shark are freshwater river systems requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers.
Crocodiles in India:-
In india one can see three crocodiles only. those are,
1.Mugger crocodile
2.Gharial Crocodile
3.Salt water crocodile
Mugger Crocodile
Mugger crocodiles are found throughout the Indian subcontinent along with the saltwater crocodile.Mugger Crocodile have Vulnerable Status in IUCN Red List.
Bhitarkanika mangrove forest(Orissa) is the world’s largest salt water crocodile home.
Gharial Crocodile:-
Romulus Whittaker,A British zoologist started the protection of Crocodile species. When he started a park for Gharial species, their population strength is just 4 in number. now, this number has been substantially increased. their number is hovering over 1000 and they occupy Critically Endangered Status in IUCN Red List.
Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in the River Girwa is famous for mugger and Gharial crocodile species.
Imp Tortoise species in india:-
Olive Ridley Turtle
Odisha coast has the world's largest known rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtle. The most important Rookeries in Odissa are
- Gahirmatha Beach
- Mouth of River Rushikulya and
- Mouth of river Devi
Gahirmatha Beach is a beach in the Indian state of Odisha. The beach separates the Bhitarkanika mangroves from the Bay of Bengal and is the world's most important nesting beach for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. The beach is part of Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary, which also includes the adjacent portion of the Bay of Bengal.
Indian star tortoise
The Indian star tortoise is a species of tortoise found in dry areas and scrub forest in India and Sri Lanka. This species is quite popular in the exotic pet trade.
Indian flapshell turtle
The Indian flapshell turtle is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia. The “flap-shelled” name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron. These flaps of skin cover the limbs when they retract into the shell. It is unclear what protection the flaps offer against predators. They are widespread and common in the South Asian provinces.
For further reading about the Flapshell turtles of India:-
Regarding the flapshell turtles' smuggling
For Crimes relating to the Environment in India:-
Regarding Environmental Crimes of India
For further reading about the Flapshell turtles of India:-
Regarding the flapshell turtles' smuggling
For Crimes relating to the Environment in India:-
Regarding Environmental Crimes of India
The Indian star tortoise is a species of tortoise found in dry areas and scrub forest in India and Sri Lanka. This species is quite popular in the exotic pet trade.
Smooth Coated Otter
The smooth-coated otter species is found in fresh water,wetlands and seasonal swamps, rivers, lakes, and rice paddies of the Indian Subcontinent. Smooth-coated otter was featured on the BBC documentary called Planet Earth entitled as Fresh Water predator.
Goonch Catfish
The Goonch catfish is distributed in the Indus drainage in India and known as one of the river monster of Indian Sub-Continent. Kali River Goonch attacks were a series of fatal attacks on human and captured by Jeremy Wade on the Animal Planet series River Monsters.
Coral Reef Snakes
The coral reef snakes are found in warm coastal waters from the Indian Ocean and one of the venomous elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments. Stokes’ sea snake found in coastal areas from west India.
Indian Mottled Eel
The Indian mottled eel is a subspecies of eel found throughout the Indian subcontinent and valued as a food fish. The Indian mottled eel, Anguilla bengalensisbengalensis, is a subspecies of eel in the genus Anguilla of the family Anguillidae. It is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and neighbouring regions including the East Indies.
Showing the typical characteristics of the Anguillidae, this species grows to 1.2 m and as much as 6 kg. Dorsal fin soft rays number 250–305, anal fin soft rays 220–250, vertebrae between 106 and 112 in number. The Indian mottled eel is valued as a food fish.
The mucus of this eel is used in a medicine for arthritis.
Golden Mahseer
The golden mahseer is an endangered species of cyprinid found in the Himalayan region and the largest species of mahseer. Golden Mahseer is India’s fabulous freshwater fish and Himalayan rivers are indeed the perfect place for river monsters in India.
Dugong,State Animal of Andaman Territory:-
Dugong is also known as the sea Cow because it is dependant upon the sea grass at the beneath of the water column.
The Dugong is large grey mammals which spend their entire lives in the sea.
Marine National Park of Gulf of Kutch is an isolated breeding ground in India along with in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is the state animal of Andaman territory.
Dugongs are categorised as threatened species coming under the IUCN Red list.
Amur falcons: The ‘esteemed guests’ of Nagaland
Pangti village in Wokha District of the Nagalnd is the largest host for the Amur Falcons,which comes from the siberia on their way to south africa.
Amur falcon comes from falcon family. they have weight of approx 150gms. they breed in siberian region and make their five day trip from siberia to nagaland,which has more than 5,600km distance. they stay in nagaland for period of two months before resuming the trip to south africa.
Especially,Doyang lake region of the Pangti village witness more than one million birds in 30 minutes. Their Itinerary is clearly known recently due to the satellite tagging to the two birds, Naga and Pangti.
The blood pheasant,State Bird of Sikkim:-
The blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) is the only species in genus Ithaginis of the pheasant family. This relatively small, short-tailed pheasant is widespread and fairly common in eastern Himalayas, ranging across India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. Since the trend of the population appears to be slowly decreasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009. The blood pheasant is the state bird of the Indian state of Sikkim.
The Red Panda,State Animal of Sikkim:-
The red panda is dwarfed by the black-and-white giant that shares its name. These pandas typically grow to the size of a house cat, though their big, bushy tails add an additional 18 inches (46 centimeters). The pandas use their ringed tails as wraparound blankets in the chilly mountain heights.
Red Panda Is the State animal of Sikkim
Habitat and Behavior
The red panda shares the giant panda's rainy, high-altitude forest habitat, but has a wider range. Red pandas live in the mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma), as well as in central China.
These animals spend most of their lives in trees and even sleep aloft. When foraging, they are most active at night as well as in the gloaming hours of dusk and dawn.
Red pandas have a taste for bamboo but, unlike their larger relatives, they eat many other foods as well—fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs. Like giant pandas, they have an extended wrist bone that functions almost like a thumb and greatly aids their grip.
Breeding and Population
They are shy and solitary except when mating. Females give birth in the spring and summer, typically to one to four young. Young red pandas remain in their nests for about 90 days, during which time their mother cares for them. (Males take little or no interest in their offspring.)
The red panda has given scientists taxonomic fits. It has been classified as a relative of the giant panda, and also of the raccoon, with which it shares a ringed tail. Currently, red pandas are considered members of their own unique family—the Ailuridae.
Red pandas are endangered, victims of deforestation. Their natural space is shrinking as more and more forests are destroyed by logging and the spread of agriculture.
Sambar Deer,State Animal of Odisha:-
the sambar (Rusa unicolor) is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine deer (called the "Philippine sambar") and the Javan rusa (called the "Sunda sambar"). The name is also spelled sambur, or sambhur.
Only the male sambar deer has antlers.There are
many subspecies of sambar deer, which vary
considerably in size and appearance.
The sambar deer has a broad diet and is well adapted to a wide
variety of forest types.The sambar deer is one of the few deer that
will confront quite large predators. It is the State Animal of
ODISHA
Himalayan Serow/Serow,State Animal of Mizoram:-
The Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar) also known as the thar (esp. in the Eastern Himalayas) is a goat-antelope native to the Himalayas, and eastern and southeastern Bangladesh. It has been classified as "Near Threatened" by IUCN because it is believed to be in significant decline due to hunting for food and habitat loss.
It is the state animal of the Mizoram.
Mrs. Hume's pheasant,State Bird of Manipur and Mizoram:-
Mrs. Hume's pheasant (Syrmaticus humiae), also known as Hume's pheasant or bar-tailed pheasant, is a large, up to 90 cm long, forest pheasant with a greyish brown head, bare red facial skin, chestnut brown plumage, yellowish bill, brownish orange iris, white wingbars and metallic blue neck feathers. The male has a long greyish white, barred black and brown tail. The female is a chestnut brown bird with whitish throat, buff color belly and white-tipped tail.
This rare and little known pheasant is found throughout forested habitats in China, India, Burma and Thailand. The diet consists mainly of vegetation matters. The female lays three to twelve creamy white eggs in nest of leaves, twigs and feathers.
The name commemorates Mary Ann Grindall Hume, wife of the British naturalist in India Allan Octavian Hume. It is the state bird of Manipur and Mizoram
Due to ongoing habitat loss, fragmented population and being hunted for food, the Mrs. Hume's pheasant is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
The Sangai,State Animal of Manipur:-
The sangai is an endemic, rare and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, India. It is also state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur brow-antlered deer and the scientific name, Rucervus eldii eldii McClelland. It lives in the marshy wetland in Keibul Lamjao about 45 km from Imphal. Its habitat is located in the southern parts of the Loktak Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in eastern India. It is also one of the seven Ramsar sites of international importance. The habitat of the sangai is now protected as the Keibul Lamjao National Park. The sangai is also the state animal of Manipur.
The brow-antlered deer or the dancing deer is found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Park over the floating biomass locally called "phumdi" in the south eastern part of Loktak Lake.
The number of deer listed in the Red Data Book was only 14 in 1975. After the declaration of the area as a national park and with strict conservation measures taken up by the Forest Department, the fear of its extinction has been greatly reduced
What is Phumdi?
Phumdi is the most important and unique part of the habitat. It is the floating mass of entangled vegetation formed by the accumulation of organic debris and biomass with soil. Its thickness varies from few centimeter to two meters. The humus of phumdi is black in color and very spongy with large number of pores. It floats with 4/5 part under water.
Indian giant squirrel,State Animal of Maharashtra:-
The Indian giant squirrel, or Malabar giant squirrel, (Ratufa indica) is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia. It is called शेकरू 'Shekru' in Marathi and is state animal of Maharashtra.
State Fish of Madhya Pradesh,Tor Tor
Tor tor, commonly known as the tor mahseer or tor barb, is a species of cyprinid fish found in fast-flowing rivers and streams with rocky bottoms in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. It is a commercially important food and game fish. Its population is rapidly declining in its native range due to overfishing. It is a large fish, reaching 36 cm (14 in) at maturity, but lengths of 150 centimetres (4.9 ft) have been recorded. It has near threatened status in IUCN Red List.
State Fish of Kerala, Green Chromide:-
The green chromide (Etroplus suratensis) is a species of cichlid fish from freshwater and brackish water in southern India and Sri Lanka. In Kerala in India it is known locally as the karimeen.
This fish is native to Sri Lanka and coastal regions of India. Many populations are likely introductions. It is also introduced in Singapore, where it occurs in estuaries.
The adult is oval in shape with a short snout. It is gray-green in color with dark barring and a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin. It commonly reaches 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length, and the maximum length is twice that.
This species lives in brackish water habitat types, such as river deltas. It eats mainly aquatic plants, but it consumes the occasional mollusc, diatoms, and other animal matter. This species engages in attentive parental care in which several adults care for each brood.
In 2010 this species was named the official state fish of Kerala. The following year was declared "The Year of the Karimeen". Karimeen pollichadhu, a fried dish, is a delicacy served in restaurants. It is familiar to tourists, but because it is very expensive it is not easily accessible to the common man. Production of the species for food is expected to increase in the near future.
State Bird of Jammu&Kashmir,The Black Necked Crane:-
The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a medium-sized crane in Asia that breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and winters mainly in remote parts of India and Bhutan. It is 139 cm (55 in) long with a 235 cm (7.8 ft) wingspan, and it weighs 5.5 kg (12 lbs). It is whitish-gray, with a black head, red crown patch, black upper neck and legs, and white patch to the rear of the eye. It has black primaries and secondaries. Both sexes are similar. Some populations are known to make seasonal movements. It is revered in Buddhist traditions and culturally protected across much of its range. A festival in Bhutan celebrates the bird while the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir considers it as the state bird.
Sarus Crane,State Bird of U.P:-
The sarus crane (Grus antigone) is the tallest flying bird in the world with some adult males reaching up to 1.8 metres tall . These elegant birds have predominantly grey plumage with a naked red head and neck and long, pale red legs . Juveniles have slightly darker plumage and buff-coloured feathers on their head
Hangul,State Animal of Jammu and Kashmir:-
The Kashmir stag (Cervus canadensis hanglu), also called hangul, is a subspecies of elk native to India. It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of the Kashmir Valley and northern Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it's found in the
Dachigam National Park where it receives protection but elsewhere it is more at risk. In the 1940s, the population was between 3000 and 5000 individuals, but since then habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching have greatly reduced that dramatically. Earlier believed to be a subspecies of red deer (Cervus elaphus), a number of mitochondrial DNA genetic studies have revealed that the hangul is part of the Asian clade of the elk (Cervus canadensis) and has not been evaluated by IUCN.
The Snow Leopard, State Animal of Himachal Pradesh:-
The snow leopard or ounce is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because, as of 2003, the size of the global population was estimated at 4,080–6,590 adults, of which fewer than 2,500 individuals may reproduce in the wild.
Drawing from the latest available data, the Global Snow Leopard and Eco-System Protection Program (GSLEP) uses an estimate of between 3,920 and 6,390 individuals in the wild. New data published in 2016, by Peter Zahler, Som Ale, et al. indicates that the number of wild snow leopards is currently between 4,700 and 8,700 individuals, raising the numbers of the population across 44 percent of their range.
Snow leopards inhabit alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft). In the northern range countries, they also occur at lower elevations.
Taxonomically, the snow leopard was classified as Uncia uncia since the early 1930s. Based on genotyping studies, the cat has been considered a member of the genus Panthera since 2008. Two subspecies have been attributed, but genetic differences between the two have not been settled.
The snow leopard is the National Heritage Animal of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The western tragopan,State Bird of Himachal Pradesh:-
The western tragopan or western horned tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is a medium-sized brightly plumed pheasant found along the Himalayas from north-eastern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan in the west to Uttarakhand within India to the east. The species is highly endangered and globally threatened.
The Black Francolin,State Bird of Haryana:-
The black francolin (Francolinus francolinus) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the Black Partridge. It is the state bird of Haryana state, India.
The Yellow-Throated Bulbul, State Bird of Goa:-
The yellow-throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) is a species of bulbul endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. It is confusable only with the white-browed bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively yellow on the head and throat apart from the yellow vent. The calls of this species are very similar to that of the white-browed bulbul.
The Gaur, State Animal of Goa:-
The gaur (Bos gaurus), also called Indian bison, is the largest extant bovine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% during the last three generations. Population trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are rebuilding in a few areas which had been neglected.
The gaur is the tallest species of wild cattle. The Malayan gaur is called seladang, and the Burmese gaur is called pyoung ပြောင်.
The domesticated form of the gaur Bos frontalis is called gayal or mithun.
wild water buffalo,State Animal of Chattisagarh
The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), also called Asian buffalo and Asiatic buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the remaining population totals less than 4,000, with an estimate of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. The population decline of at least 50% over the last three generations (24–30 years) is projected to continue. The global population has been estimated at 3,400 individuals, of which 3,100 (91%) live in India, mostly in Assam. The wild water buffalo represents most likely the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.
White Winged Duck,State Bird of Assam:-
One of the most endangered birds in the world is the white winged wood duck (Cairina scutulata). It was once distributed widely across north-east India and south-east Asia. But now, only about 800 survive in the wild of which about 450 are present in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. In India, the duck is limited to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Due to its ghostly call, it is called ‘Deo Hans’ or Spirit Duck in Assamese.
It has a black body, a white head that is thickly spotted with black, conspicuous white patches on the wings and red or orange eyes. Its average length is about 81 cm. The sexes are more or less alike, the male having more gloss on the plumage, and being much larger and heavier.
It mostly resides in dense tropical evergreen forest and is known to prefer inaccessible swampy areas formed by numerous rivers, streams, etc. The duck is generally found in pairs or in small parties of four to six, though parties of more than 10 are also recorded. It loves shade and spends most of the day in secluded jungle pools, occasionally perching on the trees during the day.
It is a crepuscular bird as it is most active at dusk and dawn.
Mithun/Gayal, State animal of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland:-
Gayal has been classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The weight of adult is between 600 kg to 1000 kg. Size between 240 cm to 330 cm. and the length of tail is between 70 cm to 105 cm. They are about 165 cm to 225 cm high at the shoulder.
The skin color of the head and body is blackish-brown in both sexes, and the lower portion of the limbs are white or yellowish, the shank and forehead are creamy white or yellowish in color.
Gayal has no hump above the dorsal ridge but the ball has an exuberance of flesh immediately over the shoulder.
The animal has a huge head, deep massive body and sturdy limbs. The neck is short. The forehead is broad and concave. It has broad ears and small dewlap.
Horns are 1.5 to 4.0 feet long and grow from the sides of the head, curving upwards. Yellow at the base, they gradually darken along their length until turning black at the tips. The horns of young ones are smooth and polished but in adults, the horns are rugged and indented at the base.
The short hair is dark reddish brown to blackish brown in color, while the lower legs are white. Males are larger than females.
Critically Endangered Birds of India:-
Critically endangered birds in India under a different classification can be grouped as:
1 Migratory Wetland Species
2 Non-migratory Wetland Species
3 Grassland Species
4 Forest Species
5 Scavengers
6 Practically extinct
The species falling under the Critically Endangered category in India include
migratory wetland species:
- Baer’s Pochard,
2. Siberian Crane
Siberian Crane is a large, strikingly majestic migratory bird that breeds and winters in wetlands. They are known to winter at KeoladeoNationalPark,Rajasthan. However the last documented sighting of the bird was in 2002.
Habitat: Wetland areas.
Distribution: Keoladeo National Park in
Rajasthan.
Threats: Pesticide pollution, wetland drainage, development of prime habitat into agricultural elds, and to some extent, hunting.
3. Spoon-billed Sandpiper
It requires highly specialized breeding habitat, a constraint that has always kept its population scarce. India is home to some of the last existing wintering grounds of this species (estimated at only 150-320 breeding pairs worldwide).
Habitat: Coastal areas with sparse vegetation. No breeding records further inland than 7 km from the seashore.
Distribution: Has been recorded in West Bengal, Orissa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Threats: Habitat degradation and land reclamation. Human disturbance also leads to high
incidence of nest desertion.
non-migratory wetland species:
- White-bellied Heron
The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is an extremely rare bird found in five or six sites in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, one or two sites in Bhutan, and a few in Myanmar. It is inherently rare, and populations have never been known to be very high.
Habitat: Rivers with sand or gravel bars or inland lakes.
Distribution: Bhutan and north-east India to the hills of Bangladesh and north Myanmar.
Threats: Loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands through direct exploitation and disturbance by humans.
grassland species:
1.Bengal Florican:
The Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) is a rare bustard species that is very well known for its mating dance. Among the tall grasslands, secretive males advertise their territories by springing from the ground and fitting to and fro in the air.
Habitat: Grasslands occasionally interspersed with scrublands.
Distribution: Native to only 3 countries in the world - Cambodia, India and Nepal. In India, it occurs in 3 states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Threats: Ongoing conversion of the bird’s grassland habitat for various purposes including agriculture is mainly responsible for its population decline.
2. Great Indian Bustard
The Great Indian Bustard is a most endangered species of bird found only in India and adjoining region. Bustard is one of the largest flying species of bird with weight up to 15 kg and about 1 m tall from the ground. The largest land bird habitat in the scrub, tall grass,semi-arid grasslands and semi desert regions of Rajasthan. Due to heavily hunting and habitat loss, the bird is disappearing from the many regions of India, Its state bird of Rajasthan. There is a wildlife sanctuary called Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary at Solapur, Maharashtra.
3. Jerdon’s Courser
The Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) is a nocturnal bird found only in the northern part of the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in peninsular India. It is a flagship species for the extremely threatened scrub jungle. The species was considered to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986 and the area of rediscovery was subsequently declared as the Sri Lankamaleswara Wildlife Sanctuary.
Habitat: Undisturbed scrub jungle with open areas.
Distribution: Jerdon’s Courser is endemic to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. However, 19th century records do attribute its presence in the neighbouring areas of the state of Maharashtra.
Threats: Clearing of scrub jungle, creation of new pastures, growing of dry land crops, plantations of exotic trees, quarrying and the construction of the Telugu-Ganga Canal. Illegal trapping of birds is also a threat.
4. Sociable Lapwing:
The Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarious) is a winter migrant to India. This species has suffered a sudden and rapid population decline due to which it has been listed as critically endangered.
Habitat: Fallow elds and scrub desert.
Distribution: Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Oman. In India, distribution is restricted to the north and north-west of the country.
Threats: Conversion of habitat to arable land, illegal hunting and proximity to human settlements.
forest species:
1. Forest Owlet Forest Owlet is the highly endangered species of the typical owls family and endemic to forests of central India. Small Forest Owlet was considered extinct but later rediscovered and small number population make this species critically endangered in India. Melghat Tiger Reserve,Taloda Forest Range and forest area of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are best place to located these small jungle owl. Forest Owlet is the state bird of Maharashtra now.
scavengers:
1. Indian Vulture,
2. Red-headed Vulture:
The Red-headed Vulture is also known as Indian Black Vulture or King Vulture is one of the species of Old World vultures found in the Indian Subcontinent. Due to the Diclofenac in veterinary medicine population of this species become extremely less in recent years. Indian Vulture,Slender-billed Vulture and White rumped Vulture are the few more species of vultures found in India and falls in the category of critically endangered species of birds.
3. White-backed Vulture and
4. Slender-billed Vulture.
Himalayan Quail and Pink-headed Duck are now considered Extinct for all practical purposes.
Important Endangered Species:-
Garuda/Greater Adjutant:-
There are only 1,100 Greater Adjutant [Leptoptilos dubius] which are migratory in nature, around the world. The bird is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List 2004 of threatened species and listed under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Greater Adjutant measures 145-150 cm (about three feet) in length and four to five feet in height.
The Greater Adjutant was formerly found in South and Southeast Asia but now it breeds only in Assam and Bhagalpur(Bihar) in India, and in Cambodia. Bhagalpur is the third nesting region of this species in the world.
Critically Endangered Arthropoda:
Peacock Tarantula
Poecilotheria metallica is a species of tarantula. It reflects brilliant metallic blue colour. Like others in its genus it exhibits an intricate fractal-like pattern on the abdomen. The species' natural habitat is deciduous forest in Andhra Pradesh, in central southern India. P. metallica was first discovered in the town of Gooty, a fact reflected in some of its common names: Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty sapphire, and Gooty tarantula. Other common names are metallic tarantula, peacock parachute spider, peacock tarantula, or salepurgu.
Habitat: Wooded mountain area of south India.
Distribution: Endemic to India
Threats: They are one of the most expensive spiders in the illegal pet trade. Large areas where the species occurs have been deforested, or subjected to habitat degradation due to local fuel wood collection, leading to decline in its population.
Rameshwaram Parachute Spider
Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica, also known as the Rameshwaram ornamental, or Rameshwaram parachute spider, is a critically endangered species of tarantula.
It was discovered in 2004 by Andrew Smith from a sacred grove of the Hanumavilasum Temple in Rameshwaram.
It was initially thought to be endemic to the Ramanathapuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, but has since been identified outside India in the Mannar District of Northern Sri Lanka. The close proximity of Mannar island to India suggests that the species may have dispersed over the land bridge between the two countries in the Pleistocene epoch.
Critically Endangered Mammals
1.Pygmy Hog
In the past, this species was confirmed from only a very few locations in northern West Bengal and north-western Assam in India, but is believed likely to have occurred in tall, wet alluvial grasslands extending in a narrow belt south of the Himalayan foothills from north-western Uttar Pradesh and southern Nepal to Assam, possibly extending at intervals into contiguous habitats in southern Bhutan However, it is now confined to a very few locations in and around Manas National Park in north-western Assam.
Today, this species is at the brink of extinction, as only a few isolated and small populations survive in the wild. In fact, the only viable population of the species, with a few hundred individuals, exists in small grassland pockets of Manas National Park (500 km²) and an adjacent reserve forest in the Manas Tiger Reserve and nowhere else in the world Sixteen captive-bred Pygmy Hogs were released in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and similar reintroductions have been planned in Nameri and Orang National Parks of Assam. There are about 75 animals in captivity in northwestern Assam.
The Pygmy Hog is the smallest and the rarest wild suid in the world. This species is dependent on early successional riverine communities, typically comprising dense tall grasslands, commonly referred to as 'thatchland', but which, in its pristine state, is intermixed with a wide variety of herbaceous plants and early colonizing shrubs and young trees
The main threats to survival of Pygmy Hog are loss and degradation of habitat due to human settlements, agricultural encroachments, dry-season burning, livestock grazing, commercial forestry and flood control schemes; the latter as a result of the disruption of natural successions and the replacements of former grasslands by later stage communities or other developments.
Hunting for wild meat by tribes was not considered a major problem in the past but is now threatening the remnant populations.The survival of Pygmy Hogs is closely linked to the existence of the tall, wet grasslands of the region which, besides being a highly threatened habitat itself, is also crucial for survival of a number endangered species such as Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), tiger (Panthera tigris), swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli), wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee), hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus), Bengal florican (Eupodotis bengalensis), swamp francolin (Francolinus gularis) and some rare turtles and terrapins.
2 Andaman White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis)
3 Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi)
4 Nicobar White-tailed Shrew (Crocidura nicobarica)
5 Kondana Rat (Millardia kondana)
6 Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat (Cremnomys elvira)
7 Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
8 Malabar Civet (Viverra civettina)
9 Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
10 Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
Critically Endangered Reptiles
1 Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
2 Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
3 Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
4 Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska)
5 Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga)
6 Sispara day gecko (Cnemaspis sisparensis)
Critically Endangered Amphibians
1 Anamalai Flying Frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
2 Gundia Indian Frog (Indirana gundia)
3 Kerala Indian Frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
4 Charles Darwin’s Frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
5 Kottigehar Bubble-nest Frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
6 Amboli Bush Frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
7 Chalazodes Bubble-Nest Frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
8 Small Bush Frog (Raorchestes chotta)
9 Green-eyed Bush Frog (Raorchestes chlorosomma)
10 Griet Bush Frog (Raorchestes griet)
11 Kaikatt’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes kaikatti)
12 Mark’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes marki)
13 Munnar Bush Frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
14 Large Ponmudi Bush Frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
15 Resplendent Shrub Frog (Raorchestes resplendens)
16 Sacred Grove Bush frog (Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus)
17 Sushil’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes sushili)
18 Shillong Bubble-nest Frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
19 Tiger toad (Xanthophryne tigerinus)
Critically Endangered Fishes
1 Pondicherry Shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
2 Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
3 Knife-tooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
4 Large-tooth Sawfish (Pristis microdon)
5 Long-comb Sawfish or Narrow-snout Sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
Critically Endangered Corals
1 Fire corals (Millepora boschmai)
India is home to following Five types of Important Antelope Species
- Nilgai
- Chinkara
- Black Buck
- Tibetian Antelope
- Four-Horned Antelope
- Nilgai/ The Blue Bull(State Animal of Delhi)
An antelope found only in India, the Blue Bull or the Nilgai is unlike antelope in its build. It has a body of horse, face of a cow with high withers and low rump.
An adult bull has a dark grey coat with white ring on each foot. The color of coat in young bulls and cows is tawny. Male bulls have a distinct tuft of black hair on the throat. Bull Nilgai have very stout horns which are triangular at the base and circular towards the tip.
Nilgai is found only in India from the foothills of Himalayas to the forest of Karnataka and from the dry forest of Rajasthan to the forest of West Bengal and Assam.
Nilgai avoid dense forest and prefer the plains with low hills and scrubs. They are prone to raid the cultivation fields and are considered as pests by the farmers. They feed during the mornings and evenings and like to sit in shade in the afternoon. They are both grazer as well as browser and like to feed on leaves and on ber fruits. In central India they are frequently seen eating the fallen flowers of mahua tree. In the grasslands of Rajasthan and Gujarat they can be seen feeding along side black bucks. Nilgai drinks very little amount of water and go for a long period without water in winters and in summers also. The smell and the sight are good in Nilgai and any hint of danger can make them gallop at a very high speed. They have tendency of coming back to same spot for depositing their droppings. It also acts as a mean to meet with all the members of the herd.
The bulls are always seen solitary and the young bulls give company to females and other young ones. The number in a herd is normally around 4-8.
The normal gestation period in Blue Bull is 8-9 months and the mating takes place through out the year.
2. chinkara
A small graceful gazelle with light chestnut color The Chikara is easily recognized by its straight ringed horns and by constant flickering of its tail.
In India the Chinkara is found in the plains and low hills of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and the plains of Deccan.
Chinkara’s are quite shy in nature and tend to run off at the slightest sound. They prefer broken lands interspersed with ravines and nullahs. Chinkara come out to feed mainly in the evenings and are not prone to raid the crops. Chinkara has very well developed sight, smell and sound (hearing).
Chinkara can generally be seen in small groups of 3-4 but sometimes the group size can increase depending on the availability of fodder. They feed on grass, leaves, fruits especially ber and crops in the fields. Chinkara used to the dry and arid land is quite adapt in going without water for long durations. In certain instances they fulfill their need from the dew which forms on the leaves.
Breeding in Chinkara’s is twice in a year and the gestation is mainly for 5 months. The average height of a male Chinkara is around 24-26 inch at shoulder with horns in between 10-12 inches. Male Chinkara are quite territorial and protect their territory from other males.
3. Blackbuck (State Animal of Haryana,Andhra Pradesh and Punjab)
Blackbuck can be very strongly termed as the most beautiful animal of its kind. It is the only true representative of the genus Antilope in India. It beautiful color and spiral horns gives it great elegance unparallel by any other of its class.
In the younger blackbuck the color is fawn and same is of the doe also but gradually it becomes darker with age. In Southern India the coat of an adult male can be of brownish color. The horns of an adult male Blackbuck can easily reach its own shoulder height and start becoming spiral only from the age of third year.
In the old days Blackbuck was found all over the plains of India in big herds but was decimated by relentless hunting. Mughal king were known to hunt them regularly and used pet cheetahs for hunting the blackbucks.
Blackbuck prefer open plains covered with grass and scrubs. They can also be found near the cultivation fields. They have very keen eyesight and are known for their speed. When alarmed they run in leaps and bounds are known to clear 20-25 ft in a single leap. The herd is always led by the oldest and most seasoned female.
The breeding happens in February and March and during this time the males get into fights, with their horns locked, in order to posses the does.
4. Tibetan antelope,
The exceptionally fine underfur of the Tibetan antelope or chiru insulates it against the harsh climate of the Tibetan plateau. Unfortunately, this fur, known as shahtoosh, also makes the chiru a target for illegal hunters.
5. four-horned antelope/ Chowsingha
The Chowsingha even though called an antelope is not a true antelope like the Blackbuck. Its horns are not spiral but keeled in front.
Chowsingha or the Fourhorned Antelope is only antelope to have two pairs of horns. The front pair is always shorter then the back pair.
The color of the coat in Chowsingha is dull reddish brown with white on the belly. It has dark colored stripes on each leg with the stripes on forelegs more defined.
Chowsingha is found from Rajasthan to Orissa and in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
Its ideal habitat is undulating hills with tall grass and sparse forest. It can also be seen near the villages next to the forests. Chowsingha requires water quite frequently and is never far from the water body. Chowsingha lives a solitary life and come together only at the time of mating. As with other antelopes it has a habit of coming back to same place for defecating.
The breeding starts in the hotter months and can continue till the onset of rains. Young ones are born from October onwards till February. The normal gestation period in Chowsingha is 8 months.
Lion-Tailed Macaque:-
The Lion-tailed Macaque has a mane of hair and a tail that make it look like a lion. It is endangered because its forest habitat is being turned into farmland. Lion-tailed Macaque lives in forested areas in the Western Ghats, a mountain range in southwest India.The Lion-tailed Macaque likes fruit and nuts, but also eats insects. The males of Lion-tailed Macaque troops defend their territory with loud cries. In this respect, they are similar to lions.A monkey that looks like a lion!
The Lion-tailed Macaque is an Old World monkey that lives in India(that means it is a primate). It has a magnificent mane of hair around its face that makes it look like a lion. It gets its name from its tail, which has a tuft of fur at the end, just like a lion's tail.
Body length: Male 51-61cm / Female 46cm
Tail length: Male 25.4-38.6cm / Female 25.4-32cm
Weight: Male 5-10kg / Female 3-6kg
Endangered by disappearing forests and hunting
The biggest threat facing the Lion-tailed Macaque is deforestation due to logging. Its habitat is rapidly being converted into farmland. Compared to other monkeys to which it is closely related, the Lion-tailed Macaque requires a wider area of forest to live. Additionally, logging leads to a scarcity of the fruit on which the monkeys feed, which is particularly devastating. Moreover, in some areas Lion-tailed Macaques are caught for use as pets and are hunted for food. There are now no more than 4,000 Lion-tailed Macaques left in existence.
The lion-tailed macaque, a shy primate that used to spend the major part of its life in the upper canopy of trees has now turned social and its members seek food from travellers along Agumbe ghat in western ghats.
Swamp Deer, also known as Barasingha, is one of the most vulnerable species of deer of the Indian subcontinent as well as the world. Presently, one can find them only in the protected sanctuaries of India. Known by the scientific name of Cervus duvauceli, the swamp deep of India derives its name, Barasingha, from its large antlers. An adult male swamp deer has huge antlers, which branch to over twelve points. This led to it being named as Barasingha in Hindi, meaning the 12- antlered deer.
BARASINGHA:-
Natural Habitat One can find swamp deer in areas with tall grasses or in the reed beds near rivers. They prefer to stay in marshes or swamplands. In the India subcontinent, Barasinghas can be found occupying the forested areas in the Gangetic and Brahmaputra basins
Geographical Range At one point of time, Bara Singha used to inhabit most of the areas of northern as well as central India. However, today their habitat has been restricted to the protected forests of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh only. Infact, the population of Barasingha has decreased the world over and now their count is less than 5000 worldwide. Swamp deer of India can be further subdivided into three subspecies. Diet Barasinghas are basically herbivores. Their staple diet mainly consists of grass and leaves. The wetland subspecies of Barasingha can also be seen eating aquatic plants. Since they graze in early morning and evening, it is the best time to spot them.
National Parks
One can find the Swamp deer in the following national parks of India:
• Dudhwa National Park (Uttar Pradesh)
• Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh)
• Indravati National Park (Madhya Pradesh)
• Kaziranga National Park (Assam)
• Manas National Park (Assam)
Status and Threats Swamp deer occupies a place in the list of the endangered species of the world. Deforestation, along with the draining of swamps and marshes for farming, has led to the destruction of their natural habitat. At the same time, Barasinghas are hunted for their horns. Last but not the least, they catch diseases from the domestic cattle, which has lead to their death and a decline in their population.
The Changthangi goat:-
The Changthangi goat is a beautiful animal found in the cold, arid region surrounding Ladakh in Kashmir, India. It is also known as Pashmina goat or Changra goat. The breed is raised mainly for it’s ultra-fine cashmere wool production. This cashmere wool is known as Pashmina once woven. The breed was also reared for meat production in the past. Changthangi goat is a Kashmere goat, and this type of goats grow a thick, warm undercoat which is the source or Kashmir Pashmina wool. And the Kashmir Pashmina wool is considered as the world’s finest Kashmere, measuring between 12-15 microns in fiber thickness. This wool is used for the Kashmir’s famous Pashmina Shawls. Shawls made from Pashmina wool are exported worldwide at a very high price and considered as the finest of it’s kind.
The Changthangi goat is usually domesticated and raised by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang region of Greater Ladakh, Kashmir. This region is one of the highest plateaus in the world. The Changthangi goats are found mainly in Jammu & Kashmir with a few numbers in Punjab and Uttrakhand. And the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has put the Changthangi goat breed on the ‘endangered species list’.
Impeyan Monal:-
Himalayan Monal is also known as the impeyan Monal or Phesant. it is the state animal of Uttarakhand and National bird of the Nepal. It is also state bird of the himachal Pradesh until 2007.
the bird’s natural range extends from the eastern afghanistan through the himalayas in pakistan, kashmir region and republic of india(states of H.P, Utterakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh)
It occupies the upper temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows.
in some areas, the species is threatened due to the poaching and other anthropogenic causes.
Pangti village in Wokha District of the Nagalnd is the largest host for the Amur Falcons,which comes from the siberia on their way to south africa.
Especially,Doyang lake region of the Pangti village witness more than one million birds in 30 minutes. Their Itinerary is clearly known recently due to the satellite tagging to the two birds, Naga and Pangti.
The blood pheasant,State Bird of Sikkim:-
The blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) is the only species in genus Ithaginis of the pheasant family. This relatively small, short-tailed pheasant is widespread and fairly common in eastern Himalayas, ranging across India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. Since the trend of the population appears to be slowly decreasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009. The blood pheasant is the state bird of the Indian state of Sikkim.
The Red Panda,State Animal of Sikkim:-
The red panda is dwarfed by the black-and-white giant that shares its name. These pandas typically grow to the size of a house cat, though their big, bushy tails add an additional 18 inches (46 centimeters). The pandas use their ringed tails as wraparound blankets in the chilly mountain heights.
Red Panda Is the State animal of Sikkim
Habitat and Behavior
The red panda shares the giant panda's rainy, high-altitude forest habitat, but has a wider range. Red pandas live in the mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma), as well as in central China.
These animals spend most of their lives in trees and even sleep aloft. When foraging, they are most active at night as well as in the gloaming hours of dusk and dawn.
Red pandas have a taste for bamboo but, unlike their larger relatives, they eat many other foods as well—fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs. Like giant pandas, they have an extended wrist bone that functions almost like a thumb and greatly aids their grip.
Breeding and Population
They are shy and solitary except when mating. Females give birth in the spring and summer, typically to one to four young. Young red pandas remain in their nests for about 90 days, during which time their mother cares for them. (Males take little or no interest in their offspring.)
The red panda has given scientists taxonomic fits. It has been classified as a relative of the giant panda, and also of the raccoon, with which it shares a ringed tail. Currently, red pandas are considered members of their own unique family—the Ailuridae.
Red pandas are endangered, victims of deforestation. Their natural space is shrinking as more and more forests are destroyed by logging and the spread of agriculture.
Sambar Deer,State Animal of Odisha:-
the sambar (Rusa unicolor) is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine deer (called the "Philippine sambar") and the Javan rusa (called the "Sunda sambar"). The name is also spelled sambur, or sambhur.
Only the male sambar deer has antlers.There are
many subspecies of sambar deer, which vary
considerably in size and appearance.
The sambar deer has a broad diet and is well adapted to a wide
variety of forest types.The sambar deer is one of the few deer that
will confront quite large predators. It is the State Animal of
ODISHA
Himalayan Serow/Serow,State Animal of Mizoram:-
The Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar) also known as the thar (esp. in the Eastern Himalayas) is a goat-antelope native to the Himalayas, and eastern and southeastern Bangladesh. It has been classified as "Near Threatened" by IUCN because it is believed to be in significant decline due to hunting for food and habitat loss.
It is the state animal of the Mizoram.
Mrs. Hume's pheasant,State Bird of Manipur and Mizoram:-
Mrs. Hume's pheasant (Syrmaticus humiae), also known as Hume's pheasant or bar-tailed pheasant, is a large, up to 90 cm long, forest pheasant with a greyish brown head, bare red facial skin, chestnut brown plumage, yellowish bill, brownish orange iris, white wingbars and metallic blue neck feathers. The male has a long greyish white, barred black and brown tail. The female is a chestnut brown bird with whitish throat, buff color belly and white-tipped tail.
This rare and little known pheasant is found throughout forested habitats in China, India, Burma and Thailand. The diet consists mainly of vegetation matters. The female lays three to twelve creamy white eggs in nest of leaves, twigs and feathers.
The name commemorates Mary Ann Grindall Hume, wife of the British naturalist in India Allan Octavian Hume. It is the state bird of Manipur and Mizoram
Due to ongoing habitat loss, fragmented population and being hunted for food, the Mrs. Hume's pheasant is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
The Sangai,State Animal of Manipur:-
The sangai is an endemic, rare and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, India. It is also state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur brow-antlered deer and the scientific name, Rucervus eldii eldii McClelland. It lives in the marshy wetland in Keibul Lamjao about 45 km from Imphal. Its habitat is located in the southern parts of the Loktak Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in eastern India. It is also one of the seven Ramsar sites of international importance. The habitat of the sangai is now protected as the Keibul Lamjao National Park. The sangai is also the state animal of Manipur.
The brow-antlered deer or the dancing deer is found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Park over the floating biomass locally called "phumdi" in the south eastern part of Loktak Lake.
The number of deer listed in the Red Data Book was only 14 in 1975. After the declaration of the area as a national park and with strict conservation measures taken up by the Forest Department, the fear of its extinction has been greatly reduced
What is Phumdi?
Phumdi is the most important and unique part of the habitat. It is the floating mass of entangled vegetation formed by the accumulation of organic debris and biomass with soil. Its thickness varies from few centimeter to two meters. The humus of phumdi is black in color and very spongy with large number of pores. It floats with 4/5 part under water.
Indian giant squirrel,State Animal of Maharashtra:-
The Indian giant squirrel, or Malabar giant squirrel, (Ratufa indica) is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia. It is called शेकरू 'Shekru' in Marathi and is state animal of Maharashtra.
State Fish of Madhya Pradesh,Tor Tor
Tor tor, commonly known as the tor mahseer or tor barb, is a species of cyprinid fish found in fast-flowing rivers and streams with rocky bottoms in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. It is a commercially important food and game fish. Its population is rapidly declining in its native range due to overfishing. It is a large fish, reaching 36 cm (14 in) at maturity, but lengths of 150 centimetres (4.9 ft) have been recorded. It has near threatened status in IUCN Red List.
State Fish of Kerala, Green Chromide:-
The green chromide (Etroplus suratensis) is a species of cichlid fish from freshwater and brackish water in southern India and Sri Lanka. In Kerala in India it is known locally as the karimeen.
This fish is native to Sri Lanka and coastal regions of India. Many populations are likely introductions. It is also introduced in Singapore, where it occurs in estuaries.
The adult is oval in shape with a short snout. It is gray-green in color with dark barring and a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin. It commonly reaches 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length, and the maximum length is twice that.
This species lives in brackish water habitat types, such as river deltas. It eats mainly aquatic plants, but it consumes the occasional mollusc, diatoms, and other animal matter. This species engages in attentive parental care in which several adults care for each brood.
In 2010 this species was named the official state fish of Kerala. The following year was declared "The Year of the Karimeen". Karimeen pollichadhu, a fried dish, is a delicacy served in restaurants. It is familiar to tourists, but because it is very expensive it is not easily accessible to the common man. Production of the species for food is expected to increase in the near future.
State Bird of Jammu&Kashmir,The Black Necked Crane:-
The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a medium-sized crane in Asia that breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and winters mainly in remote parts of India and Bhutan. It is 139 cm (55 in) long with a 235 cm (7.8 ft) wingspan, and it weighs 5.5 kg (12 lbs). It is whitish-gray, with a black head, red crown patch, black upper neck and legs, and white patch to the rear of the eye. It has black primaries and secondaries. Both sexes are similar. Some populations are known to make seasonal movements. It is revered in Buddhist traditions and culturally protected across much of its range. A festival in Bhutan celebrates the bird while the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir considers it as the state bird.
Sarus Crane,State Bird of U.P:-
The sarus crane (Grus antigone) is the tallest flying bird in the world with some adult males reaching up to 1.8 metres tall . These elegant birds have predominantly grey plumage with a naked red head and neck and long, pale red legs . Juveniles have slightly darker plumage and buff-coloured feathers on their head
Hangul,State Animal of Jammu and Kashmir:-
The Kashmir stag (Cervus canadensis hanglu), also called hangul, is a subspecies of elk native to India. It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of the Kashmir Valley and northern Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it's found in the
Dachigam National Park where it receives protection but elsewhere it is more at risk. In the 1940s, the population was between 3000 and 5000 individuals, but since then habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching have greatly reduced that dramatically. Earlier believed to be a subspecies of red deer (Cervus elaphus), a number of mitochondrial DNA genetic studies have revealed that the hangul is part of the Asian clade of the elk (Cervus canadensis) and has not been evaluated by IUCN.
The Snow Leopard, State Animal of Himachal Pradesh:-
The snow leopard or ounce is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because, as of 2003, the size of the global population was estimated at 4,080–6,590 adults, of which fewer than 2,500 individuals may reproduce in the wild.
Drawing from the latest available data, the Global Snow Leopard and Eco-System Protection Program (GSLEP) uses an estimate of between 3,920 and 6,390 individuals in the wild. New data published in 2016, by Peter Zahler, Som Ale, et al. indicates that the number of wild snow leopards is currently between 4,700 and 8,700 individuals, raising the numbers of the population across 44 percent of their range.
Snow leopards inhabit alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft). In the northern range countries, they also occur at lower elevations.
Taxonomically, the snow leopard was classified as Uncia uncia since the early 1930s. Based on genotyping studies, the cat has been considered a member of the genus Panthera since 2008. Two subspecies have been attributed, but genetic differences between the two have not been settled.
The snow leopard is the National Heritage Animal of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The western tragopan,State Bird of Himachal Pradesh:-
The western tragopan or western horned tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is a medium-sized brightly plumed pheasant found along the Himalayas from north-eastern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan in the west to Uttarakhand within India to the east. The species is highly endangered and globally threatened.
The Black Francolin,State Bird of Haryana:-
The black francolin (Francolinus francolinus) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the Black Partridge. It is the state bird of Haryana state, India.
The Yellow-Throated Bulbul, State Bird of Goa:-
The yellow-throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) is a species of bulbul endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. It is confusable only with the white-browed bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively yellow on the head and throat apart from the yellow vent. The calls of this species are very similar to that of the white-browed bulbul.
The Gaur, State Animal of Goa:-
The gaur (Bos gaurus), also called Indian bison, is the largest extant bovine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% during the last three generations. Population trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are rebuilding in a few areas which had been neglected.
The gaur is the tallest species of wild cattle. The Malayan gaur is called seladang, and the Burmese gaur is called pyoung ပြောင်.
The domesticated form of the gaur Bos frontalis is called gayal or mithun.
wild water buffalo,State Animal of Chattisagarh
The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), also called Asian buffalo and Asiatic buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the remaining population totals less than 4,000, with an estimate of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. The population decline of at least 50% over the last three generations (24–30 years) is projected to continue. The global population has been estimated at 3,400 individuals, of which 3,100 (91%) live in India, mostly in Assam. The wild water buffalo represents most likely the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.
White Winged Duck,State Bird of Assam:-
One of the most endangered birds in the world is the white winged wood duck (Cairina scutulata). It was once distributed widely across north-east India and south-east Asia. But now, only about 800 survive in the wild of which about 450 are present in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. In India, the duck is limited to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Due to its ghostly call, it is called ‘Deo Hans’ or Spirit Duck in Assamese.
It has a black body, a white head that is thickly spotted with black, conspicuous white patches on the wings and red or orange eyes. Its average length is about 81 cm. The sexes are more or less alike, the male having more gloss on the plumage, and being much larger and heavier.
It mostly resides in dense tropical evergreen forest and is known to prefer inaccessible swampy areas formed by numerous rivers, streams, etc. The duck is generally found in pairs or in small parties of four to six, though parties of more than 10 are also recorded. It loves shade and spends most of the day in secluded jungle pools, occasionally perching on the trees during the day.
It is a crepuscular bird as it is most active at dusk and dawn.
Mithun/Gayal, State animal of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland:-
Gayal has been classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The weight of adult is between 600 kg to 1000 kg. Size between 240 cm to 330 cm. and the length of tail is between 70 cm to 105 cm. They are about 165 cm to 225 cm high at the shoulder.
The skin color of the head and body is blackish-brown in both sexes, and the lower portion of the limbs are white or yellowish, the shank and forehead are creamy white or yellowish in color.
Gayal has no hump above the dorsal ridge but the ball has an exuberance of flesh immediately over the shoulder.
The animal has a huge head, deep massive body and sturdy limbs. The neck is short. The forehead is broad and concave. It has broad ears and small dewlap.
Horns are 1.5 to 4.0 feet long and grow from the sides of the head, curving upwards. Yellow at the base, they gradually darken along their length until turning black at the tips. The horns of young ones are smooth and polished but in adults, the horns are rugged and indented at the base.
The short hair is dark reddish brown to blackish brown in color, while the lower legs are white. Males are larger than females.
Critically Endangered Birds of India:-
Critically endangered birds in India under a different classification can be grouped as:
1 Migratory Wetland Species
2 Non-migratory Wetland Species
3 Grassland Species
4 Forest Species
5 Scavengers
6 Practically extinct
The species falling under the Critically Endangered category in India include
migratory wetland species:
- Baer’s Pochard,
2. Siberian Crane
Siberian Crane is a large, strikingly majestic migratory bird that breeds and winters in wetlands. They are known to winter at KeoladeoNationalPark,Rajasthan. However the last documented sighting of the bird was in 2002.
Habitat: Wetland areas.
Distribution: Keoladeo National Park in
Rajasthan.
Threats: Pesticide pollution, wetland drainage, development of prime habitat into agricultural elds, and to some extent, hunting.
3. Spoon-billed Sandpiper
It requires highly specialized breeding habitat, a constraint that has always kept its population scarce. India is home to some of the last existing wintering grounds of this species (estimated at only 150-320 breeding pairs worldwide).
Habitat: Coastal areas with sparse vegetation. No breeding records further inland than 7 km from the seashore.
Distribution: Has been recorded in West Bengal, Orissa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Threats: Habitat degradation and land reclamation. Human disturbance also leads to high
incidence of nest desertion.
non-migratory wetland species:
- White-bellied Heron
The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is an extremely rare bird found in five or six sites in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, one or two sites in Bhutan, and a few in Myanmar. It is inherently rare, and populations have never been known to be very high.
Habitat: Rivers with sand or gravel bars or inland lakes.
Distribution: Bhutan and north-east India to the hills of Bangladesh and north Myanmar.
Threats: Loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands through direct exploitation and disturbance by humans.
grassland species:
1.Bengal Florican:
The Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) is a rare bustard species that is very well known for its mating dance. Among the tall grasslands, secretive males advertise their territories by springing from the ground and fitting to and fro in the air.
Habitat: Grasslands occasionally interspersed with scrublands.
Distribution: Native to only 3 countries in the world - Cambodia, India and Nepal. In India, it occurs in 3 states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Threats: Ongoing conversion of the bird’s grassland habitat for various purposes including agriculture is mainly responsible for its population decline.
2. Great Indian Bustard
The Great Indian Bustard is a most endangered species of bird found only in India and adjoining region. Bustard is one of the largest flying species of bird with weight up to 15 kg and about 1 m tall from the ground. The largest land bird habitat in the scrub, tall grass,semi-arid grasslands and semi desert regions of Rajasthan. Due to heavily hunting and habitat loss, the bird is disappearing from the many regions of India, Its state bird of Rajasthan. There is a wildlife sanctuary called Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary at Solapur, Maharashtra.
3. Jerdon’s Courser
The Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) is a nocturnal bird found only in the northern part of the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in peninsular India. It is a flagship species for the extremely threatened scrub jungle. The species was considered to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986 and the area of rediscovery was subsequently declared as the Sri Lankamaleswara Wildlife Sanctuary.
Habitat: Undisturbed scrub jungle with open areas.
Distribution: Jerdon’s Courser is endemic to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. However, 19th century records do attribute its presence in the neighbouring areas of the state of Maharashtra.
Threats: Clearing of scrub jungle, creation of new pastures, growing of dry land crops, plantations of exotic trees, quarrying and the construction of the Telugu-Ganga Canal. Illegal trapping of birds is also a threat.
4. Sociable Lapwing:
The Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarious) is a winter migrant to India. This species has suffered a sudden and rapid population decline due to which it has been listed as critically endangered.
Habitat: Fallow elds and scrub desert.
Distribution: Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Oman. In India, distribution is restricted to the north and north-west of the country.
Threats: Conversion of habitat to arable land, illegal hunting and proximity to human settlements.
forest species:
1. Forest Owlet Forest Owlet is the highly endangered species of the typical owls family and endemic to forests of central India. Small Forest Owlet was considered extinct but later rediscovered and small number population make this species critically endangered in India. Melghat Tiger Reserve,Taloda Forest Range and forest area of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are best place to located these small jungle owl. Forest Owlet is the state bird of Maharashtra now.
scavengers:
1. Indian Vulture,
2. Red-headed Vulture:
The Red-headed Vulture is also known as Indian Black Vulture or King Vulture is one of the species of Old World vultures found in the Indian Subcontinent. Due to the Diclofenac in veterinary medicine population of this species become extremely less in recent years. Indian Vulture,Slender-billed Vulture and White rumped Vulture are the few more species of vultures found in India and falls in the category of critically endangered species of birds.
3. White-backed Vulture and
4. Slender-billed Vulture.
Himalayan Quail and Pink-headed Duck are now considered Extinct for all practical purposes.
Important Endangered Species:-
Garuda/Greater Adjutant:-
There are only 1,100 Greater Adjutant [Leptoptilos dubius] which are migratory in nature, around the world. The bird is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List 2004 of threatened species and listed under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Greater Adjutant measures 145-150 cm (about three feet) in length and four to five feet in height.
The Greater Adjutant was formerly found in South and Southeast Asia but now it breeds only in Assam and Bhagalpur(Bihar) in India, and in Cambodia. Bhagalpur is the third nesting region of this species in the world.
Critically Endangered Arthropoda:
Peacock Tarantula
Poecilotheria metallica is a species of tarantula. It reflects brilliant metallic blue colour. Like others in its genus it exhibits an intricate fractal-like pattern on the abdomen. The species' natural habitat is deciduous forest in Andhra Pradesh, in central southern India. P. metallica was first discovered in the town of Gooty, a fact reflected in some of its common names: Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty sapphire, and Gooty tarantula. Other common names are metallic tarantula, peacock parachute spider, peacock tarantula, or salepurgu.
Habitat: Wooded mountain area of south India.
Distribution: Endemic to India
Threats: They are one of the most expensive spiders in the illegal pet trade. Large areas where the species occurs have been deforested, or subjected to habitat degradation due to local fuel wood collection, leading to decline in its population.
Rameshwaram Parachute Spider
Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica, also known as the Rameshwaram ornamental, or Rameshwaram parachute spider, is a critically endangered species of tarantula.
It was discovered in 2004 by Andrew Smith from a sacred grove of the Hanumavilasum Temple in Rameshwaram.
It was initially thought to be endemic to the Ramanathapuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, but has since been identified outside India in the Mannar District of Northern Sri Lanka. The close proximity of Mannar island to India suggests that the species may have dispersed over the land bridge between the two countries in the Pleistocene epoch.
Critically Endangered Mammals
1.Pygmy Hog
In the past, this species was confirmed from only a very few locations in northern West Bengal and north-western Assam in India, but is believed likely to have occurred in tall, wet alluvial grasslands extending in a narrow belt south of the Himalayan foothills from north-western Uttar Pradesh and southern Nepal to Assam, possibly extending at intervals into contiguous habitats in southern Bhutan However, it is now confined to a very few locations in and around Manas National Park in north-western Assam.
Today, this species is at the brink of extinction, as only a few isolated and small populations survive in the wild. In fact, the only viable population of the species, with a few hundred individuals, exists in small grassland pockets of Manas National Park (500 km²) and an adjacent reserve forest in the Manas Tiger Reserve and nowhere else in the world Sixteen captive-bred Pygmy Hogs were released in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and similar reintroductions have been planned in Nameri and Orang National Parks of Assam. There are about 75 animals in captivity in northwestern Assam.
The Pygmy Hog is the smallest and the rarest wild suid in the world. This species is dependent on early successional riverine communities, typically comprising dense tall grasslands, commonly referred to as 'thatchland', but which, in its pristine state, is intermixed with a wide variety of herbaceous plants and early colonizing shrubs and young trees
The main threats to survival of Pygmy Hog are loss and degradation of habitat due to human settlements, agricultural encroachments, dry-season burning, livestock grazing, commercial forestry and flood control schemes; the latter as a result of the disruption of natural successions and the replacements of former grasslands by later stage communities or other developments.
Hunting for wild meat by tribes was not considered a major problem in the past but is now threatening the remnant populations.The survival of Pygmy Hogs is closely linked to the existence of the tall, wet grasslands of the region which, besides being a highly threatened habitat itself, is also crucial for survival of a number endangered species such as Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), tiger (Panthera tigris), swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli), wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee), hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus), Bengal florican (Eupodotis bengalensis), swamp francolin (Francolinus gularis) and some rare turtles and terrapins.
2 Andaman White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis)
3 Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi)
4 Nicobar White-tailed Shrew (Crocidura nicobarica)
5 Kondana Rat (Millardia kondana)
6 Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat (Cremnomys elvira)
7 Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
8 Malabar Civet (Viverra civettina)
9 Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
10 Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
Critically Endangered Reptiles
1 Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
2 Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
3 Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
4 Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska)
5 Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga)
6 Sispara day gecko (Cnemaspis sisparensis)
Critically Endangered Amphibians
1 Anamalai Flying Frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
2 Gundia Indian Frog (Indirana gundia)
3 Kerala Indian Frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
4 Charles Darwin’s Frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
5 Kottigehar Bubble-nest Frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
6 Amboli Bush Frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
7 Chalazodes Bubble-Nest Frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
8 Small Bush Frog (Raorchestes chotta)
9 Green-eyed Bush Frog (Raorchestes chlorosomma)
10 Griet Bush Frog (Raorchestes griet)
11 Kaikatt’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes kaikatti)
12 Mark’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes marki)
13 Munnar Bush Frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
14 Large Ponmudi Bush Frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
15 Resplendent Shrub Frog (Raorchestes resplendens)
16 Sacred Grove Bush frog (Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus)
17 Sushil’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes sushili)
18 Shillong Bubble-nest Frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
19 Tiger toad (Xanthophryne tigerinus)
Critically Endangered Fishes
1 Pondicherry Shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
2 Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
3 Knife-tooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
4 Large-tooth Sawfish (Pristis microdon)
5 Long-comb Sawfish or Narrow-snout Sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
Critically Endangered Corals
1 Fire corals (Millepora boschmai)
India is home to following Five types of Important Antelope Species
- Nilgai
- Chinkara
- Black Buck
- Tibetian Antelope
- Four-Horned Antelope
- Nilgai/ The Blue Bull(State Animal of Delhi)
An antelope found only in India, the Blue Bull or the Nilgai is unlike antelope in its build. It has a body of horse, face of a cow with high withers and low rump.
An adult bull has a dark grey coat with white ring on each foot. The color of coat in young bulls and cows is tawny. Male bulls have a distinct tuft of black hair on the throat. Bull Nilgai have very stout horns which are triangular at the base and circular towards the tip.
Nilgai is found only in India from the foothills of Himalayas to the forest of Karnataka and from the dry forest of Rajasthan to the forest of West Bengal and Assam.
Nilgai avoid dense forest and prefer the plains with low hills and scrubs. They are prone to raid the cultivation fields and are considered as pests by the farmers. They feed during the mornings and evenings and like to sit in shade in the afternoon. They are both grazer as well as browser and like to feed on leaves and on ber fruits. In central India they are frequently seen eating the fallen flowers of mahua tree. In the grasslands of Rajasthan and Gujarat they can be seen feeding along side black bucks. Nilgai drinks very little amount of water and go for a long period without water in winters and in summers also. The smell and the sight are good in Nilgai and any hint of danger can make them gallop at a very high speed. They have tendency of coming back to same spot for depositing their droppings. It also acts as a mean to meet with all the members of the herd.
The bulls are always seen solitary and the young bulls give company to females and other young ones. The number in a herd is normally around 4-8.
The normal gestation period in Blue Bull is 8-9 months and the mating takes place through out the year.
2. chinkara
A small graceful gazelle with light chestnut color The Chikara is easily recognized by its straight ringed horns and by constant flickering of its tail.
In India the Chinkara is found in the plains and low hills of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and the plains of Deccan.
Chinkara’s are quite shy in nature and tend to run off at the slightest sound. They prefer broken lands interspersed with ravines and nullahs. Chinkara come out to feed mainly in the evenings and are not prone to raid the crops. Chinkara has very well developed sight, smell and sound (hearing).
Chinkara can generally be seen in small groups of 3-4 but sometimes the group size can increase depending on the availability of fodder. They feed on grass, leaves, fruits especially ber and crops in the fields. Chinkara used to the dry and arid land is quite adapt in going without water for long durations. In certain instances they fulfill their need from the dew which forms on the leaves.
Breeding in Chinkara’s is twice in a year and the gestation is mainly for 5 months. The average height of a male Chinkara is around 24-26 inch at shoulder with horns in between 10-12 inches. Male Chinkara are quite territorial and protect their territory from other males.
3. Blackbuck (State Animal of Haryana,Andhra Pradesh and Punjab)
Blackbuck can be very strongly termed as the most beautiful animal of its kind. It is the only true representative of the genus Antilope in India. It beautiful color and spiral horns gives it great elegance unparallel by any other of its class.
In the younger blackbuck the color is fawn and same is of the doe also but gradually it becomes darker with age. In Southern India the coat of an adult male can be of brownish color. The horns of an adult male Blackbuck can easily reach its own shoulder height and start becoming spiral only from the age of third year.
In the old days Blackbuck was found all over the plains of India in big herds but was decimated by relentless hunting. Mughal king were known to hunt them regularly and used pet cheetahs for hunting the blackbucks.
Blackbuck prefer open plains covered with grass and scrubs. They can also be found near the cultivation fields. They have very keen eyesight and are known for their speed. When alarmed they run in leaps and bounds are known to clear 20-25 ft in a single leap. The herd is always led by the oldest and most seasoned female.
The breeding happens in February and March and during this time the males get into fights, with their horns locked, in order to posses the does.
4. Tibetan antelope,
The exceptionally fine underfur of the Tibetan antelope or chiru insulates it against the harsh climate of the Tibetan plateau. Unfortunately, this fur, known as shahtoosh, also makes the chiru a target for illegal hunters.
5. four-horned antelope/ Chowsingha
The Chowsingha even though called an antelope is not a true antelope like the Blackbuck. Its horns are not spiral but keeled in front.
Chowsingha or the Fourhorned Antelope is only antelope to have two pairs of horns. The front pair is always shorter then the back pair.
The color of the coat in Chowsingha is dull reddish brown with white on the belly. It has dark colored stripes on each leg with the stripes on forelegs more defined.
Chowsingha is found from Rajasthan to Orissa and in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
Its ideal habitat is undulating hills with tall grass and sparse forest. It can also be seen near the villages next to the forests. Chowsingha requires water quite frequently and is never far from the water body. Chowsingha lives a solitary life and come together only at the time of mating. As with other antelopes it has a habit of coming back to same place for defecating.
The breeding starts in the hotter months and can continue till the onset of rains. Young ones are born from October onwards till February. The normal gestation period in Chowsingha is 8 months.
Lion-Tailed Macaque:-
The Lion-tailed Macaque has a mane of hair and a tail that make it look like a lion. It is endangered because its forest habitat is being turned into farmland. Lion-tailed Macaque lives in forested areas in the Western Ghats, a mountain range in southwest India.The Lion-tailed Macaque likes fruit and nuts, but also eats insects. The males of Lion-tailed Macaque troops defend their territory with loud cries. In this respect, they are similar to lions.A monkey that looks like a lion!
The Lion-tailed Macaque is an Old World monkey that lives in India(that means it is a primate). It has a magnificent mane of hair around its face that makes it look like a lion. It gets its name from its tail, which has a tuft of fur at the end, just like a lion's tail.
Body length: Male 51-61cm / Female 46cm
Tail length: Male 25.4-38.6cm / Female 25.4-32cm
Weight: Male 5-10kg / Female 3-6kg
Endangered by disappearing forests and hunting
The biggest threat facing the Lion-tailed Macaque is deforestation due to logging. Its habitat is rapidly being converted into farmland. Compared to other monkeys to which it is closely related, the Lion-tailed Macaque requires a wider area of forest to live. Additionally, logging leads to a scarcity of the fruit on which the monkeys feed, which is particularly devastating. Moreover, in some areas Lion-tailed Macaques are caught for use as pets and are hunted for food. There are now no more than 4,000 Lion-tailed Macaques left in existence.
The lion-tailed macaque, a shy primate that used to spend the major part of its life in the upper canopy of trees has now turned social and its members seek food from travellers along Agumbe ghat in western ghats.
Swamp Deer, also known as Barasingha, is one of the most vulnerable species of deer of the Indian subcontinent as well as the world. Presently, one can find them only in the protected sanctuaries of India. Known by the scientific name of Cervus duvauceli, the swamp deep of India derives its name, Barasingha, from its large antlers. An adult male swamp deer has huge antlers, which branch to over twelve points. This led to it being named as Barasingha in Hindi, meaning the 12- antlered deer.
BARASINGHA:-
Natural Habitat One can find swamp deer in areas with tall grasses or in the reed beds near rivers. They prefer to stay in marshes or swamplands. In the India subcontinent, Barasinghas can be found occupying the forested areas in the Gangetic and Brahmaputra basins
Geographical Range At one point of time, Bara Singha used to inhabit most of the areas of northern as well as central India. However, today their habitat has been restricted to the protected forests of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh only. Infact, the population of Barasingha has decreased the world over and now their count is less than 5000 worldwide. Swamp deer of India can be further subdivided into three subspecies. Diet Barasinghas are basically herbivores. Their staple diet mainly consists of grass and leaves. The wetland subspecies of Barasingha can also be seen eating aquatic plants. Since they graze in early morning and evening, it is the best time to spot them.
National Parks
One can find the Swamp deer in the following national parks of India:
• Dudhwa National Park (Uttar Pradesh)
• Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh)
• Indravati National Park (Madhya Pradesh)
• Kaziranga National Park (Assam)
• Manas National Park (Assam)
Status and Threats Swamp deer occupies a place in the list of the endangered species of the world. Deforestation, along with the draining of swamps and marshes for farming, has led to the destruction of their natural habitat. At the same time, Barasinghas are hunted for their horns. Last but not the least, they catch diseases from the domestic cattle, which has lead to their death and a decline in their population.
The Changthangi goat:-
The Changthangi goat is a beautiful animal found in the cold, arid region surrounding Ladakh in Kashmir, India. It is also known as Pashmina goat or Changra goat. The breed is raised mainly for it’s ultra-fine cashmere wool production. This cashmere wool is known as Pashmina once woven. The breed was also reared for meat production in the past. Changthangi goat is a Kashmere goat, and this type of goats grow a thick, warm undercoat which is the source or Kashmir Pashmina wool. And the Kashmir Pashmina wool is considered as the world’s finest Kashmere, measuring between 12-15 microns in fiber thickness. This wool is used for the Kashmir’s famous Pashmina Shawls. Shawls made from Pashmina wool are exported worldwide at a very high price and considered as the finest of it’s kind.
The Changthangi goat is usually domesticated and raised by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang region of Greater Ladakh, Kashmir. This region is one of the highest plateaus in the world. The Changthangi goats are found mainly in Jammu & Kashmir with a few numbers in Punjab and Uttrakhand. And the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has put the Changthangi goat breed on the ‘endangered species list’.
Himalayan Monal is also known as the impeyan Monal or Phesant. it is the state animal of Uttarakhand and National bird of the Nepal. It is also state bird of the himachal Pradesh until 2007.
Impeyan Monal:-
Himalayan Monal is also known as the impeyan Monal or Phesant. it is the state animal of Uttarakhand and National bird of the Nepal. It is also state bird of the himachal Pradesh until 2007.
the bird’s natural range extends from the eastern afghanistan through the himalayas in pakistan, kashmir region and republic of india(states of H.P, Utterakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh)
It occupies the upper temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows.
in some areas, the species is threatened due to the poaching and other anthropogenic causes.
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