India Abroad - March 30, 2012

India Abroad March 30, 2012
Namdapha
Flying Squirrel
these wild water buffalos are very different
beasts in terms of size and ferocity. They can be
commonly seen in the high grasslands of the
terai and besides large rivers like the
Brahmaputra. Kaziranga National Park boasts a
large population.
There’s wildlife beyond the
Big Five.15 creatures you may
have never seen, but should

10. Indian Red Panda
Habitat: Sikkim and Meghalaya
After its discovery in the early nineteenth cen-
tury, this small omnivorous mammal has been
much loved for its adorable good looks. Found
between the Annapurna Range in Nepal and
Myanmar in the east, in India it can be seen in
the forests of Sikkim as well as in Meghalaya in
places like the Balpakram National Park.

1. Namdapha Flying Squirrel
stretching from the Manas river in Assam to the foothills
of southern Bhutan.
Habitat: Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh
This beautiful and extremely rare rodent is the star
attraction of Namdapha. A ‘restricted range’ species, it has
only been sighted in a single valley of the park. The flying
squirrel is nocturnal, distinguished by pretty colorings
and a unique membrane running along its side that allows
it to escape flightless tree predators.

2. Pygmy Hog
Habitat: Manas National Park, Assam
This little pig’s really tiny—all of 71cm long and 30cm
tall. Once it used to occur all over eastern India, Nepal
and Bhutan, but now it can be viewed only in Assam,
specifically Manas. It occurs in the tall, wet grasslands of
the terai.
7. Kashmir Stag
Habitat: Dachigam National Park, Kashmir
A magnificent sub-species of the European Red Deer,
the state animal of Jammu & Kashmir is also a highly
endangered one. Centuries of hunting and poaching have
taken their toll on it. Now seen almost exclusively in the
Dachigam National Park, only around 150 of these stags
(also called hangul) are known to exist in the wild.
8. Hispid Hare
Habitat: Terai grasslands, fromUttar Pradesh to Assam
3. Mouse Deer
Habitat: Southern India, especially Tamil Nadu and
Kerala
Native to India, although there have been reports of it
from Nepal as well, the small spotted deer measures about
58 cm in length and weighs just 6 pounds. There have
been periodic sightings from South India, especially in
Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Kalakkad-Mundanthurai
Tiger Reserve is the best place to see them, along with
other sanctuaries in the Western Ghats.
Despite the wide spread, this shy animal is difficult to
spot because of the tall grasslands it inhabits. Also called
the Assam rabbit, it occurs in broken stretches across
northern India and can be found in places like Jaldapara,
Manas and Kanha.
9. Wild Water Buffalo
Habitat: Kaziranga, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa nation-
al parks
Although a close cousin of the domesticated buffalo,
Nilgiri Marten
4. Nilgiri Marten
Habitat: Western Ghats
A close cousin of the commonly viewed yellow-throated
marten, the rarer Nilgiri marten is larger and has a dis-
tinctively bright throat ranging from yellow to orange. It
is endemic to the Western Ghats, occurring over six or so
national parks.
5. Astor Markhor
Habitat: Pir Panjal range, Jammu & Kashmir
The Markhor is a stunning animal found mostly in the
Afghan highlands and in the Karakoram valleys in
Pakistan. However, one branch of this corkscrew-horned
animal, the Astor Markhor, can be found in the Indian
Himalaya, especially in the Pir Panjal range in Kashmir.

6. Gee’s Golden Langur
Habitat: Upper and western Assam, Kokrajhar and
Manas National Park
This golden langur is one of the most beautiful primate
species found in the country. It occurs in a forested belt
Astor Markhor
11. Jerdon’s Courser
Habitat: Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, specifically
Sri Lankamalleshwara Sanctuary
This compact courser with two distinctive brown breast-
bands is a critically endangered species endemic to India.
It’s found principally in Andhra Pradesh south of the
Godavari, and was long thought extinct before being
rediscovered in 1986.
12. Sangai
Habitat: Swamplands of Manipur near Loktak lake
This impressive brow-antlered deer (also called Eld’s
Deer) is found almost exclusively in the swampy forests of
the Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur. Hunted
widely in the past for its distinctive asymmetrical antlers,
the sangai is also much celebrated in Manipuri folklore.
; M13

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