Rare Indian mouse deer spotted in Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh

• A rare Indian mouse deer or spotted Chevrotain was recently spotted in the Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh.

Kanger Valley National Park

• Location: It is located in Jagdalpur in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state.
• The National Park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows centrally from the Northwest to the Southeast direction.
• It got the status of a national park in the year 1982.
• Topography:It is noted for its highly heterogeneous land formations ranging from low flat and gentle areas to steep slopes, plateaus, valleys, and stream courses.
• It is home to three exceptional caves – famous for their amazing geological structures of Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak- Stellagmites and Stalactitees.
• National Park is known for the presence of underground limestone caves with dripstone and floston. The stalegmites and stalactite formation is still increasing.
• Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in Kanger Valley National Park.
• Vegetation: It is distinguished blend of mixed moist deciduous type of forests with the predominance of Sal, teak and bamboo.
• Fauna:
  • Major wild animals include tigers, mouse deer, leopards, wildcat, sambar, chital, barking deer, langurs, jackals, rhesus macaque, flying squirrel etc.
  • The areal fauna at the park consists of common hill myna, red jungle fowl, spotted owlet, racket-tailed drongos, parrots etc.

Indian Mouse Deer or Spotted Chevrotain

• It is the smallest deer in India and is highly nocturnal.
• Scientific Name: Moschiola indica

Distribution

• It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
• It is mainly found in peninsular India with some old records from Nepal.
• Sri Lanka has a separate species called spotted chevrotain (Moschiola meminna).
• Within India, it is commonly encountered in a number of forest areas along the Western Ghats, in the Eastern Ghats up to Orissa, and in the forests of central India.

Features

• It is small, 25-30 cm at shoulder height, and weighs from two to four kg.
• A unique feature of this group is that instead of four-chambered stomach like in other ruminants, they have a three-chambered stomach.
• It forages on forest floor for fruits, roots, leaves and herbs.
• It has occasionally been observed eating insects, crustaceans and even small mammals.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Least Concern

Prelims Take Away

• Kanger Valley National Park
• Indian Mouse Deer or Spotted Chevrotain
• Tirathgarh Waterfall
• Location Based Questions