RIVER DOLPHINS FOUND IN INDIA
IUCN status
1) Gangetic dolphin - Endangered
2) Indus River Dolphin - Endangered
3) Irrawaddy Dolphin - Vulnerable
GANGETIC SHARK
IUCN status - Critically Endangered
It occurs in the Ganga river and the Bay of Bengal.
Its small eyes suggest that it is adapted to living in turbid water (just like dugong), while the slender teeth of the species suggest that it is primarily a fish-eater.
Distribution - Ganga river system and Hooghly river mouth are its known habitats.
Threats - Major fisheries targeting sharks. Other probable threats include overfishing, pollution, increasing river use and construction of dams and barrages.
GANGES RIVER DOLPHIN
IUCN Status - Endangered
The Ganges river dolphin was officially discovered in 1801.
Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
But the species is extinct from most of its early distribution ranges.
Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind.
They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind.
They are frequently found alone or in small groups, and generally a mother and calf travel together.
Calves are chocolate brown at birth and then have grey-brown smooth, hairless skin as adults.
Females are larger than males and give birth once every two to three years to only one calf.
INDUS RIVER DOLPHIN
IUCN Status - Endangered
Indus river dolphins are believed to have originated in the ancient Tethys Sea.
When the sea dried up approximately 50 million years ago, the dolphins were forced to adapt to its only remaining habitat—rivers.
They have adapted to life in the muddy river.
They are functionally blind and rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish, and carp.
Today, they can only be found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan and in River Beas, a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab, India.
Beas Conservation Reserve in Punjab hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus river dolphin.
Beas Conservation Reserve is a 185 km stretch of the Beas River located in north-west Punjab.
IRRAWADDY RIVER DOLPHIN
IUCN Status - Vulnerable
• Uses sonar to swim and hunt for food.
• The only dolphin in Southeast Asia with a flexible neck and no beak.
It can bend its neck and spit water from its mouth. Its ability to spit water is thought to be a way to herd fish.
• Chilika Lake of Odisha, India's largest brackish water lake is home to Irrawaddy Dolphins in India.
• Odisha Forest Department officials, wildlife experts and researchers recently sighted 146 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika Lake, which boasts of the highest single lagoon population of the aquatic mammal in the world.
In India, Irrawaddy Dolphins are found in Chilika Lake
The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.
Forest Owlet is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red list
The forest owlet (Athene blewitti) is endemic to the forests of central India.
All these places in central India harbour dense to open deciduous forests with Tectona grandis, Lagerstroemia parvifolia, Boswellia serrata and Lannea grandis trees.
Its population is estimated at < 1000 mature individuals.
It is threatened foremost by deforestation.
ASIATIC LION
IUCN Status - Endangered
Nearly all wild lions live in sub-Saharan Africa, but one small population of Asiatic lions exists in India's Gir Forest.
The Asiatic lion, a subspecies that split from African lions around 100,000 years ago, is endemic to India.
Five protected areas currently exist to protect the Asiatic lion :
1⃣ Gir Sanctuary
2⃣ Gir National Park
3⃣ Pania Sanctuary
4⃣ Mitiyala Sanctuary
5⃣ Girnar Sanctuary
The first three protected areas form the Gir Conservation Area, a 1452 km² large forest block that represents the core habitat of the lion population.
The other two sanctuaries Mitiyala and Girnar protect satellite areas within dispersal distance of the Gir Conservation Area.
An additional sanctuary is being established in the nearby Barda Wildlife Sanctuary to serve as an alternative home for lions.
Proposed lion reintroduction sites in India. Pink spots indicate former populations, blue spots indicate proposed sites.
The Asiatic lion faces threat of genetic inbreeding arising from a single population in one place.
Biologists from the Wildlife Institute of India assessed several potential translocation sites for their suitability regarding existing prey population and habitat conditions under the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project to find an alternative habitat for Asiatic Lions.
Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is the most promising location, followed by Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary and Darrah National Park (both located in Rajasthan).
PROJECT LION
Project Lion will entail habitat development, engage modern technologies in lion management and address the issues of disease in lion and its associated species through advanced world class research and veterinary care.
Barda will be developed as second home for lions within Gujarat.
According to the latest count, the lion population has registered an increase of 25% in the last five years and now stands at 674.
NILGAI (BLUE BULL)
The Nilgai is the largest Asian antelope.
Nilgai is endemic to India.
Though it's called nilgai, it is not bovine/related to cow or cattle.
It comes under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 of India.
IUCN Status is 'Least Concern'.
The colour of adult male Nilgai is dark grey with a bluish appearance, hence giving it its name. Females and juveniles are orange to tawny. Only males possess horns.
Nilgai is the state animal of Delhi.