QUICK REVISION MODULE

(UPSC PRELIMS 2024) ENVIRONMENT

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 MAMMALS

HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION
World’s smallest Undisturbed tall Loss and
PGMY HOG wild pig, ‘terai’ grasslands, degradation of
EN captive-breeding Manas Wildlife grasslands,
programme was Sanctuary and its dry-season
initiated in 1996 buffer burning,
WPA, 1972 in Assam and reserves. livestock
Schedule I
reintroduction in grazing and
Sonai Rupai area afforestation of
in 2009. grasslands,
Hunting.
NAMDAPHA Arboreal species Namdapha Degradation
that is likely most National Park, the of forests,
FLYING
SQUIRREL CR active at dusk. largest protected hunting.
area in the
WPA, 1972
Eastern Himalaya
Schedule I biodiversity
hotspot

MALABAR Small, dog like Declared possibly Habitat loss

CIVET
CR carnivore. extinct in 1978
but was
and hunting.

rediscovered nine
WPA, 1972 years later in
Schedule I
western
ghats

ASIAN WILD Asian wild dogs, Key populations Ongoing

DOG (DHOLE) plays an found in three habitat loss,
EN important role as
apex predators in
landscapes-
Western Ghats,
Depletion of
prey base,
forest ecosystems. Central India and Persecution
WPA, 1972
Northeast India. due to livestock
Schedule I First dhole predation and
conservation disease
breeding centre transfer from
at the Indira domestic and
Gandhi feral dogs.
Zoological Park
(IGZP) in
Visakhapatnam

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

ASIAN Active during In India, Habitat loss

ELEPHANT twilight hours, Uttarakhand, and hunting.
EN adult females and Uttar Pradesh,
calves move West Bengal,
together as Assam, Arunachal
WPA, 1972 groups while Pradesh, Odisha,
Schedule I
males disperse on Jharkhand,
their own when Southern part of
reaching West Bengal,
adolescence. Karnataka, Tamil
subspecies of the Nadu, Kerala.
Asian Elephant. Some of the
They are as largest elephant
follows: Sri reserves in India
Lankan Elephant, are located in
Indian Elephant Periyar and
and Sumatran Nilambur in
Elephant. Kerala and the
Shivalik in
Uttarakhand.

BENGAL National animal Chooses the Climate

of India, also lowlands and is change, habitat
TIGER
EN national animal of frequently seen in loss and
Bangladesh, grasslands, hunting.
South Korea, swamps, and
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
Vietnam, and mangroves. The
Malaysia, largest Bengal mangrove
specimen in the ecosystem is a
cat family, Project rich habitat.
Tiger started by
government in
1973.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

CLOUDED State animal of Grassland, shrubs, Habitat loss

LEOPARD Meghalaya. subtropical and due to
VU dense tropical deforestation,
forest up to a changing
height of 7,000 rainfall
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
feet occurring from patterns,
the Himalayan human-animal
foothills through conflict,
mainland development
Southeast Asia into projects
China, In India, it
occurs in Sikkim,
northern West
Bengal, Meghalaya
subtropical forests,
Tripura, Mizoram,
Manipur, Assam,
Nagaland and
Arunachal Pradesh.

SANGAI State animal of Endemic and rare Climate

DEER Manipur, sub species of change, habitat
popularly called brow antlered deer loss and
EN as ‘dancing deer’ found only in hunting.
of Manipur. Manipur, habitat of
the sangai is now
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
protected as the
Keibul Lamjao
National Park (only
floating national
park in India)

GOLDEN Old World found in a small electrocution,

LANGUR
EN monkey, exhibits
sexual
region of western road accidents,
Assam and in the retaliatory
dimorphism. neighbouring killing, illegal
foothills of the pet keeping
WPA, 1972
Schedule I Black Mountains of and
Bhutan. inbreeding.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

GAUR Tallest species of Native to South Food Scarcity,

wild cattle found and Southeast Poaching,
VU in India and Asia. In India, they Habitat Loss,
largest extant are found in Human-Animal
bovine. Recently, Nagarhole, Conflict.
WPA, 1972 the first Bandipur,
Schedule I
population Masinagudi
estimation National Parks and
exercise of the BR Hills.
Indian Gaur
(Bison) was
carried out in the
Nilgiris Forest
Division, Tamil
Nadu.
Conservation
breeding of Gaur
was started at
Mysuru zoo.

HIMALAYAN Goes into Prefers open Habitat loss,

BROWN BEAR LC hibernation
around October
valleys and
pastures.
climate
change, human
and emerges fragmented alpine animal conflict.
WPA, 1972
around April and and subalpine
Schedule I May, Omnivores, habitats.
least arboreal Himalayan brown
bear and is bears live in
largely terrestrial. remote parts of the
western
Himalayas.
Already speculated
to have become
extinct in Bhutan.
Sanctuary for
Himalayan Brown
Bears is in
Himachal Pradesh
in the tribal
Chumba region.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

MUSK DEER Adapted for high Inhabits high Habitat loss,

altitudes, waxy alpine poaching, live
EN substance called environments stock grazing,
musk that the above altitudes of natural
male secretes from 2,500 m in predation.
WPA, 1972
Schedule I a gland in the Himalayas of
abdomen used to Nepal, Bhutan,
mark territories India, Pakistan and
and attract China. Kedarnath
females, but the Musk Deer
musk is also used Sanctuary
in the manufacture
of perfumes and
medicines.

HOOLOCK Western only ape found in Western hoolock Habitat

GIBBON hoolock India, two types: gibbon (all the destruction,
gibbon: Western hoolock states of the habitat
gibbon and north-east, fragmentation,
VU Eastern hoolock restricted between habitat
gibbon. the south of the degradation
Brahmaputra river and hunting.
and Eastern
hoolock and east of the
gibbon: Dibang river) and
Eastern hoolock
gibbon(specific
EN pockets of
Arunachal Pradesh
WPA, 1972
Schedule I and Assam).

BLACK BUCK Indian Antelope, Inhabits grassy habitat loss

sole extant plains and lightly due to devel-
LC member of the forested areas with opmental work
genus Antilope. perennial water and human
sources. Once encroachment
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
widespread of grassland
throughout the area and
Indian hunting
subcontinent, it has
become extinct in
Pakistan and
Bangladesh.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

INDIAN WILD One of the fastest Live in the deserts Disease

ASS (KHUR) of Indian animals, and other arid outbreak,
NT with speeds areas of Little habitat
clocked at about Rann of Kutch degradation
70 – 80 km. per and its due to salt
WPA, 1972 hour, live surrounding areas activities, the
Schedule I either solitarily, or of the Great Rann invasion of the
in small groups. of Kutch in the Prosopis
Gujarat. juliflora shrub,
and
encroachment
and grazing by
the Maldhari.

LION TAILED Diurnal in nature, Rainforest Habitat loss

EN
MACAQUE life expectancy for environments as it due to
a wild lion-tailed is a good climber, anthropogenic
macaque is 20 spends most of its activities and
years while it is time in the upper hunting.
WPA, 1972
Schedule I 30 years reaches of a
in captivity. tropical rainforest
regions of
Karnataka, Kerala
and Tamil Nadu.
Silent Valley
National Park in
Kerala has the
largest population
of lion-tailed
macaques in
South India.

RED PANDA Territorial and Temperate forest habitat loss

solitary except of the Himalayas and
EN during mating and ranges from degradation,
season, excellent the foothills of human
climbers and western Nepal to interference,
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
forage from trees, China in the east. illegal trading
omnivores. and poaching.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

SLOTH BEAR Adult sloth bears Areas with forest Habitat loss
travel in pairs, cover, low hills and poaching.
VU excellent in bordering the
climbing trees outer range of the
and running Himalayas from
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
faster than Punjab to
humans. Arunachal
Pradesh. Sloth
Bear Welfare
Project, Agra Bear
Rescue Facility.

TIBETIAN considered to be Lives at a Poaching for

ANTELOPE
(CHIRU)
NT close to goat
family, underfur is
3,250-5,500
metre elevation in
wool.

renowned for its high altitude plains

WPA, 1972
quality which is and montane
Schedule I traditionally valleys comprising
woven into an of alpine and
extremely fine desert steppe and
fabric to make pasture,
Shahtoosh distinguished by
shawls. low vegetation
cover and
productivity.
Karakorma
Wildlife Sanctuary
and Changthang
Cold Desert
Wildlife Sanctuary.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

YAK Belong to the Endemic to the Climate

Bovine tribe, Tibetan Plateau change and
VU adapted for living and the adjacent Inbreeding.
at high altitudes, high-altitude
highly valued by regions, most
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
Himalayan comfortable
peoples, lifeline above 14,000
of pastoral feet.
nomads in high
altitudes of the
Indian Himalayan
region.

HIMALAYAN Resembles a cross Found at altitudes Poaching and

SEROW VU between a goat, a between 2,000 the destruction
donkey, a cow, metres and 4,000 of their
and a pig. Several metres. Found in forested
WPA, 1972
species of serows, eastern, central, mountain
Schedule I and all of them and western habitats.
are found in Asia. Himalayas, but
not in the Trans
Himalayan
region.

Only mammal There are 8 Hunting and

EN
wholly covered species of poaching for
in scales. If under pangolins of local
PANGOLIN threat, will which 2 are found consumptive
immediately curl in India: Indian use (e.g. as a
WPA, 1972
Schedule I into a tight ball. Pangolin protein source
(Endangered) & and traditional
Chinese Pangolin medicine) and
(Critically international
Endangered). trade, for its
Indian Pangolin is meat and
widely distributed scales in East
in India, except and South East
the arid region, Asian
high Himalayas countries.
and North East.

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 BIRDS

HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

JERDON’S Nocturnal bird, Undisturbed scrub Clearing of

considered extinct jungles in open scrub jungle,
COURSER
CR but rediscovered areas, creation of new
in 1986 SriLankamaleshw pastures,
ara Wildlife growing of
WPA, 1972
Schedule I Sanctuary in dryland crops,
Andra Pradesh. plantations of
exotic trees,
quarrying and
the
constructions,
Illegal trapping
of birds.

WHITE Also known as the Rivers with sand Loss and

BELLIED imperial heron, or gravel bars or degradation of
HERON CR mostly found inland lakes, lowland forest
solitary. found in five or and wetlands
six sites in Assam through direct
WPA, 1972
Schedule I and Arunachal exploitation
Pradesh, one or and
two sites in disturbance.
Bhutan, and a
few in Myanmar.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

SIBERIAN Also known as the Shallow wetlands Hunting and

CRANE Siberian white in Tundra and habitat loss.
CR crane or the snow plains. Three
crane. groups: the
eastern group,
WPA, 1972
Schedule I which migrates
from eastern
Siberia to China,
the central group,
which migrates
from western
Siberia to India,
and the western
group, which
migrate from
western Russia to
Iran. Keoladeo
(Ghana) National
Park (KNP) was the
last consistently
confirmed
wintering area for
the species in
India.

GREAT One of the Resides in dry Habitat loss

INDIAN
BUSTARD
CR heaviest flying grasslands and
birds in the world. scrublands on the
and hunting.
90% of its
Indian population has
WPA, 1972 subcontinent; its been reduced
Schedule I
largest within 50 years
populations are (six
found in the Indian generations)
state of Rajasthan. majorly due to
poaching

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

BENGAL Inhabits lowland Loss of its

FLORICAN dry, or seasonally grassland
CR inundated, habitat and
natural and hunting.
semi-natural
WPA, 1972
Schedule I grasslands, often
interspersed with
scattered scrub or
patchy open
forest. Indian
Subcontinent
mainly in India
(Uttar Pradesh,
Assam and
Arunachal
Pradesh.) and
terai region of
Nepal.

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 REPTILES

HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

GHARIAL Most uniquely Clean rivers with Construction

evolved sand banks. Only activities like
CR crocodilian in the viable population dam,
world, a in the National barrages,
WPA, 1972
specialized Chambal pollution,
Schedule I river-dwelling Sanctuary, spread sand mining,
fisheater. across three States riparian
of Uttar Pradesh, agriculture.
Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh.
Small
non-breeding
populations exist in
Son, Gandak,
Hoogly and
Ghagra rivers.
Extinct in
Myanmar,
Pakistan, Bhutan
and Bangladesh.

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 HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

LEATHERBACK Largest of living Tropical and High sea

TURTLES sea turtles subtropical fishing
CR weighing as much oceans, Found in operations,
as 900 kg, tropical and harvesting of
excellent temperate waters eggs,
WPA, 1972
Schedule I swimmers, Jelly of the destruction of
fish are Atlantic, Pacific, nests, Artificial
their primary prey. and Indian lighting
Oceans. disorients
hatchlings and
adult and
causes them to
migrate inland
rather than
back to the
sea. Threats to
habitat include
construction,
mining and
plantation of
exotics.

OLIVE RIDLEY Smallest and most Distributed in the Face serious

abundant of all tropical and threats across
TURTLES
VU sea turtles found warm-temperate their migratory
in the world, regions of the route, habitat
unique mass South Atlantic, and nesting
WPA, 1972
Schedule I
nesting called Pacific, and Indian beaches, due
Arribada. Oceans. In India, to human
Gahirmatha coast activities such
(Bhitarkanika as unfriendly
National Park) of turtle fishing
the Odisha, practices,
Rushikulya development,
rookery coast in and
Ganjam district of exploitation of
Odisha etc. nesting
beaches for
ports, and
tourist centers.

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 FISH

HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

LARGETOOTH Long rostrums, Tropical and Accidentally

tolerate a range subtropical waters getting caught
SAWFISH
CR of salinities, or around the in fishing nets.
salt levels. world-anywhere
the waters are
WPA, 1972
Schedule I warm.

HUMPBACK Large freshwater Freshwater of the Overfishing,

MASHEER fish also called Cauvery river basin habitat loss,
CR the tiger of the including Kerala’s pollution, dam
water. Pambar, Kabini construction
and Bhavani etc.
rivers.

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 CORALS

HABITAT/
NAME STATUS FEATURES THREATS
DISTRIBUTION

FIRE CORALS Colonial marine Found on reefs in Overfishing,

(MILLEPORA organisms that the Indian, Pacific, habitat loss
BOSCHMAI) CR exhibit physical and Atlantic due to poor
characteristics Oceans and the land
similar to that of Caribbean Sea. management
coral. Not true They form practices
corals but are extensive outcrops releasing
instead more on projecting parts more
closely related to of the reef where sediment,
Hydra and other the tidal currents nutrients, and
hydrozoans, are strong. pollutants into
making them the oceans.
hydrocorals.

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 STATE ANIMAL OF
VARIOUS STATES IN INDIA

Musk Deer
Uttarakhand
Red Panda
Sikkim
Hangul
erstwhile
Jammu & Snow Leopard
Kashmir Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh
Nilgai Mithun
Delhi, Arunachal
Pradesh,
Nagaland
Black Buck
One-horned
Punjab, Haryana rhinoceros
Swamp Deer Assam
Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh
Camel
Rajasthan
Clouded
Leopard
Ox Meghalaya
Bihar
Sangai
Manipur
Sambar
Odisha Serow
Mizoram

Phayre’s Langur
Giant Squirrel Tripura
Maharashtra Deer
Asiatic Lion
Gujarat Telangana Wild Buffalo
Chhattisgarh
Gaur Blackbuck
Goa Andhra Pradesh,
Haryana, Punjab
Fishing Cat
Elephant West Bengal
Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Squirrel
Kerala Puduchery

Nilgiri Tahr
Tamil Nadu

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 STATE BIRDS OF
VARIOUS STATES IN INDIA
Northern goshawk
Punjab

Himalayan Monal
Uttarakhand
Black Necked
Crane Blood
erstwhile Jammu Pheasant
& Kashmir Western Tragopan Sikkim
Himachal Pradesh
Black Francolin
Haryana White Winged Great
Wood Duck Hornbill
Assam Arunachal
Pradesh, Kerala

Sarus Crane House Sparrow

Uttar Pradesh Delhi, Bihar
Great Indian
Bustard
Rajasthan
Great Flamingo
Gujarat
Hill Myna
Meghalaya
Asian Paradise
Flycatcher Koel
Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand Mrs. Hume’s
Pheasant
Manipur, Mizoram

Yellow-footed Hill Myna

green pigeon Chhattisgarh,
Maharashtra Meghalaya
White-Breasted
Kingfisher
West Bengal
Indian Roller
Andhra Pradesh, Blyth’s
Odisha, Telangana, tragopan
Black Crested Karnataka Nagaland
Bulbul
Goa
Asian Koel
Puduchery
Green
Imperial
Pigeon
Emerald Dove Tripura
Tamil Nadu

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