Great Indian Bustard Scientific classification Kingdom : Phylum: Class:

The Great Indian Bustard at , Madhya Pradesh

Animalia Chordata Aves Gruiformes Otididae Ardeotis

Order: Family: Genus: Species:

A. nigriceps Binomial name

(Vigors, 1831)

Ardeotis nigriceps

Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park

In the southwest of the peninsular state of Gujarat, lies the 116 square-mile Gir sanctuary created to protect the last wild population of Lion outside the African regions. Since 1913 when the Lion population over here fell drastically to just 20 animals, the numbers have increased to around 300. The Asiatic lion is slightly smaller than its African cousin is and its mane is also smaller.

Red Data Book

The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) maintains an international list, published as the Red Data Book. Red Data Book species are classified into different categories of perceived risk. Each Red Data Book usually deals with a specific group of animals or plants (for instance, reptiles, insects or mosses). The original IUCN Red Data Book threat categories have been widely applied to hundreds of thousands of taxa of animals, plants, and fungi. Note that these categories refer to the conservation status of an organism in the wild, not to its presence in cultivation or captivity.

An essential part of identifying the Important Bird Areas was an up-to-date knowledge of which species were threatened in South Africa. This required a classification of the threat categories for all species, an exercise last undertaken by Richard Brooke, and published in 1983. The need to reclassify species was essential, both because the definitions of the threat categories had been made more precise, and because a vast amount of new information had become available since 1983. The most important of this new knowledge was that contained in The Atlas of Southern African Birds, which provided, for the first time, accurate maps of species distributions, based entirely on sight records. Data from other Avian Demography Unit projects, the Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC) , the Birds in Reserves Project (BIRP) and the Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR) also provided information that was of great value in the allocation of threat categories

Sambhar wildlife sanctuary

Fast facts
Area State Languages Best Time to visit 24,000 hectares Rajasthan Hindi, English October-March

Sambhar Lake, situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is a place where horizons stretch to infinity, where water and sky merge in a shimmer of gauzy blue. Civilization here goes back a long, long time and legends asambhar lake, sambhar lake national park & wildlife sanctuary, sambhar lake tiger reserve, sambhar lake national park, sambhar lake wildlife sanctuary, sambhar lake wildlife park bound. According to one reference in the epic Mahabharata, Raja Yayati, emperor of Bharatvarsh (India) and a descendant of Lord Brahma the Creator, married Devyani, daughter of Shukracharya (the guru of demons) who lived by the lake

Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary-Thekkady The pride of Kerela and a testimony to nature's splendour and human innovation, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the banks of the Periyar lake - an artificial lake, at Thekkady. Here the high ranges of the Western Ghats are clothed in dense evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savannah grass lands. Below this thick green canopy roam herds of elephants, sambars, tigers, gaurs, lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs. In addition to elephant rides, cruises on the lake and treks to the ruined Mangala Devi temple - a beautiful old stone temple situated in the heart of the Thekkady forest, this sanctuary offers the unique opportunity to watch and photograph wild elephants at close quarters. The Periyar Widlife sanctuary is spread across 777 sq km, of which 360 sq km is thick evergreen forest, the Periyar Wiild Life Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. Noted for its geomorphology, diversity of wildlife and scenic beauty, the Reserve attracts visitors all over the world and is one of the world's most fascinating natural wildlife reserves. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. This is the only sanctuary in India where you can have the unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters from the safety of a boat on the lake. The greatest attraction of Periyar, however are the herds of wild elephants that come down to the play in the lake.

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary

125 kms. from Bhopal, the sanctuary is situated in the southern slopes of Satpura Range in Hoshangabad Distric. The park is located among the mixed deciduous and bamboo forests. The dominant tree species of the region are Dhawa, Teak, Haldu, Dhaura, Char, Amaltas, Tendu, Jamun and vast forests of dense Bamboo. The North & East boundary of Bori sanctuary is marked by the Satpura National Park and Western boundary of sanctuary is outlined by Tawa river, which makes this place as complete with ecological requirements. Backwater of Tawa reservoir is the habitat of many aquatic life. The sanctuary has got abundance of wildlife including Tiger, Leopard, Bison, Sambar, Cheetal, Barking Deer, Chinkara, Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica), Indian Wild Dog, Striped Hyaena,Jackal,Jungle Cat, Indian Fox, Muntjac, Chevrotain, Nilgai, Four horned Antelope, Chinkara & Gaur

Satpura National Park

Satpura National Park is located in south Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh. The 524 Sqkm Park is the core area of the Panchmarchi Biosphere Reserve that includes Bori wildlife sanctuary to its south-west and Panchmarhi wildlife sanctuary to its north-east. The park has an elevation of 320-1,352m with tall sandstone mountains, narrow gorges, ravines, waterfalls, streams and dense forests near the Mahadev hills in the Pachmarhi plateau. The area boasts of two unique species of treed the sal and the teak besides wide varieties of ferns, mango trees, butterflies and birds.

Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary

Location - In the high ranges of the southern-western ghats of Kerala, 15 kms from Munnar Area Covered - 97 sq. km. Prime Attractions - Nilgiri Tahr, Atlas Moth Ideal Time to Visit - November to April Entry Fee - Indians : Rs 15 and Foreigners : Rs 200 About Located in the scenic hill station of Munnar(15km), Kerala, the Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary In Kerala was set up to protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, one of the major species of wild goat. Earlier it was a hunting preserve during British rule.

Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary

Chilka Bird Sanctuary in Orissa is a famous bird sanctuary of India. Located in the vicinity of beautiful salt water lake Chilka, the sanctuary provides refuge to a large number of inland as well as migratory birds. The panoramic view of the sanctuary is really breathtaking. There are a number of islands at the Lake including Honeymoon Island and Breakfast Island. Nalabana Sanctuary in the heart of Chilka Bird Sanctuary is the integral part of this sanctuary. Chilka Lake is world's largest brackish water Lake and spreads across 1,100 kilometers. The lake is pear shaped and offers a perfect habitat for different bird species. The Lake is truly a bird's watcher's delight. The birds nesting in this sanctuary are jacana, purple moorhen, white-bellied sea eagles, greylag geese, herons and flamingos. It is also the best breeding ground for flamingos. Aquatic life at the lake comprises of prawns, crabs, Irrawaddy Dolphin, the limbless lizard, crustaceans and more than 225 species of fish that include the Arius arius, Alepes djedaba, Acentrogobius griseous and the Elops machnata. The sanctuary also has wild animals inhabiting silently along with birds. The animals that can be spotted near the shores are blackbuck, spotted deer, golden jackals and hyenas. The best time to visit the sanctuary is from October to March when at least 50 to 70 species of migratory birds visit the lake. The weather is warm throughout the year, so one can visit the Park anytime except monsoon as the land becomes slippery and unsuitable to walk

Govind Wildlife Sanctuary & National Park

Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is located near Purola in Uttarkashi District, Uttaranchal. Spread over 953 sq km, the sanctuary forms the upper catchment of the Tons River. Inhabitants include snow leopard, black bear, brown bear, musk deer, bharal, Himalayan thar, serow and common leopard. The endangered birds include monal pheasant, koklas pheasant, western tragopan, Himalayan snow cock, golden eagle, steppe eagle, black eagle and bearded vulture. Other important bird groups such as pigeons, parakeets, cuckoos, owls, bulbuls, tits, warblers, thrushes, finches and buntings are also found. The best time to visit is May to June. Naitwar, the entrance and starting point of the sanctuary, is 200 km from Dehradun.

Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary

Hastinapur Sanctuary was founded in 1986, in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bijnore and Jyotiba Phule Nagar. The Hastinapur Sanctuary sprawling in an area of 2073 sq. km. The population of the wild animals includes various species of animals including antelope, sambhar, cheetal, blue bull, leopard, hyena, wild cat, and different types of birds. It also houses alligators The marshy land along the Ganga makes this sanctuary a haven for migratory birds. Over 350 species of birds are found here such as painted stork, black and white necked stork, sarus crane, as well as night birds of prey, ranging from the great Indian horned owl to the jungle owlet, colourful woodpecker, barbet, kingfisher, minivet, bee-eater and bulbul .Hastinapur National Park is rich in faunal wealth because of the varied types of ecological niches existing in the reserve. The main groups occur are mammals, birds, reptiles (snakes and lizards), amphibians (frogs & toads) butterflies and fishes, and chiefly the invertebrate groups are, the Scorpions, Centipedes, Odonata (dragon & damselflies), Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, etc.) Isoptera (termites) and Lepidoptera which comprises more than 60 species. Our National Bird Peacock is found here in abundance.

BR Hills Wildlife Sanctuary

Location: Kemmannagundi, Karnataka Total Area: 540 sq. kms Main Attractions: Gaur, Chital Visiting Season: September to May

Description: B.R Hills Wildlife Sanctuary Situated at a height of 5,091 feet, B.R Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique blend of resort and wildlife sanctuary, a must for wildlife lovers. Dancing trees, whistling winds and swirling streams form a backdrop to some very rare animal. The B.R Wildlife sanctuary is 3,375 ft above sea level and is spread over an area of 540 sq. kms of undulating hills and valleys covered in deciduous forests and Sholas.

Giant squirrel

THE DODO

THE ONE-HORNED RHINO

A cheetah can run 76 kilometres per hour (46 miles per hour) - that's really fast! The fastest human beings runs only about 30 kilometres per hour (18 miles per hour).

There are more than 50 different kinds of kangaroos. Kangaroos are native of Australia. A group of kangaroos is called a mob. Young kangaroos are called joeys
Some scientists believe that the earth began billions of years ago as a huge ball of swirling dust and gases. If you dig in your backyard, dont worry about running into the earths core. Youd have to dig a hole 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) deep!