Endangered Animals in IndiaAsiatic Lion

The Asiatic lion also called Indian Lion, is a subspecies of a lion. These lions are usually found in the Gir Forests of Gujarat (India). Asiatic lions are placed amongst the five major extant cats in India such as clouded leopard, tiger, snow leopard, and Bengal tiger. These lions inhabit all along the northeast Indian Subcontinent. The adult males reach a length of 340 mm (13 inches), while females measure at 266 – 277 mm in length. The weight of thesespecies is up to 160 – 200 kg (350 – 440 lb) in males, while females weigh around 110 – 120 kg (240 – 260 lb). The longest Asiatic lion ever recorded was at 292 cm (115 inches), with the maximum shoulder height is up to 107 cm (42 inches). Asiatic lions are considered to be highly social animals and they tend to live in smaller groups. They primarily prey on antelope, wild boar, sambar, chital, water buffalo, and chinkara.

Sumatran Rhinoceros

The Sumatran rhino belongs to the family of Rhinocerotidae and is one of the five extant rhino species. Of all the rhinoceros family, Sumatran rhino is the smallest member. The shoulder height of Sumatran rhino measures around 112 – 145 cm (3.67 – 4.76 feet), with the length measuring at 2.36 – 3.18 meters (7.7 – 10.4 feet) excluding tail. They have a tail measuring up to 35 – 70 cm (14 – 28 inches). The weight of these species measure around 500 – 1,000 kg (1,100 – 2,200 lb), along with the mean weight measuring at 700 – 800 kg (1,500 – 1,800 lb), the heaviest measured at 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). The Sumatran rhinoceros, like other rhinos, display two horns that typically measures at 15 – 25 cm (5.9 – 9.8 inches). The Sumatran rhinos once lived in the swamps, cloud forests, and tropical rainforests in Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, China, and Bangladesh. In the primitive times, these animals dwelled in the southwest China. Unfortunately they are now critically endangered species as no more than 275 individuals are left in the wild. The Sumatran rhino is mostly a solitary species except for the courtship and offspring-rearing.

Gharial

The gharial is a crocodile that belongs to the family of Gavialidae and is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Gharial is also known as fish-eating crocodile. Since the crocodile underwent both chronic as well as rapid short-term decline it is listed as critically endangered species by the IUCN. These species are very small at birth; hatchlings measure around 37 cm (15 inches), but they can reach a length of 1 meter (3.3 feet) in about eighteenmonths. The mean weight is up to 159 – 250 kg (350 – 550 lb). The length of the males measures around 3 – 5 meters (9.8 – 16 feet), while females reach a length of 2.7 – 3.75 meters (8.9 – 12.3 feet). One of the largest gharial crocodiles was hunted in Gogra River of Faizabad in 1927 measuring at 6.5 meters (21 feet). These species are too quick underwater. They are known to reach a speed of 40 km/h (25 mph)

Indian elephant

Elephants has been listed as Endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last 60 to 75 years or three generations. Indian elephants reach a shoulder height of between 2 and 3.5 m (6.6 and 11.5 ft), weigh between 2,000 and 5,000 kg (4,400 and 11,000 lb), and have 19 pairs of ribs. The largest Indian elephant was 3.43 metres (11.3 ft) high at the shoulder.[4] In 1985, two large elephant bulls were spotted for the first time inBardia National Park, and named Raja Gaj and Kanchha. Indian elephants have smaller ears, but relatively broader skulls and larger trunks than African elephants. Indian elephant, distributed in the South, Central, Northwest and Northeast regions in India.

Wild Water BuffaloThe wild water buffalo also known as Asian Buffalo, is a large bovine endemic to the Southeast Asia. These animals are regarded as highly endangered species by the IUCN. There are no more than 4,000 individuals left in the wild, amongst which 3,100 lives in Assam, India. These buffaloes are the second largest bovid that comes after the gaur. The African buffalo is closely associated with the water buffalo. These buffaloes weigh as much as 700 – 1,200 kg (1,500 – 2,600 lb). They can reach a length of 240 – 300 cm (94 – 120 inches), with a tail measuring at 60 – 100 cm (24 – 39 inches). Wild water buffalo measures around 150 – 190 cm in shoulder height.

Nilgiri langurThe Nilgiri langur (Trachypithecus johnii) is found in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats in South India. Its range also includes Kodagu in Karnataka, Kodayar Hills in Tamil Nadu and many other hilly areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This primate has glossy black fur on its body and golden brown fur on its head. It is similar in size and long tailed like the gray langurs. Females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. It lives in troops of five to 16 monkeys. The animal is often seen encroaching into agricultural lands. It’s diet consists of fruits, shoots and leaves. The species is endangered due to deforestation and poaching for itsfur and flesh, the latter believed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Wild AssThe Indian wild ass's range once extended from western India, southern Pakistan (i.e. provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan), Afghanistan, and south-eastern Iran. Today, its last refuge lies in the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch and its surrounding areas of the Great Rann of Kutch in the Gujarat province of India. The animal, however, is also seen in the districts of Surendranagar, Banaskantha, Mehsana, and other Kutch districts. Saline deserts (rann), arid grasslands and shrublands are its preferred environments.

BlackbuckThe blackbuck(Antilope cervicapra) is an antelope species native to the Indian Subcontinentthat has been classified as endangered by IUCN since 2003, as the blackbuck range has decreased sharply during the 20th century. Males and females have distinctive coloration. Male blackbucks are dark brown, black, and white and have long, twisted horns, while females are fawn-coloured with no horns. Blackbucks originally ranged over large tracts of India except in the northeast. Today, the blackbuck population is confined to areas in Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu andKarnataka, with a few small pockets in central India. The main threats to the species are poaching, predation, habitat destruction, overgrazing, diseases, inbreeding and sanctuary visitors.

Ganges River DolphinAs an indicator of the health of the freshwater ecosystem, the Ganges River Dolphin has recently been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal.While habitat loss and pollution of fresh water aquatic systems are a major threat to this species, there are also reports that this animal is being killed and traded for its body parts, especially fat and oil. • Ganges River Dolphin is listed on the Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection), Act, 1972. Therefore, hunting of the species and both domestic and international trade in the species and its parts and derivatives is completely prohibited.

JackalJackal is a medium sized animal that shares some of its physical features with the dog. It is mainly found in the continents of Africa, Asia and southeastern Europe.The animal belongs to the family of Canidae, just like the wolves, coyotes, domestic dogs and foxes. Since a long time, jackal has been associated with superstitions, especially with the bad omens. The ancient Egyptians believed a jackal-headed God, Anubis to be the guide for the dead. We bring some interesting facts and amazing information about jackals, in the below lines. Readon to know more about this nocturnal animal.

Indian black turtle(Melanochelys trijuga) or Indian pond terrapin is a species of turtle found in South Asia. it isa medium sized fresh water turtle. despite its name the color of its upper shell or carapace varies largely from reddish to dark brown and black with yellow streaks running along its length.the underside or plastron is uniformly brown in color. the face of this turtle may have yellow or orange marks and spots with the color of this marks varying form 1 sub species to another. It has 6 identified sub species in the Asian region, each having somewhat different pattern of spots on head. size may vary from 38 –45 cm in length. It is also known as Hard Shelled Batgun Terrapins