They are so many endangered species in India currently, so many of the species listed as endangered in India are being threatened because of human activities; so many of the endangered species are declining in population in an uncontrolled manner as enough is not being done to save them.
Endangered species simply means animal species that are reducing in population and gearing towards extinction, so the Indian endangered species simply refers to the endangered species in India that are currently reducing in population and are being threatened by extinction.
Table of Contents
Top 5 Endangered Species in India
Here are the top endangered species in India according to the report from our researchers, some are endemic to India, while some are not.
- Asiatic Lion
- Bengal Tiger( Royal Bengal Tigers)
- Snow Leopard
- One-horned Rhinoceros
- Nilgiri Tahr
Asiatic Lion
Asiatic lions are among the top endangered species in India; they are known to be slightly smaller in size than their counterparts; the African lions, the males are also known to have shorter manes than the African lions which make their ears clearly visible always. This species can be found only in India; specifically in Gir national park and the surrounding areas in the state of Gujarat. it is also among the top 3 endangered animals in India.
After a rapid decline in the population of the species, many conservation efforts and organizations rose to help ensure the species doesn’t face extinction, their efforts have paid off as they record over 30 percent increase in their population from the year 2015 to date as reported by the researchers. The most pronounced morphological feature of the Asiatic lions is that they have is a longitudinal skinfold that runs along the skin surface of their belly.
They usually have sandy color and the males usually have manes colored partly sandy and partly black; the manes are visibly small and don’t extend lower than their belly level or sides, as the manes are scanty and short, in 1935 there was an admiral in the British army who claimed to have maneless lion feeding on the carcass of a goat but this claim is yet to be proven or globally accepted as there was no one else with him when he saw it and no one had had such an epic sighting ever after.
Scientific Information on Asiatic Lions
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Feliformia
- Family: Felidae
- Subfamily: Pantherinae
- Genus: Panthera
- Species: Leo
- Subspecies: Persica
Facts About Asiatic Lions
- Scientific name: Panthera leo persica
- Conservation status: Endangered species in India.
- Size: The average shoulder height of the males is about 3.5 feet; which is the same as 110 centimeters, while the height for the females is 80 – 107 centimeters; the maximum known and record length of an Asiatic male lion( from head to tail) is 2.92 meters, which is as 115 inches and 9.58 feet.
- Weight: An average adult male has a weight of 160 – 190 kilograms which equals 0.16 – 0.19 tons while female Asiatic lions have a weight of 110 – 120 kilograms.
- Lifespan: A lifespan of 16 – 18 years has been recorded for Asiatic lions in the wild.
- Habitat: Asiatic lion’s habitats are deserts, semi-deserts, tropical grasslands, and tropical forests.
- Diet: Asiatic lions eat the flesh and drink the blood of any animal it kills because it is purely carnivorous.
- Location: They can be found only in Gir forest India.
- Population: The Asiatic lion has a population of about 700 individuals currently living in the wild, zoos, and game reserves.
Why Are Asiatic Lions Endangered
Below are the major reasons we have found why the Asiatic lions are endangered and are on the list of top 5 endangered species in India:
- High demand for meat: They are endangered because they are hunted for bushmeat as there is high demand for bushmeat.
- Use of sophisticated weapons: Introduction to the use of sophisticated weapons has also being a major contributor to the Asiatic lion being Endangered.
- Loss of natural habitat: They have suffered a loss of natural and suitable habitat to man and his developments, and this has been a strong factor too contributing to the endangerment of the species.
- Reduction in prey availability: There has been a rapid reduction in the number of prey available to them due to intensive hunting by humans.
Asiatic lion vs African lion
According to the research we conducted, the major differences between the Asiatic lion vs African lion are:
- Size of mane: An Asiatic lion has a much smaller mane when compared to the African lions; the manes are so short and scanty that their ears are visible.
- Size: The Asiatic lions are smaller in size in comparison to their counterparts; the African lions.
- Aggressiveness: The Asiatic lion is less aggressive than the African lions, as they are popularly known not to launch attacks on humans except when they are starving, mating, gets attacked first by humans, or humans approaching them when they are with their cubs.
- Extra morphological features: The longitudinal fold of skin that runs along the under-part of the belly of the Asiatic lions, can very rarely be found in the African lions.
- Lifespan: The Asiatic lions have a general lifespan of 16 – 18 while the African lion have an average lifespan of 8 to 10 years for the males and 10 to 15 years for the females.
Bengal Tiger( Royal Bengal Tigers)
The Bengal Tiger is the most endangered species in India, it is native to India but is not found in India alone, the Bengal tigers have a coat that is either yellow or light orange with dark brown or black stripes; with white belly and white at the interior part of their limbs, they have suffered a massive decline in their population until 2010 when conservative efforts where put in place in order to save them from extinction. The Bengal tigers are on the list of endangered animals in the world.
The Bengal tiger is so popular and probably beautiful that it is officially the national animal for India and Bangladesh also, the tiger also has a recessive mutant known as the white tiger. The Bengal tiger has the largest teeth among all the big cats known to the world; with sizes ranging from 7.5 centimeters to 10 centimeters, which is the same as 3.0 to 3.9 inches, they are also ranked among the biggest cats in the world; they are popularly referred to as the ‘big cats’ by the locals.
The biggest known Bengal tiger in the world is 12 feet 2 inches in length; a whopping 370 centimeters, the heaviest tiger ever was killed on the foothills of the Himalayas in 1967; it was guessed to weigh about 324.3 kilograms as it was killed after he just fed on a calf, his total weight then was 388.7 kilograms, despite their enormous and scary looks they have been hunted by man into a list of endangered species in India.
Scientific Information on Bengal Tigers
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Feliformia
- Family: Felidae
- Subfamily: Pantherinae
- Genus: Panthera
- Species: Tigris
- Subspecies: Tigris
Facts About Bengal Tigers
- Scientific name: Panthera tigris tigris
- Conservation status: Endangered species in India.
- Size: The male Bengal tigers grow to an average size of 270 centimeters to 310 centimeters, which equals 110 to 120 inches, while the females have a size of 240 – 265 centimeters( 94 – 140 inches); both have an average tail length of 85 – 110 centimeters which is same as 33 – 43 inches; the males and females have an average shoulder height of 90 – 110 centimeters( 35 – 43 inches).
- Weight: The males have an average weight range of 175 kilograms to 260 kilograms, while the females weigh 100 kilograms to 160 kilograms on average; Bengal tigers can weigh up to 325 kilograms and grow up to 320 centimeters( 130 inches) in body and tail length, the lowest recorded weight of the tigresses is 75 kilograms, but they can weight up to 164 kilograms.
- Lifespan: They have a lifespan of 8 – 10 years, but very few of them live up to 15 years.
- Habitat: The Bengal tiger( royal Bengal tiger) habitat covers a wide range of climate and weather conditioned areas, they live on grasslands, mangroves, tropical rainforests, high altitudes, and also in subtropical rainforests in regions comprising Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar republics, all in Southern Asia.
- Diet: The Bengal tigers eat the flesh and blood of animals it hunts because it is carnivorous like all big cats are.
- Location: They can be found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
- Population: They are 4,000 to 5,000 individuals left currently.
Why Are Bengal Tigers Endangered
Below are the reasons our researchers found why Bengal tigers are among the endangered species in India.
- High demand for meat: Demand for meat has continued increasing proportionally to the increase in human population, and this has proved to be a problem, not to Bengal tigers alone but to all the animals in the world.
- Use of sophisticated weapons: With the introduction and use of sophisticated weapons in hunting, the Bengal tigers have been exposed to a high amount of risk as compared to the times when there were no sophisticated weapons.
- Loss of natural habitat: As man continues to cut down trees and build structures all terrestrial animals in the wild continue to suffer huge losses of their natural habitats.
- Reduction in prey availability: Reduction in the availability of prey has been a major factor contributing to the addition of these species to the long list of endangered species in India.
Bengal Tiger vs Siberian Tiger
Here are the differences that can be observed between the Bengal tiger vs Siberian tiger:
- Size: Then Bengal tiger is about 2 to 4 inches shorter than the Siberian tigers, the Bengal tigers grow an average of 8 to 10 feet in length while the Siberian tigers average 120 to 12 feet in length.
- Physical appearance: The Bengal tiger has a thin and light yellow coat, beautifully decorated with black or brown stripes, and a white underbelly, while the Siberian tiger has a thick coat of rusty red or pale golden color with black meandering stripes and also a white-colored belly.
- Lifespan: The Bengal tiger has a lifespan of 8 to 10 years, while the Siberian tiger has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
- Aggressiveness: The Bengal tigers tend to be more aggressive than the Siberian tigers, as Siberian tigers don’t attack unless provoked, in defense of their territory or cubs, or disturbed during mating.
- Habitat: The Bengal tiger( royal Bengal tiger) habitat covers; grasslands, mangroves, tropical rainforests, high altitudes, and also subtropical rainforests while the Siberian tiger habitat is taiga, also known as snow forest, birch forest, and boreal forest.
White Bengal Tigers
The white Bengal tigers are mutants of the Bengal tigers, they have white or near-white colored coats with black stripes, however, they should not be mistaken to be albinos as they don’t from albinism but simply have white pigmentation. This is as a result of a mutation or deformation of the gene, which results in the existence of a mutant gene; sometimes this happens as a resulting of cross-breeding by humans, they are also on the list of endangered species in India
Sometimes, they are referred to as species or subspecies, but the easiest way to describe their existence, is by simply referring to the existence of the white, black, yellow, and red-colored races of humans, all are still one and can always reproduce with one another, they are the only white tigers among the endangered species in India 
A white Bengal tiger
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard, also known as an ounce is another animal on the list of endangered species in India, these wild cats used to inhabit various mountain ranges of Asia, but due to the uncurtailed excesses of humans experienced a rapid and shocking fall in their population.
The snow leopard is equipped with a long tail that helps improve its agility and balance and also has well-built hind legs which enable the snow leopard to jump distances of up to six times its own length. They still made the list of endangered species in India, despite the fact that over 70 percent of their total population, live high up on nearly inaccessible mountains.
The snow leopard appearance; has a grey or white body color, with small black spots all over the neck and head regions, and larger rosette-like black spots all over the other parts of its body. It has an overall muscular appearance, with short legs and a bit smaller than other cats of the same genus, the eyes have pale green oy grey color, it has a very bushy tail, a white underbelly, and a long and thick fur that grows 5 to 12 centimeters on average.
Scientific Information on Snow Leopards
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Feliformia
- Family: Felidae
- Subfamily: Pantherinae
- Genus: Panthera
- Species: Uncia
Interesting Facts About Snow Leopards
- Scientific name: Panthera Uncia
- Conservation status: Endangered species in India.
- Size: The snow leopards have an average length of about 2.1 meters, which equals 7 feet, including an average 0.9 meter( 3 foot) long tail, It has a shoulder height of about 0.6 meters (2 feet) and fur that grow up to 12 centimeters in length.
- Weight: On average, they weigh between 22 kilograms and 55 kilograms( 49 lbs and 121 lbs), some males weigh as much as 75 kilograms( 165 lbs), occasionally there are females with very low weight as low as 25 kilograms (55 lb ), in total body weight.
- Lifespan: Snow leopards in the wild have not been thoroughly studied, as they live on high cliffs which are difficult to reach, so there is no asserted lifespan known for them, snow leopards in captivity do live as long as 22 years; so the average life expectancy for snow leopards in the wild is guessed to be between 10 to 12 years.
- Snow leopard habitat: Snow leopards live on high and low mountain ranges, especially on the Himalayan and Siberian mountains in South Asia, however a smaller part of their population is scattered across different mountain ranges.
- Diet: The snow leopards are carnivores and so what they eat is the flesh and blood of other animals.
- Location: The snow leopards are located in Himalaya, Russia, South Siberian mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, Eastern Afghanistan, Southern Siberia, Mongolia, and Western China, it also lives at lower elevations and caves.
- Population: The total estimated number of snow leopards in the wild is between 4,080 to 6,590, and their population is rapidly decreasing.
Why Are Snow Leopards Endangered
Here are the reasons why Snow leopards are on the list of endangered species in India.
- High demand for meat: There has been a tremendous increase in the demand for meat by man, especially bushmeat; which is the preferable choice for a majority of the population.
- Use of sophisticated weapons: They have been the species that suffered most from the introduction of sophisticated weapons into the hunting industry.
- Loss of natural habitat: The species have suffered heavy loss of their habitat as a result of man’s activities; which have been carried out without consideration to wildlife.
- Increase in predators: Because of the high population of predators like; snow leopards and humans.
One-horned Rhinoceros
The one-horned rhinoceros also known as Indian rhinoceros, great Indian rhinoceros, or greater one-horned rhinoceros are one of the endangered species in India, they are species of rhinoceros that are native to India, they have suffered a violent decrease in their population in recent decades; which so their numbers go from abundance to being among the endangered species in India.
The one-horned rhinoceros have very little hair on their body, except for their eyelashes, hairs at the tip of their tails, and the hairs on their ears, they have grey-brown colored skin that is thick and tough, with pink-looking skin folds all over their bodies. It is the largest land animal in Asia and the third largest animal in the world. Surprisingly, they are excellent swimmers and can dive underwater to feed.
Unlike the African rhinoceros, they have only one horn on their snout, the reason why they seem to have a pinkish color is because of the presence of many blood vessels, just under their skin surface; it is because of this feature that, ticks leeches and other blood-sucking parasites still find it possible to feed on their blood.
Scientific Information on One-horned Rhinoceros
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Perissodactyla
- Family: Rhinocerotidae
- Genus: Rhinoceros
- Species: Unicornis
Facts About One-horned Rhinoceros
- Scientific name: Rhinoceros unicornis.
- Conservation status: Endangered species in India.
- Size: The males have an average body length of 368 centimeters to 380 centimeters which equal 3.68 meters to 3.8 meters, and an average shoulder height of 170 centimeters to 180 centimeters, while the females have an average height of 148 centimeters to 173 centimeters( 4.86 to 5.66 feet) at the shoulders, and a body length of 310 to 340 centimeters( 10.2 to 11.2 feet).
- Weight: The male rhinoceros have an average body weight of 2.2 tons( 4,850 lbs) while the females have an average body weight of 1.6 tons which is the same as 3,530 lbs, however, some of them have been reported to weigh an enormous 4 tons( 4,000 kilograms), which equals 8,820 lbs.
- Lifespan: They have a lifespan of 35 to 45 years, which is the lowest among all the species of rhinoceros in the world.
- Habitat: One-horned rhinos are semi-aquatic and more often than not, take up residence in swamps, forests, and riversides, with their main target as staying as close as possible to nutritious mineral supplies.
- Diet: One-horned rhinoceros are herbivores, so they eat only plants and plant products.
- Location: The one-horned rhinoceros is commonly found in Southern Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and in Assam, Indo Gangetic Plain of northern India, and the tall grasslands and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas.
- Population: An estimated number of 3,700 individuals are left in the wild.
Why Are One-horned Rhinoceros Endangered
Below are the major reasons we have found, why one-horned rhinoceros are among the endangered species in India.
- High demand for meat: One-horned rhinoceros have been intensively hunted in the era before the 20th century, because of high demand from the meat market.
- The high market value of their horns: Because of the high market worth of their horns( tusks), they are needed primarily by titled men, who desire to hold it always in their hands, in a show of their riches.
- Trafficking: Illegal traffickers have been poaching these species and taking their tusks to neighboring countries, sometimes the animal itself gets traffic.
- Loss of habitat: Due to the commercial, industrial and agricultural constructions and development by man, one-horned rhinoceros have suffered a huge loss of their habitat.
- Slow reproduction rate: One-horned rhinoceros, compared to many other animals take time to reproduce and also they reproduce in small numbers.
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri Tahr is a species of Mountain goats, and it is on the list of endangered species in India. They were deemed important and so we’re officially named the state animal of Tamil Nadu, which is also the state where a greater part of their population is found.
The males are always larger than the females and they have a slightly darker color than the females, they have an overall stocky appearance and have short bristle-like manes and short and thick fur, the males and females all have horns, while the juveniles have none, the horns are curved and that of the males sometimes grow up to 40 centimeters( 16 inches) in length, while that of females can grow up to 30 inches, which equals 12 inches; just the length of a common scale rule.
Prior to the beginning of the 20th centuries, they have been on the list of the endangered species in India with about a century population of them left in the wild, currently, a rapid increase has been recorded in their population as numerous conservation strategies have been set up for them, but they are yet to be counted off the endangered species in India.
Scientific Information on Nilgiri Tahr
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Artiodactyla
- Family: Bovidae
- Subfamily: Caprinae
- Genus: Nilgiritragus
- Species: Hylocrius
Facts About Nilgiri Tahr
- Scientific name: Nilgiritragus hylocrius,
- Conservation status: Critically endangered species in India.
- Size: An average male Nilgiri tahr has a height of 100 centimeters which is the same as 3.28 feet and a length of 150 centimeters( 4,92 feet), while an average female Nilgiri tahr has a height of 80 centimeters, equalling 2.62 feet and a length of 110 centimeters( 3.6 feet).
- Weight: The male Nilgiri tahrs have an average weight of 90 kilograms( 198.41 lbs) while the females have an average weight of 60 kilograms( 132.28 lbs).
- Lifespan: They have a lifespan of 9 years on average.
- Habitat: They live on the open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghats, montane rain forests region.
- Diet: The tahr is a herbivore, it prefers to eat fresh plants directly from the ground where it grows, especially woody plants, it is also a ruminant.
- Location: The Nilgiri tahr can be found only on Nilgiri hills and the Southern part of the Western and Eastern Ghats, both in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the Southern part of India.
- Population: There are currently about 3,200 individuals of this species living in India, whereas there were about 100 of them at the beginning of the 21st century; thanks to conservation efforts.
Why Are Nilgiri Tahrs Endangered
Below are the reasons we found why the Nilgiri tahr is among the endangered species in India.
- High demand for meat: Before the introduction and popularization of hybrid species, the animal rearing farms have been producing very little quantity, so the Nilgiri tahr has been among the most hunted animals in India.
- Loss of habitat: Due to man’s inconsiderate and selfish exploration of the environment, the Nilgiri tahr has had a great loss of its habitat.
- Use of sophisticated weapons: With the introduction of sophisticated and deadly weapons for hunting, they experienced a big loss in their population and became endangered.
Conclusion
I have written this article about the endangered species in India in a comprehensive and versatile manner, in a way that the reader will enjoy and also can be used for academic purposes, all suggestions for modification will be welcomed. No publication of this article or part of it; offline or online is permitted, except sharing.
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