|
Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary
Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary( mar, फणसाड वन्यजीव अभयारण्य ) is a wildlife sanctuary in the Murud and Roha talukas of Raigad district, Maharashtra state, India. It was created in 1986 to preserve some of the coastal woodland ecosystem of the Western Ghats and consists of of forest, grasslands and wetlands. The area was once part of the hunting reserves of the princely state of Murud-Janjira. Geography The Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary is located some from Mumbai. It is situated between Roha, Murud-Janjira and Alibaug talukas of Raigarh district. There are four main trails through the sanctuary that takes in the main waterholes, Ghunyacha Maal, Chikhalgaan and Phansadgaan, that are some of the best places to see wildlife. The "Sacred Grove" (Devrai) is located near Supegaon. Pockets of open grassland, called ''maals'', occur throughout the sanctuary. The places of natural water sources in the sanctuary are called "Gaan". The sanctuary is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raigad District
Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: �aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad after the fort that was the first capital of the former Maratha Empire, which in turn was renamed from its earlier name - Rairi. The fort is located in the interior regions of the district, in dense forests on a west-facing spur of the Western Ghats of Sahyadri Range. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,634,200, compared to 2,207,929 in 2001. The name was changed in the regime of Chief Minister A. R. Antulay on 1 January 1981. In 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36.91% from 24.22% in 2001. Alibag is the headquarters of Raigad district. Raigad district's neighbouring districts are Mumbai, Thane districts on North, Pune district on East, Satara district on South East, Ratnagiri district is present on South side and Arabian sea on West. History Kulaba (also spelled Kolaba) district was sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-rumped Vulture
The white-rumped vulture (''Gyps bengalensis'') is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined. White-rumped vultures die of kidney failure caused by diclofenac poisoning. In the 1980s, the global population was estimated at several million individuals, and it was thought to be "the most abundant large bird of prey in the world". As of 2021, the global population was estimated at less than 6,000 mature individuals. It is closely related to the European griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus''). At one time it was believed to be closer to the white-backed vulture of Africa and was known as the Oriental white-backed vulture. Taxonomy The white-rumped vulture was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the vultures in the genus '' Vultur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Birdwing
''Troides minos'', the southern birdwing, also called Sahyadri birdwing, is a large and striking swallowtail butterfly endemic to south India. With a wingspan of 140–190 mm, it is the second largest butterfly of India. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. It was earlier considered a subspecies of the common birdwing ('' Troides helena'') but is now recognised as a valid species. The species is more common in the Western Ghats of South India, which is a biodiversity hotspot with a high degree of endemism in many taxa. It is much sought after by collectors and is a highlight of many butterfly tours in the Western Ghats. It is the state butterfly of Karnataka, India. Description Description from Charles Thomas Bingham (1907) ''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma, Butterflies''. Volume II. Male and female. Differs from ''Troides helena cerberus'' as follows. * Male: Hindwing: the black along the dorsal and terminal margins both on upper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giri's Bronzeback Tree Snake
''Dendrelaphis girii'', Giri's bronzeback tree snake or Giri's bronzeback, is a species of diurnal, arboreal, Colubrid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India. Description A species of ''Dendrelaphis'' characterised by the combination of: 1) two loreal scales on each side of the head; 2) 15 dorsal scale rows at midbody; 3) enlarged vertebral scales; 4) 166–173 ventrals; 5) 140–147 subcaudals; 6) 8–9 supralabials, 2 supralabials border the eye; 7) 6–8 temporal scales; 8) a long sublabial that touches 2-5 infralabials; 9) 1–3 gular rows; 10) a divided anal shield; 11) relative tail-length 0.36–0.37; 12) a black postocular stripe that covers less than a quarter of the temporal region and that barely extends onto the neck; 13) an absent or rudimentarily present pale ventrolateral line. Etymology Named after Varad Giri, the curator of the herpetological collection of the Bombay Natural History Society The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombay Earth Snake
''Uropeltis macrolepis'', commonly known as the Bombay earth snake, the Bombay shieldtail, and the large-scaled shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to southern India. There are two recognized subspecies. Geographic range ''Uropeltis macrolepis'' is found in Maharashtra (Phansad – near Supegaon, Mahabaleshwar, Koyna, Lonavla), India. Type locality of ''Silybura macrolepis'' = "Ceylon?" Type locality of ''Uropeltis macrolepis mableshwarensis'' = "Mahableshwar, Satara district, Bombay State", India. Habitat The preferred natural habitat of ''U. macrolepis'' is forest, at altitudes of . Description ''Uropeltis macrolepis'' is black or dark purplish brown both dorsally and ventrally, with each scale lighter-edged. There is a yellow stripe on the lips and sides of the neck, followed by two to five large yellow spots, and a yellow stripe along each side of the tail. Adults may attain a total length (including tail) of . The s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Rock 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] |
Mouse Deer
Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only from fossils. The extant species are found in forests in South and Southeast Asia, with a single species, the water chevrotain, in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. They are solitary or live in pairs, and feed almost exclusively on plant material. Chevrotains are the smallest hoofed mammals in the world. The Asian species weigh between , while the African chevrotain is considerably larger at . With an average length of and an average height of , the Java mouse-deer is the smallest extant (living) ungulate or hoofed mammal, as well as the smallest extant even-toed ungulate. In November 2019, conservation scientists announced that they had photographed silver-backed chevrotains (''Tragulus versicolor'') in a Vietnamese fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesser False Vampire Bat
The lesser false vampire bat (''Megaderma spasma'') is a bat found in South Asia and Southeast Asia from Sri Lanka and India in the west to Indonesia and the Philippines in the east. They live in caves and tree hollows. They are insectivorous. The lesser false vampire bat has a wingspan of up to and have a head-and-body length of around . Their forearms are normally around . The lesser false vampire bat has yellowish veins through the wing, and when the wings are spread with light behind, they are given a prominent yellow/orange tinge. Their body colour ranges from grey-brown to blue-brown. Lesser false vampire bats live in rock crevices, caves, foliage and hollow trees, depending on availability, as well as hanging and sleeping on trees in general. ''Megaderma spasma'' is from the order Chiroptera and family Megadermatidae which comprises four genera and five species. ''M. spasma'' also known as lesser false vampire. Its type locality was in Indonesia, Molucca Islands and Ter ... [...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 ... [...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 scales on its body which act as 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 for 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 than the males and have one pair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Leopard
The Indian leopard (''Panthera pardus fusca'') is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. The species ''Panthera pardus'' is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because populations have declined following habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching for the illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to conflict situations. The Indian leopard is one of the big cats occurring on the Indian subcontinent, along with the Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard. In 2014, a national census of leopards around tiger habitats was carried out in India except the northeast. 7,910 individuals were estimated in surveyed areas and a national total of 12,000–14,000 speculated. Taxonomy ''Felis fusca'' was the scientific name proposed by Friedrich Albrecht Anton Meyer in 1794 who described a black leopard from Bengal that was on display at the Tower of London. ''Leopardus perniger'' proposed by Brian Houghton Hodgson in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhole
The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It is genetically close to species within the genus '' Canis'', but distinct in several anatomical aspects: its skull is convex rather than concave in profile, it lacks a third lower molar and the upper molars sport only a single cusp as opposed to between two and four. During the Pleistocene, the dhole ranged throughout Asia, Europe and North America but became restricted to its historical range 12,000–18,000 years ago. The dhole is a highly social animal, living in large clans without rigid dominance hierarchies and containing multiple breeding females. Such clans usually consist of about 12 individuals, but groups of over 40 are known. It is a diurnal pack hunter which preferentially targets large and medium-sized ungu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.png "Click for more on -> Mouse Deer")
.jpg "Click for more on -> Indian Pangolin")
