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Saturday, December 19, 2015

Silent Valley National Park - Fauna

Silent Valley National Park - Fauna
Mammals
Mammals (formally Mammalia) are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterized by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young. Most mammals also possess sweat glands and specialised teeth, and the largest groups of mammals, the placentas, have a placenta which feeds the offspring during gestation. The word "mammal" comes from the Latin mamma ("breast"). All female mammals nurse their young with milk which comes out from special glands, the mammary glands.




There are at least 34 species of mammals at Silent Valley including the threatened lion-tailed macaqueNiligiri langurMalabar giant squirrelNilgiri tahr, Peshwa’s bat (Myotis peshwa) and hairy-winged bat. There are nine species of batsrats and mice.



Distribution and demography of all diurnal primates were studied in Silent Valley National Park and adjacent areas for a period of three years from 1993 to 1996. Fourteen troops of lion-tailed macaque, eighty-five troops of Nilgiri langur, fifteen troops of bonnet macaque and seven troops of Hanuman langur were observed. 




Of these, the Nilgiri langur was randomly distributed, whereas the lion-tailed macaque troops were confined to the southern sector of the Park. Bonnet macaques and Hanuman langurs were occasional visitors. The Silent Valley forest remains one of the most undisturbed viable habitats left for the endemic and endangered primate’s lion-tailed macaque and Nilgiri langur.




The tigerleopard (panther), leopard catjungle catfishing cat, common palm civetsmall Indian civetbrown palm civetruddy mongoosestripe-necked mongoose, Dhole, clawless ottersloth bearsmall Travancore flying squirrel, Indian pangolin (scaly anteater), porcupinewild boarsambarspotted deerbarking deermouse deerelephant and gaur also live here.



Herpetofauna
There are at least 730 identified species of insects in the park. The maximum number of species belongs to the orders Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Many unclassified species have been collected and there is a need for further studies.
33 species of crickets and grasshoppers have been recorded of which one was new. 41 species of true bugs (eight new) have been recorded. 128 species of beetles including 10 new species have been recorded.
Over 128 species of butterflies and 400 species of moths live here. A 1993 study found butterflies belonging to 9 families. The families Nymphalidae and Papilionidae contained the maximum number of species. 13 species were endemic to South India, including 5 species having protected status. Seven species of butterflies were observed migrating in a mixed swarm of thousands of butterflies towards the Silent Valley National Park.
In one instance an observer noted several birds attempting to catch these butterflies. The bird species included the pied bush chat Saxicola caprata, Nilgiri pipit Anthus nilghiriensis, Tickell's leaf warbler Phylloscopus affinis, greenish warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides and the Oriental white-eye Zosterops palpebrosa.
At least 500 species of earthworms and leeches have also been identified in the park.
The term herpetofauna encompasses both reptiles and amphibians, and herpetology is the branch of zoology involved in the study of this diverse group of vertebrates, covering poikilothermicectothermic tetrapods, excluding fish. It is home to 48 reptile and 29 amphibian species.
Butterflies
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight.






Butterflies comprise the true butterflies (super family Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). All the many other families within the Lepidoptera are referred to as moths. Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.
Birds
Birds (class Aves) are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 160 million years (Ma) ago. Modern birds are characterized by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton.


Birdlife International lists 16 bird species in Silent Valley as threatened or restricted:- Nilgiri wood-pigeonMalabar parakeet, Malabar grey hornbill, white-bellied treepie, grey-headed bulbul, broad-tailed grass birdrufous babbler, Wynaad laughing thrush, Nilgiri laughing thrush, Nilgiri blue robinblack-and-rufous flycatcherNilgiri flycatcher, white-bellied blue-flycatcher, crimson - backed sunbird and Nilgiri pipit.


Rare bird species found here include the Ceylon frogmouth and great Indian hornbill. The 2006 winter bird survey discovered the long-legged buzzard, a new species of raptor at Sispara, the park's highest peak. The survey found 10 endangered species recorded in the IUCN Red List including the red winged crested cuckooMalabar pied hornbill and pale harrier.


The area is home to 15 endemic species including the black-and-orange flycatcher. It recorded 138 species of birds including 17 species that were newly observed in the Silent Valley area. The most abundant bird was the black bulbul.