India has some of the world's most biodiverse regions. India's rich and abundant animal life is attributed to it's diverse climate and geography.The political boundaries of India encompass a wide range of ecozones—desert, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands, areas surrounding rivers, as well as island archipelago. It hosts 3 biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Himalayas and the Indo-Burma region. These hotspots have numerous endemic species.
India displays significant biodiversity. One of eighteen megadiverse countries, it is home to 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of all avian, 6.2% of all reptilian, 4.4% of all amphibian, 11.7% of all fish, and 6.0% of all flowering plant species.
There are about 2,546 species of fishes (about 11% of the world species) found in Indian waters. About 197 species of amphibians (4.4% of the world total) and more than 408 reptile species (6% of the world total) are found in India. Among these groups the highest levels of endemism are found in the amphibians.There are about 1,250 species of birds from India, with some variations, depending on taxonomic treatments, accounting for about 12% of the world species.There are about 410 species of mammals known from India, which is about 8.86% of the world species
Important Animals of India
Bengal Tiger
Bengal tiger is a subspecies of tiger, which is found in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. One of the most common tiger subspecies, it is also found in a number of other Asian countries, like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tibet, etc. Usually Royal Bengal Tigers of India are reddish-brown to rust-brown in color with black stripes all over. However, a mutation may result in their color being white also. Such a tiger is known as the White tiger. Bengal tiger is the national animal of both the Indian subcontinent as well as Bangladesh. One can visit Bengal Tiger to any Tiger Reserve in India.
Indian Asiatic Lion
Asiatic Lions once used to roam around the area, stretching from northern Greece, across Southwest Asia, to central India. However, today, the natural habitat of the majestic animal has been reduced to the Gir forests of India only, making the Asiatic Lion almost synonymous with the Indian Lion. Known scientifically as Panthera Leo persica, the royal animal is depicted on the National Emblem of India, since it represents power, strength and sovereignty. Gir National Park is the only remaining place in the world, where one is likely to see the Asiatic Lion.
Indian Clouded Leopard
The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium-sized cat found in North-East India and Southeast Asia. It has a tan or tawny coat, and is distinctively marked with large, irregularly-shaped, dark-edged ellipses which are said to be shaped like clouds. This unique appearance gave the mammal both its common and scientific species name (Nebulosus is the Latin for “cloudy”). The Clouded Leopard was a confusion to scientists for a long time because of the appearance and skeleton. It was what seemed to be a cross in between a big cat and a small cat. The scientific name of the genus, Neofelis, originates from neo, which means “new”, and felis, which means “small cat”, so it literally means new kind of small cat.
Indian Leopard
Indian leopard is one of the 8-9 valid leopard subspecies found throughout the world. Known by the scientific name of Panthera pardus, it is the fourth largest of the four 'big cats' of the Panthera genus. At the same time, leopards are also the fifth largest of all cat species. The name 'Leopard' has been derived from a combination of two Greek and Latin words leo and pard, 'leo' meaning lion and 'pard' meaning panther. This name was given to the animal since it was initially believed to be crossbreed of a lion and a panther.
Indian Snow Leopard
Snow leopard is a native animal of mountain ranges of central and southern Asia, including India. It is also known as Ounce and has a scientific name of "Panthera uncia". Snow leopards can live for a maximum of 18 years in then wild. In captivity, their lifespan increases to 20 years.
Indian Black Bear
Indian black bear is also known by the names of Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Tibetan black bear, Himalayan black bear and Moon bear. They grow to a length of approximately 4 to 6 feet, right from the nose to the tail. The small eyes of the bear, along with its rounded ears, a long snout, a large body, a short tail, and shaggy hair, differentiate it from the other types of bears. The small shoulder hump, a furry rear instep, a concave facial contour, small and curved claws and narrow ears further accentuate the difference. Last but not the least, Asiatic black bear also has a whitish V-shaped breast patch, not found in the other bear species of India.
The male black bear weighs between 220 and 480 pounds, while the females are110 to 275 pounds in weight. The senses of the Himalayan black bears of India are greatly developed and they boast of almost twice the hearing sensitivity possessed by humans. Black bears have colored vision and their eyesight is very sharp. Even their olfactory senses (ability to smell) are highly evolved. The mating season of the Himalayan black bears is usually from late May to early July. They give birth to two cubs at a time, which stay with the mother for almost seventeen months.
Indian Black Buck
Indian black buck is also known by a number of other names like Kala Hiran, Sasin, Iralai Maan and Krishna Jinka. The scientific name of the black buck antelope is Antilope cervicapra and it natural habitat is the Indian subcontinent. Grass forms the staple diet of the blackbucks. However, they do eat pods, flowers and fruits as supplements. The average lifespan of the Indian kala hiran is twelve years and at the maximum, they live for sixteen years. Black bucks are hunted by dogs and wolves.
Indian Gazelle
Indian Gazelle, also known as Chinkara, is a species of gazelle found in South Asia. It belongs to the Bovidae family and is scientifically known as Gazella bennettii. The life expectancy of a Chinkara is between 12 to 15 years, less than that of many other deer species. Male gazelles are believed to be territorial in nature and are not prone to wandering for large distances. Gazelles come across as very nervous animals and always seem to be on alert. It is believed that the dwindling population of Chinkaras is leading to a decline in the population of Cheetah, their main predators, in India.
Axis Deer
Axis Deer, also known as Chital Deer or Spotted Deer, is the native animal of the Indian subcontinent. It is found very commonly in India and is one of the most beautiful animals in the country. The spotted deer of India was introduced in the state of Texas in the 1930s. Since that time, axis deer of India has become the most widespread of the entire deer species.
Brow-antlered Deer
Brow-antlered deer are known by the scientific name of Cervus eldii. They have a number of other names also, like Eld's Deer, Sangai Deer, Thamin Deer and even Dancing Deer. The maximum lifespan of the Thamin deer of India is only ten years and the deer has three subspecies also.
Hog Deer
Hog Deer is a subspecies of deer, found in the areas stretching from Pakistan, through northern India, to mainland Southeast Asia. A population of the hog deer was introduced in a number of countries, including Australia, the United States and Sri Lanka.
Sambar Deer
Sambar Deer are dark brown in color and attain a height of 102 cm to 160 cm (40 to 63 inches). The weight of the sambar deer of India may touch 300 kg. There are chestnut marks on the rump as well as the underparts. Sambhur deer of India also have beautiful manes. However, they are not spotted by birth. The spots develop gradually after birth.
Swamp Deer
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.
Nilgai
Nilgai, also known as Blue Bull, is one of the most commonly found wild animals of northern India as well as eastern Pakistan. Even though it is an antelope, it looks quite similar in appearance to an ox. Therefore, it has been given the name of Blue bull of India. The average lifespan of the Neelgai is 21 years.
Indian bison
The gaur (Indian Bison) is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Gaur is found throughout mainland South and Southeast Asia.Gaur are largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, but also occur in deciduous forest areas at the periphery of their range. Gaur habitat is characterized by large, relatively undisturbed forest tracts, hilly terrain below an altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 ft (1,500 to 1,800 m), availability of water, and an abundance of forage in the form of grasses, bamboo, shrubs, and trees. Their apparent preference for hilly terrain may be partly due to the earlier conversion of most of the plains and other low-lying areas to croplands and pastures.They occur from sea level up to at least 2,800 m (9,200 ft) altitude. Low-lying areas seem to comprise optimal habitat.
Indian Elephant
Indian elephant, known with the scientific name of 'Elephas maximus indicus', is a subspecies of the Asian Elephant. It is mainly found in the Indian subcontinent, that to in the scrub forested areas. The other counties where Asian elephants are found include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Borneo, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Sumatra, and Vietnam. Since Indian elephants are very huge and can trample all other creatures, they have no natural enemies. Even lions, hyenas, and tigers attack only the very young elephants and not adults.
Indian Camel
The camels found in India are the single-humped camels, also known as the Dromedary camels. Long-curved neck, deep-narrow chest and a single hump characterize the Indian camel. The hump is used by the camels as reservoir of fatty tissues. In times of scarcity, the tissues are metabolized and the camel receives energy. The size of the hump is not the same in all the camels. It differs from one camel to another, depending upon its nutritional state. In times of starvation, the hump can get reduced to almost a non-existent size.
Indian dromedary camels have a heavy growth of hair on throat, shoulder, and hump, which is longer than the rest of the body. On an average, the camels in India live for a period of 40 to 50 years. They are widely used by the people of Rajasthan as a means of transportation. Infact, the camels are known as the 'Ship of the Desert'. They are used for carrying goods as well as people. Indian camels also provide humans with milk, meat, wool, leather and fuel (from their dried dung).
Indian Rhinoceros
Indian Rhinoceros holds the distinction of being the fourth largest animal, after the three elephant species. Known by the scientific name of Rhinoceros unicornis, the animal is found in only two places in the world, Assam (India) and Nepal. The Great Indian rhinoceros is a brilliant swimmer and has an acute sense of smell and hearing. Its maximum speed reaches 55 km/h, that to for a short period of time.
The only drawback of the Indian rhino, also known as the Great One-Horned Rhinoceros, is that its eyesight is quite poor. The sheer size of the rhinos has resulted in a few natural enemies. They may be attacked by tigers, but there are hardly any recorded incidents of a tiger killing a full-grown Indian rhino. However, they may kill unguarded calves at times.
Indian Wild Ass
Indian wild ass, also known as khur, is one of the subspecies of wild ass belonging to southern Asia. Its scientific name is Equus hemionus khur. Wild ass of India has an average age of 20-25 years.
Indian Wild Boar
Wild boar is considered to be the wild antecedent of the domestic pig of the Indian subcontinent. It belongs to the Suidae biological family, which also includes the Warthog and Bushpig of Africa, the Pygmy Hog of northern India and the Babirusa of Indonesia. Indian wild boars are also quite closely related to peccary or javelina of North, Central and South America.
Indian Striped Hyena
Striped hyena belongs to the Hyaenidae family and is scientifically known as Hyaena hyaena. Strongly related to the Brown hyena, it is basically a solitary creature. The average lifespan of striped hyenas hovers somewhere around 10 to 12 years in the wild. When kept in captivity, they can live longer also.
Indian Red Panda
Red panda is a beautiful animal, found in only some other countries of the world, including the Indian subcontinent. Scientifically known as Ailurus fulgens, it is slightly bigger than the domestic cat and founds a mention in the list of endangered species. Indian red panda bear is quite apt at climbing trees and is mainly herbivorous. It is also known as the Red fox or the Common panda and is native to the Himalayan ranges of India. A one of its kind animals, Red panda is believed to be a living fossil. The only other fossil close to the panda is that of Parailurus, which lived 3 to 4 million years ago. The lifespan of a Red Panda may range from nine years to fourteen years.
Rhesus Macaque
A typical macaque, the Rhesus monkey of India is believed to be one of the best species of the Old World monkeys. It is an excellent swimmer and enjoys water. Rhesus macaques are quite comfortable around humans and have the tendency to move from rural to urban areas in search of easy food. The average lifespan of Rhesus macaques is approximately 15 years in the wild.
Lion Tailed Macaque
Lion-tailed Macaque is one of the subspecies of macaque, found only in the Western Ghats of South India. Known by the scientific name of Macaca silenus, it has life expectancy of 20 years in the wild and upto 30 years in captivity. Lion-tailed macaques spend most of their time on trees and are excellent swimmers.
Hanuman Langur
Hanuman Langur is believed to be one of the Old World monkeys, belonging to the Semnopithecus Genus. They comprise of 15 subspecies and are terrestrial in nature. Earlier hanuman langurs were believed to comprise of a single species. However, now they are recognized as seven distinct species. Hanuman langur is also known by the name of Gray Langur, Entellus Langur and Common Indian Langur.
Golden Langur
Golden Langur, or Gee's Golden Langur, is known by the scientific name of Trachypithecus geei. An Old World monkey, it was first noticed by the scientific community in the 1950s only. In the Indian subcontinent, Golden langurs are found mainly in the foothills of the Himalayas, along the Assam-Bhutan border. The langurs are considered to be sacred by the Himalayan people. The coat of Indian golden langurs is covered with rich golden to bright creamish hair. The face is black and they have a very long tail, which may measure upto 50 cm in length.
Hoolock Gibbon
Hoolocks are the second-largest of the gibbons, after the siamang. They reach a size of 60 to 90 cm and weigh 6 to 9 kg. It is the only ape to be found in India and is generally to seen in the forests of the North- East India and neighboring Bangladesh and Burma. The males have a black coat and the females can be distinguished by their lighter coat having grayish color.
Hoolocks prefer to live in small groups in the hilly forests and feed on tender leaves, fruits, and insects including spiders. Their main source of water is from the dew which forms on the leaves. The young ones are normally born in the winter months between December and March. The average height of a Gibbon is 3 feet and the arms are normally double the length of its legs.
More Info :
List of Animal Species
Species of India - Apes Family of India
Species of India - Cats Family of India
Species of India - Dog Family of India
Species of India - Bears Family of India
Species of India - Ungulates of India
Species of India - Antelopes & Gazelles
Species of India - Deer Family of India
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