It’s not unusual that there are animals endemic to certain countries – after all, every nation has its own unique climate and ecology. India is no different, being home to a variety of animals that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at 10 animals that are only found in India. These animals have all adapted to thrive in India’s diverse landscapes, from the snow-capped Himalayan mountains to the tropical rainforests of the south.
1. Grey Junglefowl
Sonnerat’s junglefowl, more commonly known as the grey junglefowl, is one of several wild ancestors of the modern chicken we have today. Other animals in this group include red junglefowl and other junglefowl species. Although it also thrives in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Southern Rajasthan, the species is most common on the Indian Peninsula.
2. Indian Giant Squirrel
The big, colorful tree squirrel species known as the Indian giant squirrel, sometimes known as the Malabar giant squirrel, is native to the woodlands of India. This species is indigenous to India, and the Western Ghats, Satpura Range, and Eastern Ghats, which extend as far north as Madhya Pradesh, comprise the bulk of its geographic range. This rodent prefers to live in deciduous and most evergreen forests, which are widely spread throughout peninsular India.
3. Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri tahr is a hoofed animal that resides in the mountains of southern India. It has a muscular body with short, harsh fur and a bristled mane. As males mature, they grow larger than females and darker in color. Both sexes have curving horns, and males have a light gray patch on their backs, earning them the nickname “saddlebacks.”
4. Nilgiri Marten
The rare Nilgiri marten is the sole species of marten to be found in India. Their head to rump is a deep brown color, and their forequarters are almost reddish in color. The Yellow-throated marten typically has a yellow or orange throat and is similar in appearance to the bright throat, though larger in size. The most distinguishing feature of the bright throat is its concavity on the forehead.
5. Malabar Gliding Frog
Gliding frogs got their name from their unique ability to use the webbing between their toes as a parachute of sorts, which allows them to safely make leaps down from high up in trees. The Malabar gliding frog, sometimes known as the Malabar flying frog, is a type of rhacophorid tree frog that may be seen in India’s Western Ghats.
6. Purple Frog
Nasikabatrachidae is a family of frogs that includes the Indian Purple Frog. You can find the Western Ghats in India. English names for this species include the Indian purple frog and the pignose frog. It has been discovered that this species of burrowing frog forages underground, mostly consuming termites, and uses its tongue as well as a unique buccal groove. This is in contrast to many other burrowing frog species, which emerge and feed above the ground.
7. White-Bellied Treepie
A member of the crow family, the white-bellied treepie is unique to the southern Indian woodlands. They share some geographic territory also with rufous treepie but are different from it in the way they look and sound.
8. Black-and-Orange Flycatcher
The black-and-orange flycatcher is a type of bird usually found in the central and southern Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, and the Palni hill ranges located in Southern India. Prior to molecular investigations, it was assumed that this flycatcher was connected to chats and thrushes since it is the only Ficedula flycatcher with rufous coloring on its back.
9. Andaman Woodpecker
The Andaman woodpecker is a bird species in the Picidae family. It lives only on the Andaman Islands of India. The animal predominantly lives in tropical moist lowland forests but is endangered due to humans destroying its natural habitat.
10. Mottled Wood Owl
The mottled wood owl is found in India, usually near gardens or dry thorn forests. They tend to live in thin deciduous forests or farmland. They may easily be distinguished thanks to their size, lack of “ear” tufts, and concentric facial barring.
Final Thoughts
India is home to some of the most unique and beautiful animals in the world. If you ever have the chance to visit, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these 10 incredible creatures! They’ll definitely make your trip that much more memorable.
Nilgiri Marten Image by: Navaneeth Kishor, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Purple Frog Image by: Karthickbala at ta.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Andaman Woodpecker Image by: suhasanand, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
