Wildlife of India

Wildlife of India

Biodiversity

* Fauna
* Flora

Lists

* Amphibians
* Ants
* Birds
* Butterflies
* Endangered animals
* Fish
* Mammals
* Molluscs
* Moths
* Odonates
* Reptiles
* Spiders
* Tiger beetles

Protected areas

* Biosphere reserves
* Communal forests
* Conservation areas
* Conservation and community reserves
* Elephant reserves
* National parks
* Private protected areas
* Ramsar Sites
* Reserved and protected forests
* Tiger reserves
* Wildlife sanctuaries

Conservation

Projects

* Cheetah
* Dolphin
* Elephant
* Tiger

Acts of Parliament

* Indian Forest Act 1927
* Wildlife Protection Act 1972
* Wildlife Protection Act 2002

Organisations

National

* Ministry of Environment and Forests
* National Biodiversity Authority
* Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding
* Council of Forestry Research
* Indian Forest Service / Survey
* Institute of Forest Management
* Wildlife Institute
* Tiger Conservation Authority
* Zoo Authority

International

* Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
* International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
* South Asian Zoo Association (SAZARC)
* World Animal Protection
* World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)
* World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Related topics

* Environmental issues
* Fossil parks
* Forestry
* Natural history
* Tourism

Lists

* Botanical gardens
* Ecoregions
* Zoological gardens

Wildlife population

* Elephant
* Tiger
* Wildlife

* v
* t
* e

India is one of the most biodiverse regions and is home to a large variety of wildlife. It is one of the 17 megadiverse countries and includes three of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots – the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, and the Indo-Burma hotspot.[1][2]

About 24.6% of the total land area is covered by forests. It has various ecosystems ranging from the high altitude Himalayas, tropical evergreen forests along the Western Ghats, desert in the north-west, coastal plains and mangroves along the peninsular region. India lies within the Indomalayan realm and is home to about 7.6% of mammal, 14.7% of amphibian, 6% of bird, 6.2% of reptilian, and 6.2% of flowering plant species.

Human encroachment, deforestation and poaching are significant challenges that threaten the existence of certain fauna and flora. Government of India established a system of national parks and protected areas in 1935, which have been subsequently expanded to nearly 1022 protected areas by 2023. India has enacted the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and special projects such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant and Project Dolphin for protection of critical species.

## Fauna[edit]

Main article: Fauna of India

Indian elephant, the largest animal species in India

India has an estimated 92,873 species of fauna, roughly about 7.5% of the species available worldwide.[3][4] Insects form the major category with 63423 recorded species. India is home to 423 mammals, 1233 birds, 526 reptiles, 342 amphibians, 3022 fish apart from other species which form 7.6% of mammal, 14.7% of amphibian, 6% of bird, 6.2% of reptilian species worldwide.[3][5]

Many Indian species are descendants of species originating in Gondwana, of which India originally was a part. Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, volcanism in the Deccan Traps and climatic change 20 million years ago caused the extinction of many endemic Indian forms.[6] Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalayas.[7] As a result, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians[5]

India is home to several well-known large animals, including the Indian elephant,[8] Indian rhinoceros,[9] and Gaur.[4] India is the only country where the big cats tiger and lion exist in the wild. Members of the cat family include Bengal tiger,[10] Asiatic lion,[11] Indian leopard,[12] snow leopard,[13] and clouded leopard.[14] Representative and endemic species include blackbuck, nilgai, [bharal]], barasingha, Nilgiri tahr, and Nilgiri langur.[4]

There are about 31 species of aquatic mammals including dolphins, whales, porpoises, and dugong.[15] Reptiles include the gharial, the only living members of Gavialis and saltwater crocodiles.[4] Birds include peafowl, pheasants, geese, ducks, mynas, parakeets, pigeons, cranes, hornbills, and sunbirds.[4] Endemic bird species include great Indian hornbill, great Indian bustard, nicobar pigeon, ruddy shelduck, Himalayan monal, and Himalayan quail.[16][17]

## Flora[edit]

Lotus, the national flower of India

Main article: Flora of India

About 24.6% of the total land area is covered by forests.[18] It has various ecoregions ranging from the high altitude Himalayas, tropical evergreen forests along the Western Ghats, desert in the north-west, coastal plains and mangroves along the peninsular region.[19]

There are about 29,015 species of plants including 17,926 species of flowering plants. This is about 9.1% of the total plant species identified worldwide and 6,842 species are endemic to India. Other plant species include 7,244 algae, 2,504 bryophytes, 1,267 pteridophytes and 74 gymnosperms.[3] One-third of the fungal diversity of the world exists in India with over 27,000 recorded species, making it the largest biotic community after insects.[20][21]

## Conservation[edit]

Main article: Conservation in India

India harbors 172 (2.9%) IUCN-designated threatened species.[22] These include 39 species of mammals, 72 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, three species of amphibians, two species of fish, and a number of insects including butterflies, moths, and beetles.[4][23]

Human encroachment, deforestation and poaching are significant challenges that threaten the existence of certain fauna and flora. Government of India established a system of national parks and protected areas in 1935, which have been subsequently expanded to nearly 1022 protected areas by 2023. Various laws have been enacted such as Indian Forest Act, 1927 and Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and special projects such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant and Project Dolphin have been initiated for the protection of forests, wildlife and critical species.[7][24]

As of 2023, there are 1022 protected areas including 106 national parks, 573 wildlife sanctuaries, 220 conservation reserves and 123 community reserves. In addition, there are 55 tiger reserves, 18 biosphere reserves and 32 elephant reserves.[18]

## National symbols[edit]

National symbols of India Symbol  | Name  | Scientific name  | Image  | Reference

|
|
|
|

Animal | Bengal tiger | Panthera tigris |  | [25]
Bird | Indian peafowl | Pavo cristatus |  | [25]
Flower | Lotus | Nelumbo nucifera |  | [26]
Tree | Banyan | Ficus benghalensis |  | [26]
Fruit | Mango | Mangifera indica |  | [26]
Aquatic animal | Ganges river dolphin | Platanista gangetica |  | [27]
Heritage animal  | Indian elephant | Elephas maximus |  | [28]
Reptile | King cobra | Ophiophagus hannah |  | [28]

## See also[edit]

* List of birds of India
* List of mammals of India
* List of reptiles of South Asia
* Wildlife population of India

## References[edit]

1. ^ Stephen, A.; Suresh, R. & Livingstone, C. (2015). "Indian Biodiversity: Past, Present and Future". International Journal of Environment and Natural Sciences. 7: 13–28.
2. ^ "Biodiversity Hotspots". CEPF. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
3. ^ a b c "List of Species". Government of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Fauna of India". Government of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
5. ^ a b Biodiversity profile for India (Report). United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
6. ^ K. Praveen Karach. (2006). Out-of-India Gondwanan origin of some tropical Asian biota (PDF) (Report).
7. ^ a b Tritsch, M.E. (2001). Wildlife of India. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-711062-6.
8. ^ Baskaran, N. & Desai, A. A. (1996). "Ranging behaviour of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, South India" (PDF). SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group. 15: 41–57.
9. ^ Choudhury, A. U. (1985). "Distribution of Indian one-horned rhinoceros". Tiger Paper. 12 (2): 25–30.
10. ^ Jhala, Y. V.; Qureshi, Q.; Nayak, A. K. (2019). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India 2018. Summary Report. TR No./2019/05. New Delhi, Dehradun: National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India.
11. ^ Singh, H. S. & Gibson, L. (2011). "A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) of Gir forest" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 144 (5): 1753–1757. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009.
12. ^ Mondal, K.; Gupta, S.; Bhattacharjee, S.; Qureshi, Q. & K. Sankar (2012). "Prey selection, food habits and dietary overlap between leopard Panthera pardus (Mammalia: Carnivora) and re-introduced tiger Panthera tigris (Mammalia: Carnivora) in a semi-arid forest of Sariska Tiger Reserve, Western India". Italian Journal of Zoology. 79 (4): 607–616. doi:10.1080/11250003.2012.687402.
13. ^ Mishra, C. (1997). "Livestock depredation by large carnivores in the Indian trans-Himalaya: conflict perceptions and conservation prospects" (PDF). Environmental Conservation. 24 (4): 338–343. doi:10.1017/S0376892997000441.
14. ^ Choudhury, A. U. (1992). "The Clouded Leopard in Assam". Oryx. 27 (1): 51–53. doi:10.1017/s0030605300023966.
15. ^ Aquatic mammals of India (PDF) (Report). Marine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India. 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
16. ^ "7 Rare and Exotic Wildlife Species that can be found in India". 19 June 2015.
17. ^ "Animals in Indian Sub-Continent". Archived from the original on 2 March 2022.
18. ^ a b "Protected areas". Government of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
19. ^ "Eco-regions of India". Ecoregion restoration alliance. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
20. ^ Manoharachary, C.; Sridhar, K.; Singh, R.; Adholeya, A.; Suryanarayanan, T. S.; Rawat, S. & Johri, B.N. (2005). "Fungal biodiversity: Distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India" (PDF). Current Science. 89 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2017.
21. ^ Fungal biodiversity: Distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India (Report). Retrieved 1 December 2023.
22. ^ Groombridge, B. (1993). The 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (Report). IUCN. p. 286.
23. ^ "India's bird populations 'declining sharply', research shows". 18 February 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
24. ^ Singh, M. P.; Singh, J. K.; Mohanka, R. (2007). Forest Environment and Biodiversity. Daya Publishing House. pp. 116–118. ISBN 9788170354215.
25. ^ a b "National symbols". Government of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
26. ^ a b c "National symbols of India". Government of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
27. ^ "Dolphin becomes India's national aquatic animal". Archived from the original on 8 October 2009.
28. ^ a b "Significant symbols". The Hindu. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2023.

## Further reading[edit]

* Saravanan, Velayutham. Environmental History of Modern India: Land, Population, Technology and Development (Bloomsbury Publishing India, 2022) online review
* Prasad, S.N.; Ramachanandra, T.V.; Ahalya, N.; Sengupta, T.; Kumar, A.; Tiwari, A.K.; Vijayan, V.S. & Vijayan, L. (2002). "Conservation of wetlands of India – a review". Tropical Ecology. 43 (1): 173–186. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.526.3559.
* Manoharachary, C.; Sridhar, K.; Singh, R.; Adholeya, A.; Suryanarayanan, T. S.; Rawat, S. & Johri, B.N. (2005). "Fungal biodiversity: Distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India" (PDF). Current Science. 89 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2017.
* Jamaluddin, M.G.; Goswami; B.M. Ojha (2004). Fungi of India 1989–2001. Scientific Publishers. ISBN 8172333544.

## External links[edit]

* Official website of: Government of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests
* "Legislations on Environment, Forests, and Wildlife" from the Official website of: Government of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests
* "India's Forest Conservation Legislation: Acts, Rules, Guidelines", from the official website of the Government of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests
* Wildlife Legislations, including - "The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act" from the Official website of: Government of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests

* v
* t
* e

Geography of India

Geology|

* Fossil Parks
* Geology of India
* Indian Plate

Heritage|

* National Geological Monuments of India
* Sacred groves of India
* Sacred mountains of India
* Sacred rivers of India
* Stones of India

Landforms|

* Beaches
* Borders
* Coasts
* Canals
* Desert
* ECZ
* Extreme points
* Glaciers
* Highest point by states
* Islands
* Lakes
* Mountains
* Mountain passes
* Rivers
* Valleys
* Volcanoes
* Waterfalls
* Plains
* Indo-Gangetic
* Eastern Coastal
* Western Coastal

Regions|

* North India
* Northwest
* Northeast India
* East India
* South India
* Southwest
* Southeast
* West India
* Central India

Subdivisions|

* States and territories
* Autonomous areas
* Divisions
* Districts
* Cities
* Towns
* Municipalities

Environment and climate|

* Biogeographic classification
* Ecoregions
* Biospheres
* Fauna
* Flora
* Forests
* Issues
* Protected Areas
* Wildlife

See also|

* National monuments of India
* National parks of India
* Nature worship in Indian-origin religions
* World Heritage Sites in India
* Climate of India
* Culture of India
* Environment of India
* History of India
* Tourism in India

* v
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Wildlife of Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* East Timor (Timor-Leste)
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

* v
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Tourism in India

By state|

* Highest points of each state
* Andhra Pradesh
* Andaman and Nicobar Islands
* Assam
* Bihar
* Delhi
* Chhattisgarh
* Goa
* Gujarat
* Himachal Pradesh
* Jammu and Kashmir
* Jharkhand
* Haryana
* Karnataka
* Kerala
* Ladakh
* Madhya Pradesh
* Maharashtra
* Mizoram
* Northeast India
* Odisha
* Puducherry
* Punjab
* Rajasthan
* Telangana
* Tamil Nadu
* Uttar Pradesh
* Uttarakhand
* West Bengal

By city|

* Agra
* Ahmedabad
* Ajmer
* Aurangabad
* Bangalore
* Bhopal
* Bhubaneshwar
* Bikaner
* Chandigarh
* Chennai
* Coimbatore
* Dehradun
* Delhi
* Gwalior
* Guwahati
* Hyderabad
* Indore
* Jabalpur
* Jaipur
* Jammu
* Jodhpur
* Kochi
* Kolkata
* Kozhikode
* Lucknow
* Madurai
* Mumbai
* Mysore
* Nagpur
* Patna
* Prayagraj
* Pune
* Srinagar
* Surat
* Thiruvananthapuram
* Tiruchirappalli
* Udaipur
* Vadodara
* Varanasi
* Vellore
* Vijayawada
* Visakhapatnam

Types|

* Hindi cinema
* International Film Festival of India
* Mumbai Film City
* Hydrabad Ramoji Film City

* Borders of India
* Border ceremonies
* Border markets
* Border crossings
* List of extreme points of India

* Bridges
* Historical bridges
* Chenab Rail Bridge
* Living root bridges
* Longest bridges overall
* Longest above water

* Diaspora and colonial past
* Anglo-Indians
* Old China Market, Kolkata
* French India
* Pondicherry
* Karaikal
* Yanaon
* Mahe
* Korean India
* Memorial of Heo Hwang-ok
* Portuguese India
* Goa
* Daman and Diu
* Tibetan India
* Dharamshala
* Majnu-ka-tilla

* X of India
* Switzerland of India
* Auli
* Barot
* Gulmarg
* Kausani
* Khajjiar
* Manipur
* Venice of India
* Alappuzha
* Grand Canyon of India
* Gandikota
* Niagara Falls of India
* Chitrakote Falls
* Scotland of India
* Coorg

* List of festivals in India
* Fairs: Melās
* Annual rural Olympics of India: Qila Raipur Sports Festival
* Festival of ancient LGBT rituals: Koovagam temple festival
* Festival of bull running: Jallikattu
* Festival of cannabis: Ambubachi Mela, Hola Mohalla, Holi, Maha Shivaratri
* Festival of colors: Holi
* Festival of colorful: Lathmar Holi
* Festival of dance: Garba
* Festival of divine knowledge: Gita Mahotsav
* Festival of girl child worship: Kanya Puja
* Festival of human pyramids: Dahi Handi
* Festival of the Indus river: Sindhu Darshan Festival
* Festival of kite flying: Uttarayana
* Festival of knowledge ad arts worship: Saraswati pouja
* Festival of lights: Diwali
* Festival of siblings: Raksha Bandhan
* Festival of snake boat races: Vallam kali
* National festivals: Public holidays in India
* World's largest fair with 50 million attendees: Kumbh Mela

* Festivals of arts and culture
* Delhi Queer Pride Parade
* Desert Festival of sand dunes
* Rann Utsav
* Surajkund International Crafts Mela

* Food tourism
* Cuisine by states
* Tea estate tourism
* Munnar
* Darjeeling
* Kalimpong
* Food
* Paan
* Panipuri
* Drinks
* Bhang lassi
* Desi daru
* Indian whisky
* Indian beer
* Old Monk rum
* Kasauli Brewery, the oldest brewery in India

* Geological heritage sites
* Magnetic hills
* Caves of Meghalaya
* Ghat Roads
* Himalayas
* Western Ghats
* Tallest mountains

* Historical and archaeological
* Archaeological sites
* Archaeoastronomical sites
* Ashoka pillars
* Bhimbetka
* Rock-cut temples
* Cave paintings
* Colossal in-situ sculptures
* Dolmens
* Forts
* Fossil
* Havelis
* India Gate
* IVC sites
* Menhirs
* Monuments
* Museums
* National heritage sites
* Rrock-cut temples
* World heritage sites
* Stepwells

* Nature
* Beaches
* Caves
* Caves of Maharashtra
* Coral reefs
* Caves of Meghalaya
* Hill stations
* Highest points of each state
*     * Islands
* Floating islands of Loktak Lake
* Floating island of Prashar Lake
*     * Lakes
* Chilika Lake
* Roopkund lake of skeletons
* Floating islands of Loktak Lake
* Floating island of Prashar Lake
*     * Mountains
* Rice terraces of Himalayas
* Scenic Ghat roads
* Waterfalls
*     * Wildlife
* National parks
* Protected areas
* Sacred groves of India
* Largest tree span of the world

* Railway
* Aerial tramways
* Luxury trains
* UNESCO Heritage Mountain railways
* UNESCO Heritage Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
* Matheran Hill Railway

* Indian religions
* Buddhism
* Hinduism
* Jainism
* Sikhism
* Indian religious festivals
* Hindu festivals
* Buddhist festivals
* Jain festivals
* Sikh festivals
* Pilgrim yatras
* Parikrama pilgrim circuits
* Pilgrimage sites
* Sacred ghats
* Sacred girl child as living goddesses
* Sacred groves
* Sacred mountains
* Sacred rivers
* Sacred trees
* Golden Temple
*     * Varanasi
* Akhara
* Kashi Vishwanath Temple
* Manikarnika Ghat cremation pyres
* Naga sadhu

* Foreign religions in India
* Baháʼí
* Lotus Temple
* Zoroastrianism
* Judaism
* Bene Ephraim
* Bene Israel
* Bnei Menashe
* Cochin Jews
* Desi Jews
* Meshuchrarim
* Paradesi Jews
* Sephardic Jews in India

* Novelty
* Kargil Maitreya Buddhas
* Malana valley
* Hindu weddings
* Haunted ruined city of Kuldhara
* Haunted and wild leopards's den of Bhangarh Fort
* Banyan trees
* World's highest race
* Valley of Flowers
* Temple for rats
* Ancient Veerabhadra Temple

* Specialty
* Aerial tramways
* Atomic tourism and Pokhran
* Ayurvedic tourism
* Golden Triangle
* Medical tourism
* New 7 Wonders
* Sex tourism
* Yoga tourism

* Sport
* Royal Enfield biking
* Car Rally
* Cricket
* Mountaineering
* Skiing
* Great Tibetan Marathon
* Ladakh Marathon

* Statues
* Equestrian
* Most famous
* Tallest

* Tallest structures
* Buildings
* Structures
* Kalisindh Thermal Power Station 202 m
* Statue of Unity 182 m
* Gopuram 76 m

* Tallest towers
* Rameswaram TV Tower 323 m
* Jaisalmer TV Tower 300 m
* Samatra TV Tower 300 m
* Pitampura TV Tower 235 m

* War memorials
* National
* Military
* Police
* Southern Command
* Amar Jawan Jyoti
* India Gate
* Kargil

Organisations|

* India Tourism Development Corporation
* Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation
* Assam Tourism Development Corporation
* Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation
* Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation
* Gujarat Tourism
* Haryana Tourism Corporation
* Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation
* Kerala Tourism Development Corporation
* Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation
* Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
* Odisha Tourism Development Corporation
* Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation
* Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation
* Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation
* Uttar Pradesh Tourism
* West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation

See also|

* Incredible India
* Atithi Devo Bhava
* Namaste
* Indianisation
* Indosphere
* Sanskritisation
* Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava
* Indian diaspora
* Visa policy of India

* Category
* Commons

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