Threatened Species of India

Snow LeopardPanthera uncia

Mammal

Alpine and subalpine rocky steppe above the treeline, 3,000 to 5,400 m. Hemis is the flagship site.

The 'ghost of the mountains'. It cannot roar: the hyoid structure differs from other big cats. The very long tail stores fat and is wrapped around the body for warmth. Downlisted from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2017. The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India put the number at 718. State animal of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

Ladakh · Himachal Pradesh · Uttarakhand · Sikkim · Arunachal Pradesh · Jammu & Kashmir

Indian Rhinoceros or Greater One-horned RhinocerosRhinoceros unicornis

Mammal

Alluvial floodplain grassland and swamps. Kaziranga holds about 70 per cent of the world population; also Orang, Pobitora, Manas, Jaldapara, Gorumara and Dudhwa.

State animal of Assam. Has a single horn of compacted keratin, not bone, and armour-like skin folds. Pobitora has the highest density of rhinos anywhere in the world. A conservation success story: numbers rose from around 200 in the early twentieth century to over 4,000.

Assam · West Bengal · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar

Gaur or Indian BisonBos gaurus

Mammal

Moist and dry deciduous forest with grassy glades, up to about 2,800 m in the Western Ghats and the north east.

The largest wild cattle in the world and the tallest bovid. Distinguished by white 'stockings' on all four legs and a prominent dorsal ridge. State animal of Goa and Bihar. Successfully reintroduced to Bandhavgarh from Kanha in 2011.

Karnataka · Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Maharashtra · Madhya Pradesh · Chhattisgarh · Odisha · Assam · Meghalaya · Goa · Jharkhand · Bihar · Tripura

Sloth BearMelursus ursinus

Mammal

Dry and moist deciduous forest, scrub and rocky outcrops with termite mounds and caves.

Specialised for eating termites: it lacks the two upper incisors, leaving a gap through which it vacuums insects with an audible sound heard 100 metres away. Carries its cubs on its back, uniquely among bears. The species behind the historic 'dancing bear' trade, ended in 2009. Daroji in Karnataka is a dedicated sanctuary.

Madhya Pradesh · Chhattisgarh · Maharashtra · Karnataka · Odisha · Rajasthan · Gujarat · Andhra Pradesh · Telangana · Jharkhand · Tamil Nadu · Kerala · Bihar · Uttar Pradesh

Asiatic Black BearUrsus thibetanus

Mammal

Temperate broadleaf and conifer forest of the Himalaya and north east, 1,200 to 3,300 m.

The white or cream V-shaped crescent on the chest gives it the name moon bear. A major driver of human-wildlife conflict in Kashmir and Himachal, where orchards draw bears to villages.

Jammu & Kashmir · Himachal Pradesh · Uttarakhand · Arunachal Pradesh · Sikkim · Assam · Manipur · Nagaland · Meghalaya · West Bengal

Clouded LeopardNeofelis nebulosa

Mammal

Dense tropical and subtropical evergreen forest of the north east and eastern Himalaya.

Has the longest canine teeth relative to skull size of any living cat, often compared with the extinct sabre-tooths. Its ankles rotate so far that it can climb down trunks head first and hang upside down from branches. State animal of Meghalaya. Tripura has a national park named after it.

Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Meghalaya · Nagaland · Manipur · Mizoram · Tripura · Sikkim · West Bengal

Fishing CatPrionailurus viverrinus

Mammal

Mangroves, reedbeds, marshes and tidal creeks. The Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika, Chilika and the Coringa mangroves are strongholds.

State animal of West Bengal. Partially webbed feet and a double-layered coat make it a strong swimmer; it taps the water surface to mimic insects and lure fish. Downlisted from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016. Almost entirely dependent on wetlands, so it is the natural flagship for wetland conservation.

West Bengal · Odisha · Andhra Pradesh · Assam · Bihar · Uttar Pradesh · Tamil Nadu

DugongDugong dugon

Mammal

Shallow seagrass meadows. The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay hold the largest Indian population.

The only strictly herbivorous marine mammal and the sole surviving member of its family. State animal of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. India notified a Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay in 2022, the first of its kind in the country.

Tamil Nadu · Andaman & Nicobar Islands · Gujarat · Lakshadweep

Barasingha or Swamp DeerRucervus duvaucelii

Mammal

Two distinct forms: hard-ground barasingha on the maidans of Kanha, and wetland forms in the terai at Dudhwa and in Assam.

State animal of Madhya Pradesh. The name means twelve-tined, from the branched antlers. The Kanha hard-ground subspecies recovered from about 66 animals in 1970 to over 800, one of India's best documented recoveries, and has been reintroduced to Satpura and Bandhavgarh.

Madhya Pradesh · Uttar Pradesh · Assam · Uttarakhand · West Bengal

Four-horned Antelope or ChousinghaTetracerus quadricornis

MammalEndemic · Indian subcontinent

Open dry deciduous forest with hills and grass, always near water.

The only wild bovid in the world with four horns. The rear pair is longer; the front pair is sometimes reduced to a stub. Solitary and largely restricted to India.

Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Rajasthan · Gujarat · Odisha · Andhra Pradesh · Telangana · Karnataka · Chhattisgarh · Jharkhand · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar

Nilgiri LangurSemnopithecus johnii

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Evergreen shola forest and moist deciduous forest, 300 to 2,000 m.

Glossy black with a golden-brown head ruff. Poached for the supposed medicinal value of its flesh and organs, a threat unusual among Indian primates.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Capped LangurTrachypithecus pileatus

Mammal

Tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forest north and east of the Brahmaputra.

Named for the dark cap of hair on the crown that contrasts sharply with a pale golden or orange belly.

Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · Meghalaya · Nagaland · Manipur · Tripura

Stump-tailed MacaqueMacaca arctoides

Mammal

Dense evergreen and semi-evergreen forest of the north east.

Also called the bear macaque for its shaggy coat and very short tail. The bright red face darkens with age and sun exposure.

Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · Meghalaya · Nagaland · Manipur · Mizoram · Tripura

Eastern Hoolock GibbonHoolock leuconedys

Mammal

Evergreen forest east of the Dibang river in Arunachal Pradesh, the only Indian range.

Separated from the western hoolock by the white brow patches, which are divided rather than joined, and by a pale genital tuft.

Arunachal Pradesh

Nilgiri MartenMartes gwatkinsii

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Shola forest, montane grassland and plantation edges above 1,000 m.

The only marten in peninsular India and the sole mustelid of the southern Western Ghats. Recognised by a bright yellow to orange throat patch. Very rarely seen and almost never studied in the wild.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Smooth-coated OtterLutrogale perspicillata

Mammal

Rivers, reservoirs, mangroves and estuaries. The Chambal, Cauvery, Ropar and Sundarbans hold good numbers.

The largest otter in South Asia and highly social, hunting in coordinated family groups that drive fish into the shallows.

Karnataka · Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Uttar Pradesh · Madhya Pradesh · Punjab · Odisha · West Bengal · Assam · Gujarat · Maharashtra

Asian Small-clawed OtterAonyx cinereus

Mammal

Hill streams, paddy fields and mangrove creeks in the Western Ghats and the north east.

The smallest otter in the world. Its claws are reduced to blunt spikes and the paws are highly dexterous, used to feel under stones for crabs and molluscs rather than to catch fish.

Kerala · Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · Meghalaya · West Bengal · Sikkim

Himalayan SerowCapricornis thar

Mammal

Steep, forested and rocky slopes between 2,000 and 4,000 m in the Himalaya, and lower hills in the north east.

A goat-antelope, part goat and part antelope in appearance, with large mule-like ears. State animal of Mizoram. First recorded in Assam's Manas landscape and in Spiti at unusually high elevation in recent years.

Himachal Pradesh · Uttarakhand · Sikkim · Arunachal Pradesh · Jammu & Kashmir · West Bengal · Assam · Meghalaya · Mizoram · Nagaland

TakinBudorcas taxicolor

Mammal

Bamboo and rhododendron thickets and alpine meadow, 2,000 to 4,500 m, in the eastern Himalaya.

A heavy-set goat-antelope sometimes called the gnu goat. Secretes an oily substance over its coat that acts as a natural raincoat. The Mishmi takin occurs only in Arunachal Pradesh within India.

Arunachal Pradesh

Wild YakBos mutus

Mammal

Alpine tundra and cold desert steppe above 4,000 m, in eastern Ladakh and along the northern borders.

Far larger than the domestic yak. Dense two-layered fur and enlarged lungs and heart let it function at elevations where most large mammals cannot. Very few remain in India.

Ladakh · Sikkim · Arunachal Pradesh

Indo-Pacific Finless PorpoiseNeophocaena phocaenoides

Mammal

Shallow coastal waters, mangrove channels and lagoons, including Chilika and the Sundarbans.

Has no dorsal fin at all, only a low ridge of tubercles along the back. Frequently killed as bycatch in gillnets.

Odisha · West Bengal · Tamil Nadu · Gujarat · Maharashtra · Kerala

Sperm WhalePhyseter macrocephalus

Mammal

Deep offshore waters and submarine canyons of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

The largest toothed predator on earth and the deepest-diving mammal, reaching beyond 2,000 m. Has the largest brain of any animal.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Andaman & Nicobar Islands · Lakshadweep · Maharashtra · Gujarat

Sarus CraneAntigone antigone

Bird

Shallow marshes, flooded paddy and village ponds, largely outside protected areas. The Etawah and Mainpuri belt of Uttar Pradesh holds the largest population.

The tallest flying bird in the world, standing up to 1.8 m. State bird of Uttar Pradesh. Pairs mate for life and are a folk symbol of marital devotion; the Ramayana tradition links the killing of a sarus to Valmiki's first verse. Sarsai Nawar Jheel, a Ramsar site, is named for it.

Uttar Pradesh · Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Gujarat · Bihar · Haryana · Maharashtra · Assam

Great HornbillBuceros bicornis

Bird

Tall, closed-canopy evergreen and moist deciduous forest of the Western Ghats and the north east.

State bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. The hollow casque on the bill amplifies its calls. The female seals herself into a tree cavity with mud and droppings, leaving only a slit through which the male feeds her, so the loss of large nesting trees is fatal to breeding. A major seed disperser of large-fruited rainforest trees.

Kerala · Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Maharashtra · Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Meghalaya · Nagaland · Uttarakhand · West Bengal

Rufous-necked HornbillAceros nipalensis

Bird

Broadleaf evergreen hill forest of the eastern Himalaya, 600 to 2,200 m. Namdapha and Neora Valley are key sites.

The rarest of India's large hornbills, with the male showing a deep rufous head and neck. Hunted for its casque and tail feathers, used in traditional headgear.

Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Sikkim · Nagaland · West Bengal

Narcondam HornbillRhyticeros narcondami

BirdEndemic · Narcondam Island

Evergreen forest on Narcondam, a single volcanic island of about 6.8 square kilometres.

Has one of the smallest ranges of any bird in the world, confined to a single island. About 1,000 birds. A proposed radar installation on the island became a well-known conservation controversy.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Nicobar MegapodeMegapodius nicobariensis

BirdEndemic · Nicobar Islands

Coastal forest just behind the beach on Great Nicobar and neighbouring islands.

Does not incubate its eggs with body heat. It builds a large mound of sand and rotting vegetation and lets fermentation and solar heat do the work, regulating temperature by adding or removing material. Badly hit by the 2004 tsunami and now exposed to the Great Nicobar development project.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Nilgiri Wood PigeonColumba elphinstonii

BirdEndemic · Western Ghats

Canopy of shola and wet evergreen forest, 800 to 2,000 m.

Recognised by a chequerboard pattern of black and white on the nape. An important disperser of large forest fruit seeds.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka · Maharashtra · Goa

Green AvadavatAmandava formosa

BirdEndemic · Central India

Tall grass, scrub and cropland on the Deccan plateau and around Mount Abu.

A small green and yellow finch trapped heavily for the cage bird trade, which is the main reason for its decline.

Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Maharashtra · Chhattisgarh · Gujarat

Swamp FrancolinFrancolinus gularis

Bird

Tall wet grassland and reedbeds of the terai and Brahmaputra floodplain. Dudhwa, Jaldapara and Kaziranga hold good numbers.

Depends entirely on tall, wet grassland, so it is one of the sharpest indicators of terai grassland health.

Uttar Pradesh · Assam · Bihar · West Bengal · Uttarakhand

Marbled TealMarmaronetta angustirostris

Bird

Shallow brackish and freshwater wetlands in winter, including Nalsarovar and the Kachchh wetlands.

One of the most threatened ducks of the western Palearctic, with the Indian wintering population at the eastern edge of its range.

Gujarat · Rajasthan · Punjab · Haryana

Common PochardAythya ferina

Bird

Deep freshwater lakes and reservoirs in winter, recorded at most northern Indian Ramsar sites.

A common winter duck in India that was uplisted to Vulnerable in 2015 because of steep declines on its European breeding grounds, a useful example of a species that appears abundant locally but is threatened globally.

Rajasthan · Gujarat · Punjab · Haryana · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar · Assam · Madhya Pradesh

River TernSterna aurantia

Bird

Sandbars and rocky islets in large rivers and reservoirs. Nests colonially at Ranganathittu, the Chambal and Bhadra.

Uplisted from Least Concern to Vulnerable in 2020. Its ground nests on river sand are exposed to sand mining, altered flows and flooding from dam releases.

Madhya Pradesh · Uttar Pradesh · Karnataka · Odisha · Assam · Rajasthan · Maharashtra · Bihar

Wood SnipeGallinago nemoricola

Bird

Alpine and subalpine marshy meadows in summer; descends to Himalayan foothills and, rarely, the Western Ghats in winter.

Very poorly known and thought to have a small, declining population.

Uttarakhand · Himachal Pradesh · Sikkim · Arunachal Pradesh · Jammu & Kashmir · Kerala · Tamil Nadu

Mugger CrocodileCrocodylus palustris

Reptile

Rivers, lakes, village tanks and reservoirs. Notably the Chambal, Vishwamitri in Vadodara and Sakhya Sagar in Madhya Pradesh.

Also called the marsh crocodile. Broad-snouted and the most adaptable of India's three crocodilians, tolerating even man-made tanks. Digs burrows to survive dry seasons. The Vishwamitri river running through Vadodara city holds one of the densest urban crocodile populations anywhere.

Gujarat · Rajasthan · Madhya Pradesh · Odisha · Tamil Nadu · Kerala · Karnataka · Maharashtra · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar · Chhattisgarh

King CobraOphiophagus hannah

Reptile

Dense evergreen and moist deciduous forest, plantations and bamboo, in the Western Ghats, north east and the eastern Himalaya.

The longest venomous snake in the world, up to 5.5 m. The only snake that builds a nest for its eggs and guards them. The genus name means snake-eater: it feeds almost entirely on other snakes. Agumbe in Karnataka is the best-known study site.

Kerala · Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Maharashtra · Goa · Odisha · Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · West Bengal · Uttarakhand · Meghalaya · Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Indian Star TortoiseGeochelone elegans

Reptile

Dry scrub, thorn forest and semi-arid grassland of the Deccan and the north west.

The radiating star pattern on the shell is camouflage in dry grass. One of the most heavily trafficked tortoises in the world for the pet trade; moved to CITES Appendix I in 2019.

Andhra Pradesh · Telangana · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka · Gujarat · Rajasthan · Odisha · Kerala

Travancore TortoiseIndotestudo travancorica

ReptileEndemic · Western Ghats

Moist deciduous and evergreen forest floor of the Western Ghats.

One of very few forest-dwelling tortoises in India, and locally hunted for meat.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Olive Ridley TurtleLepidochelys olivacea

Reptile

Coastal waters; mass nesting beaches at Gahirmatha, Rushikulya and Devi river mouth in Odisha.

Famous for the arribada, a synchronised mass nesting in which hundreds of thousands of females come ashore over a few nights. Gahirmatha is the largest known rookery in the world. Turtle excluder devices in trawl nets are the main mitigation.

Odisha · Andhra Pradesh · Tamil Nadu · Kerala · Goa · Maharashtra · West Bengal · Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Leatherback TurtleDermochelys coriacea

Reptile

Open ocean; the most important Indian nesting beaches are on Little Andaman and Great Nicobar, including Galathea Bay.

The largest turtle in the world and the only one without a hard shell, having instead a leathery, ridged carapace. It can regulate its body temperature above ambient, which lets it forage in cold water, and feeds almost entirely on jellyfish.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands · Tamil Nadu · Kerala

Loggerhead TurtleCaretta caretta

Reptile

Coastal and offshore waters; only occasional nesting on Indian beaches.

Has a very large head and powerful jaws for crushing hard-shelled prey such as crabs and molluscs.

Gujarat · Maharashtra · Tamil Nadu · Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Indian SandalwoodSantalum album

Plant

Dry deciduous and scrub forest of the Deccan, with the classic belt in southern Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu.

A hemi-parasite: it draws water and nutrients through haustoria attached to the roots of neighbouring host plants, so it cannot be grown in isolation. The fragrant heartwood forms only after about fifteen years. State tree of Karnataka. Smuggling and spike disease are the principal threats.

Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Kerala · Andhra Pradesh · Telangana · Maharashtra · Madhya Pradesh