Wildlife of Kerala

This article relates to flora and fauna of the state of Kerala, south India.
A tiger from Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
A great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) as pictured in a German zoo
Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary

Most of Kerala, whose native habitat consists of wet evergreen rainforests at lower elevations and highland deciduous and semi-evergreen forests in the east, is subject to a humid tropical climate. however, significant variations in terrain and elevation have resulted in a land whose biodiversity registers as among the world’s most significant.

Evergreen forests

Most of Kerala's significantly biodiverse tracts of wilderness lie in the evergreen forests of its easternmost districts;[1] coastal Kerala (along with portions of the east) mostly lies under cultivation and is home to comparatively little wildlife. Despite this, Kerala contains 9,400 km2 of natural forests. Out of the approximately 7,500 km2 of non-plantation forest cover, there are wild regions of tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests (lower and middle elevations — 3,470 km2), tropical moist and dry deciduous forests (mid-elevations — 4,100 km2 and 100 km2, respectively), and montane subtropical and temperate (shola) forests (highest elevations — 100 km2). Such forests together cover 24% of Kerala's landmass.[2] Kerala also hosts two of the world’s Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands: Lake Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands are noted as being wetlands of international importance. There are also numerous protected conservation areas, including 1455.4 km2 of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Figs (Ficus species) like this strangler fig are an important floral element and support many frugivores

Rain Forests

Eastern Kerala’s windward mountains shelter tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests which are generally characteristic of the wider Western Ghats: crowns of giant sonokeling (binomial nomenclature: Dalbergia latifolia — Indian rosewood), anjili (Artocarpus hirsuta), mullumurikku (Erythrina), Cassia, and other trees dominate the canopies of large tracts of virgin forest. Overall, Kerala's forests are home to more than 1,000 species of trees. Smaller flora include bamboo, wild black pepper (Piper nigrum), wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm (Calamus rotang — a type of giant grass), and aromatic Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides).[2]

Fauna of Kerala

In turn, the forests play host to such major fauna as the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), and grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura).[2] More remote preserves, including Silent Valley National Park in the Kundali Hills, harbor endangered species such as the Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), Indian sloth bear (Melursus (Ursus) ursinus ursinus), and gaur (the so-called "Indian bison" — Bos gaurus). More common species include the Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica), chital (Axis axis), sambar (Cervus unicolor), gray langur, flying squirrel, swamp lynx (Felis chaus kutas), boar (Sus scrofa), a variety of catarrhine Old World monkey species, the gray wolf (Canis lupus), and the common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus).[3]

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

Reptiles

Many reptiles, such as tree snake, green snake, king cobra, viper, python, and various turtles and crocodiles are to be found in Kerala — again, disproportionately in the east. Kerala has about 453 species of birds such as the Sri Lanka frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger), leaf picking bird, Oriental bay owl, large frugivores like the great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) and Indian grey hornbill, as well as the more widespread birds such as peafowl, Indian cormorant, jungle and hill mynas, the Oriental darter, black-hooded oriole, greater racket-tailed and black drongoes, bulbul (Pycnonotidae), species of kingfisher and woodpecker, jungle fowl, Alexandrine parakeets, and assorted ducks and migratory birds. Additionally, freshwater fish such as kadu (stinging catfish — Heteropneustes fossilis)[4] and brackishwater species such as Choottachi (orange chromide — Etroplus maculatus; valued as an aquarium specimen) also are native to Kerala's lakes and waterways.[5]

The Nilgiri tahr, spotted in the Eravikulam National Park in Idukki District
Lion-tailed macaque
National parkArea (km2)Year started
Eravikulam National Park971978
Periyar National Park3501982
Silent Valley National Park237. 521984
Anamudi Shola National Park7.52003
Mathikettan Shola National Park12.8172003
Pambadum Shola National Park1.3182003
Biosphere ReserveArea (km2)Year started
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve1455.41986
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve17012002
Wildlife sanctuaryArea (km2)Year started
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary7771950
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary1281958
Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary1251958
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary344.441973
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary2851973
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary701976
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary251983
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary531983
Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary851984
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary90.441984
Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary1711984
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary551984
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary0.02742004
Kurinjimala Sanctuary322006
Tiger reserveArea (km2)Year started
Periyar Tiger Reserve9251978
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve648.501973

See also

Notes

  • Idukki is the district having more forest land in Kerala while Alappuzha have no forest land.

References

  1. ↑ (Sreedharan 2004, p. 11).
  2. 1 2 3 (Sreedharan 2004, p. 12).
  3. ↑ (Sreedharan 2004, pp. 174–175).
  4. ↑ (Sreedharan 2004, p. 163).
  5. ↑ (Sreedharan 2004, pp. 164–165).
  • Sreedharan, TP (2004), "Biological Diversity of Kerala: A survey of Kalliasseri panchayat, Kannur district" (PDF), Kerala Research Programme on Local Level Development (Centre for Development Studies), retrieved January 13, 2006 .
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