South India, a rich land in terms of wildlife, culture, and history, is less explored than North India. Three major landscapes and plenty of wildlife make the region a favorite amongst serious wildlife explorers and nature photographers, with the best safari experiences in South India. Biodiversity hotspots of the Western Ghats, deciduous forests of Peninsular India, and biodiversity-rich areas of the Eastern Ghats together form South India.
If we have to draw a line defining North and South India, then we can say that the River Narmada, which runs from east to west and drains into the Arabian Sea, is the dividing line between them.
In South India, there are several tiger reserves, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries that offer the best wildlife experience, which is not only for the big mammals like tigers and elephants but also for endemics like the Nilgiri Tahr and the lion-tailed macaque. Here in this blog, I am sharing with you some of the best places to see the wildlife of South India.
Nagarhole Tiger Reserve – Safari Experience to spot Big Mammals
Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is located in Karnataka state, India. This reserve is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and together with Bandipur, Mudumalai, and Wayanad, it forms the largest protected forest of Peninsular India and the Western Ghats. Nagarhole, which literally means “serpent river” in the Kannada language, is the name of the river that flows through the reserve.
The southern border of the reserve is contiguous with the reservoir of Kabini, which makes it an attraction for the elephants of the region, who migrate from all the nearby reserves in the summer months when all water sources are dried up. The vegetation of the reserve is dry and moist deciduous forests with open grassy swamps, which is a unique feature of this reserve
The reserve is famous for its big mammal sightings, which include tigers, leopards (including the rare black leopard), wild dogs, Indian gaur, elephants, and birding in Kabini reservoir. In reptiles, the main species are the king cobra and mugger crocodiles.
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Bandipur Tiger Reserve – Largest Protected Forest in India
Bandipur Tiger Reserve is also in the state of Karnataka and, like Nagarhole, is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and part of the largest protected forests for the conservation of tigers and elephants. The reserve is contiguous with the Nagarhole tiger reserve in Karnataka, the Mudumalai tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu, and the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.
Being a part of the larger conservation landscape, Bandipur supports incredible biodiversity. Three types of vegetation, which include the scrub forest, tropical dry deciduous, and tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, provide habitat to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Like all other reserves of the same landscape, Bandipur is known for its population of large mammals, especially elephants, tigers, and gaurs. The reserve also boasts a large population of ungulates like cheetal, sambar, barking deer, four-horned antelope, and wild boar.
Leopards and wild dogs are other major predators apart from the tigers. Bandipur was a favorite place for researchers, and many research studies have been conducted here in the past, but mainly on mammals. Very little research on birds, but it holds a great diversity of birds; more than 200 species of birds are documented from here so far.
Periyar Tiger Reserve – Gem for Endemic Species
One of the most famous tiger reserves of South India, the Periyar Tiger Reserve is one among the nine tiger reserves created at the inception of Project Tiger in India. Periyar Tiger Reserve is situated in the Western Ghats and is known for many endemic species, especially for amphibians and birds. The reserve is named after a lake, which is the most prominent feature of the whole area, and a boat safari is operated by the forest department on this lake.
The dominant vegetation of the reserve is mainly composed of tropical evergreen forests and semi-evergreen forests. Other, less prominent forest types are moist deciduous forests and patches of grassland in the central part of the reserve. The reserve is the best representative forest of the southern Western Ghats, in which most of the rare and endemic species of mammals are found.
The major mammal species of the reserve are elephants, tigers, leopards, wild dogs, Indian gaur, spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, and mouse deer. Among the endemics of the Western Ghats are the lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, and Travancore flying squirrel.
Bird life of Periyar is also interesting; there are more than 300 species of birds listed from this reserve. Birdwatchers from everywhere come here to watch the endemics of the Western Ghats. The endemic species found in the reserve are the Nilgiri wood pigeon, Nilgiri flycatcher, Malabar parakeet, Malabar Grey hornbill, etc.
Annamalai Tiger Reserve – World Historical Site
This tiger reserve is also located in the southwestern ghats in Tamil Nadu state. The Anamalai Tiger Reserve’s Kariyan Shola, Grass Hills, and Manjampatti have been named world historical sites by UNESCO.
There are many different types of habitats in the Tiger Reserve, such as wet evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, dry thorn woods, and shola forests. Alpine grasslands, savannahs, and marshy grasslands are some of the other unique ecosystems. Anamalais is an anthropological reserve because it is home to six indigenous groups: the Malalsar, Malai Malasars, Kadars, Eravallars, Pulayars, and Muduvars.
The Anamalai Tiger Reserve is home to about 2500 species of angiosperms, including numerous types of Balsam, Crotalaria, Orchids, and Neelkurinji. There are a lot of wild cousins of cultivated plants in the reserve, such as mango, jackfruit, wild plantain, ginger, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, solaipuli, nutmeg, cinnamon, amla, jasmine, drumstick, yams, rice, strawberries, and wild guava.
The reserve is home to a number of endangered wild animal species. There are 70 types of fish, 120 types of reptiles, 300 types of birds, and 80 types of mammals.
Major species of animals are tigers, leopards, Asiatic elephants, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, gaur, Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, common langur, jackals, wild dogs, Indian foxes, jungle cats, leopard cats, smooth-coated otters, small-clawed otters, Nilgiri martens, small Indian civets, common palm civets, brown palm civets, grey mongoose, ruddy mongoose, Indian brown mongoose, stripe-necked mongoose, Indian pangolin, black-naped hare, and many types of rodents and bats.
The wild pig and the sloth bear are also prevalent wild creatures.
Eravikulum National Park – Home of Nilgiri Tahr
Eravikulam National Park is in Kerala’s Idukki district, along the high mountains of the Western Ghats. It was declared a national park in 1978 to protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr. The park is home to one of the most untouched high-altitude ecosystems in southern India. It has rolling plateaus, sheer cliffs, and valleys that are often shrouded in mist. The Nilgiri Tahr, which can often be seen grazing on rocky slopes and grassy hills, is best recognized for its beautiful scenery and for being the main stronghold of the Nilgiri Tahr.
This park is known for an ecological event known as the mass blooming of Neelkurinji flowers. The Neelakurinji flower blooms in large numbers every twelve years, and it is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in Eravikulam. During this rare event, large areas of the park change color to blue and violet, making the scenery look amazing. Anamudi, the tallest peak in South India, is also in the park. It rises to 2,695 meters and is commonly called the “Everest of South India.”
The landscape of Eravikulam is made up of rolling grasslands and dense shola woods. This is one of the greatest shola-grassland ecosystems left in the Western Ghats. This one-of-a-kind ecosystem is home to a wide range of animals.
The park is home to elephants, sambar, gaur, leopards, tigers, wild dogs, and several birds that are endemic to the area, including the Nilgiri flycatcher and the Nilgiri wood pigeon. Eravikulam National Park is one of India’s most significant natural resources, boasting a diverse array of plants and animals and stunning scenery.
Conclusion:
The Western Ghats in southern India are the hottest spot of biodiversity in the world, with maximum species diversity and endemism. Its continuation with peninsular India created a passage for animals like tigers, elephants, leopards, and deer to colonize it.
This benefited both the big mammals as well as the untouched evergreen forests and grasslands of the Western Ghats. The large unbroken landscape of the Western Ghats has provided the largest conservation unit for big mammals, and projects like Project Tiger and Project Elephant help the forest ecosystem to keep the area undisturbed and away from human disturbance.
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