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Reptiles Of Nepal
Wildlife diversity is a notable feature of Nepal. Because of the variance in climate, from tropical to arctic, Nepal has a large variety of plants and animals. Wildlife tourism is a major source of tourism in the country. There are some animal species which are unique to Nepal, such as the spiny babbler. Nepal is also host to many rhododendron species. Nepal has numerous national parks and reserves to protect its diverse fauna. Nepal is a biodiversity hot spot with ecoregions broadly comprising the mountainous ecoregion, the savanna and grasslands ecoregion of the terai (foothills), and the Rara Lake ecoregion. Legal protection With the 1973 passing of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 BS, Nepal has established numerous national parks and reserves in order to protect its fauna. There are four different classes of protection, ranging from national parks and nature reserves to wildlife and hunting reserves. By 1992 Nepal had established seven national parks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late Pleistocene for about 12,000 to 16,500 years. Its historical range covered the Indus River valley until the early 19th century, almost all of India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and southwestern China. Today, it inhabits India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and southwestern China. It is threatened by poaching, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. As of 2022, the Bengal tiger population was estimated at 3,167–3,682 individuals in India, 316–355 individuals in Nepal, 131 individuals in Bhutan and around 114 individuals in Bangladesh. Taxonomy ''Felis tigris'' was the scientific name used by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for the tiger. It was subordinated to the genus ''Panthera'' by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1929. Bengal is the traditional ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smooth-coated Otter
The smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') is a freshwater otter species from regions of South and Southwest Asia, with the majority of its numbers found in Southeast Asia. It has been ranked as " vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as it is threatened by habitat loss, pollution of wetlands and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. As the common name indicates, its fur is relatively smooth, and somewhat shorter in length than that of other otter species. Characteristics The smooth-coated otter has a short, sleek coat of dark-brown to reddish-brown fur along its back, with lighter grayish brown on its underside. It is distinguished from other otter species by a more "rounded" head, and by having a vaguely diamond-shaped, hairless nose. The tail is flattened, in contrast to the more rounded or cylindrical tails of other otters. The legs are short and strong, with large, webbed feet bearing strong and sharp claws for handling slippery fish. The smooth-coated ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wild Yak
The wild yak (''Bos mutus'') is a large, wild bovine native to the Himalayas. It is the ancestor of the domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''). Taxonomy The ancestor of the wild and domestic yak is thought to have diverged from '' Bos primigenius'' at a point between one and five million years ago. The wild yak is now normally treated as a separate species from the domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''). Based on genomic evidence, the closest relatives of yaks are considered to be bison, which have historically been considered members of their own titular genus, rendering the genus '' Bos'' paraphyletic. Relationships of members of the genus ''Bos'' based on nuclear genomes after Sinding, et al. 2021. Description The wild yak is among the largest extant bovid species. Adults stand about tall at the shoulder, and weigh . The head and body length is , not counting the tail of .Han Jianlin, M. Melletti, J. Burton, 2014, Wild yak (Bos mutus Przewalski, 1883), Ecology, Evolution and Behavio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tibetan Wolf
The Himalayan wolf (''Canis lupus chanco'') is a canine of debated taxonomy. It is distinguished by its genetic markers, with mitochondrial DNA indicating that it is genetically basal to the Holarctic grey wolf, genetically the same wolf as the Tibetan and Mongolian wolf, and has an association with the African wolf (''Canis lupaster''). No striking morphological differences are seen between the wolves from the Himalayas and those from Tibet. The Himalayan wolf lineage can be found living in Ladakh in the Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of Central Asia predominantly above in elevation because it has adapted to a low-oxygen environment, compared with other wolves that are found only at lower elevations. Some authors have proposed the reclassification of this lineage as a separate species. In 2019, a workshop hosted by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group noted that the Himalayan wolf's distribution included the Himalayan range and the Tibetan Plateau. The gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tibetan Fox
The Tibetan fox (''Vulpes ferrilata''), also known as the Tibetan sand fox, is a species of true fox endemic to the high Tibetan Plateau, Nepal, China, Bhutan and the Indian states of Ladakh and Sikkim, up to elevations of about . It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List, on account of its widespread range in the Tibetan Plateau's steppes and semi-deserts. Characteristics The Tibetan fox has a soft and dense rufous coloured coat from the crown, neck, back to the lower legs. Its muzzle is narrow, its cheeks, flanks, upper legs and rumps are grey, and its bushy tail has white tips. The short ears are tan to greyish tan on the back, while the insides and undersides are white. Adult Tibetan foxes are , not including tail, and have tail lengths of . Weights of adults are usually . Among the true foxes, its skull is the most specialised in the direction of carnivory; it is longer in the condylobasal length, and in mandible and cheek tooth length, than those of hill fox ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline about 10% by 2040. It is mainly threatened by poaching and habitat destruction following infrastructural developments. It inhabits alpine and subalpine zones at elevations of , ranging from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China. In the northern part of its range, it also lives at lower elevations. Taxonomically, the snow leopard was long classified in the monotypic genus ''Uncia''. Since phylogenetic studies revealed the relationships among ''Panthera'' species, it has since been considered a member of that genus. Two subspecies were described based on morpho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Panda
The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle and a ringed tail. Its head-to-body length is with a tail, and it weighs between . It is well adapted to climbing due to its flexible joints and curved semi-retractile claws. The red panda was formally Species description, described in 1825. The two currently recognised subspecies, the Himalayan and the Chinese red panda, Genetic divergence, genetically diverged about 250,000 years ago. The red panda's place on the Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree has been debated, but modern genetic evidence places it in close affinity with Procyonidae, raccoons, Mustelidae, weasels, and Mephitidae, skunks. It is not closely related to the giant panda, which is a bear, though both possess elongated wrist bones or "Sesamoid bone#Other animals, fal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Pangolin
The Chinese pangolin (''Manis pentadactyla'') is a pangolin native to the northern Indian subcontinent, northern parts of Southeast Asia and southern China. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2014, as the wild population is estimated to have declined by more than 80% in three pangolin generations, equal to 21 years. It is threatened by poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. Characteristics The Chinese pangolin has the appearance of a scaly anteater. Its scales are typically grayish blue. Its head and body measure about and its tail measures about . A mature Chinese pangolin weighs from . It has 18 rows of overlapping scales accompanied by hair, a rare combination in mammals. It has a small, narrow mouth and a little, pointed head. Its claws grow in as it grows older. The female gives birth to a single offspring at a time. A newborn pangolin weighs about , its length is about . The Chinese pangolin reproduces in April and May when the wea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Pangolin
The Indian pangolin (''Manis crassicaudata''), also called thick-tailed pangolin and scaly anteater, is a pangolin native to the Indian subcontinent. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping Scale (zoology), scales on its body which act as Armour (zoology), armour. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger. It is an insectivore feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using its long claws, which are as long as its fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day. It is not common anywhere in its range, and is threatened by hunting for its meat and various body parts used in traditional medicine. Characteristics The Indian pangolin is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal. It is about long from head to tail, the tail usually being long, and weighs . Females are generally smaller th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marbled Cat
The marbled cat (''Pardofelis marmorata'') is a small Felidae, wild cat native from the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, where it inhabits forests up to an elevation of . As it is present in a large range, it has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2015. The marbled cat is closely related to the Asian golden cat (''Catopuma temminckii'') and the bay cat (''C. badia''), all of which diverged from other Felidae, felids about 9.4 million years ago. Characteristics The marbled cat is similar in size to a domestic cat, but has rounded ears and a very long tail that is as long as the cat's head and body. The ground colour of its long fur varies from brownish-grey to ochreous brown above and greyish to buff below. It is patterned with black stripes on the short and round head, on the neck and back. On the tail, limbs and underbelly it has solid spots. On the flanks it has irregular dark-edged blotches that fuse to dark areas and look like a 'marbled' pattern. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asiatic Elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living elephantid in the world. It is characterised by its long trunk with a single finger-like processing; large tusks in males; laterally folded large ears and wrinkled grey skin that is partly depigmented on the trunk, ears or neck. Adult males average in weight and females . It has a large and well developed neocortex of the brain, is highly intelligent and self-aware being able to display behaviours associated with grief, learning and greeting. Three subspecies are recognised—'' E. m. maximus'', ''E. m. indicus'' and '' E. m. sumatranus''. The Asian elephant is distributed in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west to Borneo in the east, and Nepal in the north to Sumatra in the south. It frequently inhabits grasslands, tropical evergreen forests, semi-eve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
