Primates
Various monkeys live in the Indian rainforest. The Rhesus monkey, a sand-colored monkey, is the most common primate found here, along with the gray langur. These monkeys are also found near populated areas. The Corbett National Park in Ramnagar and Sundarbans National Park in Gosaba are the only wildlife reserves in India that have substantial monkey populations, and they offer the chance to view different species of monkeys in their natural habitat.
Felines
The Bengal tiger, the national animal of India, is among the largest subspecies of tiger in the world. Bengals live in rainforests in northern India. Though these cats were once almost extinct, Project Tiger has founded reserves in India, increasing the number of Bengals to several thousand. The Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India is the most visited park in India and was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1958. Though the Bengal tiger is the most well-known feline in India, it is not the only one. The clouded leopard, named for its cloud-like spots that act as camouflage, and other species of leopard also live in Indian rainforests. A great place to see lions and leopards in India is the Gir National Park, which has one of the largest concentrations of big cats in the country.
Birds
indian rose-ringed parakeet image by Jan Zoetekouw from
Fotolia.com
India has one-eighth of the world's species of birds (1,200 species) due to the large variety of habitats. Of these species, many live in India's rainforests, including the hornbills, pigeons, treepies, grassbirds, babblers, laughingthrushes, flycatchers, sunbirds and various parakeets. The Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan is home to more than 300 species of birds and offers a good opportunity to see these magnificent birds in their natural environment.
Reptiles
The bodies of water in Indian rainforests are home to several types of crocodiles, including the estuarine crocodile, which once grew to 30 feet in length. Now it is rare to see a estuarine crocodile more than 20 feet long. Other dangerous animals that inhabit India's rainforests are snakes. There are almost 400 species, and of those one-fifth of them are poisonous. The most common poisonous snakes are kraits and cobras. India's king cobra can grow to 12 feet long.
Article Written By Emily Young
Based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Emily Young has been writing news and feature articles since 2007. Her articles have appeared in “Insight” magazine, “The Gleaner” magazine, "The Recorder" magazine, "Columns" magazine and the "Southern Accent" newspaper. She will graduate in May 2010 with a degree in mass communication: writing and editing from Southern Adventist University.
