India- National Parks, Forests

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India. It is notable as Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park. It is one of India’s 50 “Project Tiger” – tiger reserves. There are 88 tigers, as of August 2016 in the reserve, and 58 in the forests immediately outside the reserve.
Tadoba Andhari Reserve is the largest national park in Maharashtra. Total area of the reserve is 625.4 square kilometres (241.5 sq mi). This includes Tadoba National Park, created in 1955 with an area of 116.55 square kilometres (45.00 sq mi) and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary created in 1986 with an area of 508.85 square kilometres (196.47 sq mi). The reserve also includes 32.51 square kilometres (12.55 sq mi) of protected forest and 14.93 square kilometres (5.76 sq mi) of other areas.
How to reach Tadoba-
Nearest Airport- Nagpur Airport (140 kms)
Nearest Railway Staion – Chandrapur Railway station (45kms)
Nearest Bus Stand – Chandrapur (32 kms)

Pench Tiger Reserve
Pench National Park or Tiger Reserve is one of the premier tiger reserves of India and the only one to straddle across two states – Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Ordinarily, the reference to Pench is mostly always to the tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The Pench Sanctuary was created in September 1977, with an initial area of 449.39 km². The Pench National Park, recently renamed as Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, was created in 1983, carved out of the Sanctuary. The Tiger Reserve, 19th in the series, was formed under the Project Tiger scheme in November 1992.
How to reach Pench-
Nearest Airport- Nagpur Airport (93 kms)
Nearest Railway Staion – Seoni Railway station (30 kms)
Nearest Bus Stand – Seoni (30 kms)

Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), formerly Borivali National Park, is a large protected area in the northern part of Mumbai city (preferably called Mumbai Suburban district) in Maharashtra State in India. It encompasses an area of 104 km2 (40 sq mi).
How to reach SGNP-
Nearest Airport- Mumbai Airport (20 kms)
Nearest Railway staion- Borivali (1 km)
Nearest Bus stand- Borivali (1 km)

Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore National Park is a vast wildlife reserve near the town of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, northern India. It is a former royal hunting ground and home to tigers, leopards and marsh crocodiles. Its landmarks include the imposing 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, on a hilltop, and the Ganesh Mandir temple. This park Spread across an area of 392 sq kms, Ranthambore National Park is situated in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. It is one of the largest and famous National Parks in India. This national park is flanked by two sanctuaries namely Kaila Devi Sanctuary and the Mansingh Sanctuary.
How to reach Ranthambore National Park-
Nearest Airport- Jaipur Airport (180 kms)
Nearest Bus stand & Railway station- Sawai Madhopur (11 kms)

Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative
Nearest Airport- Patannagar Airport (50 kms)
Nearest Bus stand & Railway station- Ramnagar (12 kms)

Andaman And Nikobar Islands
These islands are one of seven union territories of India. They are situated on east of Bay of Bengal. Sea around them is called as Andaman Sea. About 50 varieties of forest mammals are found to occur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some are endemic, including the Andaman wild boar. Rodents are the largest group with 26 species, followed by 14 species of bat. Among the larger mammals there are two endemic varieties of wild boar, Sus scrofa andamanensis from Andaman and Sus scrofa nicobaricus from Nicobar. About 270 species of birds are found in the territory. This territory is home to about 225 species of butterflies and moths. Ten species are endemic to these Islands. Mount Harriet National Park is one of the richest areas of butterfly and moth diversity on these islands.

Details of some Marine Life in Andaman Sea
Giant Moray- Giant Morays are large eels that can reach up to 9.8 ft in length and weigh up to 30 kg. They can be found hiding in lagoons, widespread in the Indo-Pacific region. While the young ones are tan in color with large black spots, adults have black specks behind their heads.

Manta Ray- Manta Rays have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and forward-facing mouths. They can be found swimming across the open oceans in search of zooplankton to feed on. They are a very vulnerable species, threatened by pollution, entanglement in fishing nets and direct harvesting for their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine.

Peacock Mantis– Mantis shrimps are commonly found in the Indian Ocean but what makes the Peacock Mantis special are the attractive color palettes spread across their body. While some people might consider it a prize possession, others consider it a dangerous pest as it rampantly feeds on other fishes.

Whitebanded Shrimp- Whitebanded Shrimp can grow up to a length of 2.4 inches and can be found dwelling on coral reefs around the Andaman Islands. They can be recognized by their characteristic trait of having white antennae and white pereiopods.

Humphead Parrotfish- Found on reefs in the Indian and Pacific Ocean, Humphead Parrotfish can grow up to 4.3 ft in length and can weigh up to 46 kg. They develop a bulbous forehead, exposing their teeth plates that are partially covered by their lips.