Endangered Animals in India
India is home to roughly 172 species of the rarely found and endangered animals, 1250 species of birds and over 500 varieties of wild mammals. The country houses over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, 103 national parks & 49 tiger reserves.
India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Owing to its diversity, India has also been given the epithet of “Indian Subcontinent’’. This seventh largest country in the world abounds in richest assortment of fauna, flora, landscape, culture and climate. The northern most extreme of the country is guarded by the mighty Himalayas which acts as the country’s sentinel. The southern part of the country is surrounded on all sides by the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. The western most part of the country holds the blistering Thar Desert with its unique climate and fauna. The north eastern – part of the country is covered with dense jungles and plateaus. With such varied topography and climate, biodiversity is richest in India. The range of animals that inhabit different corners of India are as diverse as the culture followed there. Thus, tourists who come to India in order to explore its wildlife are always awe struck with such immense diversity spreading all across the country that can be found nowhere else in the world.
The varieties of species in India can be tracked back to the origin of the Indian landmass millions of years ago when the Gondwana land collided with the Laurasian landmass. The merging of these two gigantic landmasses also lead to the vast migration and mingling of wildlife species that faced the brunt of Mother Nature and nurtured by the process of evolution have now constituted the diverse flora and fauna of India.
India boasts of about 500 species of mammals amongst which some are very exclusive to India and cannot be found in any other parts of the world. It is home to Royal Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, deer, wolves, foxes, bears, crocodiles, wild dogs, Nilgiri monkeys, antelope species, varieties of bison and the Asian elephant. The one horned rhinoceros, an endangered animal in India is famous all over the world. Apart from that, India is also home to Golden langur, Golden Jackal, Himalayan wolf, Striped hyena, Macaques, Bengal fox, Dholes etc.,
Blessed with such huge drainage system along with an amazing coastline, India is home to about 447 species of reptiles (census 1994). Crocodiles are found in abundance in various lakes and swamps of India. The mighty Ganges and Brahmaputra are home to some of the most endangered gharials of the world. Tortoises, chameleons, turtles, monitor lizards are also some of the fascinating reptiles residing in multitudinous lakes and swamps all across the country. The flying lizard found in the Western Ghats of India is world famous. Snake enthusiasts also travel to India in search of many exotic snakes of India like the famous King Cobra.
India is a hotspot for bird watching as the country boasts of about 1250 species of birds amongst which some are migratory and some are residential of Indian subcontinent. Along with the statistics of discovered species of birds, the unexplored corners of the northern Himalayas and southern jungles comprise a treasure trove for new discovery of bird species. Some of the famous bird species of India are Bittern, Great Indian Hornbill, Crested Serpent Eagle, Peacock etc., Apart from that, the common city birds of India are also very varied in nature like Common Mynah, Parakeet, Rock Pigeon, House Crow, Indian Pond Heron, Black Kite, Cattle Egret, and House Sparrow.
The Western Ghats of India is home to the largest species of amphibians in India. India is home to about 220 species of amphibians. The Western Ghats is a paradise for researchers and wildlife enthusiast in order to discover new species of amphibians like the recently discovered Indian dancing frog. The tropical and rainy climate of the Western Ghats is suitable for nurturing some of the world famous amphibians like Purple Frog, Cricket Frog, Skipper Frog etc., The Programme of Lost Amphibians of India has been launched in order to rediscover amphibians of India, some of which are as old as 169 years.
India has about 2 million square kilometres of sea and large drainage system and lakes scattered all over the country. This makes India home to about 2550 species of fishes along with other marine species like crabs, shrimps. The fishes that are found in India are Big eye tuna, Indian Pomfret, Skipjack Tuna, Malabar Reef Cod. Both freshwater as well as seawater species are abundant in India.
This unimaginable treasure of India in terms of flora and fauna is protected in about 103 national parks and 528 wildlife sanctuaries of the country. Apart from that, India has given special care for the conservation of tiger with its special Tiger Reserves. Thus, India is one of the leading counties in the world that is ubiquitous in unique wildlife.
