L21.3 2nd May 11 AM B-1 To 5

CA - 240502
Some important species
S.No. Status Geographical Range, Remarks
White-rumped Pakistan, India, Bangladesh,

Vulture Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and
(Asian or southern Vietnam;
Oriental White-backed
Vulture) until 1985 the species was
most abundant large bird
catastrophic decline (over

99%) across the Indian
Subcontinent since the mid-
1990s due to the ingestion of
the drug diclofenac from
● Conservation Status: carcasses
o IUCN: Critically
Endangered
o Wildlife Protection
Act 1972: Schedule-1
Indian Vulture (Long-billed Vulture) South-east Pakistan and

peninsular India;
CR
Slender-billed CR Bangladesh, Cambodia, India,

Vulture Lao, Myanmar, Nepal;
catastrophic decline (96.8%) in

India and Nepal; cause: same
as above
RED HEADED CR early 1990s; cause: same as

Pondicherry , INDIAN BLACK above Vulture)
VULTURE Bangladesh, Cambodia, China,
India, Lao, Myanmar, Nepal,
Thailand, Viet Nam;
catastrophic decline (91%)
across the Indian
Subcontinent since the
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[1]
GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD
The Bustards are an extremely endangered

group of birds dependent on grassland
ecosystems.
Once upon a time, they used to occur in the

arid, semi-arid and moist grasslands across the
country.
There are four species of Bustards in India

Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Bengal
Florican and Houbara Bustard.
They are among the most threatened of the 22

Bustards found in the world.
The Great Indian Bustard is now locally extinct

from almost 90 per cent of its former range.
The present population is estimated to be less

than 1000 only.
Similarly, perhaps, only less than 2500 Lesser

Floricans survive in the whole world.
The total global population of Bengal Florican

could be between 400 to 500 individuals.
The status of Houbara Bustard is also no more

encouraging.
These species have depleted, mainly due to the

degradation of grasslands
[2]
[3]
List of Important and Threatened Aquatic Species in India
1. Critically Endangered
Gharial, Indian Gharial, Fish-eating Crocodile, Indian Gavial, Gavial, Long-nosed Crocodile
Three widely separated breeding subpopulations are left in India (Chambal, Girwa and Son Rivers)
and one in Nepal (Rapti/Narayani River)
2. Endangered
Ganges River Dolphin, Indus River Dolphin, Blind River Dolphin, Ganges Susu, Ganges
Dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin
The Gangetic or River Dolphin is one of the most endangered species found in the Ganges,
Brahmaputra and their tributaries.
They are the symbols of the ecological health of our major river systems.
The emphasis on crocodiles, as the flagship species of the river systems has helped this species to
some extent, but the waning of focused efforts of conservation have again resulted in their decline
List of Major Endangered Animal Species in India (Source: IUCN Red List)
1. Malabar civet
● (Critically Endangered)
●
● Endemic to Western Ghats; after being listed as possibly extinct, it was rediscovered in
Elayur, in the lowland Western Ghats, in Malappuram district, Kerala
2. Tiger (Panthera tigris)

● (Endangered)
● Once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey to Russia; currently found in Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, and Thailand (See detailed discussion in
Chapter 4)
[4]
3. Lion-tailed macaque (Wanderoo)
● (Endangered)
● Endemic to the Western Ghats of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil
● Nadu
4. Snow leopard (Ounce)

● (Vulnerable)
● Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttaranchal; also in other countries
5. Red Panda
● (Lesser Panda, Red Cat-bear) (Endangered)
● Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh
Mammal species belonging to the Indian subcontinent ranging from Nepal, Bhutan, India, and
China to Myanmar having a disjunct population.
An indicator species of Eastern Himalayas, red pandas are mainly Bamboo feeder but
occasional feeds on fruits and small mammals.
[5]
They inhabit montane forests with a thick bamboo understory, generally found at elevations
between 2500 to 4800 meters.
The red panda has two subspecies; Ailurus fulgens fulgens and Ailurus fulgens styani but
recent genetic studies showed that they could be two different species, the debate is still on.
Threats to the species include human intervention such as growing population, construction
of buildings and roads, tourism and recreational activities etc, habitat loss, logging and
wood/bamboo harvesting, livestock grazing, hunting for trade, lack of law enforcement and
natural disaster.
● The species is protected under Schedule – I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
● To support the wild population International red panda conservation breeding
programme was established in the early 1990s.
6. Wild Water Buffalo

● Wild Asian Buffalo, Indian Buffalo, Indian Water Buffalo, Water Buffalo, Asiatic Buffalo,
Asian Buffalo
(Endangered)
● Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and possibly in Meghalaya, Orissa and
Maharashtra.
● The Asian wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee) has been designated as endangered by the IUCN
and included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The wild buffalo was
once widely distributed over the tracts of tall grasslands and riverine forests in India and
Nepal. The present population of wild buffalo in its entire range is estimated to be lower
than 2,000 individuals.
7. Nilgiri Tahr (Endangered)

Limited to 5% of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu
8. Dhole (Red Dog, Indian Wild Dog,

Asiatic Wild Dog)
(Endangered)
South and East Asia
[6]
Selected List of Vulnerable and Other Important Species in India
Asiatic Wild Ass

● NT
● Little Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat; also in China, Mongolia, Iran
● Was in EN category until 2008; population has been on the increase since the 1990s.
Dugong (Marine mammal)

VU
● Andaman, Nicobar, Lakshadweep; many other countries
● Hunted for meat and oil; long life-span, slow rate of reproduction
● Dugong (Dugong dugon) is the only herbivorous mammal that is strictly marine and the
only member of the Order Sirenia found in India.
● Dugongs are restricted to coastal shallow marine habitats and grazes on the sea grass
meadows in coastal waters and are therefore called as “Sea Cows”.
● In India, it is one of the most seriously endangered species of large mammals.
● Dugongs are vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures as they are solely dependent on sea
grasses in coastal areas, which now have been seriously damaged by mining, trawling etc.
● Dugongs have also been hunted for their meat, oil, hides, bones and teeth.
[7]
Asiatic Lion
● VU
● Single isolated subpopulation in Gir
● Forest, Gujarat; extinct in North Africa, found in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa
● Reduction of 43% over 1993-2014; recovered from near extinction, numbers now
increasing; proposal to translocate some lions to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in MP
has been opposed by Gujarat, put on hold
The GIR forest, a dry deciduous forest ecosystem in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, is the
abode of the last surviving population of the free ranging Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica). The
total distribution range of lion in this region is estimated to be around 9000 sq.km in three
districts, i.e. Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar, of which GIR National Park, GIR Wildlife
Sanctuary, Paniya Wildlife Sanctuary and Mitiyal Wildlife Sanctuary account for about 1,193
sq.km.
[8]
The conservation initiatives taken so far have resulted in arresting the trend of population
decline of lions..
Leatherback Turtle
(Leathery Turtle, Luth, Trunkback Turtle, Trunk
Turtle, Coffin-back)
● VU
● Distributed circum-globally
● Nesting sites on tropical sandy beaches and foraging ranges that extend into temperate
and sub-polar latitudes
Kashmir Stag (Hangul)

● NA
● Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh; protected in Dachigam National Park, Kashmir
● Considered critically endangered
Manipur Brow-antlered Deer (Sangai)

● NA
● Manipur, southern parts of Loktak Lake, protected in the Keibul Lamjao National Park
● Endemic, rare and endangered;
● state animal of Manipur
Distribution Map of Brown-Antlered Deer of Sangai

The Manipur brow-antlered deer, (Cervus eldi eldi McClelland 1842), popularly called 'Sangai' is a
unique animal found only in Manipur in the whole world. The Sangai or the Manipur race of the
Elds deer is the only deer which has adapted itself to the swampy habitat. The Sangai population
dwindled rapidly in the beginning of 20 century under heavy hunting pressure and the
continuous habitat destruction. In fact, the deer was considered almost extinct during 1950s
Nicobar Megapode (Bird)

● NA
● Nicobar Islands (restricted to small islands)
● Threatened by hunting, vulnerable to extinction.
● The 2004 tsunami wiped out populations on some islands and reduced populations on
several others.
Kharai Camel
● NA
● Kachch, Gujarat
● Feeds on mangroves and other saline plants and can swim in deep sea waters; Madharis
breed the camel for their
Great Indian Hornbill (Bird)

● NA
● Western Ghats, Himalayan foothills, and northeast
● India
● livelihood.
● Largest member of the hornbill family; state bird of Kerala.
[9]

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CA - 240502

Some important species

S.No. Status Geographical Range, Remarks

White-rumped Pakistan, India, Bangladesh,

catastrophic decline (over

Indian Vulture (Long-billed Vulture) South-east Pakistan and

Slender-billed CR Bangladesh, Cambodia, India,

catastrophic decline (96.8%) in

RED HEADED CR early 1990s; cause: same as

The Bustards are an extremely endangered

Once upon a time, they used to occur in the

There are four species of Bustards in India

They are among the most threatened of the 22

The Great Indian Bustard is now locally extinct

The present population is estimated to be less

Similarly, perhaps, only less than 2500 Lesser

The total global population of Bengal Florican

The status of Houbara Bustard is also no more

These species have depleted, mainly due to the

2. Tiger (Panthera tigris)

4. Snow leopard (Ounce)

6. Wild Water Buffalo

7. Nilgiri Tahr (Endangered)

8. Dhole (Red Dog, Indian Wild Dog,

Asiatic Wild Ass

Dugong (Marine mammal)

Kashmir Stag (Hangul)

Manipur Brow-antlered Deer (Sangai)

Distribution Map of Brown-Antlered Deer of Sangai

Nicobar Megapode (Bird)

Great Indian Hornbill (Bird)

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