Indian endangered species

Due to Human intervention many animals are being endangered so we try to spread awareness among the viewers to protect these innocent species. Do view them and learn about them. We made it very precise and followed to the point approach.
Let's Start To Take Care Of Our Beautiful Mother Nature!!!

1. Indian Endangered Species Created By: Rudra Narayan Mishra Gayatree Nanda

2. Introduction The Holocene Extinction, or the Sixth Extinction has cost the world thousands of beloved species due to human activity. While some could return from the brink with modern science, others will never be seen on this planet again. Human intervention brought these species to near annihilation, now it will take human intervention to save them all.

3. Objective This presentation aims to spread awareness among the humans to stop destroying the Nature’s Grand Design and to rebuild a diversified, controlled habitat all across the globe that can have a major positive impact on animals, fishes and birds all around , including us. Here, we try to provide information on the endangered “amazing species” residing in India under two categories as <CR>, <EN> according to IUCN Red List 2019.

4. Contents Indian Pangolin Indian Vulture Red - Headed Vulture Asian Elephant Wild Water Buffalo Hog Deer Dhole

5. INDIAN PANGOLIN Manis crassicaudata

6. Indian Pangolin Scientific Name: Manis crassicaudata Class: Mammalia Red List Status: Endangered A3d+4d Current Population Trend: Decreasing Reason for Threatened: Hunting for meat and for traditional medicine.

7. Habitat Pangolins can be found in secondary forests and can be very well adapted to the desert regions. These species may also sometimes reach high elevations and have been sighted in Sri Lanka at 1,100 meters and in Nilgiri mountain in India at 2,300 meters. Pangolin’s burrows are of two types: living burrow and feeding burrow. Living burrows are larger than feeding burrows. Mostly, they prefer soft and semi-sandy soil condition for digging burrows.

8. Morphology Also known as the thick-tailed pangolin, M. crassicaudata is a medium-sized mammal that has an elongated tapered body with large overlapping scales and pinkish-brown in color. They possess a cone-shaped head with small dark eyes and a long muzzle like nose. They are usually between 33 cms to 44 cms long and weigh 10 - 16 kgs. Generally, females are smaller than males and have one pair of mammae. Their scales are made up of keratin for their protection against other animals. They have 160 - 200 scales in total and about 46% are located on tail. They also have long , sticky tongue and powerful limbs.

9. Interesting Facts They are shy, nocturnal and slow-moving mammal who loves solitude and are generally depressed. They lack teeth so they have two chambered stomach that have keratin spines to crush their food. Indian Pangolins have a highly developed problem-solving brain. Unlike other Pangolins, they cannot walk on their front claws so they curl them and walk on knees. They have a defence mechanism of rolling up and cover themselves with their scales, and release a noxious smelling acid to deter predators. Mother Pangolins carry their babies on their tails for three months.

10. Conservation Status Major threats to these species are for hunting and poaching for scales to make traditional medicine. They are internationally exported for their meat, scales to east and south-east asian countries. Seizure reports from the country suggests that between 2009-13, over 3000 pangolins were hunted for 5000 kgs of scales. We should spread awareness and divert efforts to curb the illegal trade of Pangolins.

11. INDIAN VULTURE Gyps indicus

12. Indian Vulture Scientific Name: Gyps indicus Class: Aves Red List Status: Critically Endangered A2bce + 4bce Current Population Trend: Decreasing Reason for Threatened: Pollution and ecosystem modifications. Population: 30,000

13. Habitat Indian vultures are non-migrant, terrestrial species that can be sighted in cities, towns and villages near cultivated areas, and in open and wooded areas. They nests almost exclusively in colonies or cliffs or ruins. Normally, they breeds mainly on hilly crags in central and peninsular India.

14. Morphology Normally, Indian vultures are medium in size, bulky birds with pale covert feathers and black quill feathers. Their height ranges from 81cm to 90 cms and weighs about 5 - 6 kgs. They have a wingspan of 196 - 258 cms. Adults have a black head, pale eye rings, pale yellow bill and a large white neck ruff. Juveniles have blackish bills, pinkish head and neck covered in pale down, feathery buff neck ruff, dingy heavily streaked underparts and heavily feathered thighs.

15. Interesting Facts G. indicus are basically old world vultures native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. They mostly died due to renal failure caused by Diclofenac poisoning. They are scavengers who mostly feed from carcasses of dead animals and often move in blocks. The mother vulture lays 1 egg.

16. Conservation Status The Indian government passed a bill banning the manufacture of the poisonous drug Diclofenac. Captive breeding programmes for these species has been started. Two captive Himalayan griffon vultures were released in june 2016 from Jatayu Conservation Breeding Center, Pinjore as part of Asia’s first vulture reintroduction program.

17. RED- HEADED VULTURE Sarcogyps calvus

18. Red-headed Vulture Scientific name: Sarcogyps calvus Class: Aves Red List Status: Critically Endangered A2abce + 3 bce + 4abc Current Population Trend: Decreasing Reason for Threatened: Modifications in ecosystem Population: 2,500 - 9,999

19. Habitat S. calvus mostly frequents in open country usually away from the human population, well-wooded hills and dry deciduous forests with rivers usually below 2,500 m. They are mostly found in a spread of Indian subcontinent and some regions of south-eastern Asia. Diclofenac was the main reason for which this species became critically endangered.

20. Morphology These are medium sized vultures of 76 cm to 86 cm ( 30 to 34 in ) in length, weighing 3.5 to 6.3 kgs and having a wingspan of about 1.99 - 2.6 meters. It has a prominent naked head: deep red to orange in the adult, paler red in juvenile. It has a black body with pale grey band at the base of the flight feathers. The sexes differ in color of the iris: males have a paler, whitish iris, whilst, in females it is dark brown.

21. Interesting Facts The adults tends to be a little flashier than juveniles which is completely opposite of humans. Despite the appearance, they are quite timid when other vultures are feeding of the same animal. Although they are timid, but they can be sneaky and has been known to steal food from their dinner mates. When a male and a female meet, they will perform various aerial acrobats to impress the other.

22. Conservation Status The government of India, Nepal and Pakistan passed the legislature of banning the NSAID Diclofenac as veterinary drug. Awareness- raising campaign has been carried out in Nepal to use alternatives of Diclofenac. SAVE ( Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction ) has developed the concept of vulture safe zone areas around important vulture breeding grounds.

23. ASIAN ELEPHANT Elephas maximus

24. Asian Elephant Scientific Name: Elephas maximus Class: Mammalia Red List Status: Endangered A2c Current Population Trend: Decreasing Reason for Threatened: Habitat Loss, Hunting, Poaching Population: 30,000 - 50,000

25. Habitat Asian elephants inhibit grasslands, tropical evergreen forests, moist and dry deciduous forests. Over this range of habitat types, elephants occur from sea-level to over 3,000 m. In eastern Himalayas, they regularly move up above 3,000 m in summer at few sites. Given their physiology and energy requirements, elephants need to consume large quantities of food per day. They consume nearly 150 kg of plant matter per day and consume 80 - 200 litres of water per day.

26. Morphology Asian elephants are smaller than African bush elephants and has highest body point on the head. The back is convex or level. The ears are small with dorsal borders folded laterally. Feet have 5 nail-like structure on eac forefoot and 4 on each hind foot. On average, males are about 2.75 m tall and weighs 4 tons, while females are of 2.4 m in height and weighs 2.7 tons. The trunk contains 60,000 muscles which consists of longitudinal and radiating sets. The length of the trunk may vary from 1.5 to 2 m. The tusks are measured 5 ft along the curve and 16 inches at the point of emergence from the jaws. Female Asian elephants usually lacks tusks, if they are present are known as “tushes”, which are barely visible. The enamel plates in molar are greater in number and more closer in these species. Their skin color is usually grey and maybe masked by soil due to dusting and wallowing.

27. Interesting Facts Asian elephants have very large and highly convoluted neocortex, which makes them as intelligent as humans and are more self-aware like humans. They eliminates excess heat from their body through their large ears. They live in herds, made of closely related females and their offsprings, the oldest, largest and most experienced female - matriarch is the leader of the herd. Asian elephants survive upto 50 - 70 years but 50% of them die before 15 years.

28. Conservation Status This species is listed on CITES Appendix I. the most important conservation priorities are: Conservation of habitat and habitat connectivity by securing corridors. The management of human-elephant conflict Protection of the species through laws and legislation. Monitoring conservation intervention to assess the success of failures.

29. WILD WATER BUFFALO Bubalus arnee

30. Wild Water Buffalo Scientific Name: Bubalus arnee Class: Mammalia Red List Status: Endangered A2de+3de, C1 Current Population Trend: Decreasing Reason For Threatened: Hunting, habitat loss and diseases. Population: 2,500

31. Habitat The Wild Water Buffalo is a large bovine native to Indian Subcontinent and Southeast asia. They form groups which graze and browse low-lying waterlogged floodplain grasslands, swamp edges and floodplain forests. Kaziranga, Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa National Parks and Lao Khowa and Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuaries of India are the major regions for these species in India .

32. Morphology Wild Water Buffalo are larger and heavier than domestic Buffalo, having a head-to-body length of 240-300 cm and weigh from 700-1200 kg. They have a tail of 50-100 cms long with a bushy tail tip. Their skin colour ranges from ash gray to black. They have a long and narrow head with a tuft on forehead and hair,that is moderately long, coarse and sparse. The ears are comparatively small. Both the sexes carry heavy horns that spread widely upto 2 metres and are long, massive and triangular at section. Male horn is bigger than female member. The hooves are large and splayed.

33. Interesting Facts Wild Water Buffalo are both nocturnal and diurnal. They are known for wallowing in mud which cools them and protect them from biting insects. The adult bachelor males usually form a group of 10, remain away from the female clan during dry season and mates during rainy season. Females normally produce calves every other year, after a gestation of 9 to 11 months.

34. Conservation Status The protection of Wild Water Buffalo is legally carried in Bhutan, Nepal, India and Thailand on nature reserves and are listed in CITES under Appendix III(Nepal). Preservation of their habitat is being mostly focussed by various Conservation programmes. This is becoming extremely difficult as human population is expanding .

35. HOG DEER Axis porcinus

36. Hog Deer Scientific Name: Axis porcinus Class: Mammalia Red List Status: Endangered A2bcd Reason For Threatened: Hunting and habitat loss Current Population Trend: Decreasing Population: 14,000 - 16,000

37. Habitat The Indian Hog Deer is a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, to northern east India to mainland southeast Asia. They inhibit much of the Indo-Gangetic plains of Pakistan, Northeast India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Southwestern Yunnan Province in China, all the way to western Thailand.

38. Morphology A mature Hog deer stands out 70 cms tall and weighs around 50 kgs. They are solidly built with a long body and relatively short legs. The Hog deer’s coat is quite thick and generally uniform dark-brown colored body and light colored legs. During the late spring, the change to a summer coat of rich reddish brown commences although this may vary between individuals. They have preorbital glands on the face just below the eyes and metatarsal glands located high on the sides of the rear legs. The antler of the deer is usually a three-tinned brow tine with solid main beam terminating in inner and outer top tines.

39. Interesting Facts This species is gregarious only when the conditions are favourable and do not form a ‘unit’ at these times. When alarmed, they produce a whistling vocalization or a warning bark. Hog deer are most active in morning and late afternoon but nocturnal activity increases in hot temperature or when they are hunted by humans.

40. Conservation Status Hog Deer is fully protected in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In 2013, a national action plan was created to conserve the hog deers in Indochina frontier. The recommends establishing anti-poaching patrols, engaging local communities in preservation of Hog deers. Kaziranga National Park ( India ) is one of the species’s strongholds, with a population of 15,000.

41. DHOLE Cuon alpinus

42. Dhole Scientific Name: Cuon alpinus Class: Mammalia Red List Status: Endangered C2a(i) Current Population Trend: Decreasing Reason for Threatened: Hunting and Poaching Population: 949 - 2,215

43. Habitat The Dhole, is canid native to Central, south and Southeast Asia. They primarily inhabit mountain areas, and live mostly in alpine meadows and high-montane steppes high above sea-level. The Dhole might be still present in southern Siberia but are extinct in Russia with no reports from Mongolia, Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. They occur most of India, south of Ganges.

44. Morphology In appearance, they have been variously described as the combination of Grey Wolf and Red Fox. They stand 17 - 22 inches at shoulder and measures 3 ft in body length. Adult females weighs about 10 to 17 kgs and males weigh about 15 - 21 kgs. The general tone of the fur is reddish with the brightest hues occuring in winter. The inner part of the body are less brightly colored. The dorsal and lateral guard hairs in adults are 20 - 30 mm in length. Aggressive and threatening dholes pucker their lips forward in a snarl and raise their hairs on their backs. When afraid, they pull their lips back horizontally, with their tails tucked and their ears flat against the skull.

45. Interesting Facts They are famous for their communication skills. They produce variety of sounds like growls, whistle, screams and clucks to communicate with each other. They are highly athletic. They can jump over 7ft straight up to the air. The gestation period is 60-62 days long, and the mother usually gives birth to 8 pups at a time. During the Pleistocene, they ranged from Asia, Europe and North America but were restricted only to Asia.

46. Conservation Status In India, Dhole is protected under the Schedule 2 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. In 2014, the Indian government sanctioned its first dhole conservation breeding center in Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. As of August 2013, there were 223 Dholes in 38 zoos worldwide. Research is needed to determine the area and prey requirements needed to maintain a viable population.

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