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Fauna Of Bhutan
The fauna of Bhutan refers to the animal species that live in Bhutan. Because of its unique geographical location and relatively well preserved natural environment, the fauna of Bhutan is the richest among Asian countries of comparable dimensions. There are an estimate of more than 160 mammal species. In a narrow tropical and subtropical zone, located along the southern border of the Himalayas, the mammals include Asian elephant, Indian rhinoceros, gaur, Asian buffalo, hog deer, clouded leopard, binturong, barasingha, pygmy hog, bristly rabbit, endemic golden langur and the sloth bear and birds - hornbills and trogon The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family Trogonidae contains 46 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Early E ...s. In these forests there are snakes, mosquitoes and many other insects. References {{Bhutan-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takin Coming Our Way
The takin (''Budorcas taxicolor''; ), also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a large species of ungulate of the subfamily Caprinae found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies: the Mishmi takin (''B. t. taxicolor''), the golden takin (''B. t. bedfordi''), the Tibetan (or Sichuan) takin (''B. t. tibetana''), and the Bhutan takin (''B. t. whitei''). Whilst the takin has in the past been placed together with the muskox in the tribe Ovibovini, more recent mitochondrial research shows a closer relationship to ''Ovis'' (sheep). Its physical similarity to the muskox is therefore an example of convergent evolution. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan. Etymology The specific name ''taxicolor'' comes from la, taxus, , badger and la, color, , hue, label=none referring to badger-like coloration. Appearance The takin rivals the muskox as the largest and stockiest of the subfamily Caprinae, which includes goats, sheep, and similar species. Its short legs are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Binturong
The binturong (''Arctictis binturong'') (, ), also known as the bearcat, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is uncommon in much of its range, and has been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of a declining population trend that is estimated at more than 30% since the mid-1980s. The binturong is the only living species in the genus ''Arctictis''. Etymology The name ''Arctictis'' means 'bear-weasel', from Greek '' arkt-'' 'bear' + '' iktis'' 'weasel'. In Riau, Indonesia it is called 'benturong' and 'tenturun'. Its common name in Borneo is "binturong", which is related to the Western Malayo-Polynesian root "ma-tuRun". Taxonomy ''Viverra binturong'' was the scientific name proposed by Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1822 for a specimen from Malacca. The generic name ''Arctictis'' was proposed by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824. ''Arctictis'' is a monotypic taxon; its morphology is similar to that of members of the genera ''Paradoxurus'' and ''Paguma'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hornbill
Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a Casque (anatomy), casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English (language), English and the scientific name of the family refer to the shape of the bill, "buceros" being "cow horn" in Greek language, Greek. Hornbills have a two-lobed kidney. They are the only birds in which the first and second vertebra, neck vertebrae (the atlas (anatomy), atlas and axis (anatomy), axis respectively) are fused together; this probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the bill. The family is omnivorous, feeding on fruit and small animals. They are monogamous breeders nesting in natural cavities in trees and sometimes cliffs. A number of mainly Island, insular species of hornbill with small ranges are Threatened species, threatened with extinction, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and Habitat degradation, degradation. It is the only species in the genus ''Melursus''. It has also been called "labiated bear" because of its long lower lip and palate used for sucking up insects. It has a long, shaggy fur, a mane around the face, and long, sickle-shaped claws. It is lankier than brown bear, brown and Asian black bears. It shares features of insectivorous mammals and evolved during the Pleistocene from the ancestral brown bear through divergent evolution. Sloth bears breed during spring and early summer and give birth near the beginning of winter. When their territories are encroached upon by humans, they sometimes attack them. Historically, humans have drastically reduced these bears' habitat and diminished their popula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Langur
Gee's golden langur (''Trachypithecus geei''), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey found in a small region of Western Assam, India and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan. Long considered sacred by many Himalayan people, the golden langur was first brought to the attention of the Western world by the naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee in the 1950s. Adult males have a cream to golden coat with darker flanks while the females and juveniles are lighter. It has a black face and a long tail up to in length. It lives in high trees and has a herbivorous diet of fruits, leaves, seeds, buds and flowers. The average group size is eight individuals, with a ratio of several females to each adult male. It is one of the most endangered primate species of India and Bhutan. Discovery and etymology The earliest record of the golden langur is in an 1838 paper by Robert Boileau Pemberton which states that "Griffith observed these monkeys near To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bristly Rabbit
The hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, its habitat is highly fragmented with an area of occupancy estimated at less than extending over an area of . Populations experienced a continuing decline in suitable habitat due to increasing agriculture, flood control, and human development. It is therefore listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986. It is the only species in the genus ''Caprolagus''. Characteristics The hispid hare has a harsh and bristly coat. Its ears are very short and do not project beyond the fur. The coat is dark brown on the back due to a mixture of black and brown hairs; brown on the chest and whitish on the abdomen. The tail is brown and about long. In body weight males range from with a mean of . Females weigh in average , including a heavily pregnant female weighing in this statistic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pygmy Hog
The pygmy hog (''Porcula salvania'') is the rarest species of pig in the world today, and is the only species in the genus ''Porcula''. It is also the smallest species of pig in the world, with its piglets being small enough to fit in one's pocket. Endemic to India, the pygmy hog is a suid native of the alluvial grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas, at elevations of up to . Populations of pygmy hogs were once widespread in the tall, dense, wet grasslands in a narrow belt of the southern Himalayan foothills from north-western Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through southern Nepal and North Bengal, and possibly extending into contiguous habitats in southern Bhutan. Due to human encroachment and destruction of the pygmy hogs’ natural habitat, the species was thought to have gone extinct in the early 1960’s. However, in 1971, a small pygmy hog population was rediscovered as they were fleeing a fire near the Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam. Today, the only known population of p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barasingha
The barasingha (''Rucervus duvaucelii''), also known as the swamp deer, is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent. Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal. It has been extirpated in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and its presence is uncertain in Bhutan. The specific name commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Duvaucel. The swamp deer differs from all other Indian deer species in that the antlers carry more than three tines. Because of this distinctive character it is designated ''bārah-singgā'', meaning "twelve-horned" in Hindi.Lydekker, R. (1888–1890)''The new natural history'' Volume 2 Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London. Mature stags usually have 10 to 14 tines, and some have been known to have up to 20.Prater, S. H. (1948). ''The book of Indian animals''. Oxford University Press. (10th ed.) In Assamese, ''barasingha'' is called ''dolhorina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a clouded leopard was brought to London from China and described in 1821. It has large dusky-grey blotches and irregular spots and stripes reminiscent of clouds. Its head-and-body length ranges from with a long tail. It uses its tail for balancing when moving in trees and is able to climb down vertical tree trunks head first. It rests in trees during the day and hunts by night on the forest floor. The clouded leopard is the first cat that genetically diverged 9.32 to 4.47 million years ago from the common ancestor of the pantherine cats. Today, the clouded leopard is locally extinct in Singapore, Taiwan, and possibly Hainan Island and Vietnam. Its total population is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with a decreasing pop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoologists and paleontologists use ''fauna'' to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess Shale fauna". Paleontologists sometimes refer to a sequence of faunal stages, which is a series of rocks all containing similar fossils. The study of animals of a particular region is called faunistics. Etymology ''Fauna'' comes from the name Fauna, a Roman goddess of earth and fertility, the Roman god Faunus, and the related forest spirits called Fauns. All three words are cognates of the name of the Greek god Pan, and ''panis'' is the Greek equivalent of fauna. ''Fauna'' is also the word for a book that catalogues the animals in such a manner. The term was first used b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hog Deer
''Axis'' is a genus of deer occurring in South and Southeast Asia. As presently defined by most authorities, four species are placed in the genus. Three of the four species are called hog deer. The genus name is a word mentioned in Pliny the Elder's Natural History. Species Following the third edition of ''Mammal Species of the World ''Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'' is a standard reference work in mammalogy giving descriptions and bibliographic data for the known species of mammals. It is now in its third edition, published in late 2005, ...'' from 2005, which is also followed by the American Society of Mammalogists, four species are placed in ''Axis''. These four species are divided into two subgenera; ''Axis'' containing the chital, and ''Hyelaphus'' containing the 3 others. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q783065 Axis Cervines Mammal genera Taxa named by Charles Hamilton Smith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asian Buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, South America and some African countries. Two extant types of water buffalo are recognized, based on morphological and behavioural criteria: the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt and Italy and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze valley of China in the east. The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee'') most likely represents the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo. Results of a phylogenetic study indicate that the river-type water buffalo probably originated in western India and was domesticated about 6,300 years ago, whereas the swamp-type originated independently from Mainland Southeast Asia and was domesticated about 3,000 to 7,000 years ago. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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