On our planet there are a huge number of different natural resources. This article will cover the topic of the rainforests of India. Why are they so remarkable and special, what kind of flora and fauna fills them?
A few words about India
It is worth saying that this country is unique. On its open spaces you can find plants that can not be found anywhere else. Flora of India can be divided into several large groups. Moreover, each of the parts of the country cultivates its own vegetation and unique wildlife. Perhaps that is why the flora of India is considered the richest on our planet. Surprisingly, it has more than 20 thousand different species. Only tree-shrub species can count more than two thousand!
A bit about the past
It is worth saying that in the past this country was one of the most forested, but the colonialists did not consider it necessary to protect the natural beauty and constantly used forests in India for their own purposes. After the declaration of freedom in the Indian region, the issue of preserving natural wealth was particularly acute. At this time, protective strips were actively planted along irrigation canals and roads, and the necessary measures were actively taken to prevent soil erosion (including in tropical zones). The following fact is interesting: if most of the countries on our planet suffer from deforestation, then India can boast of an increase in forest mass. Over the past few decades, forest cover has increased by about 15-20%.
About the variety of forests
Conditionally, Indian forests can be divided into three large subgroups:
- Indian rainforest (wet, rain and evergreen). Accommodation: slopes of the Western Ghats, the southeastern part of the Himalayas, the Nilgiri Mountains and the Cardamom Mountains.
- Shola rain forest, gradually turning into deciduous monsoon forests. Main location: above tropical rainforests.
- Savannah forests. Location: Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Deccan Plateau.
About the tropics
When studying the topic "Indian Rainforest" it’s worth saying a few words about the climate of those places. So, in tropical forests , air humidity is significantly increased, which is why they are also called evergreen moist forests. However, this fact works “on hand” of the vegetation: very lush greenery is grown here, because the abundance of heat and moisture is what is ideal for plants. As for temperature conditions, it can be very hot in the tropics during the day, six or eight degrees cooler at night.
Values
It is worth mentioning that the tropical forest of India is rich in very valuable tree species. Among them, one can distinguish a salov tree (it forms clean stands that are used in the construction of houses and the creation of sleepers), teak, sissu, and jate tree. In the aforementioned salovuyu tree there lives a varnish worm, from which shellac is made - wax, which is widely used in radio engineering needs, and more recently in manicure. The most valuable sandalwood, miroblan (high-quality raw materials for the manufacture of expensive furniture) and bassia, from which methyl alcohol is made, grow in the state of Karnatka.
Trees
What else is rich in the Indian rainforest? It is important to note that bamboo grows in the monsoon forests, from which it is possible to weave all kinds of baskets without problems, which are universally used by the inhabitants of this country.
Some parts of the tropics are filled with hard and prickly vegetation (the Western Ghats), which the locals use very competently. These plants are good for various crafts and for the extraction of tannins and dyes. An interesting fact: from the acacia extract, catechu in India is extracted from a saturated orange coloring pigment, which is one of the national colors of this country. On the second tiers of the rainforest you can find breadfruit and Indian mango. There are quite a lot of laurel and myrtle trees.
Palm trees
What Indian wealth will students enjoy? What else is rich in the Indian rainforest? Grade 3 of the school has already met with palm trees at natural history. The Indian tropics have on their territory about 20 of their species. The most recognizable schoolchildren palm is coconut. In the southern parts of the tropics, you can find wild date and bushy nipa. The northern parts are ready to demonstrate a rattan palm with a very long and thin trunk. Shaded wet ravines are filled with orange, banana and lemon trees.
Plants
What other plants can the Indian rainforest boast of? Grade 3 of a comprehensive school, unfortunately, does not yet consider small-colored hope, high-level culling, Indian matter and dipterocarpus. Not only would all of these names have certainly captivated inquisitive kids, the plants themselves would have aroused keen interest, because they will not be able to meet similar relatives in our latitudes.
Animals
Considering this topic, we wondered what kind of animals live in the tropical rainforest of India? First of all, attention should be paid to monkeys - these are the most common residents of these regions. They are inhabited by a huge number. Moreover, here you can meet a humanoid monkey. Another very remarkable resident of the tropics is the Indian elephant. It is slightly smaller than its African counterpart, but the difference is not significant. The peculiarity of the African elephant is that its females do not have tusks, that is, they are so short that they are not visible. The elephant is still used for some hard work. The deer that lives in the forests of India is well known. There are a great number of species: mountjack, zambar (whose horns reach 100 cm in length), axis (or read), harassing (more than 14 processes have its horns).
The richest is the fauna of the Himalayas. Musk deer, Malay bear, and mountain sheep live in the tropics here. Since the tropics attract herbivores, predators must follow them: jaguars, tigers, leopards, panthers, and representatives of the mustelids.
Birds
Rainforest in India is replete with feathered. Here you can find playful and noisy parrots (more than 150 varieties!) With a bright and colorful plumage. They live in the tropics of the lane (Indian starling), kites, crows and vultures. In winter, the number of birds almost doubles, since a large number of birds from North Asia and Europe fly here for the winter.
Other wildlife tropical climate
Studying what animals of the Indian rainforest exist, you should pay attention to the insects that inhabit this climate zone. So, first of all, here you can find many charming butterflies. And this is not surprising: about 700 species live in the tropics. Most will like the giant butterfly, whose wingspan reaches 30 centimeters! A huge number of the most diverse ants live here.
The tropics can be home to all kinds of reptiles: crocodiles, turtles, snakes and lizards. Interestingly, some crocodiles reach ten meters in length, and the anaconda snake grows to nine meters. It is noteworthy that on only one island of Kalimantan there are seven times more different types of amphibians than in all of Europe.