Wildlife of Bangladesh
Part of a series on |
Wildlife of Bangladesh |
---|
Biodiversity |
Conservation Ecoregions · Forestry Protected areas National parks · Biosphere reserves Wildlife sanctuaries · Ramsar protected wetland sites Marine and littoral protected areas |
Organizations |
Related topics Botanical gardens Zoological gardens |
The wildlife of Bangladesh includes Bangladesh's flora and fauna.
Bangladesh is home to roughly 53 species of amphibian, 19 species of marine reptiles, 139 species of reptile, 380 species of birds, 116 species of mammals and 5 species of marine mammals.[1] In addition to the large bird count, a further 310 species of migratory birds swell bird numbers each year. It has the Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, hoolock gibbon, Asian black bear and other flagship species.[1] The vast majority of these creatures currently dwell in an area of land that is some 150,000 sq kilometers in size. However this does not mean all is well with the country’s natural heritage. So far a number of creatures have disappeared completely from the country and a further 201 species are threatened. The dhole, also called the Asiatic wild dog, is now endangered by habitat and prey-species loss and human persecution. Notable animal species that have disappeared from Bangladesh are the greater one-horned rhinoceros, the Asian two-horned rhinoceros, the gaur, the banteng, swamp deer, nilgai, Indian wolf, wild water buffalo, marsh crocodile and common peafowl.[1] The majority of the human population lives in or around large cities and this has helped to limit deforestation to some extent. However, the growth rate continues to increase and this has placed large demands on the environment and lead to subsequent clearing of numerous natural habitats. Though several areas are protected under law, a large portion of Bangladeshi wildlife is threatened by this growth.
Gallery
- Bengal tiger is the national symbol of Bangladesh
- Indian leopard can be found at the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh
- Wild Indian elephant, can be seen in hilly areas of Bangladesh
- Hoolock gibbon in Bangladesh
- The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles
- Chital deer are widely seen in Sundarbans and othr mangrove forests
- Clouded leopards can be found in the southeastern part
- Python reticulatus is the world's longest snake and longest reptile
- Masked finfoot a beautiful bird found in the mangrove forests
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Khan, M. Monirul H. (2008). Protected Areas of Bangladesh: A Guide to Wildlife. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Nishorgo Program, Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Circle, Bangladesh Forest Dept. OCLC 795008978.
- ↑ Mehrtens, John (1987). Living Snakes of the World. New York: Sterling. ISBN 0-8069-6461-8.
- ↑ Wood, Gerald (1983). The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9.
External links
- O. Quader. Coastal and marine biodiversity of Bangladesh (Bay of Bengal) (PDF). Proc. of International Conference on Environmental Aspects of Bangladesh (ICEAB10), Japan, Sept. 2010.