Tag: India

4 horned antelope

4 horned antelope

This is a small species of antelope that is found in India and Nepal. the sole member of its genus Teracenus (and only sharing its tribe Boselaphini with the Nilgai). First described in 1816, it has 3 recognized subspecies. It is quite hard to find, but feeds on grass shrubs herbs foliage flowers and fruit.

 

They tend to hide in long grass, and the undergrowth, which is why it is only areas like this that they are usually found in.

 

Population estimate in 2001 was put at 10,000. While they are wide spread, they live at low densities (0.7 per square km is considered healthy).

Below is a video of this species, and below this is a list of articles on this species; this is a relatively obscure antelope, but should it be written about, you will find all these articles listed here.

There are a variety of reserves where they can be seen. including Pench Kanha and Gir to name just a few. As the website grows, we hope to link to many of these places. These will all be listed at the bottom of the page.

 

Bovini family or wild cattle

Bovini or the family of all wild cattle species

Bovinae is a biological family of cloven hooved family Each of these three tribes encompass a variety of species and we will deal with these tribes one by one. The Bovinae family includes all bovids, which are ruminant mammals (cloven hooved) which include all of the worlds cattle, yaks, bison, buffalo antelopes (which include goat-antelope) goats and sheep. 

This family currently has 143 surviving species, with 300 known species. it has 11 major families and 13 major tribes.

This family first appeared 20 million years ago. Below is the initial splits into 3 in this family. It should be noted that not all these families will be relevant at the current time – but as destinations grow all should be fully relevant. 

 

four-horned antelope
African buffalo
Tragelaphini (spiral-horned antelopes) A Kudu

So, firstly Borselaphini, this consists of just 2 species, the Nilgai and the 4-horned 

The next tribe (below) is Bovini, which includes 3 families. These vary in size quite widely with the middle one only containing one species

Bovini Family - here an African Buffalo
psuedorygina Family - containing just Saola
Bos Family - here American Bison

The first family Bubalina contains 2 Genus Syncerus only contains one species (first) the rest are from Bubalina

              Genus Syncerus                                                              Genus Bubalus

 

The second family contains one genus psuedorygina which contains one species the Saola

Bovina contains 1 Bison subgenus (it used to contain 2 but the Genus Bos became a subgenus (it should be noted there are far more subgenus that are extinct). Also, for simplicity sake, any subspecies will only be mentioned in each species page.

   Subgenus Bos                        poephagus                                Bison & Bos                               Bibos

Bos is domestic cattle

_Taurus originate in Africa,  _Mutus=wild Yak,                           Bos_Indicus                                                                                                Domestic cattle                            Originate in Himilayas               Originate in India, fatty hump (first on second row)                                and Aurochs                                     

Finally tribe Tragelaphini or spiral horned antelope contains 5 genus. The first 4 contain 1 species (in order) the last genus has 3 species. If I cover subspecies these will be in their own pages

Genus Ammelaphus           Genus Nyala                                                        Genus Tragelaphus                        Genus Taurotragus             Genus Strepsiceros

lesser kudu - Genus Ammelaphus
nyala - Genus Nyala
Eland - Genus Taurotragus Wagner
greater kudu - Genus Strepsiceros
Mountain nyala
giant eland (eastern and western)
Bushbuck
Bongo
Situnga

Sloth Bear

Sloth bear

The sloth bear is restricted to India, with about 20000 remaining. Unfortunately their population is falling, as a result of habitat loss.

 

 These bears live alongside tigers and many other species though they are not particularly easy to find.

Over time we hope to list many places where you can visit bears and see them in their wild home, these will appear here, and a list of posts we have published on bears will appear below these links

The Bengal fox

The Bengal fox (also known as the Indian fox, and is found from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north through Southern India, and from eastern Pakistan to eastern India and South-eastern Bangladesh.

Bengal fox

They are smaller than red foxes, and is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It has been recorded 1500m up in the mountains (at almost a mile above sea level). Generally crepuscular (active in early mornings and late evening) as well as nocturnal.

As with other foxes, generally, they are thought to pair long-term, and then live together, and that this is the standard social structure in this species. However, often pups will stay around after they are capable of living alone. There have also been groups of up to 4 adults have been recorded sharing the same den.

Although found across a large area, they tend to live at very low densities, which means that they can quickly disappear from an area, in Southern India less than 2% of bengal fox habitat is protected. They are hunted for both skin and flesh Narikuruva tribes hunt them and have done for a very long time – however, with the increased number in these tribes, and other pressures on the fox, we need to keep an eye on this situation – otherwise it could rapidly become endangered.

Snow Leopard

A snow leopard in its element

Snow Leopard

Snow leopards are not actually closely related to leopards. In fact they split from tigers more recently. Their worldwide wild population is thought to fall between 4000 and 6500, though as they are incredibly hard to see it is hard to count these cats accurately. Currently found only in a small part of its original range (as you can see from below).

This map shows the former and current snow leopard range. Unfortunately the red is the former range

They are found throughout the Himalayas,  including Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. However, remember that generally the snow leopards are free to cross borders, so their range is likely to be spotty.

It is hard to get accurate figures or indeed locations of where snow leopards are found, should you be looking at going on a snow leopard tour, they will know where snow leopards are currently found. As we link with people we will add these below. our news section – please get in touch we are keen to help people find you. These will be listed below the new section which is found directly beneath this article.

 

Pallas Cat

Often referred to as the grumpy cat or in similar way, the Pallas cat occurs in Central Asia, from the Caspian Sea through iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India to central China, Mongolia and southern Russia. Populations in the southwest portion of their range – the Caspian Sea region, Afghanistan and Pakistan – are diminishing, isolated and scarce.

It size is similar to the domestic cat, and is far less stocky than its thick fur might make people believe.

It specializes in hunting small mammals.

It is considered least concern in terms of conservation, but little is known about its behaviour or situation in much of its range.

Rusty Spotted Cat

Rusty spotted cat

The rusty spotted cat is one of the smallest cats in the world, and can be found in India and Sri Lanka. In recent times it has also been recorded in Nepal!

It is thought that this species has around 10,000 individuals in the wild and are classified as vulnerable

We hope to be able to help you find places to see these cats in the wild, in the near future. Any links will appear below the news section and the video below this text

Caracal

Caracals are a very lucky sighting, as they tend to be active when people are asleep

Caracal

Caracals are nocturnal, which means that they are often not spotted. Indeed, in our time in South Africa, it was the only local cat which we did not see. It has a huge distribution, which includes Africa, the middle east, central Asia and even parts of northern India and Pakistan. It is an expert jumper, and often catches birds in flight, being able to jump more than 3m straight up. It comes from the same genetic line as the serval and the African Golden cat.

Generally, while it is wide spread and usually relatively plentiful it is an animal that either takes a lot of luck or a great deal of patience to see it in the wild.

Marbled cat

Marbled cat

With a distribution from the Eastern Himalayas through to South-East Asia, it inhabits forests up to 2500m elevation. Its size is similar to a domestic cat.

Hunting is prohibited in Bangladesh , Cambodia , Yunnan province (China), India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand. Hunting is regulated in Laos and Singapore. In Bhutan and Brunei, the marbled cat is not legally protected outside protected areas. The legal state in Cambodia and Vietnam is unclear. Indiscriminate snaring in its range threatens its survival in places. It is valued for its skin meat and bones, though rarely seems to feature in the illegal Asian wildlife trade.

It is closely related to the Asiatic Golden Cat, and the Borneo bay cat

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