Black Buck | Famous Animal in india

Other Names : Kala Hiran, Sasin, Iralai Maan and Krishna Jinka

Speed : Upto 50 mph

Indian black buck is also known by a number of other names like Kala Hiran, Sasin, Iralai Maan and Krishna Jinka. The scientific name of the black buck antelope is Antilope cervicapra and it natural habitat is the Indian subcontinent. Grass forms the staple diet of the blackbucks. However, they do eat pods, flowers and fruits as supplements. The average lifespan of the Indian kala hiran is twelve years and at the maximum, they live for sixteen years. Black bucks are hunted by dogs and wolves.

About the Indian Black Buck

The male black bucks grow to a height of 32 inches and weigh somewhere between 70 and 95 pounds. Their upper part is covered with either dark brown or black fur. Chest, belly, inner sides of the legs, muzzle and chin of the males have white fur. Even the eyes are surrounded with white rings. Male black bucks have ringed horns that are up to 28 inches in length and twirl with three to four turns. When the male blackbucks are born, they are light brown in color and as they reach the age of three, they turn dark brown or black.

Female black bucks are much smaller than their male counterparts. They are beige or light brown in color and most of the female blackbucks do not even have horns. Even the few females that have horns lack the rings and spirals that characterize the male horns. Black bucks have very sharp eyesight, which, along with their great speed, forms their main defense against the predators. Female black buck antelopes have a gestation period of approximately five months. They generally give birth to two fawns every year, at a gap of six months.

The fawn of black buck spends the first two weeks after his birth in the grass, between nursing. Only after completing the first two weeks does the fawn join the group. Indian black bucks seldom live in isolation, they are found mainly in groups. The groups can be either those of the females, comprising of 15 to 20 members, mixed groups, bachelor groups or territorial males. The group of territorial males dominates all the other groups and inhabits the main grazing areas, along with the female groups. 

Natural Habitat 

Apart from India, black buck is found in parts of Pakistan and Nepal. Initially in India, the blackbucks were found almost everywhere except for the northeastern regions. However, today the population of black bucks has become limited to parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, along with a few areas in the Central India. Blackbucks have open plains of India as their natural habitat and count amongst the fastest running animals on earth. 

They live on open grasslands, dry thorn and scrublands. Black bucks were introduced in various parts of the world, including a number of ranches in Texas, in the United States of America. There are also free-ranging populations of Indian black bucks in Argentina (Pampas in southern Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos provinces).

Current status of Black Bucks

Black bucks are included in the list of endangered species in India as well as Nepal. Two major factors that have contributed to their declining population are poaching and habitat destruction. 

Threats 

Apart from poaching and habitat destruction, the other threats to blackbucks include predation, overgrazing, diseases, inbreeding and hoards of visitors. The flesh and skin of black buck fetches quite a high price in the market, making the animal extremely vulnerable to hunting. The species is suffering from inbreeding and at the same time, there is the wide scale encroachment by the humans. Once found easily in the plains of North India, they have now being restricted to a few pockets in the country.

Trivia

Bollywood actor Salman Khan was convicted for killing a black buck, while shooting for the film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. However, the conviction was stayed some time later.

Reference By: Iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-wild-animals/black-buck/index.html

Black Bear | Popular Animals in india

Indian black bear is also known by the names of Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Tibetan black bear, Himalayan black bear and Moon bear. They grow to a length of approximately 4 to 6 feet, right from the nose to the tail. The small eyes of the bear, along with its rounded ears, a long snout, a large body, a short tail, and shaggy hair, differentiate it from the other types of bears. The small shoulder hump, a furry rear instep, a concave facial contour, small and curved claws and narrow ears further accentuate the difference. Last but not the least, Asiatic black bear also has a whitish V-shaped breast patch, not found in the other bear species of India. 

The male black bear weighs between 220 and 480 pounds, while the females are110 to 275 pounds in weight. The senses of the Himalayan black bears of India are greatly developed and they boast of almost twice the hearing sensitivity possessed by humans. Black bears have colored vision and their eyesight is very sharp. Even their olfactory senses (ability to smell) are highly evolved. The mating season of the Himalayan black bears is usually from late May to early July. They give birth to two cubs at a time, which stay with the mother for almost seventeen months.

Diet

Indian black bears are omnivorous. Their diet depends upon the season as well as the availability of food. The fall season is the time for having acorns, chestnuts, walnuts, and other fatty food. In spring season, they survive on a diet of bamboo, raspberry, hydrangea, and other plants, along with rodent's caches of acorns. Summer season is perfect for having raspberries, cherries, grasses and ants. Asiatic black bears are also known to attack livestock at times.

Natural Habitat

Asiatic black bear generally inhabits upper subtropical and lower moist temperate zones. They are found in East Asia and South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, southern Siberia, Russia, northeastern China, Taiwan and Japan. In India, Asiatic black bears are found occupying Himalayan foothills, at a height of less than 3,750 m. Black bears are also found in the Arun valley of Nepal, inhabiting Sal-Castanopsis, Castanopsis and Rhododendron forests as well as the forests with bamboo groves.

Status and Threats

Asiatic black bear is listed as endangered on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. One of the major reasons that have contributed to the declining population of black bears is rampant deforestation and habitat loss. Asiatic black bears also face threat from farmers, who kill them in order to protect their livestock.

Reference By: Iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-wild-animals/black-bear/index.html

Asiatic Lion | Popular Animals in india

Asiatic Lions once used to roam around the area, stretching from northern Greece, across Southwest Asia, to central India. However, today, the natural habitat of the majestic animal has been reduced to the Gir forests of India only, making the Asiatic Lion almost synonymous with the Indian Lion. Known scientifically as Panthera Leo persica, the royal animal is depicted on the National Emblem of India, since it represents power, strength and sovereignty. 

Physical Traits
Asiatic Lion is the second largest 'Big Cat' in the world, after the ferocious tiger. A fully-grown male tiger reaches a length of 1.7 m to 2.5 m (head and body), with its tail being somewhere around 70 to 105 cm long. The tail of an Indian Lion has a dark tuft of fur at the end. Its shoulder height is around 1 to 1.23 m and the animal weighs between 150 kg and 250 kg. A lioness is smaller in size as compared to the male and reaches a height of 80 to 107 cm. The length of the head and the body is 1.7 to 2.5 m, while the weight is 120 to 180 kg.

The males are orange-yellow to dark brown in color, while the females have a sandy or tawny color. Males also have a mane, which is usually dark in color, but is rarely seen to be of black color. This characteristic mane is absent in the females. The mane of an Asiatic Lion is also shorter than that of an African Lion. However, Indian Lions are much more bushy, with longer tufts of hair at the end of the tail as well as on the elbow joints, than their African cousins. 

Behavior
Indian Lions are the only Big Cats that are seen living in large groups, known as 'prides'. A typical pride comprises of around 15 members, which includes related lionesses, their cubs and a few males. The number of males in a pride is usually around three and one of them dominates the rest of the group, including the other males. In a pride, it is the lionesses that do all the work, right from taking care of the cubs to hunting. The males only make the first claim on the game hunted by the female. 

The lionesses as well as the cubs eat only the leftovers. Male lions establish their pride's territorial boundaries by roaring and scent marking and fiercely defend it. All the members of the pride are closely attached with one another. Infact, majority of the lionesses remain with a particular pride throughout their life. However, a male is expelled from the pride the moment it is 3 years old. The few male lions that do not join any group become a major threat to the ones with a pride. Asiatic lions usually hunt in groups and are rarely seen stalking a prey in isolation. 

Mating Behavior
Male lions attain the age of maturity around 5 years of age, while the lionesses become mature after becoming 4 years old. There is no particular mating season of the Indian Lions. They can mate anytime during the entire year. The gestation period lasts for 100 to 119 days, after which 3 to 4 cubs are born. 

Natural Habitat
Asiatic Lions are found inhabiting open grasslands and forests of India, including scrub jungles. 

Diet
Indian Lions are carnivorous and depend upon hunting for food. Their prey mainly comprises of Deer, Antelope, Wild Boar and Wild Buffalo. At times, lions have also been observed attacking young hippopotamus and elephants. 

Geographical Range
Asiatic Lions are highly endangered species and have become extinct from all the countries of the world, except the Indian subcontinent. In India also, the animal is found only in the Gir forests of Gujarat. 

Current Status
The last census on the Asiatic Lions was carried out in the year 2006. It revealed the population of the species to be somewhere around 359, including over 50 lions kept in captivity.

Trivia
Asiatic lions form prides (groups), in which all the work, including hunting, is done by the lionesses. The only work that males do is to make the first claim on the prey hunted by the females. Apart from that, they just laze around and do nothing.

Reference By: Iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-wild-animals/asiatic-lion/index.html

Indian Clouded Leopard | Popular Animals in india

Clouded leopards belong to the Neofelis genus and have the scientific name of Neofelis nebulosa. The average lifespan of a clouded leopard is 11 years in the wild. However, in cases of captivity, it may go upto 17 years. 

Physical Traits
A clouded leopard grows to a length of 60 to 110 cm (2 ft to 3 ft 6 in). Its weigh may be somewhere between 11 and 23 kg (25 lbs and 50 lbs). The coat of Indian leopards is tan in color and has large, erratically shaped, dark-edged ellipses marks on it. Since the shape of the ellipses resembles clouds, the animals have been given the name of 'Clouded Leopards'. Their build is huge and their canine teeth are the longest amongst all the cat species. 

The short flexible legs of the Clouded leopard of India, along with its large paws and sharp claws, make it an excellent tree climber. Its tail is almost as long as its entire body, which serves as a further support in climbing. The cubs of clouded leopard do not have dark ellipse, rather their entire body is dark in color. 

Diet

The clouded leopard is a carnivore and mainly survives on arboreal and terrestrial mammals, primarily consisting of gibbons, macaques and proboscis monkey. Its other prey includes small mammals, deer, birds, porcupines, and domestic livestock.

No Relation to Leopard
Clouded leopard has no close relation to leopard and comes under a separate genus, known as Neofelis.

Natural Habitat
Clouded leopards prefer to stay in tropical and subtropical forest of India, with an altitude of over 2,000 meters. One can also find the animal inhabiting Indian mangrove swamps and grassland. Their natural habitat stretches through southern China, the eastern Himalayas, northeast India, and Southeast Asia. It is believed that the species has become extinct in Taiwan.

Sub-species
Earlier, the clouded leopard was believed to have four subspecies, namely:

• Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus - Taiwan (believed to be extinct in the wild)
• Neofelis nebulosa diardi - Borneo, Sumatra and Java (absent since Neolithic times)
• Neofelis nebulosa macrosceloides - Nepal to Myanmar
• Neofelis nebulosa nebulosa - Southern China to eastern Myanmar

However, a few years back, molecular genetic analyses have put a strong case for inclusion of two more species in this category, namely Neofelis nebulosa (found in mainland Asia) and Neofelis diardi (found in Indonesian archipelago).

Behavior
There is hardly any information about the behavioral traits of the Clouded leopard in the wild. However, it is believed that they are solitary creatures, which can be seldom seen in groups.

Mating Behavior
Female Clouded leopard attains maturity after it reaches the age of two years. After the gestation period, which lasts for about 85 to 93 days, it gives birth to cubs, which may be 1 to 5 in number. The cubs get active within 5 weeks of birth and become independent after around 10 months.

Status
Clouded leopard has been listed in the Appendix I by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is an endangered species and its international trade for any reason, except for scientific research, is restricted. Clouded leopard also finds a mention in the Endangered Species Act of the United States.

Reference By: Iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-wild-animals/clouded-leopard/