Mammals of Kanha
No
BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY on earth exists in isolation. Human beings have acquired
an especially vivid awareness of this truth in the past quarter of a century.
Concern about pollution of air, land, and water has become acute throughout
much of the world, and the threats to endangered species have received worldwide
media attention.It is within the context of an "escape from civilization"- or of a "return to nature" -that many tourists all over the planet make their first visit to a national park. At a sanctuary such as Kanha, visitors are not likely to be disappointed. They may gain an especially rewarding appreciation of the park, however, if they look at it as an ecosystem. This term, coined by the British plant biologist A. G. Tansley in 1935, has been defined as "all the living organisms in a particular environment, together with the physical environment itself."Tourists themselves are a component of the ecosystem comprising Kanha.
One of the most basic links among species in such a system is the transfer of energy in the food chain. Another important set of relationships stems from certain keystone species. Conservation of the tiger, for example, is a critical environmentalissue for India now, not just because of this creature's own magnificence, but because of the value of the species to whole ecosystems.
Ecosystems exist in many different sizes and shapes. They may range, for example, from a small pond to a vast desert. Within any particular ecosystem, water, soil, plants, and animals interact. Mineral nutrients are recycled between living and non-living components of the system. Plants absorb energy, and the process of photosynthesis helps them to grow. These plants are often called producers. They make their own food.
If
we use a geometrical shape to illustrate some of the most important relationships
within an ecosystem, the producers would be at the base of a pyramid. Herbivores,
or vegetation-eaters, are considered primary consumers. At Kanha, these include
the four species of deer (sambar, barasingha, chital, and barking deer), as
well as the antelope (nilgai, blackbuck, chowsingha) and the gaur. Vegetation
is also an important part in the diet of langurs, sloth bears, and wild boar.
Primary consumers sustain themselves by eating plants, exclusively or for the
most part. They are on the nexthigher level of the pyramid, above the producers.One level above the primary consumers are the secondary consumers, who are sometimes called predators or carnivores. Although these species may sometimes eat plant matter, their diet is primarily other animals. Carnivores themselves are often further subdivided into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary carnivores, such as mongooses and foxes, eat only (or mostly) herbivores. Secondary carnivores, such as tigers and leopards, may eat other carnivores as well as herbivores.
Apes, Monkeys, Lemurs
Common or Grey Langur
Local name: bander;
Scientific name: Presbytis entellus.
Rhesus Macaque
Local name: Bander, lal mooh walla;
Scientific name: Macaca mulatta
Antelopes, Gazelles
Blue Bull
Local name: Nilgai,
Scientific name: Boselaphus tragocamelus
Four gorned Antelope
Local name: Chowsingha;
Scientific name: Tetraceros quadricornis
Chinkara
Local name: Chahiugari, chinkara,
Scientific name: Gazella gazella
Gaur
Local name: Jungli Bhains;
Scientific name: Bos gaurus
Bats
Flying Fox
Scientific name: (Pteropus giganteus)
Fulvous Fruit Bat
Local name: Chimkadar;
Scientific name: Rousettus leschenaulti
Indian False Vampire
Local name: Chimkadar;
Scientific name: Megaerma lyra
Indian Pipistrelle
Local name: Chimkadar
Scientific name: Pipistrellus coromandra
Bears
Sloth Bear
Local name: Bhalu;
Scientific name: Melursus ursinus
Cats
Tiger
Local name: Sher, Bagh;
Scientific name: Panthera tigris
Leopard or Panther
Local name: Tendua/ Cheetah
Scientific name: Panthera pardus
Jungle cat
Local name: Jungli billi;
Scientific name: Felis chaus
Civets
Small Indian Civet
Local name: Kasturi;
Scientific name: Viverricula indica
Common Palm civet of Toddy Cat
Local name: Kasturi;
Scientific name: Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
Deer
Sambar
Local name: Sambar;
Scientific name: Cervus unicolor
Spotted Deer
Local
name: chital;Scientific name: Cervus (Axis)axis
Muntjac of Barking Deer
Local name Bhansa of Kadad;
Scientific name: Muntiacus muntjak
Indian Wild Boar
Local name: Suar;
Scientific name: Sus scrofa
Bara Singha
Dogs
Wolf
Local name: Bhediya;
Scientific name: Canis lupus
Jackal
Local name: Gidar, siyar, sikat;
Scientific name: Canis aureus
Indian Fox
Local name: Lomri, phyao;
Scientific name: Vulpes bengalensis
Dhole or Indian Wild Dog
Local name: Sone Kutta
Scientific name: Cuon alpinus
Hares
Indian Hare
Local name: Khargosh;
Scientific name: Lepus nigricollis
Hyaenas
Striped Hyaena
Local name: Lakkar bagga;
Scientific name: Hyaena hyaena
Insectivores
Indian Tree Shrew
Scientific name: Anathana ellioti
Grey Musk Shrew
Local name: Chhuchunder;
Scientific name: Suncus murinus
Mongooses
Ruddy Mongoose
Local name: Neola, newra;
Scientific name: Herpestes smithii
Common Mongoose
Local
name: Neola, newra;Scientific name: Herpestes edwardsi
Pangolins
Indian Pangolin
Scientific name: Manis crassicaudata
Rodents
Five-striped Palm Squirrel
Local name: Gilheri;
Scientific name: Funambulus pennanti
Indian Mole Rat
Scientific name: Bandicota bengalensis
Indian Porcupine
Local name: Sehi;
Scientific name: Hystrix indica
Weasels
Honey Badger of Ratel
Local name: Bijoo, Kabar bijoo;
Scientific name: Mellivora capensis
