Wildlife, Flora and Fauna: Most of Kerala, whose native habitat
consists of wet evergreen rainforests at lower elevations and
highland deciduous and semi-evergreen forests in the east, is
subject to a humid tropical climate. However, significant variations
in terrain and elevation have resulted in a land whose biodiversity
registers as among the world’s most significant. Most of Kerala’s
biodiversity tracts of wilderness lie in the evergreen forests of its
easternmost districts. There are also numerous protected
conservation areas, including 1455.4 sq km of the vast Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve. In turn, the forests play host to such major
fauna as Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Nilgiri Tahr and
Grizzled Giant Squirrel. More remote preserves, including Silent
Valley National Park in the Kundali Hills, harbor endangered
species such as Lion-tailed Macaque, Indian Sloth Bear and Gaur.
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