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 SPECIES IN NEWS
Ghol(Near Threatened)
Context- Gujarat declares ‘Ghol’ as State Fish.Also known as Black Spotted Croaker fish.
• Fish is called ‘Sea Gold’ because of a pouch in its stomach, which has potent medicinal
properties and has a high valuation in the overseas market.

Species Summary:
• It is found in coastal waters over muddy bottoms off the seabed.
• It can live to at least 15 years of age.
• The species may undertake seasonal migrations.
• Commonly found in the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from the Persian Gulf to Indonesia and
north to Japan.

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Elephant
IUCN STATUS -
● African Forest Elephant- Critically Endangered
● African Savanna Elephant- Endangered
● Asian Elephant- Endangered
a) Convention of the Migratory species (CMS): Appendix I
b) Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Habitat:

● Their habitat ranges from wet tropical evergreen forests to semi-arid thorn and scrub forests. However, the
highest densities of the elephant population are found in tropical deciduous forests.

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● As per Elephant Census (2017), Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by
Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054).

Social Structure
● Elephant tusks never stop growing, so enormous tusks can be a sign of an old elephant. Both male and
female African elephants grow tusks, but only male Asian elephants grow them. A tusk-less adult
elephant is likely to be a female Asian elephant.
● Asian elephants are extremely sociable, forming groups of six to seven related females that are led by
the oldest female, the matriarch.
● Elephants have the longest-known gestational (pregnancy) period of all mammals, lasting up to 680
days (22 months).
● Females between 14 - 45 years may give birth to calves approximately every four years with the mean
interbirth intervals increasing to five years by age 52 and six years by age 60.

Ecological services
● Elephants play a crucial functional role in the tropical forest ecosystem through seed dispersal, nutrient
cycling, biomass removal, and assisted vegetation generation through trampling and other effects that
eventually shape forest communities.(As a ecosystem engineer)

Unique features
● They possess a thick skin and can detect water odors from a distance of up to 12 miles.
● They communicate through vibrations.
● Elephants hold a secret - the pharyngeal pouch
➔ This pouch is found at the base of their tongue and capable of holding one gallon (about
4.5 litres) of water.

Caracal (Least Concern and Schedule I)

● African caracal populations are listed under CITES Appendix II, while Asian populations come under CITES
Appendix I.

Feature -
● Native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India and is
adapted to the potentially harsh environments of savanna, semi-desert, dry woodland, arid hilly
steppe, and dry mountains.
● Caracals are the heaviest, fastest in small cats and are the largest of the small cats in Africa.

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● The caracal is typically nocturnal (active at night), though some activity may be observed during the day as
well.
● Gestation period is 2 to 3 months . burrow tunnels during winter to keep it warm.

Habitat-
● As per estimates in a 2015 study, some 28 caracal individuals are found in the Ranthambhore Tiger
Reserve in Rajasthan and scientists estimate around 20 in Kutch in Gujarat. These are reported to be
the only two populations of the cat that remain in India.
● The caracal is found in open forests and scrublands. It is a species of wasteland.

Nilgiri Tahr (Endangered and Schedule-1 of WPA,1972)

● Nilgiri tahrs are native to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in
the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India.
● Open high grasslands, with an altitude of 1,200 m to 2,600 m would be an ideal home for the
Nilgiri tahr.
● Males are larger than females and of darker color when mature.
● Only less than 2000 individuals of this species are remaining in the wild in the whole world with the major
population confined to Eravikulam National Park in Kerala and Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife
Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
It indicates that the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and the Peppara, Neyyar
Shenduruny and Srivilliputhur wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala and Tamil Nadu will become unsuitable for the
Tahr in the future due to climate change.

Cheetah

IUCN STATUS

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● African cheetah - vulnerable
● Asiatic cheetah - Critically Endangered

Features
● a flexible spine, semi-retractable claws, long legs and tail allow it to achieve the unbelievable top speed of 110
km/hr (70 mph).
● After three months of gestation, females give birth to one to six cubs.

Habitat
Cheetahs live predominantly in open habitats with abundant prey although they can be found in diverse
habitats such as woodland, savannah and deserts.
Cheetahs are a textbook example of genetic monomorphism, i.e. low genetic diversity. It was thought that
this is the reason for the low reproductive performance and high disease susceptibility in captive
cheetahs.

Reintroduction of Cheetah to India:

● The "Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India" was released by MoEF&CC at the 19th meeting of the
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) (January 2022).
● Such a plan was first proposed in 2009.
● In September 2022, eight cheetahs landed in India from Namibia.
● The 8 cheetahs have been relocated to the Kuno-Palpur National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
● The relocation of cheetahs to India from Namibia is the world's first inter- continental large wild
carnivore translocation project.

Gurnard or Sea-robins:

Recently, the scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of a vibrant
orange coloured deep water marine fish from Digha Mohana in West Bengal.

Mithun:(Vulnerable)
● Mithun is the state animal of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
● It is found in Northeast India, China, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Features
● As per the quinquennial All India Livestock Census (1997), India had a total population of 1,76,893
Mithuns. Of the total population, the Arunachal State alone had 70.25% .
● Although the mithun is not an arctic animal, its milk fat content is unusually high, probably because its
habitat is at an elevation of 1000–3000 m above sea level.
● In addition, the high levels of fat and protein in mithun milk may be attributable to the unique
genetic makeup and the low milk yield of the species .
● Lactose content of mithun milk (4.44%) is similar to that of cow and goat milk, while ash content of
mithun milk (0.9%) is higher than in cow and goat milk.

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Indian Eagle Owl

Conservation Status: Least Concerned (IUCN), Appendix II (CITES)

Its nocturnal habits have meant that very little is known about this bird.

Habitat
● The widespread range — the entire Indian peninsula — would seem to indicate that it is a stable
population.
● The Indian eagle-owl does not have a dependency on forests.
● Near human settlements, they prefer mango trees.

Clouded Leopard

Conservation Status:
● Clouded leopard species are classified as “Vulnerable” by The IUCN.
● It is the State animal of Meghalaya.

Habitat:
● Clouded leopards roam the hunting grounds of Asia from the rain forests of Indonesia to the foothills
of the Nepali Himalayas.

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● Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram has one of the highest population densities of clouded leopards.
● Breeding:Clouded leopards reach sexually mature around 2 years old. Mating can occur in any month.
After a gestation period of 85 to 93 days, the mother gives birth to a litter of one to five cubs,
typically two or three.
● Social Structure:Clouded leopards live solitary lives with the exception of mothers and their cubs.
These cats can communicate through calls.
● Lifespan:In the wild, clouded leopards live about 13 years.

Great Indian Bustards

Status
● Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972, Appendix I of CITES,Critically
Endangered on the IUCN
● Part of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India.

Characteristics
● Being terrestrial birds, they spend most of their time on the ground with occasional flights to go
from one part of their habitat to the other.
● Male has a whiter neck than the female. Often found in small flocks when not breeding.
● Today, its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat confined to three small pockets:
Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, the grasslands of Kutch in Gujarat and the trijunction of Maharashtra,
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Desert National Park

● It is situated on the western border of India within Jaisalmer & Barmer Districts of Rajasthan.
● Great Indian Bustards, Rajasthan State animal (Chinkara) and State tree (khejri) and
State flower (Rohida) are found naturally at this park.
● It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 and National Park in 1992.
Also found in Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary (Gurgaon), Desert National Park (Rajasthan) and the Lala-Parjau
sanctuary in western Kutch (Gujarat) ,ROLLAPADU Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh,
Maldhok Sanctuary in Maharashtra.

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Himalayan Gray Langur (commonly known as the Bengal Sacred Langur or Hanuman
Langur)

● Endangered in the IUCN red list of threatened species.

● They are colobines, meaning leaf-eating monkey.

Habitat:
● Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh, especially concentrated on two groups,
one inhabiting the Kalatop forest at an average altitude of 2,396 metres, and the other based in the
Khajjiar forest at an average altitude of 2,188 metres.
● They have long tails and fingers that are used to help move about in the trees.

Behavior and Lifestyle

● Gray langurs move about quadrupedally, and they tend to run instead of walk, although they
sometimes switch between running and walking intermittently.
● Gray langurs are diurnal (active during daylight hours).

Musk Deer

IUCN Status - Endangered Species

State animal of Uttarakhand
Note: Himalayan Musk Deer is also known as White-bellied Musk Deer. This was once considered as a
subspecies of Alpine Musk Deer (Moschus chrysogaster), but now treated as a separate species.

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● A solitary shy animal, the musk deer lives in mountainous regions from Siberia to the Himalayas.
● It has large ears, a very short tail, no antlers, and, unlike all other deer, a gall bladder.

Behavior and Features:

● Musk deer migrate from the steep mountain slopes they occupy in the winter to their summer range in
grassy meadows found near mountain river valleys. They migrate only over short distances.
● This is a highly solitary and shy nocturnal or crepuscular (active during twilight) species.
● A musk pouch (located between the sex organs and the navel) releases a scent that is believed to be a
signal to attract a mate.
● Favorite Food: lichens, moss, herbs and scrub
● Communication: Communication is chiefly by olfaction. The deer send marks by defecation and
secretion of caudal, musk and inter digital glands
Habitat: The Himalayas from central Kashmir through Himachal Pradesh up to Sikkim

Red Panda

Schedule – I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

IUCN Status - Endangered
Distribution:
● From Nepal, Bhutan, India, and China to Myanmar having a disjunct population.
● Bamboo feeder but occasional feeds on fruits and small mammals.
● They inhabit montane forests with a thick bamboo understory.It is nocturnal and may live alone, in
pairs, or in family groups.

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● Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas. The loss of nesting trees and
bamboo is causing a decline in red panda populations.

Asiatic Wild Ass

Status:
● IUCN gave Endangered status
● Schedule-I species under Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
● Today, the species is found largely in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, in a protected area called the
Wild Ass Sanctuary.
● Spread over roughly 5,000 sq km, this protected area has an exceptional landscape — it is both saline
desert and seasonal wetland.
● The khur population is largely confined to the fringes of the salt encrusted desert with small numbers
distributed on various islands or bets,
● “Bets” are raised pieces of land in the Little Rann that become like islands surrounded by water in the
monsoon.
■ We call Indian wild ass the "Guardian of the Rann".
● Khurs are social animals that gather in groups.

Kashmir Stag

Status
● The IUCN Red List - Critically Endangered,
● Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list - Appendix -
I

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● Schedule 1 species under Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972
● Kashmir Stag is the State Animal of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kashmir stag , also called hangul, is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir and
surrounding areas.

Habitat:Kashmir Stag is currently also being protected in the Dachigam National Park, Rajparian Wildlife
Sanctuary, Sind Valley, Forest covered areas of Kishtwar and Bhaderwah, and in Overa-Aru Wildlife
Sanctuary in south Kashmir.

PROJECT HANGUL:The state of Jammu Kashmir, along with the IUCN and the WWF
prepared a project for the protection of these animals. It became known as Project Hangul.

Dachigam National Park

● Dachigam (ten villages) National Park is approximately 22 kilometers from Srinagar, Jammu and
Kashmir.
● Fauna: The hangul, or Kashmir stag, is the most famous animal species in Dachigam.
● Flora: The park's floral wealth is extremely diverse and an important part of its ecosystem, and
includes walnut, apricot, apple, pear, and wild cherry trees, as well as plum, chestnut, willow, oak,
and birch trees.

Asiatic Lion

IUCN RED LIST STATUS: Endangered

● At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion.

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Asiatic Lions vs African Lions.
● Asiatic lions can be distinguished from African lions by their belly-folds ( a typical loose fold of skin on
the abdomen known as the belly-fold which is absent in African lions) , skull characteristics (
Asiatic lions have an extra infraorbital foramen), more elongated snout than African and males having
sparser manes, never covering their ears.
Prides:Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides.

Males vs. Females

● Only male lions boast manes, the impressive fringe of long hair that encircles their heads. Males defend
the pride's territory
● Female lions are the pride's primary hunters.

Dugong

Conservation status
● IUCN STATUS: VULNERABLE
● Listed in Appendix-1 of CITES which prohibits International trade
● Listed in Schedule-1 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
● It is the only herbivorous mammal that is exclusively dependent on the seagrass habitat.
● Dugongs can live up to 70 years.
● Dugongs are referred to as sea cows because they use their strong, cleft upper lips to graze on sea
grasses they uproot from the seafloor.
● Dugong is the only herbivorous mammal that is strictly marine and the only member of the Order
Sirenia found in India.

Distribution
In India, it is found off the Gujarat Coast (Gulf of Kutch), Tamil Nadu coast (Gulf of Mannar, Palk
Bay and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Overall found in around 30 countries.
● India’s first Dugong conservation reserve notified in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu: bringing hope for
extinction-prone dugongs.
● Among the three dugong-inhabited states, Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu are home
to approximately 150 dugongs, concluding that India's Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar are important
dugong habitats.

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Edible Nest Swiftlet (Critically Threatened):

Found from southeastern Asia (India and Sri Lanka) and the Malay Peninsula through the Philippines, and
eastward to the islands of the South Pacific.

Features
● The swiftlet is remarkable on two counts: the nest, made chiefly or entirely of saliva, is the basis of
bird’s-nest soup; and, with the oilbird.
● The swiftlet’s “sonar” consists of clicking sounds at frequencies of 1,500 to 5,500 hertz—audible to the
human ear.

Gangetic River Dolphin

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Distribution Map of Gangetic River Dolphin
Conservation status
● Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972,
● Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
● Appendix 1 of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
● The species, also considered the national aquatic animal, is listed as “endangered” on the IUCN Red List.

Characteristics
● The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind.
● They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish/prey, enabling them to “see” an
image in their mind.
● Females are larger than males and give birth once every two to three years to only one calf.
● Being a mammal, the Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-
120 seconds.

Irrawaddy dolphin

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IUCN: Critically Endangered
Characteristics
● Their moveable lips give them expressive faces, and flexible necks allow them to move their heads in all
directions.
● Like the other river dolphins, they rely on echolocation for communication, navigation and hunting,
with Irrawaddy dolphins having a rich vocal repertoire.
● In riverine portions of the Sundarbans they produced broadband echolocation clicks with a mean
source level of 195 dB (max 203 dB).
● They are also known to shoot jets of water out of their mouths, a behaviour unique to Irrawaddy
dolphins. The ‘water-spitting’ is thought to have feeding and sexual courtship purposes.

Indian Rhino or Great One-horned Rhinoceros

Conservation status

● IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.

● CITES: Appendix I
● Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.
● The Indian rhinoceros, also known as the greater one-horned rhino, is the largest rhino species on
Earth.
● Being one horned separates it from African Rhino.
● Javan rhinos are also one horned like Indian Rhinos.
● The preferred habitat of an Indian rhinoceros are primarily areas that contain grasslands and
wetlands located in the foothills of the Himalayas and the Brahmaputra and Ganges valley.
● At present, the species are restricted to small patches in the Indo-Nepal Terai, northern parts of West
Bengal, and Assam. Formerly they were extensively distributed in the Brahmaputra and Gangetic valley.
● Within India, rhinos are mainly found in the seven Protected Areas viz. - Kaziranga NP, Pobitora WLS,
Orang NP, Manas NP in Assam, Jaldapara NP and Gorumara NP in West Bengal and Dudhwa NP
in Uttar Pradesh.

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 ● Assam has an estimated 2,640 rhinos in four protected areas, i.e. Pobitora Wildlife
Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National
Park.
○ About 2,400 of them are in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).

Characteristics:Indian rhinos are great swimmers and can cross rivers without trouble but African rhinos
can’t swim.
Reproduction:Females gestate for around 15 to 16 months and raise their calves alone for at least one and
a half years.

Jerdon’s Courser

IUCN: Critically Endangered (CR)

CITES: Not Evaluated
Features
● Jerdon's courser is a nocturnal bird belonging to the pratincole and courser family Glareolidae endemic
to India.
● This courser is a restricted-range endemic found locally in India in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra
Pradesh.

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● It is currently known only from the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary Andhra Pradesh, where it
inhabits sparse scrub forest with patches of bare ground.
● It is a ground-dwelling bird and non-migratory.

Malabar Civet:

IUCN:Critically Endangered
● The Malabar large spotted civet was once a common species in the coastal districts of Malabar and
Travancore in southwest India in the low elevation moist forests of the Western Ghats.
● The Malabar Civet Conservation Project was initiated by Wildlife Trust of India in conjunction with
the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and is currently underway in the Malabar coasts
covering states of Kerala and Karnataka.

VULTURE:

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Vultures are scavenging birds of prey.
They have been divided into:
1) New World vultures— the Californian and Andean condors (south & north America)
2) Old World vultures— the White-rumped and Red-headed vultures( Europe,Asia)
● There are no vultures in Australia and Antarctica and absent from most oceanic islands.
● Nine species of vultures exist in India of which five belong to the genus Gyps. Three Gyps vultures,
namely the White-rumped Vulture,Long-billed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture are residents.
● Remaining two, the Eurasian Griffon Vulture and Himalayan Griffon Vulture are largely wintering
species.
● Vultures are nature's most efficient scavengers.

Behavior and bird calls

● Vultures use their own body fluids for self-care.
● They defecate on their legs to keep cool, a behavior called urohydrosis.

Threats
● Veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug 'diclofenac' is the main cause attributed
for this drastic population decline.
● Government of India has banned the use of diclofenac in veterinary medicine, has initiated Vulture
Breeding Programme for ex situ conservation and also enhanced in situ protection of the
remaining populations.

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Swamp Deer:

Protection Status of Swamp Deer:

● IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
● CITES: Appendix I
● Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Distribution:
● Currently, the swamp deer populations are confined to the States of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh ,
Assam and Madhya Pradesh (branderi) in India.
● Barasingha are now extinct in both Bangladesh, and in Pakistan (where it once lived).

Habitat Type
● Though called barasingha, they actually have just two antlers which may spread into 10-17 tines.
● There are three subspecies of Barasingha found in India –
1) Wetland Barasingha
2) Hard-ground Barasingha
3) Eastern Barasingha

Common difference between Barasingha and Sambar Deer:

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Both are from the same family of ‘even-toed ungulates’, they are differ from each other.
1. The antlers of Barasingha are wide-open, whereas those of Sambar deer are more curved.
2. The fully grown Sambar deer have 4 to 8 branches on antlers. However, Barasingha have 12 or more
branches on their antlers.
3. In both species, only males have antlers.
4. Swamp deer are highly gregarious and less nocturnal than the sambar deer

Great Indian Hornbill:

IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing)

CITES: Appendix I
● Great Hornbills are found in tropical and subtropical montane, deciduous and evergreen forests.
● Hornbills use their gular pouches to store fruits.
● official Kerala state bird.

Distribution
● Great hornbills are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Mainland Southeast Asia, the Indonesian Island of
Sumatra, and the Northeastern region of India.
● In the subcontinent, they are found in the Western Ghats and in the forests along the Himalayas.

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Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska)

Conservation status
● Schedule I of WPA 1972 and Appendix I of CITES.
● Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.

Features:
● A brackish water species, the Northern River Terrapin is one of the largest turtles to be found in Southeast
Asia.
● The Northern River Terrapin lives in coastal mangrove estuaries and creeks, but ventures far upstream
during the breeding season.
● Females nest in sandbars and banks far upstream from the normal estuarine habitat during the breeding
season, December to March.
● An omnivore, it feeds on waterside plants and small animals such as clams.
● It can be found in India and Bangladesh (Sundarbans), Myanmar, Malaysia (peninsular), Indonesia
(Sumatra), Thailand, and Cambodia.

Hedgehog

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● IUCN Red List Status: Least concern
● Hedgehog is an insectivorous spiny(needle-like anatomical structure) mammal of the subfamily
Erinaceidae.
● These mammals have been on this land even before human evolution.
● They are nocturnal animals who sleep during the day time.
● Hedgehogs have a coat of stiff, sharp spines. If attacked they will curl into a prickly and
unappetizing ball that deters most predators.
● Hedgehogs hibernate in cold climates. In deserts, they sleep through heat and drought in a similar
process called aestivation. They remain active all year in more temperate locations.

● Hibernation: It is a state of dormancy that warm-blooded animals go into during winter, preserving
energy at a time when food sources are scarce
● Brumation: It is similar to hibernation but practiced only by cold-blooded animals like reptiles
● Estivation: It is a state, when an animal goes into a dormant state during a hot period. It is to wait for
passing water scarcity or harsh heat. Many desert creatures estivate
● Diapause: It is a time of arrested growth and metabolism in insects, mites, crustaceans and other
creatures most prominently in butterflies.

Marmot

● Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

● Himalayan Marmot IUCN: LEAST CONCERN
● A marmot is a medium-sized rodent with brown fur on its head and back and yellow fur on its belly.
● The largest animals in the squirrel family are the marmots. Like all the squirrels, marmots are rodents.
● This herbivore feeds on nuts, leaves, seeds, flowers, grass, and grains.
● They can be found in Europe, Asia, as well as North America. Colonies are groups of marmots.
● Marmots are wild animals that can live for 13 to 15 years.
● Other names for it include whistle pig, groundhog, ground squirrel, and rock chuck.
● This animal's voice is one of its defensive characteristics.

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Pangolin

● These solitary, primarily nocturnal animals, are easily recognized by their full armor of scales.
● Eight species of pangolins are found on two continents- Asia and Africa. They range from Vulnerable to
Critically Endangered.
● All eight pangolin species are protected under national and international laws, and two are listed as
Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
● Two species—
■ The Indian pangolin and the Philippine pangolin are —endangered,
■ Sunda, or Malayan, pangolin and the Chinese pangolin are —as critically endangered.
● Habitat:Pangolins dig deep burrows for sleeping and nesting that contain circular chambers.
● DIET:One adult pangolin can eat 70 million insects each year.

Arabian Sea Humpback Whale:

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● IUCN: Endangered
● Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
● Humpback whales have a near cosmopolitan distribution, absent only from some enclosed seas and
parts of the High Arctic.
● They are "gulp feeders", taking in a single mouthful of food at a time, rather than the continuous
filter-feeding of right whales and bowhead whales.
● Humpback whales typically migrate up to 16,000 km (9,900 mi) each year.
● Maharashtra is the third state along the country’s west coast, which will join the studies on the distribution
and population of Arabian Sea humpback whales.

Features:
● Humpback whales are sexually dimorphic, with females tending to be slightly longer than males.
● Humpback whales are known for their magical songs, which travel for great distances through the
world's oceans.

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