Flora & Fauna Test - 5

The hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible.Of the 24 species found in Africa, 13 are birds of the more open woodlands and savanna, and some occur even in highly arid environments; the remaining species are found in wet lands , dense forests and around rubber, arecanut or coffee plantations.

The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7816 m) in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. The entire park lies at an elevation of more than 3,500 m (11,500 ft) above mean sea level. Nanda Devi National Park is home to a wide variety of flora. Fir, birch, rhododendron, and juniper are the main flora. It is one of the famous pilgrimages in India.

Wildlife sanctuaries of India are classified as IUCN Category IV protected areas. Between 1936 and 2016, 543 wildlife sanctuaries were established in the country that cover 118,918 km2 (45,914 sq mi) as of 2017. Among these, the 50 tiger reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance for the conservation of the Bengal tiger.y the year passing , in 2018 there were 544 wild life sanctuaries with 104 national parks .

The Northern Plain was formed by the deposits brought in by the three major rivers and their tributaries. Alluvium was deposited at the foot–hills of the Himalayas for millions of years. These deposits are now the fertile Northern Plains. Alluvium is soil or sediments deposited by a river or other running water.

Alluvium soil is formed by the sediments brought down by rivers. Chemical properties of Alluvial Soils

• The proportion of nitrogen is generally low.
• The proportion of Potash, phosphoric acid and alkalies are adequate
• The proportion of Iron oxide and lime vary within a wide range.

Chemical Composition of Black Soils( rugar)

• 10 per cent of alumina,
• 9-10 per cent of iron oxide,
• 6-8 per cent of lime and magnesium carbonates,
• Potash is variable (less than 0.5 per cent) and
• phosphates, nitrogen and humus are low.

Moreover about red and Laterite soils they also have low amount of phosphorous .

Khadar is a local name New alluvial soils.Alluvial soil is of two types - old alluvium known as bangar, and (ii) new alluvium called khadar. It is the most important type of soil found in the country as it covers about 40% of the total land. It is found in the northern plains beginning from Punjab to West Bengal and Assam.
Khadir or Khadar, also called Nali or Naili,are low-lying areas that are floodplains of a river which is usually relatively narrower compared to unflooded bangar area.Khadar areas are prone to flooding and sometimes include portions of former river-beds that became available for agriculture when a river changes course. It is moisture retentive and sticky when wet.Khadir soil consists of new alluvial soil relatively higher in new silt content from the river, gets replenished with each flooding cycle,and is often very fertile.

Alluvium is soil or sediments deposited by a river or other running water. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, like fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel.Among all the soils present alluvial soil is well known for its capacity to hold moisture.

Deccan Plateau is made up of lava, due to the volcanic fissure erruption. The soil in this area is the weathered form of this lava rocks only. Because of this reason , soil in this area is called black soil. Therefore , the black soil is mainly found in Deccan Trap Region.

The Red soil have developed old crystalline rocks under moderate to heavy rainfall conditions . It develops in a warm, temperate, moist climate under deciduous or mixed forest, having thin organic and organic-mineral layers overlying a yellowish-brown leached layer resting on an illuvium red layer. They requires low moisture content in the soil and is less fertile when compared to other soil that is why they are well suited for farming.

Laterite is a soil and rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Laterite soils lack fertility due to intensive leaching. When manured and irrigated, some laterites are suitable for growing plantation crops like tea, coffee, rubber, cinchona, coconut, arecanut, etc that is why these soils support only grazing grounds and scrub forests.

The marshy Rann of Kutch, with its surrounding Thar desert area in Sindh, is one of the most potential habitats for a number of animals and birds in the province. It is also an important site for animals like blue bulls, chinkaras and desert wolves, which have been sighted over here regularly.The Wild Ass Sanctuary of the Little Rann of Kutch, spreading across nearly 5000 square kilometers of the Little Rann, is the only place on earth where the endangered Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur), known locally as the ghudkhar, still lives. Therefore , The Rann of Kachchh is famous for wild Asses.

Project Rhino was launched on World Rhino Day, 22 September 2011, the firstly it was implemented in Assam .The objective of Project Rhino is to arrest the fast depletion of the population of Indian Rhinoceros. A species that was earlier found extensively across the gangetic plains, is now restricted to small habitats in the Indo-Nepal terai region and in the northern part of West Bengal and Assam. Launched in 2005, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious project which aims to help the population of the Indian one-horned Rhinos to grow to at least 3,000 animals by the year 2020 across 7 protected districts of Assam.

Tropical Evergreen forests are found in the western slopes of the Western Ghats in States such as Kerala and Karnataka. They are also found in hills of Jaintia and Khasi. Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and harbour many types of plants and animals. These forests are found in the areas receiving heavy rainfall (more than 200 cm annual rainfall). The important trees of these forests are rosewood, ebony and mahogany .

The Sundarbans National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, India. It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta, and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. It is famous for Bengal Tigers ,Tigers can be seen on the river banks sunbathing between November and February. Apart from the Bengal tiger, Fishing cats, Leopard cats, Macaques, Wild boar, Indian grey mongoose, Fox, Jungle cat, Flying fox, Pangolin, Chital, are also found in abundance in the Sundarbans..

The rhesus monkey is one of the most famous species of Old World monkeys and distributed in large population across the country. Rhesus Macaques is native to Asia and have a widest geographic ranges in India, Rajasthan, Delhi and Varanasi are few city place to located these monkeys in temples and society. rather than this there are more common spicies are founded ,Bonnet Macaque,Assam Macaque,Arunachal Macaque. Sio , that mean Macaques Are the most common spices of monkeys in India .