The sun’s rays filter like golden drops on the ground as they gradually stream from the leaves of the sal trees in Kanha National Park. It is one of the largest national parks, and the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book is split into two sanctuaries: Hallon and Banjar. The park, established in 1955 and declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973, is spread across the two districts of Mandla and Balaghat.
This protected region has various distinctive Central Indian highland floral and faunal characteristics. It is dispersed over the Maikal-Satpura hills and is covered in multiple excellently maintained plants. Plan your trip to Kanha National Park to witness their natural habitat’s different flora and fauna.
The best months to visit Kanha National Park to see tigers are April and May, but for many, these months are too hot. Warmer temperatures and a greener environment can be found from November to March, but refer to the temperature and rainfall chart for all the specifics.
Kanha National Park is one of Central India’s must-see locations. One of the most magnificent forests you will witness in India is, without a doubt, Kanha. The park is lush and green year-round, with Sal and Bamboo trees and grassy meadows. Here is the list of Flora and Fauna of Kanha National Park you will encounter.
Fauna of Kanha National Park
The fauna of Kanha National Park is very diverse. This forest is primarily dispersed in the valleys of the Banjar and Hallon rivers. They comprise the life support systems of the Satpura mountain chain and Kanha Tiger Reserve. Our safaris mainly cover the Banjar River Valley, leaving the Hallon River Valley largely unexplored by tourists.
Kanha National Park represents a typical tropical deciduous forest. More than 32 animal species, 297 bird species, and several reptile species are found here.
In addition, there are numerous small, green hills with valleys and rolling meadows. This provides a diverse range of mammals, reptiles, and birds with a rich combination of plants and topography as shelter.
Mammals
Barasingha
The state animal of Madhya Pradesh in Central India is the Barasingha hard-ground swamp deer (Branderi Barasingha). The animals were on the verge of extinction before a productive breeding program and conservation measures at Kanha National Park saved them.
Barking Deer
Due to its bark-like sound, which alarms when danger is imminent, the Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) is sometimes known as the “barking deer.” It is also known as “Kakar.” These deer occasionally bleat for up to an hour—one of the eleven species of muntjacs found throughout Asia.
Other mammals, such as Tigers, Panthers, Chitals, Sambars, Bla,ck bucks, Chousingha, Gaur, Langur, WilBlackbuckkal, Sloth bears, and Wild dogs, can also be found in Kanha National Park.
Reptiles
Indian Cobra
It spreads the cervical ribs of the neck to form its hood and is highly toxic. When alarmed, it expands its hood, hisses, and lifts its head. It is a good swimmer and frequently found in or close to water.
The young are much more dangerous than adults, being more easily aroused and prone to attack. He mostly consumes rats, frogs, and toads and is a chronic egg thief. A cobra bite is not always deadly, with cases of recovery equaling, if not exceeding, cases of death.
Python
It is nocturnal, massive (a fully grown adult is typically more than 5 meters long), and non-toxic (it need not be poisonous). It strangles its target before swallowing it.
You can play a game of guessing by estimating the extent of its stomach bulge to determine when it last ate. It feeds indiscriminately on mammals, birds, and reptiles but prefers mammals. Pythons like eating langurs and are capable of swallowing chitals.
Even the leopard is said to have been devoured by its stomach contents. So watch for them close to the many streams and waterholes the Tala Range is richly supplied with.
Other reptiles found in Kanha National Park include Russell’s Viper, Indian Krait, Common Rat Snake, Common Skink, Indian Monitor, Fan-Throated Lizard, and Indian Garden Lizard.
Birds
Blossom-Headed Parakeets
A little green parakeet lives in open lowland and foothill forests along forest borders. It frequents farm borders and rural communities in protected areas throughout its range.
Males have easily distinguished themselves in their field thanks to their plum-red heads and lime-green bodies. Female gray-headed Parakeets have gray heads and are duller than most other long-tailed parakeets in the area. Unlike the male, she lacks a slender black collar.
Also Read: Bera Jawai Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Teal
Little duck with a narrow, delicate bill. Males have a gray body primarily covered in speckles, creamy breasts, and a brown head with a large green patch behind the eye.
Compared to other dabbling ducks, females have a browner overall color—forages by tipping up and dabbling to reach submerged aquatic vegetation. She also frequently takes feeding strolls around mudflats.
Other birds can also be found in the Kanha National Park, like Bee-eaters, Cattle Egrets, Pond Heron, Drongos, Crested Serpent Eagle, Gray Hornbill, Indian roller, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Lesser Adjutants, Lesser Whistling Teal, Minivets, Pied Hornbill, Woodpecker, Pigeon, Paradise Flycatchers, Mynas, Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, Red Wattled Lapwing, Steppe Eagle, Tickell’s Flycatcher, White-eyed Buzzard, White-breasted Kingfisher, White-browed Fantail Flycatcher, Wood shrikes and Warblers among many more.
This incredible bird paradise can draw thousands of bird watchers and ornithologists. Kanha National Park’s mixed bamboo and grassland woods are ideal for bird watching. Some attractive water birds can also be seen at Sarvantal, near the reserve’s rivulets.
Flora of Kanha National Park
Unlike any other woods in the nation, Kanha National Park is home to more than 200 flowering plants, which is incredible. Sal (Shorea robusta) and other mixed forest trees are interspersed with meadows in this lowland forest.
The region’s varied topography and moderately pleasant temperature support the park’s rich and diverse flora, which includes over 70 species of trees.
The bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) that grows on slopes in Kanha’s highland forests is tropical, moist-dry, and deciduous. The deciduous region also has the most well-known Indian Ghost Tree (Kullu). Various types of trees are found that are:
Saja Tree
It is a tree with a trunk diameter of 1 m and a height of 30 m. The fruit is 3 cm long, oval, and has five wings that don’t extend past the fruit’s apex. The bark is resistant to fire.
The wood has no flavor or scent and is rough, somewhat straight-grained, dull to moderately glossy, and boring to somewhat shiny.
The hardwood ranges in color from pale brown with little markings to dark brown or brownish-black patterned with darker streaks. It is reddish-white and distinct. The sapwood is vulnerable to assault by the powder post beetle, whereas the heartwood is only moderately resilient.
Tendu Tree
A 15-m-tall medium-sized deciduous tree with dark gray or black, rectangular, scale-like bark. The young parts and inflorescence are covered in gray or tawny tomentum. 6.3–15 cm by 2.5-7 cm in leaves.
A small dropping cluster of male flowers. Female blooms are more solitary and more extended than male blossoms. The fruit is round and turns yellow when ripe.
Also Read: Safari in Tadoba National Park
Mahua Tree
It is grown in hot, humid climates for its oily seeds (one tree can produce between 20 and 200 kg of seeds annually, depending on maturity), flowers, and wood. The fat, solid at room temperature, is used as vegetable butter to make soap or detergents and to care for the skin.
Additionally, it functions as fuel oil. After the oil has been extracted, seed cakes are produced, making excellent fertilizer. In India’s tropical region, an alcoholic beverage is made from the blooms.
Animals are known to be impacted by this beverage. The tree’s bark and other parts are used for their therapeutic qualities. Due to its use, it is revered by many indigenous tribes.
Aonla Tree
Although the plant can be cultivated in various environmental situations, it prefers a dry subtropical climate. Natural vegetation can be seen on hills up to 1800 MSL.
However, winter frost might damage the plants. A mature Aonla tree can withstand temperatures as low as 46 OC and below freezing.
Dhawa Tree
Aonla is a tough plant that thrives in various soil types, perfect for arid and semi-arid environments. Marginal soils are excellent for growing Aonla. It cannot be grown on terrain with heavy soils or a high water table.
Aonla cultivation best suits the sandy loam’s deep, productive, and well-drained soil. Aonla plants can withstand a pH as high as 9.5.
Gilehi Tree
Casearia graveolens can reach heights of 3 to 15 meters. When the tree is between 3 and 6 meters tall, its trunk, which has dark gray, rough, fissured bark with white spots, reaches 20 cm.
The glabrous branchlets, twig tips, and terminal buds on the soft, green branches feature gray-white areas. The leaves are broadly elliptic to elliptic-oblong, 6-15 cm by 4-8 cm, and low magnification reveals reddish brown spots and streaks.
Axial glomerulus with few to many flowers make up the flowers. Orange-yellow seed capsules that are ripe turn dark reddish-brown or blackish-brown when dried. Multiple ovoid, 4mm-sized seeds that dry to a light yellowish-brown color. In China, the tree blooms between March and April and bears fruit between September and November.
Conclusion
Kanha National Park’s vibrant flora contains more than a thousand flowering plants. Along with meadows, climbers, herbs, and shrubs that thrive in the forest area, it has sal, bamboo, and other mixed forest trees. Additionally, some lake plants are necessary for the survival of wetlands and migratory bird species.
The reserve offers a peek at several endangered species in terms of fauna. Additionally, the reserve is home to over 300 bird species and several reptiles, including pythons, cobras, and vipers. You can also enjoy the uniqueness by booking your trip to Kanha National Park with an Indian Visit.