Wildlife of Karnataka

WILDLIFE OF KARNATAKA

The state of Karnataka located in South India has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It has a recorded forest area of 38720 km² which constitutes 20.19% of the total geographical area of the state. These forests support 25% of the elephant population and 10% of the tiger population of India. Many regions of Karnataka are as yet unexplored and new species of flora and fauna are found periodically. The mountains of Western Ghats which are in the western region of Karnataka are a biodiversity hotspot. Two sub-clusters of these Western Ghats viz. Talacauvery and Kudremukh which are located in Karnataka are in the tentative list of sites that could be designated as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks which fall outside these subclusters were included in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve in 1986, a UNSECO designation. The state bird and state animal of Karnataka are Indian Roller and the Indian Elephant respectively. The state tree and state flower are Sandalwood (Santalum album) and lotus respectively.

National Parks in Karnataka:-

1. Anshi National Park

2. Bandipur National Park

3. Bannerghatta National Park

4. Kudremukh National Park

5. Nagarhole National Park

Wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka:-

1. Adichunchanagiri Peacock Sanctuary: This is located in Mandya district and is spread over 0.88 km². This was created mainly for the conservation of peacocks.

2. Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Mysore district and is spread over 13.5 km². This park consists of eucalyptus and sandalwood platations. Leopard, fox and spotted deer are some of the animal species found here

3. Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in the Chamarajanagar district and is spread over 539.58 km². Some of the species of flora found here are Anogeissus latifolia, Grewia tilaefolia and Syzygium cumini. Species of mammals include elephants, tigers, leopards, sloth bear, gaur, barking deer and sambar. Among the 215 species of birds found here include Nilgiri wood pigeon, Malabar whistling thrush, yellow-throated bulbul, peregrine falcon, rufousbellied hawk eagle. An endangered amphibian, Icthyophis ghytinosus has been reported in this sanctuary.

4. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located between the Chikkamagaluru and Shimoga districts and is spread over 492.46 km². Common species of flora include Lagerstromia lanceolata, Adina cordifolia and Careya arborea. Mammals include tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, slender loris and pangolin. Among the bird species found here are rubythroated bulbul, shama, Malabar whistling thrush and paradise flycatcher.

5. Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Kodagu district and is spread over an area of 181.80 km². The evergreen forests in this sanctuary include species like Cinnamomum zeylancium, Cedrela toona and Alstonia scholaris. Bamboos are dominant here and include species like Bambusa bambos and Dendrocalamus strictus. Mammals include elephant, gaur, tiger, jungle cat, bonnet macaque and Nilgiri marten.

6. Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary: It is spread across the districts of Bangalore, Mysore and Mandya and is spread over 102.59 km². Dry decidious trees found in this park include species like Terminalia arjuna and Syzgium cumini. Animal species found in this park include leopard, elephant, sambar and common otter. This is also one of the last refuge of the highly endangered grizzled giant squirrel in Karnataka. Bird species include green billed malkoha, whitebrowed bulbul and pigmy woodpecker. This sanctaury is also famous for mahseer fish (Tor sp.)

7. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Uttara Kannada district and is spread over 475.02 km². Common tree species found here are Dalbergia latifolia, Terminalia paniculata, T. tomentosa and Vitex altissima. Mammal species include elephant, gaur, wild pig, slender loris, Malabar giant squirrel and barking deer.

8. Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary: This is located in Bellary district and is spread over 55.87 km². This sanctuary was mainly created for the preservation of sloth bears.

9. Ghataprabha Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Belgaum district and is spread over 20.78 km². This sacntuary is known for migratory birds like demoiselle crane and European white stork.

10. Melukote Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Mandya district and is spread over 45.82 km². An endangered species of flora, Cycas circinalis is found here. Mammal species include wolf, leopard, blackbuck and pangolin.

11. Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Udupi district and is spread over 247 km². Some of the tree species found here are Dipterocarpus indicus, Calophyllum tomentosum and Hopea parviflora. An endangered species of climber Coscinium fenestratum has been recorded here. Slender loris, lion-tailed macaque, sambar and chital are some of the animals found here. The endangered cane turtle is also found here.

12. Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Mysore district and is spread over 30.32 km². Common species of flora include Emblica officinalis, Santalum album and Dendrocalamus strictus. Mammals include elephant, gaur, leopard, spotted deer and common palm civet.

13. Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Kodagu district and is spread over 102.59 km². Some species of flora found here are Hopea parviflora, Schefflera capitata, Xanthalis tomentosa and Ochlandra rheedii. Mammals include elephant, tiger, slender loris, Nilgiri marten and bonnet macaque. Bird species include Great pied hornbill, Malabar trogon and Nilgiri blackbird.

14. Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary: This is located in Dharwad district and is spread over 119.00 km². Eucalyptus are the dominant species of trees found here. Cassia fistula, Prosopsis julifora and Zizyhus mauritania are other tree species found here. This sanctuary was created mainly for the conservation of blackbucks. This sanctuary is also a habitat for the endangered Great Indian Bustard.

15. Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Shimoga district and is spread over 431.23 km². Dipterocarpus indicus, Caryota urens and Dillenia pentagyna are some of the species of flora found here. Tiger, leopard, mouse deer, bonnet macaque and common langur are some of the animal species found here. Snakes are commonly found here. Paradise flycatcher, racket-tailed drongo and bluethroated barbet are some of the bird species found here.

16. Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Shimoga district and is spread over 395.60 km². Cassia fistula, Kydia calycina and Wrightia tinctoria are some of the species of flora found here. Tiger, leopard, bonnet macaque and Malabar giant squirrel are some of the animal species found here.

17. Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Udupi district and is spread over 88.40 km². MachilusmMacrantha, Lophopetalum wightanium and Artocarpus hirsuta are some of the species of flora found here. Tiger, leopard, lion-tailed macaque and spotted deer are some of the animal species found here.

18. Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Kodagu district and is spread over 105.00 km². Albizzia lebbek, Artocarpus lakoocha, Dysoxylum malabaricum and Mesua ferrea are some of the species of flora found here. Clawless otter, elephant, tiger, striped necked mongoose and mouse deer are some of the animal species found here. Fairy bluebird, Malabar trogon and broadbiller roller are some of the avian species found.

Bird sanctuaries in Karnataka:-

1. Attiveri Bird Sanctuary: This is located in Uttara Kannada district and is spread over 2.23 km². White ibis, little cormorant, pied kingfisher, common grey hornbill are some of the bird species found here

2. Gudavi Bird Sanctuary: This is located in Shimoga district and is spread over 0.73 km². The tree species that dominate this sanctuary are Vitex leucoxylon and Phyllanthus polyphyllus. 191 species of birds are recorded here including white ibis, pheasant-tailed jacana, purplr moorhen and little grebe.

3. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary: This is located in Mysore district and is spread over 0.67 km². Among the tree species found here, is the unique Iphigenia mysorensis. Other tree species include Derris indica and Barringtonia racemosa. This sanctuary is a haven for birds like cormorants, darter, white ibis, great stone plover, cliff swallow, spoonbills, lesser whistling teal and kingfishers.

4. Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary: This is located in Shimoga district and is based on a small island on the Tunga river. It is mainly visited by migratory birds like Median Egret (Egretta intermedia), the Little Cormonant (Phalacrocoorax niger), and the Darter or Snake Bird (Aninga nufa).

5. Kaggaladu Heronry: This is located in Tumkur district and is one of the largest painted storks sanctuary in South India. Some of the birds that nest here are painted storks, grey herons, pelicans, black stilts and ducks.

6. Kokkare Bellur Pelicanry: This is located in the town of Kokkare Bellur in Mandya district and is a haven for avian species like Grey or Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) and Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala). In fact the word Kokkare means stork in the Kannada language. Apart from pelicans and storks, 141 species of birds have been sighted here.

7. Bankapura Peacock Sanctuary: This is loacted in Haveri district and spread over an area of 139.10 acres. This sanctuary was created mainly for the conservation of peacocks.

Endangered species

Karnataka is the home of few critically endangered species of flora that include evergreen trees like Dipterocarpus bourdilloni, Hopea erosa and Hopea jacobi, Croton lawianus (a small tree) and Pinnatella limbata (a type of moss). Some of the critically endangered species of fauna found in Karnataka include Gyps indicus (the Indian vulture) and two species of frogs, Indirana gundia (found only in Gundia range, Sakleshpur) and Micrixalus kottigeharensis (found only near Kottigehara, Chikkamagaluru district).

Some of the endangered species of flora include evergreen trees like Cynometra bourdillonii, Cynometra travancorica, Hopea glabra, Hopea parviflora, Hopea ponga, Hopea racophloea, Hopea wightiana, Shorea roxburghii and Tarenna agumbensis and flowering plants like Glochidion pauciflorum, Glochidion tomentosum, Ixora lawsoni and Syzygium stocksii. Other endangered trees found in Karnataka include Isonandra stocksii, Kingiodendron pinnatum, Maesa velutina, Myristica magnifica, Rapanea striata and Xylosma latifolium.

Endangered species of fauna found in Karnataka include the tiger, Indian Elephant, Lion-tailed Macaque, Olive Ridley turtle and dhole, the Indian wild dog. Many endangered species of amphibians are found here including frogs, Indirana brachytarsus, Microhyla sholigari, Minervarya sahyadris, Nyctibatrachus aliciae, Nyctibatrachus hussaini, Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris, Philautus charius, Philautus wynaadensis, Ramanella mormorata and Rhacophorus lateralis and a toad, Bufo beddomii. Other endangered species of fauna include Hipposideros hypophyllus (the Kolar leaf-nosed bat) and Pseudomulleria dalyi (a mollusc).

Recently discovered species

Many areas of Karnataka, especially in the forests of Malnad region are unexplored and new species of flora and fauna are discovered periodically. Some of the new species of flora discovered in Karnataka include Paracautleya bhatii (a ginger) and Isachne veldkampii (a grass), both of which were discovered near Manipal in Udupi district. Two species of algae, Cosmarium bourrellyi and Cosmarium desikacharyi were discovered in a paddy field in Belgaum. Other new species of flora discovered in Karnataka include Isoetes udupiensis (a flowering plant) and Pisolithus indicus (a fungus).

Some of the new species of fauna discovered include two species of ants, Dilobocondyla bangalorica which was discovered on the campus of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Discothyrea sringerensis which was discovered near Sringeri. Three new species of frogs; Philautus luteolus, Philautus tuberohumerus and Nyctibatrachus petraeus have been discovered in Karnataka. Explorations in the Sharavathi river have yielded new fish species like Batasio sharavatiensis (a bagrid catfish), Schistura nagodiensis and Schistura sharavathiensis. Another fish species, Puntius coorgensis has been discovered near Bhagamandala in the Kaveri river. Some other species of fauna discovered in Karnataka include two species of whiteflies, Distinctaleyrodes setosus and Aleurocanthus arecae and a caecilian, Gegeneophis madhavai. Explorations in the soil around the Linganamakki reservoir has revealed eleven new species of earthworms.