List of Endangered Species in India

This world is filled with many types of flora and fauna. The animals and plants have been here for a very long time and humans beings have been exploiting these for various reasons like food, resources and hunting trophies. As a result, the number of many animal species have slowly declined over the years. Here we have the list of endangered species in India.

1 Critically Endangered Species

Arthropods:

Rameshwaram parachute spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica)
Peacock tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica)

Birds:

• White-bellied heron (Ardea Insignis)
• Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)
• Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri)
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea)
• White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
• Indian vulture (Gyps indicus)
• Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
• Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis)
• Bugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum)
• Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa)
• Jerdon’s courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus)
• Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
• Sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius)
• Yellow-breasted bunting (Emberiza aureola)

Fish:

• Wayanad mahseer (Barbodes wynaadensis)
• Pondicherry shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
• Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
• Glyptothorax kashmirensis
• Kudremukh glyptothorax (Glyptothorax kudremukhensis)
• Nilgiri mystus (Hemibagrus punctatus) possibly extinct
• Horalabiosa arunachalami
• Hypselobarbus pulchellus
• Red Canarese barb (Hypselobarbus thomassi)
• Mesonoemacheilus herrei
• Bovany barb (Neolissochilus bovanicus)
• Deolali minnow (Parapsilorhynchus prateri) possibly extinct
• Pookode Lake barb (Pethia pookodensis)
• Common sawfish (Pristis pristis)
• Largetooth sawfish (Pristis microdon)
• Longcomb sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
• Psilorhynchus tenura
• Deccan barb (Puntius deccanensis)
• Schistura papulifera

Insects:

• Pygmy hog sucking louse (Haematopinus oliveri)

Reptiles and amphibians:

• Madras spotted skink (Barkudia insularis)
• Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska)
• Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga)
• Cnemaspis anaikattiensis (a species of gecko)
• Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
• Ghats wart frog (Fejervarya murthii)
• Jeypore ground gecko (Geckoella jeyporensis)
• Gundia Indian frog (Indirana gundia)
• Toad-skinned frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
• Charles Darwin’s frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
• Rao’s torrent frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
• Dattatreya night frog (Nyctibatrachus dattatreyaensis)
• Sacred grove bushfrog (Philautus sanctisilvaticus)
• Amboli bush frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
• White-spotted bush frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
• Green-eyed bushfrog (Raorchestes chlorosomma)
• Griet bush frog (Raorchestes griet)
• Kaikatti bushfrog (Raorchestes kaikatti)
• Mark’s bushfrog (Raorchestes marki)
• Munnar bush frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
• Ponmudi bush frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
• Resplendent shrubfrog (Raorchestes resplendens)
• Shillong bubble-nest frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
• Anaimalai flying frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
• Sushil’s bushfrog (Raorchestes sushili)
• Amboli toad (Xanthophryne tigerina)
• Ghats wart frog (Zakerana murthii)

Mammals:

• Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
• Himalayan wolf (Canis himalayensis)
• Elvira rat (Cremnomys elvira)
• Andaman shrew (Crocidura andamanensis)
• Jenkins’ shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi)
• Nicobar shrew (Crocidura nicobarica)
• Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)
• Kondana soft-furred rat (Millardia kondana)
• Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania)
• Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina)
• Kashmir stag or hangul (Cervus canadensis hanglu)

2 Endangered Animals

Fish:

• Knifetooth sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
• Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus)
• Red line torpedo barb (Sahyadria denisonii)
• Golden mahaseer (Tor putitora)
• Deccan labeo (Labeo potail)

Birds:

• Forest owlet (Athene blewitti)
• Steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
• Great knot (Calidris tenuirostris)
• Masked finfoot (Heliopais personatus)
• Lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus)
• Manipur bush-quail (Perdicula manipurensis)
• Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)
• White-bellied blue robin (Myiomela albiventris)
• Nilgiri blue robin (Myiomela major)
• White-winged duck (Asarcornis scutulata)
• White-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala)
• Green peafowl (Pavo muticus)
• Narcondam hornbill (Rhyticero)
• Nordmann’s greenshank (Tringa guttifer)
• Black-bellied tern (Sterna acuticauda)
• Black-chinned laughingthrush (Trochalopteron jerdoni)
• Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus)

Reptiles:

• Perrotet’s vine snake (Ahaetulla perroteti)
• Three-striped roofed turtle (Batagur dhongoka)
• Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle (Chitra indica)
• Goan day gecko (Cnemaspis goaensis)
• Wyanad day gecko (Cnemaspis wynadensis)
• Keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii)
• Boulenger’s dasia (Dasia subcaerulea)
• Poona skink (Eurylepis poonaensis)
• Inger’s mabuya (Eutropis clivicola)
• Yellow-headed tortoise (Indotestudo elongata)
• Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys)
• Indian kangaroo lizard (Otocryptis beddomii)
• Assam roofed turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis)
• Cantor’s giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii)
• Travancore Hills thorntail snake (Platyplectrurus madurensis)
• Travancore earth snake (Rhinophis travancoricus)
• Cochin forest cane turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica)

Mammals:

• Red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
• Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)
• Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
• Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
• Wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee)
• Hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus)
• Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
• Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)
• Kolar leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros hypophyllus)
• Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)
• White-bellied musk deer (Moschus leucogaster)
• Servant mouse (Mus famulus)
• Mandelli’s mouse-eared bat (Myotis sicarius)
• Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)
• Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica)
• Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
• Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)
• Gee’s golden langur (Trachypithecus geei)
• Nicobar treeshrew (Tupaia nicobarica)
• Sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii)

3 Vulnerable Animals in India

These animals are not officially endangered yet but can be if we do not take care. Listed by the IUCN As of 2012:

Mammals:

• Gaur (Bos gaurus)
• Four-horned antelope or chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis)
• Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea)
• white-chested bear (Ursus thibetanus)
• Yak (Bos grunhniens)
• Takin (Budorcas taxicolor)
• Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii)
• Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
• Dugong (Dugong dugon)
• Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus)
• Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides)
• Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
• Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
• Snow leopard (Uncia uncia)
• Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii)

Birds:

• Sarus crane (Antigone antigone)
• Nicobar megapode (Megapodius nicobariensis)
• Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus)

Reptiles and amphibians:

• Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

So that is all the endangered, critically endangered and vulnerable species of animals in India along with their scientific names. If you have a quiz coming up you sure are prepared! keep learning and have a nice day! 🙂