Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 2 | Page 48
Some of Nepal’s Unique Flora and Fauna
Gharial crocodile at Bardiya breeding center. Photo: M Heredge.
Beech Martin . Photo: Rajendra Gurung.
Gharial: Mature male gharials have a bulbous
growth on the nose. A light olive tan color with
oblique dark blotches running down the body and
tail, gharials can be five to six meters in length. The
females lay their eggs on sandy riverbanks. The
indigenous Tharus of the area believe the eggs to
have medicinal and aphrodisiacal value.
plumage with long metallic green crests while
females are dull in color. Females have a prominent
white patch on the fore neck and a white strip on
the tail.
Danfe: Inhabiting the high regions of the Himalayan
range, the Monal Pheasant or Danfe, is Nepal’s
national bird. Adult males have multicolored
Himalayan Griffon Vulture: Breeding on crags in
the Himalayan mountains, they lay a single egg at a
time. With a wingspan of about three meters, adult
birds are over a meter long. They have a bald white
head, a white neck ruff, yellow bill, and short tail
feathers.
Spotted deer crossing the river, Baridya. Photo: M Heredge.
The World Reveals
One horned rhino, Bardia National Park
Photo: M Heredge.
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May 2014
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