Critically Endangered Mammals of India
Critically endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN (International
Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List to wild species. There are five quantitative
criteria to determine whether a taxon is threatened. A taxon is critically endangered when
the best availabile evidence indicates that it meets any of the following criteria:
I. Populations have declined or will decrease, by greater than 80% over the last 10 years
or three generations.
II. Have a restricted geographical range.
III. Small population size of less than 250 individuals and continuing decline at 25% in 3
years or one generation.
IV. Very small or restricted population of fewer than 50 mature individuals.
V. High probability of extinction in the wild.
A. Pigmy Hog
## The Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania) is the world’s smallest wild pig.
##This species constructs a nest throughout the year. It is one of the most useful indicators of the management status of grassland habitats. The grasslands where the pygmy hog resides are crucial for the survival of other endangered species.
## Pygmy hog-sucking Louse (Haematopinus oliveri), a parasite that feeds only on Pygmy Hogs will also fall in the same risk category of critically endangered as its survival is linked to that of the host species.
##Habitat: Relatively undisturbed, tall ‘terai’ grasslands.
##Distribution: Formerly, the species was more widely distributed along the southern Himalayan foothills but now is restricted to only a single remnant population in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary[Assam] and its buffer reserves.
##Threats: The main threats are loss and degradation of grasslands, dry-season burning, livestock
grazing and afforestation of grasslands. Hunting is also a threat to the remnant populations.
B.Andaman White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis), Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew
(Crocidura jenkinsi) and the Nicobar White-tailed Shrew (Crocidura nicobarica) are endemic to India.
They are usually active by twilight or in the night and have specialized habitat requirements.
##Habitat: Leaf litter and rock crevices.
## Threats: Habitat loss due to selective logging, natural disasters such as the tsunami and drastic
weather changes.
C. Kondana Rat (Millardia kondana) is a nocturnal burrowing rodent that is found only in India. It is sometimes known to build nests.
##Habitat: Tropical and subtropical dry deciduous forests and tropical scrub.
##Distribution: Known only from the small Sinhagarh Plateau (about one km²), near Pune in Maharashtra.
##Threats: Major threats are habitat loss, overgrazing of vegetation and disturbance from tourism and
recreational activities.
D. The Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat (Cremnomys elvira) is a medium sized, nocturnal and burrowing rodent that is endemic to India.
##Habitat: Tropical dry deciduous shrubland forest, seen in rocky areas.
##Distribution: Known only from Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
##Threats: Major threats are habitat loss, conversion of forests and fuel wood collection.
E. The Namdapha Flying Squirrel(Biswamoyopterus biswasi) is a unique (the only one in its genus) flying squirrel that is restricted to a single valley in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
##Habitat: Tropical forest.
##Distribution: Found only in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
##Threats: Hunted for food.
F. The Malabar Civet (Viverra civettina) is considered to be one of the world’s rarest mammals. It is endemic to India and was first reported from Travancore, Kerala. It is nocturnal in nature and found exclusively in the Western Ghats.
##Habitat: Wooded plains and hill slopes of evergreen rainforests.
##Distribution: Western Ghats.
##Threats: Deforestation and commercial plantations are major threats.
G. The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is the smallest and most endangered of
the five rhinoceros species. It is now thought to be regionally extinct in India, though it once
occurred in the foothills of the Himalayas and north-east India.The Javan Rhinoceros
(Rhinoceros sondaicus) is also believed to be extinct in India and only a small number survive
in Java and Vietnam.
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