Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

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Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

The lush forests of Thekkady houses more than 60 species of mammals. Apart from Asian Elephants and Bengal Tigers, the forest is identified as a rich habitat of Indian Bison, Sambar Deer, Indian Wild Dog, Leopard, sloth bear, wild pig, Barking Deer, Nilgiri Tahr and Lion Tailed Macaque. Bonnet Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs are sighted most commonly in the area around the boat landing and within the elephant court hotel.
Together with the migrant birds, 265 species are so far accounted. Among them we have the Malabar Grey Hornbill, The Indian Pied Hornbill, Malabar Trogon, Whitebellied Treepie, variety of Drongos, blue-winged parakeet, Woodpeckers, Flycatchers, Babblers, etc.

The reptile population is rather dense with 45 species of reptiles. Snakes like king cobra, Malabar pit viper, and striped coral snake, the Indian Monitor Lizard, the endemic striped-coral snake Krait, among other non-poisonous snakes. Amphibian population includes Malabar Gliding Frog, Fungoid Frog, Bicolored Frog, among many species of caecilians and toads. Along with the South India's largest butterfly the southern birdwing and the highly threatened Travancore-evening-brown, there are 160 species of butterflies in the region.
The flora of the region is what makes it dense and magical. The flora comprises of 140 species of orchids and 171 species of grass. The forest is impenetrable with tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests and grasslands. Teak, rosewood, Terminalia, sandalwood, jacarandas, mangoes, tamarind, banyans, sacred fig, bamboos and the only south Indian conifer, Nageia wallichiana grows in abundance. Several medicinal and endemic plants also add up to the flora of the region. The plantations around the park are majorly tea, cardamom and coffee. Most of the plantations are focused on multi-crop farming.