Why it important to know?

• Recently ZSI in a study, projected that numbers of the Malayan Giant Squirrel could decline by 90% in India by 2050
• And could extinct if urgent steps are not taken.

Features

• Scientific Name:Ratufa bicolor.
• It is one of the world’s largest squirrel species that has a dark upper body, pale underparts, and a long, bushy tail.
• It is diurnal (active during the day) herbivorous, but arboreal (tree-dwelling) like the flying squirrels which is different from nocturnal flying squirrels.
• Three giant squirrel species are found in India and the other two are Indian Giant Squirrel and Grizzled Giant Squirrel which are found in peninsular India.
• Significance: It is an indicator species, provides information on the overall health of an ecosystem and other species. It is considered a forest health indicator species that reflect the quality and changes in environmental conditions concerning community and composition.

Habitat

Why in News

A study conducted indicates thathuman-leopard policy guidelineshave had very little impact on the ground and it has not led to a decrease in human-leopard conflict. As it is the part ofglobal tiger census,the Wildlife Institute of India (WII)is set to releasea report on leopard sightingsby the month-end.

Features

• Scientific Name-(Panthera pardus fusca)
• Common Name: Indian leopard or Common leopard.
• It is the smallest of the big cats found in the Indian subcontinent known for the black-spotted coat, apart from the Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard, and clouded leopard.
• An extremely agile (live on trees) creature, it spends most of its time on top of trees, using land only to move locations.
• Melanism is a common occurrence in leopards, wherein the entire skin of the animal is black is often called black panther or jaguar and by mistake thought…

Why in News

Recently, a study conducted by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India titled “Adaptive spatial planning of protected area network for conserving the Himalayan brown bear” onthisbearhas predicted asignificant reduction in suitable habitat and biological corridors(predicted decline by 73% decline of habitat by 2050)due to climate change.This will impact 13 protected areas. Of these, eight of them will become completely uninhabitable by 2050.

Features

• Scientific name: Ursus arctos isabellinus
• Common name: ‘spang drenmo’ meaning ‘grass-bear’
• It is the world’s second-largest terrestrialcarnivore with a thick reddish-brown coat with no clear chest markings. It is considerably smaller than its more famed relatives the Grizzly and the Kodiak bears.
• Description: it is a large bear with thick fur which is most often sandy or reddish-brown. The head is large and the body heavy and the legs stocky. Males are larger…