Wildlife of India

India consists of a varied range of geographical diversities and each region consists of different types of wildlife species. The most interesting part about the Indian wildlife is their power to cope up with the changing environment. India consists of a wide number of species, because of its climatic diversity. India is a country that has almost every kind of climatic region - starting from extreme temperature of deserts to sea, rivers, forest and obviously the snow-covered hills. Almost every different climatic region contains different types of animals.

As the Indian topography is vast, it contains a wide range of animals. The most important animals found here are Bengal tigers, elephants, snakes, blackbuck, tortoise, lizards, Asiatic wild ass, desert cats, desert fox, caracal, single horned rhinoceros etc. Usually forest is the most important habitat for wildlife. 4% area of India is covered with such dense forest, ideal for wildlife growth and security. There are almost 482 sanctuaries and 90 National parks in India for wildlife preservation.

Starting from the Himalayan base to Kanyakumari, the land is considered as the Indian peninsula. The peninsula region can be divided into certain zones, such as -

- The desert area, which is also known as Thar desert
- Tropical deciduous forest lands
- Coniferous and hilly forests

The above regions consist of different topographical conditions. The desert vicinity comprises thorn afforests, Dry mixed and Tropical deciduous, dry Savanna afforests, scrub afforests, etc. The floras found in this specific region are thorny. Cactus kind of trees is mostly found in such locations. The species under fauna of this region are naturally equipped with the power to cope up with the geographical conditions like extreme weather, water scarcity etc.
 

Wildlife of North India

North India is one of the most important habitations of wildlife. The whole region comprises many old and popular national parks and sanctuaries. Starting from Himalayan range to the northern plains, it gives shelter to a wide range of fauna. The rare Snow Leopards, Red Pandas, the fabled Cashmere goats, Yaks are some of the important animals found in this region. The Himalayan region is also famous for the Himalayan Peasants, birds with fantastic and rare combination of colors.

Wildlife of East India

East India is one of the richest regions pertaining to fauna. It is the home of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger, and the One Horned Rhino. The eastern part of the country is dotted with thick deciduous forest, which is the home of the wild elephants, spotted deers or chital, leopards, Gaur or the Indian Buffalo, and a variety of other animals. Bhitarkanika on the estuary of Mahanadi in Odisha is the sanctuary for the largest estuarine crocodile in the world. Sundarban of Bengal has the largest concentration of tigers. Millions of migratory birds fly down to a saltwater lake, called Chilka, in Odisha.

Wildlife of South India

The hot and humid climate of south India support thick forest has rare wildlife such as wild elephants, deers, pythons, and venomous snakes. Southern India has the dense concentration of King Cobra, the largest venomous snake in the world, often reaching 15 meters in length.

Wildlife of Central India

Central India houses some of the best wildlife sanctuaries such as Kanha and Bandhavgarh, which are well known for their tiger population. Some rare animals such as the Indian Wolf are also found there.

Wildlife of West India

West India usually has an arid climatic condition. Still it has a wide variety of fauna. The tiger reserve of Ranthambore is a treat to the visitors. This western sector is the only home of Asiatic Lion. Birds are one of the most important fauna found in this region. Apart from Peacocks, the national bird, migratory birds fly down to here every winter. Keola Deo Ghana bird sanctuary is a rare treat for every traveler. This region also houses big antelopes such as the Sambar Deer and the Nilgai.

Overall, Indian wildlife is highly diverse, and it changes according to the climatic condition and vegetation.
 

Click on a specific state below to get wildlife of the state.