Short Beaked Echidna

The short beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), also known as the short nosed spiny anteater, is a monotreme found in Australia as well as parts of New Guinea.  It is one of the three egg laying mammals, the others being the long beaked echidna and the platypus.

Physical Features
The short beaked echidna is a short legged animal covered with large yellowish spines over dark brown thick fur.  It has an elongated snout with a long tongue which enables it to scavenge for ants and other insects.  Its large spines protect it from predators while its strong and stocky limbs allow it to dig burrows quickly.  The short beaked echidna can grow to a length of anywhere between 30 cm and 50 cm and can easily weigh 5 kg.  These echidnas have shown many physical adaptation to various situations.  They can tolerate air with low levels of oxygen which allows them to live in burrows or survive forest fires.  They are also known to dive under water in case of floods.  During this period, they slow down their heart rate in order to provide maximum oxygen to the heart and brain.  Their body also allows them to undertake hibernation during winter periods during which their body temperature can fall to as low as 4°C .

Distribution and Habitat
Short beaked echidnas are found all over Australia and Tasmania.  It is also present in southern parts of New Guinea.  They inhabit forested areas, scrub regions and even rocky landscapes.  They are also seen in urban parks and gardens though not frequently.

Behavior

An echidna curling up into a ball to fend off a fox attack

Short beaked echidnas are nocturnal in summers but are otherwise active during they day.  They are generally solitary and interact with other individuals solely for the purpose of mating.  In certain parts of their range, echidnas hibernate during winters.  Females dig burrows for laying and rearing their young.  When attacked by predators, they curl themselves into a ball making them almost impenetrable due to their spines.  Short beaked echidnas mainly feed on ants and termites although they may feed on other insects.

Conservation Status
Short beaked echidnas are abundant in most of its range.  The main threats they face are habitat destruction and motor vehicle accidents.  Many invasive species such as cats and foxes prey upon short beaked echidnas.  They are rated as 'Least Concern' by the IUCN.

Northern Plains Langur

The Northern Plains Langur (Semnopithecus entellus) is a species of grey langur found mainly in the central portions of India.  It is one of the most widespread langur species of India and is frequently found living in human settlements.  It is one of the eight grey langur species found in India.

Physical Features

The forward bending tail of a Northern Plains Langur

Northern Plains Langurs can range from greyish-brown to yellowish-brown in colour.  Its ventral side may be buff or pale orange while the face is black in colour.  It lacks a mane unlike the langurs found further north.  The hands of a Northern Plains Langur are very long as an arboreal adaptation and are black till the wrists.  Its fingers are long and slender enabling them to grip on to branches.  The body length of Northern Plains Langurs (excluding the tail) is around 2-2.5 feet for males while females are around 1.5-2 feet long.  It has a forward bending tail like all the grey langur species found in the north which distinguishes it from the southern species of grey langurs, which have backward bending tails.  Their prehensile tails can reach lengths of 3 feet.  Males and females weigh around 10 kilograms.

Distribution and Habitat

Northern Plains Langurs are common in human settlements

The Northern Plains Langur is the most widespread and populous species of grey langur in India.  It is found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra.  It has been introduced in parts of Bangladesh.  It ranges from the Godavari river in central India to river Krishna in the south east and river Narmada in the south west.  It is found in a wide variety of habitat; from deciduous forests to scrub land.  It has become very common in human settlements and large populations can be found in various towns.  Some cities like Jodhpur, Rajasthan have populations of several thousand.

Behavior and Reproduction

Langurs grooming each other

The Northern Plains Langur is a social animal and lives in groups that can have up to 100 individuals.  In a group, there may only be a few resident males.Only male groups are also common though they are smaller in size.  Females carry out activities like foraging and grooming.  The females generally groom the males and care for their babies.  Males leave the group once they attain adulthood.  Northern Plains Langurs are diurnal animals and generally prefer high branches while sleeping at night although they have adapted to sleeping on man-made structures.  Females have a gestation period of around 200 days and generally give birth to a single infant.  The infants usually remain attached to the mothers' chest spending most of their time suckling or sleeping for the first two weeks.  Females may also take care of infants that are not theirs.  Infanticide by the males are common especially in groups which are head by a single male.  

Diet
Northern Plains Langurs are mainly herbivores.  They feed on fruits, roots, shoots, bamboos, leaves and shrubs.  They have also adapted to human food and a often fed by people.  Agricultural lands are frequently invaded by these langurs for feeding purposes.

Conservation and Threats
Northern Plains Langurs are rated as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating that they are not at the risk of extinction.  Indian laws prohibit killing of these langurs.  They are considered sacred by Hindus and are looked upon as 'Hanuman', the monkey god in Hindu mythology.  Since they are not as notorious as the rhesus macaque, they are not considered as pests.  Many langurs are killed every year due to road accidents.  They are also threatened with habitat destruction, forest fires and mining.  Habitat fragmentation has caused them to find shelter in human settlements.

Lion Tailed Macaque

The lion tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is a species of monkey that is exclusively found in the southern region of India.  It is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN.

Physical Features
The lion tailed macaque is a medium sized monkey that ranges from lengths of 35 cm to 60 cm.  Males are slightly larger than females.  It has black hair throughout its body except the face region.  The face is black and hairless.  The unique and distinct feature of the lion tailed macaque is its mane.  Its silver white mane distinguishes it from the otherwise similar Nilgiri Langur.  

Distribution and Habitat

A lion tailed macaque

The lion tailed macaque is restricted to the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats range in southern India.  Majority of the population is present in Kerala, India.  Other populations are present in the Anamalai hills of Tamil Nadu and the Western Ghats section of Karnataka. The Silent Valley National Park is a famous stronghold of the lion tailed macaque.  Lion tailed macaques live in evergreen forests that can be 1700 m above mean sea level.  They require isolated environments which is one of the key reasons for a decline in their numbers. The estimated population is said to be about 4000 individuals.  Habitat encroachment and destruction is the main threat to the population.

Behaviour
The lion tailed macaque is a social animal and live in groups that may consist of 10 to 60 individuals.  Lesser the region is disturbed by humans, smaller the group size.  They are mainly arboreal and spend most of their time in the upper canopy of evergreen forests. Unlike other macaques like the rhesus macaque, the avoid humans.  Their cries have a uncanny resemblance to that of humans.  They may become aggressive in case of territorial disputes.

Diet
Lion tailed macaques mainly eat fruits, shoots, leaves, insects or even small vertebrates. They feed on the indigenous plants and trees of their area but may adapt in areas where logging is excessive.  Eggs of various birds also constitute their diet.

Conservation Status
The lion tailed macaque is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN.  Their population has faced considerable decline due to habitat destruction for agricultural purposes and habitat encroachment by humans.  Unlike other macaques, they avoid humans and hence do not reside in agricultural lands.  They were once rated as one of the most endangered primates in the world but now, thanks to severe measures taken by the Indian government to protect this species, they are off that list. 

Gila Monster

The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) is a species of lizard found in North America.  It is one of the very few venomous lizards in the world.  

Physical Features
The Gila monster is a stout lizards and can reach lengths of 2 feet.  They have a rounded head and their body has patches of orange, yellow and black which helps it camouflage in the desert environment.  They have powerful limbs with long claws while their tail is fat and short.  They can weigh anywhere between 300 grams to 700 grams while the largest specimen reported was 2.3 kilograms.

Venom
The Gila Monster is one of the two venomous lizards of North America, the other one being the Beaded lizard.  The Gila monster's venom is a neurotoxin and is said to be as toxic as a coral snake's venom.  However a bite delivered from the Gila Monster to an adult, healthy human is not fatal as it produces the venom in very minute quantities.  There are no reported cases of human deaths from Gila monster bites.  The venom of a Gila monster is found to have proteins which are effective in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. 

Distribution and Habitat
The Gila Monster is confined to the south western parts of the United Sates of America and the north western parts of Mexico.  They inhabit dry grasslands, foothills of mountains and succulent desert. 

Diet
The Gila monster mainly feeds on the eggs of birds and reptiles.  They also feed on insects and small mammals.

Behavior
The Gila monster Changes its time of activity depending upon the season and temperatures.  It spends most of its time burrowing.  It is generally sluggish and shy which is why there are not many cases of Gila monster bites. 

Conservation Status
The Gila monster is rated as 'Near Threatened' by the IUCN.  It has suffered a population decline over the past couple of decades.  It faces threats from habitat destruction and illegal pet trading.  Large parts of their habitat has disappeared due to urbanization and agriculture.

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Malabar Giant Squirrel

The Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a large species of squirrel native to India.  It is one of the largest species of squirrels in the world.

Physical Features
The malabar giant squirrels have a black or maroon back with its ventral side, face and tail being cream or buff.  Its body length can be anywhere between 30cm-50cm while its tail is around 2 feet long.  

Behavior
The malabar giant squirrel is generally active in the evening as well as in the early hours of the morning.  They spend most of their time on trees and are seldom seen on the forest floor.  When threatened they freeze or lie flat against a tree.  They are very shy animals. They are generally solitary except during breeding season.

Diet
The malabar giant squirrel primarily feeds on fruits, making it a herbivore.

Distribution and Habitat
Malabar giant squirrels generally inhabit mixed deciduous forests and moist evergreen forests with high canopies.  A large portion of their population is present in the forests of Peninsular India, in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Conservation Status
The malabar giant squirrel is rated as 'Least Concern' by the IUCN.  However, its population is threatened by illegal pet trade, habitat destruction and hunting.  It is a protected species and is the state animal of the Indian state, Maharashtra.  

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large cat species inhabiting the Himalayas.  It is rated as "Endangered" by the IUCN.

Taxonomy
For longtime, the classification of the snow leopard was a dispute.  In the past it was placed under its own genus Uncia.  Many scientists were against that and thought that it should be placed under the the genus of Panthera, which contained the big cats (tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar).  However, a scientist named Pocock (he described the genus Panthera) said that the snow leopard has certain morphological differences and hence cannot be placed in the genus of Panthera.  However, in 2008, through genotyping, it was proved that the snow leopard in fact does belong to the Panthera genus.  As a result, its scientific name was changed from Uncia uncia to Panthera uncia.

Physical Features
The snow leopard is relatively smaller when compared to other members of the Panthera genus.  Their body (including head) length can range from 80 cm to 130 cm.  Their tails can grow up to lengths of 100 cm.  Adult snow leopards generally weigh anywhere between 30 kg-55 kg.  However, there are records of males weighing 75 kg.  Snow leopards have a coat perfectly adapted for cold regions.  It has thick fur which can range from a smoky grey to a creamy white and has dark rosettes all over its body except for the ventral portion.  This combination allows it a perfect camouflage.  Each individual rosette differs from another.  The fur on the belly of the snow leopard can be about 10 cm long which helps keep itself warm and live in areas where the temperatures can sink below -40 degrees Celsius.  The snow leopard has an enlarged nasal cavity which warms the air it breaths and allows it to inhale the thin air of high altitudes.  It has relatively larger paws which allows it to easily walk on snow and its long, thick tail provides it balance in rocky terrain.  It also uses its tail as a blanket while sleeping.  Due to its imperfectly ossified hyoid bone, it cant roar like its Panthera counterparts but can growl and snarl.

Distribution and Habitat
Snow leopards live in mountainous terrains.  A large percent of the snow leopard population is confined to the Himalayan range.  They inhabit mountainside grasslands as well as lightly forested areas at altitudes between 2,300-6,000 meters high.  Their range includes the northern parts of India, Nepal, Himalayan border of China, Russia, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

Diet 
Due to the harsh climatic conditions, snow leopards are forced to have a wide dietary range. The snow leopards feed on any mountains animals like goats, deer, pikas and marmots. Domestic animals also constitute their diet.  They also hunt down large prey such as Ibex.

Conservation Status
The snow leopard is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN.  It has been subjected to poaching, habitat loss and prey loss.  Most of the population has been wiped out from Russia due to poaching for their fur.  The current population is estimated to be about 6000 individuals.  It is a highly protected species and its hunting has been banned in most of the countries.  It is the national animal of Afghanistan and the National Heritage animal of Pakistan.

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Russell's Viper

Russel's viper (Daboia russelli) is a large species of viper found throughout the Indian subcontinent and other parts of south-east Asia.  Most of the snakebites (about 50%) in the Indian subcontinent are caused by the Russell's viper.

Physical Features
The russell's viper is a large and bulky viper, normally growing about 1 to 1.2 meters long.  However, specimens over 1.5 m have been recorded.  The color of their dorsal side is generally brown of varying shades, tan or deep yellow.  Their are a series of dark ovals running along their back which are outlined successively by black and white.  Another series of similar ovals runs down each flank alternating with those on the back.  They have a triangular head with a blunt snout.  Their head is very distinct from the body and they have very short tails.  Their belly is white, yellowish or sometimes pinkish.  The coat of the russell's viper very closely resembles that of the rough scaled boa, a harmless snake.

Distribution and Habitat
The russell's viper is widespread in the Indian subcontinent and is also found in Thailand and the Indo-Australian archipelago.  It is most common in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Myanmar.  It inhabits plains, grasslands and plantations.  However, it has been recorded at heights of 2,100 m in south India and 2,000 m in the Himalayas.  It is common along the west coast of India.  It is abundant in Punjab but quite rare in the Ganga Valley.

Diet
Their diet mainly consists of rodents like mice, rats, squirrels, etc.  However, they will eat anything like lizards, frogs and small birds.  Juveniles are known to be cannibalistic.

Behavior
The russell's viper is largely nocturnal.  Adults are known to be sluggish while juveniles are more excited and alert.  When aggravated, they stand their ground and produce a loud hiss that is distinctly louder than other snakes.  They are slow movers.  However, when they strike, they hurtle themselves with such force that they may even leave the ground.  Adults normally just prefer to just hiss when disturbed while juveniles may be more aggressive and bite.

Reproduction Cycle
Russell's vipers are ovoviviparous.  This is a mode of reproduction where the embryo's develop inside eggs which remains in the mother's stomach till they are ready to hatch.  The embryo's are nourished by the egg yolk. After they hatch, the mother gives birth to them.  A russell's viper generally gives birth to litters of 20 to 40 young.  However they have been known to give birth to litters of 63 individual as well as to a single young.  The gestation period exceeds six months.  Gravid females have been recorded in all months of the year. Females give birth between the months of May and November.  They sexually mature at the age of 2-3 years. 

Venom
A dose of 50-70 mg is lethal to an adult human.  The bite results in immediate pain and swelling in that region.  Post 20 minutes, bleeding occurs in the gums, urine and sometimes sputum.  Necrosis (the premature death of cells due to injuries) is a common symptoms.  Heart rate falls and blood pressure drops.  The victim may die of kidney failure, septicemia or cardiac arrest.  Death from any of these may occur in a period of 1 to 10 days.  Russell's viper used to cause about 300,000 deaths per year in the Indian Subcontinent before the introduction of its antivenin.  This has reduced the deaths by russell's viper considerably.