A grey headed fish eagle, in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Photo: special arrangement.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Grey-Headed Fish Eagle

Which wetland raptor is so closely linked with fish that even its Latin name means “Fish Eater”? The answer is the Grey-Headed Fish Eagle, a medium-sized raptor seen near the rivers and wetlands of Central Indian jungles, especially tiger reserves. While larger wetland raptors like Ospreys hunt on the fly, this eagle sits patiently on a branch to spot fish before quickly diving into the water for the hunt. Over-fishing is a significant threat to its existence, as is the destruction of forests in the Western Ghats.

Smooth-coated otters in the Nilgiris.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Smooth-Coated Otter

This aquatic mammal is intelligent, a fantastic swimmer and loves to hunt fish. The Smooth-Coated Otter is a top predator and “keystone” species of aquatic ecosystems. You can see it in clear streams and rivers across India. They live inside burrows in small groups that even hunt together. Unfortunately, due to the building of dams and pollution of water bodies, it is now listed as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List.

Dugong
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Dugong

The gentle, slow-moving, grass-loving “Sea Cow” is found in the coastal waters of Andamans, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. India’s only exclusively plant-eating marine mammal is a heavy grazer with a daily consumption of 30kg of its favourite seagrass. This shy mammal is a caring parent, nurturing its calves for over a year. Coastal development, which damages seagrass beds, marine plastic pollution and ship activity is a major threat to the existence of the dugong.

Indian soft-shell turtles
| Photo Credit:
Ritu Raj Konwar

Indian Softshell Turtle

Weighing an impressive 40kg, the Indian Softshell Turtle is a giant. Not a fussy eater, it gobbles up fish, frogs, snails, and aquatic plants! Today, it is only seen in the waters of the Ganga Basin in northern India. Continuous hunting for meat and riverine habitat destruction have pushed it into the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

A species of dancing frog
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu

Northern Dancing Frog

An important indicator of clean streams, this tiny amphibian is found only in the northern Western Ghats (Sahyadris in Maharashtra). Thus, its Latin name is Uttaraghati. The entire group of dancing frogs is known for the males’ footwork to catch female attention. Forest clearing, stream diversion for agriculture, and water pollution have put it on the IUCN Red List.