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Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary
Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu South India declared in February 2008. The area is a tiger habitat. Seven rivers originate in the forest including the Thamirabarani River and Pahrali River. Wildlife The region is one of the most diverse wildlife forest location in India. Several new species of plants, amphibians and insects discovered here are found nowhere else, making it an endemic region. The area is a wildlife corridor with high biodiversity, and in addition to tigers, is home to the threatened species: Indian bison, elephant, Indian rock python, lion-tailed macaque, mouse deer, Nilgiri tahr and sambar deer. Habitation There are a few tribal villages in the sanctuary and adjoining reserve forests. Threats The Arasu Rubber Corporation had destroyed 12,000 acres of forest land to promote rubber estates. This triggered wide protests among the locals and environmentalists. The State government got a stay order and has con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protected Area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved. Generally speaking though, protected areas are understood to be those in which human presence or at least the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood, non-timber forest products, water, ...) is limited. The term "protected area" also includes marine protected areas, the boundaries of which will include some area of ocean, and transboundary protected areas that overlap multiple countries which remove the borders inside the area for conservation and economic purposes. There are over 161,000 protected areas in the world (as of October 2010) with more added daily, representing between 10 and 15 percent of the world's land surface area. As of 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Elephant
The Indian elephant (''Elephas maximus indicus'') is one of four extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the wild population has declined by at least 50% since the 1930s to 1940s, i.e. three elephant generations. The Asian elephant is threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Characteristics In general, Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants and have the highest body point on the head. The tip of their trunk has one finger-like process. Their back is convex or level. Indian elephants reach a shoulder height of between , weigh between , and have 19 pairs of ribs. Their skin colour is lighter than that of '' E. m. maximus'' with smaller patches of depigmentation, but darker than that of '' E. m. sumatranus''. Females are usually smaller than males, and have short or no tusks. The largest Indian elephant was high at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wildlife Sanctuaries In Tamil Nadu
The Protected areas of Tamil Nadu State in South India cover an area of , constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the recorded forest area. It ranks 14th among all the States and Union Territories of India in terms of total protected area. Creation and administration of Protected areas in South India originated with the Maharajas of the Southern Princely States' Private protected areas of India#From the Southern princely states, private hunting grounds. The Mudumalai National Park, established in 1940, was the first modern Wildlife Sanctuary in South India. Most Protected areas of India, protected areas throughout its Districts of Tamil Nadu, 30 Districts are under the stewardship of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Biosphere reserves The three Biosphere Reserves in Tamil Nadu are: *Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve: ; established in 1989. *Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: , of which 2537.6 km² is in Tamil N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclone Ockhi
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Ockhi was a strong tropical cyclone that devastated parts of Sri Lanka and India in 2017, and was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea since Cyclone Megh in 2015. The ninth depression, and the third and strongest named storm of the 2017 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Ockhi originated from an area of low pressure that formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal on November 28. The storm organized into a Depression off southeast coast of Sri Lanka on November 29, causing damage to property and life in Sri Lanka while passing by. Due to high atmospheric moisture and warmer oceanic surface temperature between Sri Lanka and Kanyakumari ( Cape Comorin) in mainland India, Ockhi intensified into a cyclonic storm on November 30. While near Kanyakumari in mainland India, Ockhi changed course and intensified while heading towards Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea. Ockhi impacted Lakshadweep on December 2, uprooting coconut trees and causing extensi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reserve Forest
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. They may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in official titles of the reserves. History Cultural practices that roughly equate to the establishment and maintenance of reserved areas for animals date back t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sambar (deer)
The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat. The name "sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine deer called the "Philippine sambar", and the Javan rusa called the "Sunda sambar". Description The appearance and the size of the sambar vary widely across its range, which has led to considerable taxonomic confusion in the past; over 40 different scientific synonyms have been used for the species. In general, they attain a height of at the shoulder and may weigh as much as , though more typically .Burnie D and Wilson DE (Eds.), ''Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife''. DK Adult (2005), Head and body length varies from , with a tail. Individuals belonging to western subspecies tend to be larger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri tahr (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'') is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.Prater, S. H. 1948, 1971. ''The book of Indian Animals'', Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press, India. 324 pages. . Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of the genus ''Ovis'' than the ibex and wild goats of the genus ''Capra''. It is the only species in the genus ''Nilgiritragus''. Etymology In Tamil, the Nilgiri tahr is called வரையாடு (''varaiaadu''). The word ''varaiaadu'' is derived from the Tamil words ''wurrai'' meaning "precipice" and ''aadu'' meaning "goat". The word in ancient Tamil was வருடை (''varudai''). In Malayalam, the word is വരയാട് (''varyaadu''). The Nilgiri tahr was described as ''Capra warryato'' by Gray. The genus name ''Ni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Spotted Chevrotain
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The Indian spotted chevrotain (''Moschiola indica'') is a species of even-toed ungulate in the family Tragulidae. It is native to India and possibly Nepal. It lives in rainforests and is nocturnal. It has a body length of with a long tail length and weighs around . This was earlier included under the name of ''Tragulus meminna'', but studies on the systematics of the group have led to that name being restricted to the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain. References External links America Zoo spotted chevrotain, Indian Mammals of India Indian spotted chevrotain Indian spotted chevrotain The Indian spotted chevrotain (''Moschiola indica'') is a species of even-toed ungulate in the family Tragulidae. It is native to India and possibly Nepal. It lives in rainforests and is nocturnal. It has a body length of with a long tail lengt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lion-tailed Macaque
The lion-tailed macaque (''Macaca silenus''), also known as the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Characteristics Lion-tailed macaques are covered in black fur, and have a striking gray or silver mane that surrounds their face which can be found in both sexes. The face itself is hairless and black, being pinkish in infants less than a year old. They are named not for their mane, but for their tail, which is long, thin, and naked, with a lion-like, black tail tuft at the tip. The size of their tail is about 25 cm (9.8 in) in length. Their eyes are a shade of hazelnut with highlighting black eyelids. Lion-tailed macaques, like other macaques, have deep cheek pouches useful for storing food, and are quadrupedal with opposable digits. The mane that surrounds its face gives this monkey its German name ''Bartaffe'' – "beard ape". With a head-body length of and a weight of , it ranks among the smaller macaques species. Offspring are bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Python
The Indian python (''Python molurus'') is a large python species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by the common names black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian rock python. Although smaller than its close relative the Burmese python, it is still among the largest snakes in the world. It is generally lighter colored than the Burmese python and reaches usually . Like all pythons, it is nonvenomous. Description The rock python's color pattern is whitish or yellowish with the blotched patterns varying from tan to dark brown shades. This varies with terrain and habitat. Specimens from the hill forests of Western Ghats and Assam are darker, while those from the Deccan Plateau and Eastern Ghats are usually lighter. All pythons are non-venomous. The nominate subspecies occurring in India typically grows to . This value is supported by a 1990 study in Keoladeo National Park, where 25% of the python p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals in 2016, with the majority of those existing in India. It has declined by more than 70% during the last three generations, and is extirpated from Sri Lanka and most likely Bangladesh. Populations in well-protected areas are stable and increasing. It is the largest species among the wild cattle and the Bovidae. The domesticated form of the gaur is called ''gayal'' (''Bos frontalis'') or ''mithun''. Taxonomy ''Bison gaurus'' was the scientific name proposed by Charles Hamilton Smith in 1827. Later authors subordinated the species under either ''Bos'' or ''Bibos''. To date, three gaur subspecies have been recognized: * ''B. g. gaurus'' ranges in India, Nepal and Bhutan; * ''B. g. readei'' described by Richard Lydekk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanyakumari District
Kanniyakumari district is one of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu state and the southernmost district in mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among the districts of Tamil Nadu. It is also the richest district in Tamil Nadu in terms of per capita income, and also tops the state in Human Development Index (HDI), literacy, and education. The district's headquarters is Nagercoil. Kanniyakumari district has a varied topography with the sea on three sides and the mountains of the Western Ghats bordering the northern side. Except for a small stretch of land to the east of Kanniyakumari town, almost the entire district is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea – the only district in Tamilnadu state facing the Arabian Sea. Geologically, the landmass of the district is much younger when compared to the rest of the state – faulted as late as 2.5 million years during the Miocene, after which numerous transgression, as well as regression of se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
