{"id":1597,"date":"2020-06-12T14:27:48","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T08:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/?p=1597"},"modified":"2024-05-31T10:49:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T05:19:30","slug":"the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Time and time again, we\u2019ve heard of Africa\u2019s Big Five, the <strong>African Lion, African Leopard, Cape Buffalo, African Elephant, and African Rhinoceros<\/strong>. These heavyweights of Africa\u2019s wildlife were once clubbed under the category of animals that were increasingly difficult and dangerous to hunt. However, over time, people have reoriented their outlook towards the species. Now they have added them to their bucket list of animals that they would wish to see. Akin to Africa, India has it\u2019s very own Big Five too. In this note, you will see know of the fantastic five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find them.<\/p>\n<p>These keystone species are spread across some of the most biodiverse regions of the subcontinent.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them\/#The_Tiger\" >The Tiger<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them\/#The_Snow_Leopard\" >The Snow Leopard<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them\/#The_Asiatic_Lion\" >The Asiatic Lion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them\/#Greater_One_Horned_Rhinoceros\" >Greater One Horned Rhinoceros<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/the-fantastic-five-of-indian-wildlife-and-where-to-find-them\/#Asian_Elephant\" >Asian Elephant<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Tiger\"><\/span><strong>The Tiger<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Tiger is by far one of the most enigmatic cats of our planet. Evolved through nature\u2019s efficacy, the Tiger is adept at ambush hunting. Blessed with black stripes painted over an ochre body aids them to dissolve impeccably with their background as they stalk their prey. Known for their strength and enormous stature, they hunt prey larger than them. They can also pull carcass to inconspicuous areas in order to conceal them from other predators. You may read about the top <a href=\"https:\/\/naturesafariindia.com\/top-3-tiger-national-parks-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3 places to see Tigers in India.<\/a>\u00a0So, now you know one of the Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1598 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bengal-tiger-wild-cats-india1.jpg\" alt=\"The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them\" width=\"800\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bengal-tiger-wild-cats-india1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bengal-tiger-wild-cats-india1-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bengal-tiger-wild-cats-india1-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bengal-tiger-wild-cats-india1-409x268.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Snow_Leopard\"><\/span><strong>The Snow Leopard<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Called the \u2018Ghost of the Mountain\u2019, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/just-tigers-bandhavgarh-kanhaand-pench-tour\/\">Snow Leopard<\/a> is the apex predator that rules over the snow-clad peaks of Himalayas. Extremely shy and highly camouflaged, these charismatic cats rank amongst the most coveted species on the list of nature enthusiasts. Their home range can span between 15 \u2013 40 sq km. They are usually found at an altitude variation of 3500 \u2013 5000 m. Snow Leopards are highly acrobatic. They can cover large distances while navigating the formidable peaks of the Himalayas. Their skills are put to test during hunting the Himalayan Ibex and Bharal,\u00a0 their predominant prey base. These stealthy hunters have been known to prey on domestic livestock as well.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ideal Locations in India to Spot Snow Leopards \u2013 Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Hemis National Park and Nanda Devi Biosphere.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1599\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1599\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/snow-leopard-wild-cats-india.jpg\" alt=\"The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/snow-leopard-wild-cats-india.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/snow-leopard-wild-cats-india-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/snow-leopard-wild-cats-india-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/snow-leopard-wild-cats-india-409x273.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winter season for the Snow Leopard<\/p><\/div>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Asiatic_Lion\"><\/span><strong>The Asiatic Lion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Slightly smaller in stature than their African cousins, the Asiatic lions are found only in India. A century back their home range extended to Bengal in the East, Jabalpur in central and Jammu in the north. But now their home lies restricted to Gir National Park in the state of Gujrat. Their population has increased by nearly 30% in the last few years. Their close proximity to humans has taken the world by surprise. At times the prides can be seen resting in farmlands or patrolling the village periphery to prey on domestic cattle. The biggest noticeable difference between Asiatic and African Lions is the smaller mane and fold of skin that lines the belly of the former.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ideal Location to a Pride of Asiatic Lions \u2013 Gir National Park. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1601 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asiatic-lion-big-wild-cats1.jpg\" alt=\"The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asiatic-lion-big-wild-cats1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asiatic-lion-big-wild-cats1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asiatic-lion-big-wild-cats1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asiatic-lion-big-wild-cats1-409x272.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Greater_One_Horned_Rhinoceros\"><\/span><strong>Greater One Horned Rhinoceros<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Watching these armored tanks graze across the rolling grasslands of Kaziranga is a sight of a lifetime.\u00a0 Widespread across the Terai Belt and North-Eastern parts of India, the revival of these massive mammals has been a remarkable success story. Close to the advent of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century, the numbers of the One-Horned Rhino were as low as 200. However, with steadfast conservation efforts, protection, and management, their numbers have grown to over 3500 individuals in the region. Rhinos are mostly solitary, although, they can be seen grazing within the vicinity of one another. Their diet comprises grasses, aquatic vegetation, leaves of trees and shrubs, and even fruits.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ideal Location to See the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros \u2013 Kaziranga, Chitwan, Manas, and Dudhwa national parks.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1602\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1602\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1602\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/indian-rhino.jpg\" alt=\"The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/indian-rhino.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/indian-rhino-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/indian-rhino-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/indian-rhino-409x272.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1602\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">specie Rhinoceros unicornis family of Rhinocerotidae<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Asian_Elephant\"><\/span><strong>Asian Elephant<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Last on the list of The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them are the Asian Elephants. Elephants are blessed with an enormous brain, thus they exhibit an extraordinary form of intelligence. The matriarch of the heard remembers key migratory passages in order to guide her crew to locations with ample freshwater and food. As they walk along, covering distances up to 10 km\/day, elephants drop an array of seeds encased in their dung. These droppings serve as one of the richest fertilizers on the planet. They are a vital keystone species and a healthy indicator of moist deciduous and evergreen forest systems. The jungles of India would be drastically altered without Asian Elephants.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ideal Locations to See Asian Elephants \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/tigersafariindia.com\/corbett-national-park\/\">Corbett National Park,<\/a> Periyar Tiger Reserve, Nagarhole National Park and Rajaji National Park.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1603\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1603\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asian-elephant.jpg\" alt=\"The Fantastic Five of Indian Wildlife and Where to Find Them\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asian-elephant.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asian-elephant-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asian-elephant-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/asian-elephant-409x272.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1603\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elephant washing on southern banks of the periyar river at Kodanad training center<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time and time again, we\u2019ve heard of Africa\u2019s Big Five, the African Lion, African Leopard, Cape Buffalo, African Elephant, and African Rhinoceros. These heavyweights of Africa\u2019s wildlife were once clubbed under the category of animals that were increasingly difficult and dangerous to hunt. However, over time, people have reoriented their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[376,397,330,393,4,7,188,8,395,138,385,396,394,13,378],"tags":[402,398,401,405,403,404,406,407,400,399],"class_list":["post-1597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-asiatic-lion","category-bandhavgarh-national-park","category-earth","category-elephant","category-india","category-india-safaris","category-jungle","category-leopard","category-national-parks","category-nature","category-rhino","category-snow-leopard","category-tiger","category-wildlife","tag-best-of-indian-wildlife","tag-big-cats-of-india","tag-indias-big-five","tag-leopard","tag-lion-tiger-elephant","tag-rhino","tag-snow-leopard-india","tag-tigers-lions-leopard-elephant-tour-india","tag-tigers-lions-rhino-jaguar-india","tag-wildcats-of-india"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tigersafariindia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}