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Endangered mammals of India
In India there are 410 species, 186 genera, 45 families and 13 orders of which nearly
89 species are listed as threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2006). This includes two
species that are locally extinct from India viz. Acinonyx jubatus and Rhinoceros sondaicus.
The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary
glands, which in females produce milk for the nourishment of young; the presence
of hair or fur; specialized teeth; the presence of a neocortex region in the brain; and
endothermic or "warm-blooded" bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory
system, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals encompass some 5,500 species
(including Humans), distributed in about 1,200 genera, 152 families and up to 46 orders,
though this varies with the classification scheme.
1. Asian golden cat
The Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii, syn. Pardofelis temminckii), also called
thee Asiatic golden cat andTemminck's cat, is a medium-sized wild cat of Southeastern
Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified Asian golden cats as Near Threatened, stating that the
species comes close to qualifying as Vulnerable due to hunting pressure and habitat loss,
since Southeast Asian forests are undergoing the world's fastest regional deforestation. The
Asian golden cat was named in honor of the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck, who
first described the African golden cat in 1827.
Asian Golden cat
Asiatic Lion
Asian_cheetah
AsiaticWild Ass
2. Asiatic lion
The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica), also known as the Indian lion or Persian lion, is
a lion subspecies that exists as a single population in India's Gujarat state. It is listed
as Endangered by IUCN due its small population size. Since 2010, the lion population in the Gir
Forest National Park has steadily increased. In May 2015, the 14th Asiatic Lion Census was
conducted over an area of about 20,000 km 2 (7,700 sq mi); the lion population was estimated at 523
individuals, comprising 109 adult males, 201 adult females and 213 cubs. The Asiatic lion was first
described by the Austrian zoologist Johann N. Meyer under the trinomen Felis leo persicus. The
Asiatic lion is one of five big cat species found in India, along with Bengal tiger, Indian
April, 2016