Royal Bengal Tiger is the National Animal of India. The scientific name of this animal is Panthera Tigris.It was conferred the status in April 1973. This article throws light on the reasons behind declaring the Royal Bengal Tiger as the National Animal of India and some interesting facts about the Tiger.
Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.
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- Daily Video Analysis – The Hindu Newspaper
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- Download NCERT Notes PDF (Free) for UPSC Exam
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Why was Tiger Declared as National Animal of India?
- Tiger was picked as the National animal of India because of its elegance, strength, agility, and colossal power. On 1st April 1973, Government launched Project Tiger to save tigers. It was launchedfrom the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
- A national animal is one of the emblematic representatives of a country’s natural wealth. The national animal is selected based on several criteria. The first one is how well it denotes certain features that a nation wants to be recognized with.
- The national animal should have a rich history as part of the nation’s heritage and culture. The national animal should be well distributed within the country. Mostly a national animal should be indigenous to that specific nation and elite to the country’s identity. The national animal is also taken based on the conservation status of the animal to allow better efforts towards its sustained survival due to the official status.
The second chapter in the India Yearbook deals with the national identity elements. India Yearbook is a summary of the Ministry-wise & department wise developments of each year, which is an inclusive summary of India’s advancement in different fields. It contains an enormous quantity of Statistics, facts, analysis. India Yearbook is an excellent source to obtain relevant information while preparing for UPSC Civil Service Exam.
10 Interesting Facts About National Animal of India – Tiger
- Tigers are the largest specimen in the cat family.
- There are eight subspecies of tiger- Royal Bengal, Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Amur or Siberian, South China, Caspian, Java, and Bali. Caspian, Java, and Bali tigers have been hunted to extinction.
- Tiger chooses the lowlands and is frequently seen in grasslands, swamps, and mangroves. The Bengal mangrove ecosystem is a rich habitat for royal Tigers and they have adapted by being fervent swimmers.
- Till 1972, the Lion was the national animal of India.
- The Royal Bengal Tiger, ‘majestic creature’ was conferred as the national animal on November 18, 1972
- The Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, South Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
- Nagpur is known as the ‘Tiger Capital of India’
- According to the IUCN Red list, the tiger is listed as an endangered animal.
- There is an abrupt fall in the population of tigers due to poaching, hunting, illegal smuggling of Tiger Skin, and other body parts.
- To conserve the Tiger, the Indian Government launched Project Tiger in 1973.
National Animal of India – UPSC Notes:-Download PDF Here
Other National Identities of India
Apart from the national animal of the country, there are various other National Identity components that are of importance. The below table gives the list of national symbols of India:
| National Emblem of India |
| National Bird |
| Calendars in India |
| National Song |
| National River of India |
| National Anthem |
| Currency Symbol of India |
| National Flag of India |
| National Flower |
| National Aquatic Animal of India |
The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2022.
Related Links
| IAS Salary | Static GK |
| Santhals | Batukeshwar Dutt |
| Meteorological Department | Prehistoric |
| What is PIL | GPSC Ojas Gujarat Gov In |
Frequently asked questions related to Indian Animals
Q1
Which animals are found in India?
India is home to several well-known large animals, including the Indian elephant, Indian rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, Indian leopard, snow leopard, and clouded leopard. Bears include sloth bear, the Himalayan black bear, the Himalayan brown bear, and deers and antelopes include the chausinga antelope, the blackbuck, chinkara, chital, sambar (deer), Tibetan antelope, Kashmir stag, and the barasingha.
Q2
What is the main animal in India?
The national animal of India, the Royal Bengal Tiger, (Panthera tigris tigris) is the pride of Indian forests. However, India strives to protect all the species.
Q3
How many animals are in India?
India, a megadiverse country with only 2.4% of the world’s land area, accounts for 7-8% of all recorded species, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals.
Q4
What is called wildlife?
Wildlife traditionally refers to undomesticated animal species but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Deserts, forests, rainforests, plains, grasslands, and other areas, including the most developed urban areas, all have distinct forms of wildlife.
Relevant Links
| Environment and Ecology Notes For UPSC Civil Service Exam | |
| Previous Years Environment Questions in UPSC Mains General Studies Paper- 3 | Topic-Wise General Studies Paper-3 Questions in UPSC Mains |
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