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Nilgai
or Blue bull
Scientific name :
Boselaphus tragocamelus.
Common names :
Hindi : nilgai ; Marathi : rohu .
Size : Males are
usually 130-140 cm high. Females are much smaller
.
Characters : Somewhat
horse-like in build with high withers and low rump.
The adult bull has a coarse iron-grey coat , Young
bulls and cows are tawny.Both sexes have dark mane
. Bulls have stout cone like horns. |
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Habitat
:
It
is mainly found in the Indian peninsula from the base
of the Himalayas to the plains of Karnataka
.Habits : Nilgai
avoid dense forests and prefer the plain grasslands
.They freely enter cultivation and can damage crops.They
feed till late in the morning mainly on leaves and
fruits .Smell and sight are good in these animals
. Nilgai like the antelope have the habit of depositing
their droppings in the same spot forming considerable
accumulations. |
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They
usually are seen in groups of 4-10 animals. Young
are produced in all seasons . In many parts of India
it is considered sacred and regarded as a near relative
of the cow. |
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Airavatha
vanam
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Airavatha vanam - Elephant shelter |
The
elephant enclosure in the zoo is called the
'Airavatha vanam' after
the mythical white elephant called Airavatha
that is the mount of Indra. It is said that
this rare elephant was one among the many holy
things that emerged during the churning out
of the holy seas by both deities and demons
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The
Indian Elephant
Scientific name:
Elephas maximus .
Common names :
Hindi : hathi (male), hathni (female); Tamil : anai
; Telugu : enugu.
Size : The average
height of Indian male elephant is 9 ft. (3.20 m.)
at the shoulder . The female is a foot shorter.
Characters : The
Indian elephant lacks the enormous ears and the hollow
back of its African counterpart. It also has four
nails on each of the hind legs in contrast to the
three of the African elephant. Generally the male
have large tusks and rarely some females. |
The
real king of the jungle ? |
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Habitat
:
Western Ghats, from Mysore southwards , Orissa , Bihar
,Himalayas in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal , Assam in
India ,Sri Lanka , Myanmar, Siam , China,the Malayan
peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra.
Habits :Elephants
chiefly frequent areas covered with tall forests where
the ground is hilly and where bamboos grow in profusion.
They are extremely adaptable and will live in steamy
humid jungles or in the cool elevated forests. |
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breeding season is during the hot weather and commencement
of the rains. One calf is usually born at a time.
The mother of the young calf is invariably assisted
by another female in rearing the calf. Elephants have
very poor sight ,while the senses of smell and hearing
are highly developed , more so in most animals . |
Rubbing
& scrubbing ! |
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Thank
you , visit again !!! |
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mm
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