Endangered mammals of India facts for kids
Endangered mammals of India are types of mammals living in India that are listed as being in danger by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The IUCN keeps a special list called the Red List of Threatened Animals, which tells us which animals need our help to survive.
What are Mammals?
Mammals are a special group of animals that have backbones. What makes them unique?
- Female mammals make milk to feed their babies.
- They usually have hair or fur on their bodies.
- They have different kinds of teeth for chewing various foods.
- Mammals are "warm-blooded," meaning their bodies can keep a steady temperature, no matter how hot or cold it is outside.
- Their brains help control their body temperature and blood flow. They also have a heart with four chambers.
There are about 5,500 different kinds of mammals in the world, and this group includes humans!
Endangered Mammals in India
India is home to 410 different kinds of mammals. Sadly, about 89 of these are on the IUCN Red List, meaning they are in danger of disappearing forever. Two mammal species that used to live in India are now completely gone from the country: the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus).
Here are some of the mammals in India that are currently endangered:
- Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temmincki)
- Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica)
- Indian wild ass or Khur (Equus hemionus khur)
- Asiatic wild dog / Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
- Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
- Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
- Banteng (Bos javanicus)
- Brow-antlered deer (Panolia eldi eldi)
- Himalayan Brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus)
- Jerdon's palm civet (Paradoxurus jerdoni)
- Asian short-clawed otter (Amblonyx cinereus)
- Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
- Common otter (Lutra lutra)
- Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata)
- Dugong / Seacow (Dugong dugon)
- Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica)
- Gaur (Bos gaurus)
- Golden langur (Trachypithecus geei)
- Goral (Nemorhaedus goral)
- Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
- Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes)
- Himalayan marten (Martes flavigula)
- Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster)
- Sikkim large-clawed shrew (Soriculus nigrescens)
- Hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus)
- Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock)
- Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)
- Golden jackal (Canis aureus)
- Kashmir stag / Hangul (Cervus affinis hanglu)
- Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)
- Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)
- Malabar civet (Viverra civettina)
- Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata)
- Nilgiri langur (Presbytis johni)
- Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsi)
- Nilgiri tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius)
- Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania)
- Red fox (Vulpes vulpes montana)
- Red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
- Rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosa)
- Serow (Nemorhaedus sumatraensis)
- Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus ursinus)
- Smooth Indian otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
- Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)
- Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides)
- Swamp deer/ Barasingha (Rusa duvauceli duvauceli)
- Takin (Budorcas taxicolor)
- Tibetan wild ass (Equus kiang)
See also
- List of endangered animals in India
- Fauna of India
- Mammals of India
