My Science School

The region which is now Blackbuck National Park once belonged to the Maharaja of Bhavnagar; it was his hunting ground where he hunted down blackbucks with his famous hunting cheetahs. The place had a grassland ecosystem that supported herds of blackbucks and antelopes. This region was later made a national park.

Blackbuck National Park is famous for its success stories of conservation of the blackbuck, wolf and lesser florican. The lesser florican is an endangered species endemic to India. Today, the largest population of lesser floricans resides in this Park. The population of wolf and triped hyena is also increasing.

Among birds, sandgrouse and larks are seen in fair numbers. The harrier roast found at the park is one of the largest in the world.

 

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Keoladeo National Park famous around the world for its bird life, both resident and migratory. During winter, large flocks of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia migrate for nesting including the Siberian crane. Over 230 species of birds are known to be the Park’s residents. This region was earlier known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary.

Keoladeo is a man-made and man-managed wetland. It is one of the richest bird areas in the world. The Park used to be a hunting ground for the Maharajas of Bharatpur, a tradition dating back to 1850. Duck shoots were organized yearly in honour of the British viceroys back then. Though the Maharajah retained shooting rights until 1972, the last big shoot happened in 1964. The area was designated as a bird sanctuary on 13 March, 1976 and was later declared as a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

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Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park was created on 24 May, 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. It aimed at protecting marine life such as corals and nesting sea turtles that are common in this area.

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is located in Wandoor in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is made up of 17 islands and the open sea creeks running through the area. There are 2 major island groups in the park; the Labyrinth Islands and the Twin Islands. Twin Islands is an important area of sea turtles. The islands belong to the Rutland Archipelago and are located between Rutland Island and South Andaman Island.

Some of the islands in the Park are more isolated or protected from the effects of weather in the Bay of Bengal. Tarmugli is the largest island in the Park; it is covered with thick mangrove vegetation, sand covered beaches and sheet rocks.

 

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Filled with vast stretches of equatorial forest and grasslands, Intanki is one of the finest wildlife protected areas of Nagaland. It became a national park in 1993.

The thick rain forests in the Park offer a perfect habitat for all types of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Intanki is full of animals like Hoolock gibbon, golden langur, palm civets, tiger, black stork, sloth bear, wild dogs, flying squirrel, monitor lizard, and python.

It also has a large bird population; the birdlife here ranges from pheasants to hornbills and white-breasted kingfishers.

Intanki is also known as Ntangki National Park. The name Ntangki is derived from the Zeme dialect of the Zeliangrong tribe.

 

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In spite of their name, clouded leopards are not actually leopards. They are small version of the big car family, noted for their commendable ability to climb trees and jump to amazing heights. The dark blotchy patches with a unique pattern on its skin distinguish the clouded leopard from others in the cat family. Clouded Leopard National Park in Tripura is famous for its captive clouded leopard enclosures. Clouded leopards are also found in other national parks in the north-east.

Clouded Leopard National Park is a woodland with an artificial lake. It is a part of Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary. The spectacled langur, an endemic species of Tripura is abundant here. Other mammals like leopard, jungle fowl, barking deer and wild pigs are also found in the Park.

 

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Located near the Nilgiri Hills, Mudumalai National Park protects a range of plant and animal life including the Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, gaur, Indian leopard, and the critically endangered Indian white-rumped vulture and long-billed vulture.

Mudumalai is divided into five ranges- Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota. The Park borders Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. Just like Bandipur, Mudumalai too lies between the Mysore-Ooty road, flooded with tourist traffic. There is a night travel ban here too in order to safeguard the elephant corridor.

The extensive growth of invasive species, such as lantana poses a threat to the fauna of Mudumalai; this hinders the natural regeneration process of the forests.

 

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Mangrove forests criss-crossed with numerous creeks and mud flats where the salt water crocodiles and turtles move around freely is unique to Bhitarkanika National Park. In fact, Bhitarkanika is one of the largest mangrove eco systems in India.

Bhitarkanika harbours the largest number of saltwater crocodiles population in the Indian sub-continent. It has a special position in the turtle map of the world; Bhitarkanika is one of the world’s largest nesting and breeding grounds of Olive Ridley sea turtles. It is a haven of migratory birds as well.

Bhitarkanika is a cat paradise; it shelters healthy populations of leopard cats, fishing cats and jungle cats. Apart from the cats, it is also home to porcupine, dolphin, salt water crocodile, python, king cobra, water monitor lizards, terrapin and marine turtle.

 

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Tadoba is characterized by dry deciduous forests. Every year, forest fires affect this region, burning down somewhere between 2 per cent and 16 per cent of the Park. Tadoba is the oldest and largest national park in Maharashtra. The name of the Park is derived from the name of a tribal God ‘Tadoba’ or ‘Taru’.

The Tadoba National Park is divided into three separate forest ranges- Tadoba north range, Kolsa south range, and Morhurli range. Teak is the most prominent tree species in the Park. Ain, bija, dhauda, hald, salai, semal, tendu, beheda, Mahua madhuca, bamboo and black plum are the other common trees found in the Park.

The animals of Tadoba include tigers, Indian leopards, sloth bears, gaur, nilagi, striped hyena, small Indian civet, sambar, spotted deer and barking deer.

 

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Khangchendzonga National Par secured a position in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2016. The Park was put under the ‘Mixed Heritage’ category. This means that the Park is noted not only for its rich biodiversity, but also for its cultural significance.

Located in Sikkim, Khangchendzonga hosts Mount Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak. This region is regarded sacred by the Sikkimese. It is also the abode of ancient Buddhist traditions associated with the mountain deity on Mount Khangchendzonga.

Khangchendzonga has a vibrant wildlife; it is home to many rare and endemic varieties of plants and animals. It is home to many medicinal plants and herbs as well.

 

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The Great Himalayan National Park lies at the junction of two of the world’s major faunal realms- the Indomalayan and the Palaearctic. It shelters a range of species that are compactly packed in the considerably small area they occupy.

Twenty-five types of forests in the Park host a rich variety of uncommon, endemic and endangered fauna, some of which are threatened. Therefore, the Great Himalayan National Park is a high priority conservation zone.

The Park is characterized by high alpine peaks, alpine meadows and riverine forests. The number of plant species in the Park is estimated to be 25,000. This composes 10 per cent of the world’s known species and 50 per cent of India’s endemic flora.

 

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The Sunderbans is named after the Sundari trees which are found in abundance in this area. The Sunderbans is a deltaic region spread across India and Bangladesh. It is home to the largest halophytic mangrove forest in the world. Two great Indian rivers, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra converge in the Bengal basin to form the Sunderbans delta.

The eco-geography of this area is totally dependent on the tidal effects of two flow tides and two ebb tides. Hundreds of islands form within a day as the tides deposit slit in several beds. Many of them disappear along with the tidal action.

The Sunderbans is known for Bengal tigers, Leopard cats, Ridley sea turtle, wild boar, jungle cat and foxes are also found here. Irrawaddy dolphins too are found here in abundance.

 

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Located at the junction of the Aravalli and Vindhya hill range, Ranthambhore was once a hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1957. In 1974, Ranthambore became a part of Project Tiger and in 1981. It was designated as a National Park.

Ranthambhore is famous for Bengal tigers; it is one of the best spots in India to observe tigers in their natural habitat. Tigers can be spotted during broad daylight and have been known to even hunt in full view of visitors.

This is due to their lack of fear of human presence in vehicles.

Other than tigers, one can also spot the Indian leopard, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, striped hyena, sloth bear, southern plains gray langur, rhesus macaque and mugger crocodile.

 

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The Jungle Book is an unforgettable classic. Kids around the world love Mowgli and his friends. Kanha in Madhya Pradesh is the land of Jungle Book.

Kanha National Park is famous for its open grassy meadows and the wide diversity of wildlife it holds. It is globally famous for saving the barasingha. Years ago, the barasingha was faced with the threat of extinction. Desperate measures taken by the authorities including the fencing-off of some animals helped save them.

The wildlife attractions of the Park include bison, gaur, sambhar, chital, barking deer, black deer, black buck, chousingha and jungle cat. Kanha also shelters a huge population of birds such as storks, teals, pintails, pond herons, egrets, peacocks, jungle fowl, spur fowl, partridges, quails, ring doves, spotted parakeets, green pigeons, rock pigeons, cuckoos and papihas.

 

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Periyar National Park is known for the protection of tigers and elephants. Periyar is a repository of rare, endemic and endangered flora and fauna. It also forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala, the Periyar and the Pamba.

At the heart of the Park, there is a huge lake that was formed while building a dam back in 1895. A big portion of the forest was destroyed during the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam. One can still see the black stumps of dead trees in the lake.

Periyar is made up of tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests, grasslands, strands of eucalyptus, and lake and river ecosystems.

It supports a wide variety of plant, animal, reptile and bird life and is home to the only south Indian conifer, nageia wallichiana.

 

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The floral pastures amidst beautiful meadows in Nanda Devi bloom with wild flowers in July. The floral carpet remains intact till October, attracting a lot of visitors around the world just as it attracts butterflies.

Valley of Flowers is known for its endemic alpine flora. It lies adjacent to Nanda Devi National Park that hosts India’s second highest peak. Both the parks constitute the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.

The Botanical Survey of India surveyed and recorded the flowers in 1987. Five new species were discovered in 1997 during the survey by the Wildlife Institute of India. The flowers of the Valley include orchids, poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies and anemones. There are at least 520 plant species here out of which, at least 498 are flowering plants.

 

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