Fauna
The ecoregion is habitat for a huge number of mammalian and bird species. Notable are the large numbers of the endangered Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Bengal tigers as well as Asian elephants, sloth bears, Indian leopards.
In Nepal's Chitwan National Park, more than 400 Indian Rhinos were sighted in 2008, and 125 adult tigers were recorded during a survey conducted from December 2009 to March 2010, which covered an area of 1,261 km2 (487 sq mi). Nepal's Bardia National Park and Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, and India's Valmiki and Dudhwa National Parks are home to nearly 100 tigers. Chitwan along with the adjoining Parsa Wildlife Reserve is of major importance, especially for tigers and clouded leopard. Grazing animals of the grasslands include five species of deer, Barasingha, Sambar, Chital, Hog Deer and Muntjac along with four large grazing animals, Asian elephant, rhinoceros, gaur and nilgai. Endangered mammals found here include the Wild water buffalo and the near-endemic Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus).
The grasslands are also home to a number of reptiles including the gharial, mugger crocodile and soft-shelled turtles.
The grasslands partly cover two Birdlife International Endemic Bird Areas, the Central Himalayas EBA in western Nepal and the western end of the Assam Plains EBA south of Bhutan. There are three near-endemic bird species including the vulnerable Manipur Bush Quail (Perdicula manipurensis). The 44 threatened and declining bird species of the grasslands include the Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indica), Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) and Rufous-rumped Grassbird (Graminicola bengalensis).
Read more about this topic: Terai-Duar Savanna And Grasslands
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