1) ENVIRONMENT

 Crocodiles = India is home to three crocodilian species + Indian Crocodile Conservation

Project was launched in 1975 in different States

 Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) = Vulnerable + Gujarat relocated the

Mugger crocodile from Sardar Sarovar dam to facilitate a seaplane service at the

Statue of Unity + reptilian species also called marsh crocodile or broad-snouted

crocodile and is one of the three-crocodile species (Saltwater Crocodile and Gharial)

found in India + It is extinct in Myanmar and Bhutan, and possibly extinct in

Bangladesh + Its habitat includes wetlands (inland), marine neritic (shallow part of

ocean), artificial/aquatic & marine + It is a hole-nesting species, with egg-laying

taking place during the annual dry season + Vadodara is the only city in India where

crocodiles live in their natural habitat amidst human population + Threat: Water

pollution, food for human consumption, illegal use and trade such as for medicinal

purpose, apparel/accessories etc + Appendix 1 of CITES + Vulnerable + schedule 1 of

WPA,1972

 Saltwater Crocodile : least concern(IUCN) + largest of all living reptiles + found

throughout the east coast of India

 Gharial : Critically Endangered (IUCN) + fish eating crocodile + native to the Indian

subcontinent + Population of Gharials are a good indicator of clean river water +

Natural Habitat: Fresh waters of the northern part of India + Primary Habitat:

Chambal river + Secondary Habitat: Ghaghra and Gandak river, Girwa river

(Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh), the Ramganga river in Jim

Corbett National Park and the Sone river

 Himalayan Yaks = The Yak belong to the Bovini tribe, which also includes bison,

buffaloes, and cattle. It can tolerate temperatures as low as-40 degrees Celsius + They are

endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and the adjacent high-altitude regions. Yaks are most

comfortable above 14,000 feet. They climb to an elevation of 20,000 when foraging and

usually don't descend any lower than 12,000 feet + The yak-rearing states of India are

Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir +
The countrywide population trend shows that the yak population has been decreasing at

an alarming rate. The total yak population in India is about 58,000 + IUCN: Vulnerable

+ CITES: Appendix I + Indian WildLife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I + Recently,

the National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s West

Kameng district has tied up with the National Insurance Company Ltd. for insuring the

high-altitude yak.

 Asian and African Elephants = Despite the fact that they occupy similar ecological

niches, the social structure of Asian elephants differs from that of their African savannah

 Asian elephants, in general, do not move in mixed groups consisting of males and

females. Males use smell to track females.

 Male Asian elephants spent less time in all-male groups as compared to African

savannah elephants

 In an African savannah elephant population, young males seemed to prefer old

males possibly due to opportunities for social learning. Asian elephants: Young

males spent a greater proportion of time associating with females (in mixed-sex

groups) than with other males (in all-male groups). For old males, these two

proportions were similar. While males met at random in the presence of females, the

behaviour differed in their absence.

Copy is ENCRYPTED and for personal use ONLY. Any unauthorized use will attract legal action Page 3

 Asian elephant has been listed as 'Endangered' while African elephant has been

listed as ‘Vulnerable’

 Only Asian Elephants males have tusk while females have rudimentary tuskes

called tushes. While in African elephants, both the male and female of the African

elephants have tusks

 Asian Elephants are found in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos,

and Thailand while African elephants range across the rainforests of West and

Central Africa, and through the savannas and deserts of Africa.

 Asian elephants have smaller life span, smoother skin and are much smaller than
their African counterpart.

 Black Squirrel = Alison is a black squirrel which is named after a U.K.-based scientist

who helped in identifying the animal. It was captured from Kerala’s capital city

Thiruvananthapuram in 2008 + Recently scientists tries to find out the reason for the

color change in this species. The color change was caused by a gene mutation. The

MelanoCortin-1 Receptor (MC1R) gene in the animal is responsible for activating the

change in pigmentation, and making it black [July2021, The HINDU]

 Indian Palm Squirrel = or three-striped Indian palm squirrel is aspecies of rodent in the

family Sciuridae found naturally in India (south of the Vindhyas) and Sri Lanka. In the

late 19th century, the palm squirrel was introduced to Madagascar, Réunion, Mayotte,

Comoro Islands, Mauritius, Seychelles and Australia, where it has since become a minor

pest + Least Concern

 Black Leopard = or Black Panther (Ghost of the Forest) is a melanistic colour variant of

spotted any Panthera, particularly of the leopard (P. pardus) in Asia and Africa, and the

jaguar (P. onca) in the Americas + mainly in Southwestern China, Burma, Nepal,

Southern India, Indonesia, and the southern part of Malaysia + Sightings of rare Black

Leopard (Melanistic Leopard) were reported in NavegaonNagzira Tiger Reserve

(NNTR), TadobaAndhari Tiger Reserve and the Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra +

IUCN Status: Vulnerable

 King Cobra = (Ophiophagus hannah) + one of most venomous snakes on planet +

longest of all venomous snakes as it can reach 18 feet in length + venom is not most

potent among venomous snakes, but amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in single bite

is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant + IUCN has listed it as vulnerable to

extinction + recently sighted in declared conservation reserve, Tillari, in Sindhudurg

district, Maharashtra.

 Lemru Elephant Reserve = natural elephant habitat in Chhattisgarh + state government

has proposed to decrease its area to 450 sq km + Reason for Reducing Size: The area

proposed under the reserve is part of the Hasdeo Aranya forests, a very diverse biozone

that is also rich in coal deposits + Other Protected Areas in Chhattisgarh: Achanakmar
Tiger Reserve, Indravati Tiger Reserve, Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve, Kanger Valley

National Park and Badalkhol Tamor Pingla Elephant Reserve.

 Vaquita Porpoises = World’s rarest and smallest marine mammal + also known as

"panda of sea" for distinctive black circles around its eyes + discovered in 1958 + Found

only in the northern Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) in Mexico + IUCN Status -

Critically Endangered