K.J.Shah High School- Theba: Wild Animals of India

Wild Animals of India

Indian wild forest and national parks are home to many species of wild animals,birds and reptiles. More than 25% land of Indian states are covered with dense forest and provide shelter to the wildlife. List of big wild animals found in India are The Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, Great Indian Rhino, The Asiatic Lion, Indian Leopard,Indian giant squirrel, Indian wild Bore, Indian wild Ass, Black Buck, and Nilgai. India also boasts of a large number of reptiles that include venomous species of snakes and giant lizards.

Bengal tiger

The Bengal tiger is the second largest species of wild cat after the Siberian tiger and also the national animal of India. Panthera tigris tigris listed as endangered mammal and there are 3,890 individuals tigers life in the wild forest of India.

Indian elephants

Elephants are classified as mega herbivores and has been listed as endangered, threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. The largest population of Asiatic Elephant are found in South India, inhabits grasslands, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.

Rhinoceros

Indian Rhinoceros are also called great Indian rhinoceros are native to the Indian subcontinent, primarily found in north-eastern states of India. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park shelters the highest density of Indian rhinos in the world.

Indian Lions

Indian Lions are one of the five big cats found in India and one of the largest of Indian cat, lives as a single population in Gujarat. The habitat area of Asiatic lion is very small, they survives today only in the Gir National park of Gujarat and only about 411 lions are left in the wild forest of Junagarh.

Leopards

Indian Leopards are known for their ability of climbing the tress and are powerful swimmers. The Leopards share habitat with other predators but they are also threatened by loss of habitat and fragmentation.

Bears

Indian sloth bears are one of the 4 species of wild bears found in India and distinguished from Asian black bears by their lankier builds. Sloth bears species are native to the Indian subcontinent and listed as vulnerable.

Wild Water Buffalo

The wild water buffalo is the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo and the second largest wild bovid found in Assam. Wild water buffalo are endangered and live only in a small number of protected areas stretching across Nepal and Bhutan

Indian Wild Ass

Indian Wild Ass also called Khur are only found in the dry land of Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is home to large number of Indian wild ass and the population was estimated at 4,451 individual

Indian Bison

The Indian Bison commonly known as Gaur is the largest extant bovine and one of the most strong species of bovine, native to the Indian-Subcontinent. The Gaur is the tallest of wild cattle species and has been listed as vulnerable.

Nilgai – Blue Bull

Nilgai or blue bull is the biggest Asian antelope and one of the most commonly seen species of wild animals in India. Nilgai is a diurnal creature found inhabiting Indian grasslands their range covers national park plains and low hills with shrubs of India.

Blackbuck

Blackbuck is the most beautiful Indian antelope and sole extant member of the genus Antilope. The blackbuck is a diurnal antelope inhabits grassy plains and slightly forested areas.

King Cobra

King Cobra is the longets of all the living venomous snake in the world and feeds exclusively on other snakes including venomous snake species and own cobra species. The king cobra is distributed across the Indian subcontinent, mostly found in Karnataka and Kerala.

Indian Python

Indian Rock Python is a large nonvenomous species of python found in Indian Subcontinent. Pythons are strict carnivores and feed on other small mammals, birds and reptiles, Burmese python and Reticulated python are other species of Python found in India.

Gharial

Gharial is the longest of all living crocodilians found in the Indian Subcontinent. This fish eating crocodile inhabited river systems of Son River,Mahanadi in Satkosia Gorge,Katarniaghat and Chambal River.

Crocodile

Mugger crocodile is the most common species of Crocodile found in India, mostly inhabits rivers,freshwater lakes and swamps. The mugger is the largest and most skilled predator of Indian river systems,Gharial

Bengal Monitor

Indian Monitor is one of the largest species of monitor lizard, found widely distributed over the Indian Subcontinent. This large lizard are hunt on the ground and may be more arboreal, Asian water monitor liZard is another species found in India.

Black Panther

Black Panther is the black color variant of Indian Leopard, mostly found in the Western Ghats region. Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary,Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary are best places to spot Black Panther in India.

Chital

Chital or Spotted Deer is one of the most common species of deer found in the Indian subcontinent. Spotted Deer mainly feed on grasses and known for their large size and big antlers.

Sambar Deer

Sambar Deer is one of the largest species of deer found in Indai and known to have largest antlers. Sambar is the most commonly found deer species in Indian forest and favorite prey of tigers and lions.

Barasingha

Barasingha deer also known as swamp deer is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh and feed on grasses and aquatic plants. Swamp deer occur in the Kanha National Park of Madhya Pradesh and 6 localities in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian Jackal

Indian Jackal is one of the subspecies of golden jackal native to India, inhabits lowlands on the outskirts of towns and villages. Indian Jackal is one of the canid species found in India and very adaptable to urban and city life.

Nilgiri Tahr

Nilgiri Tahr or simply ibex is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills of South India and also the state animal of Tamil Nadu. The ungulate inhabits the high open montane grassland habitat of the Western Ghats. Tahr is one of the known species of wild goats found in India.

Lion Tailed Macaque

Lion Tailed Macaque is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India and known for its outstanding characteristic and lion tail. The diurnal rainforest dweller spends a majority of its life in the evergreen forests.

Golden Langur

Golden Langur found in a very small region of western Assam in India and listed as one of the most endangered primate species of India. Gee’s golden langur is one of the langur found in India, other langurs of India are Gray langur,Nilgiri langur and Black footed gray langur.

Honey Badger

Honey Badger known as the ratel is primarily a carnivorous species and has few natural predators. The ratel found in Indian subcontinent, mostly in the western ghats ranges of south India.

Indian Wolf

Indian Wolf is a intermediate size subspecies of grey wolf found in the Indian Subcontinent. Himalayan wolf and Tibetan wolf are two other species of canid native to India.

Indian Wild Dog

Dhole is the red dog species found in the Indian forest and listed as Endangered. Indian wild dog is a highly social animals and hunt medium and large sized ungulates.

Striped Hyena

Striped Hyena species is native to Africa, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. This scavenger is the smallest of the true hyenas and a monogamous animal.

Indian Civet

Indian civets are solitary and nocturnal wild animals spends most of the time on the ground. There are 6 species of wild civet found in the Indian Subcontinent, Malabar large spotted civet is the largest one endemic to the Western Ghats.

Himalayan Bears

Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan black bear,Eurasian brown bear and Asian black bear are four most common subspecies of Black and Brown bears found in India. These bears are omnivorous and hibernate in a den during the winter.

Red Panda

Red Panda has been classified as endangered and native to the eastern Himalayas. The red panda feeds mainly on bamboo and protected by national laws in their of countries.

Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard is one of the large wild cat native to the mountain ranges of Indian Subcontinent. Distribution and habitat of snow leopard in India includes high altitudes of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh,Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.

Clouded Leopard

Clouded leopard is one of the wild cat found in the Himalayan foothills of north east India. Clouded Leopard is considered between the big cats and the small cats and has been classified as Vulnerable.

Jungle cat

Jungle cat is also known as swamp cat native to India and other parts of Asia,widespread and common particularly in Indian states. These Jungle cats are one of the most common small cats found along rivers and lakes,Himalayas and swamp of Sundarbans.

Wild boar

Porcupine

Monitor Lizard

Pangolin

Grey Langeur

King Cobra

King Cobra is one of the most beautiful and highly venomous snake, distributed across the Indian subcontinent. The stunning King Cobra’s are snake eater and their diet consists of other snakes primarily on rat snakes.