Tiger in Habitat at Sariska Tiger Reserve
endangered animals in Indian wildlife swamp deer

Swamp Deer at Dudhwa National Park

India – home to many wild species of animals and birds; among which it is habitat to many endangered animals in Indian wildlife. As per the latest stats, 25% of the land is covered with land forest in India and has more than 100 National Parks. Offering us a large picture of Indian wildlife and its beauty in an absolute enchantment – which attracts the wildlife fanatics, photographers and film makers to explore Indian forest. As much as wildlife calls out for adventure, it also offers lot of enthralling experiences. Indian wildlife has some animals which are near to the extinction as well and hence we bring you the list of top 10 endangered animals in Indian Wildlife List. If you crave to be among the wilderness and want to experience the enchanting forest land and its habitat, you should definitely explore India.  Read on to know about the specific animal and their whereabouts.

Red Panda

Scientific name – Ailurus fulgens Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – One of the most photogenic mammal in Indian wildlife who is mostly clinging on the bamboo trees. Red Panda is a small mammal, and can be found in the forestland of India, Nepal, Bhutan and northern mountains of Myanmar. They are quite fond of dense under-stories of bamboo trees. Slightly larger than the domestic cat, the feature of the Red Panda is such as a bear like body and thick russet fur.

Also read: Top 10 Most Beautiful Birds in India

Phayre’s Leaf Monkey

Scientific name – Trachypithecus phayrei Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Being in the company of their hood and also dominant in nature. Phayre’s Leaf Monkey is known for its monocle look. Considered to be highly endangered for a very long time in Indian wildlife, this specie is mostly found in the semi-evergreen forest and bamboo dominated areas. A little aggressive and submissive in nature, they mostly feed on immature leaf and bamboo.

Wild Ass

endangered animals in Indian wildlife wild ass

Indian Wild Ass

Scientific name – Equus hemionus khur Status – Growing in population Known for – They are extremely shy and refrain from human interference. Wild ass, or Baluchi wild ass; is also known as Indian Wild Ass, but they are quite different from African wild ass species. They are mostly found in Ladakh, Sikkim and also in Little Rann of Kutch – Gujrat. Initially they were in the hub of being the endangered animals in Indian wildlife. However, their population is growing in number. The coat of the specie is sandy looking and varies from reddish grey to pale chestnut color. This Indian wildlife specie mostly feed on grass, leaves and fruits and plants.

Suggested Tour to  see Indian Wild Ass: LRK 3 Days Tour

Royal Bengal Tiger

endangered animals in Indian wildlife tiger

Royal Bengal Tiger

Scientific name – Panthera tigris Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Strength and royal hunting attitude One of the most extravagant member of the Big Cat Family; they are extremely beautiful and powerful. In Indian wildlife, due to hunting and forest destruction, the number of this enormous beauty is gradually lower in rates. The coat of the tiger is light orange in color with dark brown stripes running down, however, around the belly they have white limbs. Carnivorous by nature, they are mostly non disturbant unless they are provoke to. Watch a small beautiful video on Wildlife of India

See all tiger tours in India offered by Wildnest 

Snow Leopard

Scientific name – Panthera uncia Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Extremely secretive in nature and well camouflaged. In Indian wildlife native they are known as the large cat of the family, and are found in mountain ranges of Himalaya; mostly in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir. The animal can only be seen at the time of dawn and dusk, they are carnivorous in nature and are extremely solitary. With a quite long tail, they have long thick fur with smoky grey base color, with white underparts and hence the name.

Chausingha

endangered animals in Indian wildlife chousingha Scientific name – Tetracerus quadricornis Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Crown like horns above their head. Commonly known as four-horned antelope, Chausingha, are unique looking because of the permanent horns. They are the smallest Asian bovid, with slender build and thin legs. They have brown coat which fades into white underparts. They prefer being in isolation with only their herd, they are commonly found in the south of India – Tamil Nadu and also in Maharashtra. They feed on plants and grass and are extremely shy in nature.

Suggested tour to see Chausingha: Tadoba tour

Indian Pangolin

Scientific name – Manis crassicaudata Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Curls its body into a ball to protect itself from the predators. With no teeth, bad eye sight, and bad listening power, they are still the strong animal because of their powerful claw and horny scale body. Quite heavy in their weight, they are mostly found in Corbett, Gir, and Bandhavgarh National Park. They feed on insects and termites and are known to dig their own holes into concrete house as well!

Suggested tours to see Indian Pangolin: Corbett Tour | Gir Tour | Bandgavgarh Tour 

Gangetic Dolphin

Scientific name – Platanista gangetica Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Quite friendly in warm and friendly in nature. Found in most densely populated areas, such as Ganges, Bramhaputra, and also in the areas near to Nepal and Bangladesh. They feed on shrimps, and fishes; and have long pointed nose and have greyish brown color coat. Dolphins are mostly blind by birth, and cannot swim inside the water and that the real reason they surface above the water every 30-120 seconds. They are highly endangered Indian wildlife specie, who are hard to capture in your lenses.

Suggested place to see Indian Dolphin: National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary

Barasingha

Barasingha endangered animals in Indian wildlife

Barasingha

Scientific name – Rucervus duvaucelii Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Twelve tined crown like horns above their head. Mostly known as the Swamp Deer, it is one of the most vulnerable specie of the deer in Indian Wildlife. With thick brown coat, Barasingha turns dark brown in color than the usual brown color during their mating season. Graze both in daytime and night, they are herbivorous by nature. Graciously found in Kanha National Park (Central India), the population is coming near to its extinction.

Suggested tours for Barasingha: Kanha National Park Tour | Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Tour

Asian Elephant

Top 10 Endangered Animals In Indian Wildlife

Asian Elephant

Scientific name – Elephas maximus Status – Listed among the endangered animals in Indian wildlife Known for – Highly intelligent and immensely egoistical. Considered to be one of the largest mammal in the world; still they are smaller than the African elephants. With small ears and they are dark grey to brown in color. Quite social in their livelihood, they prefer to remain in herd. With an average diet of 150 kgs per day, they survive on feeding themselves on grass, bananas, rice and sugarcane.  Famous in the book of Indian wildlife, they can mostly be seen in Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National Park in north, Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur National Park in South mainly.

Suggested tours for Asian Elephant: Corbett Tour | Rajaji Tour | Kabini Tour | Bandipur Tour

Planing to see one or more of these endangered animals, contact our wildlife experts to plan a tour for you.

About Deepshikha Deb

Passionate about writing and watching movies; I am a freelance movie critic and a content writer by profession. Challenging myself every new day, I am exceptionally a wondrous soul. I strongly believe in accepting each day as a learning point of my life.