| Tree Community |
| Order |
Community Type |
Found In |
| Chiroptera |
� Pigmy pipistrelle (Pipistrellus mimus) |
� Forest |
| |
� Tickell�s bat (Hesperoptenus tickelli) |
|
| |
� Indian pipistrelle (Pipistrellus coromandra) |
|
| |
� Lesser yellow bat (Scotophilus Kuhli) |
� Reclaimed area |
| |
� Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) |
� Quite common and regarded by the farmers in the reclaimed areas as a great threat to orchard because of their fruit eating habit |
| |
� Short nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) |
� Do |
| |
� Leschenault�s rousette (Rousettus leschenaulti) |
|
| |
� Indian false vampire (Megaderma spasma) |
� Forest (old temple) |
| |
� Do (M. lyra) |
� Human habitation |
| |
� Cave bat (Hipposideros lankadiva) |
� Paddy storehouse on village |
| |
� Tailless leaf nosed bat (Coelops frithi) |
|
| |
� Lesser mouse- tailed bat (Rhinopoma hardwickei) |
|
|
| Primate |
Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) |
Forest dwelling only species of primate. Feed largely on mangrove leaves and fruits like Keora (Sonneratia apetala). Herds of chitals follow them in search of dropouts and in turn followed by the tiger. |
| Ground dwellers |
| Order |
Community Type |
Found In |
| Carnivora |
� Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) |
� Top predator of the Sundarbans (both in land and water). |
| |
� Jungle cat (Felis chaus) |
� Found in forest and reclaimed areas |
| |
� Fishing cat (Felis viverrina) |
� Same as above and near wetlands. Become extremely rare. |
| |
� Leopard cat (Felis bengalensis) |
� Extremely rare |
| |
� Jackal (Canis aureus) |
� Forest and reclaimed areas |
| |
� Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) |
� Do |
| |
� Common palm civet (Paradoxurum hermaphroditus) |
� Do |
| |
� Small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) |
� Do |
| |
� Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) |
� Scanty mangroves and reclaimed areas |
| |
� Marsh mongoose (H. palustris) |
� Do |
| |
� Common grey mongoose (H. edwardsi) |
� Forest |
|
| Artiodactyla |
� Wild boar (Sus scrofa) |
� Forest |
| |
� Chital (Axis axis) |
� Forest |
|
| Rodentia |
� Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) |
� Largest rodent of Sundarbans. They also have fossorial habit. Almost poached to extinction for meat. |
| |
� Five striped squirrel (Funambulus pennanti) |
� Reclaimed areas |
| |
� Little Indian field mouse (Mus booduga) |
� Do |
| |
� Lesser bandicoot rat (Bandicoota bengalensis) |
|
| |
� Large bandicoot rat (B. indica) |
� Both lesser and large bandicoots are found in mangrove forests and reclaimed areas and are fossorial in nature. The large bandicoot is more dominant and reported to form the habit of fish eating. |
| |
� House rat (Rattus rattus) |
� Around human habitation in reclaimed zone |
| |
� House mouse (Mus musculus) |
� Do |
| Estuarine |
| Order |
Community Type |
Found In |
| Cetacea |
� Gangetic dolphin (Platinista gangetica) |
� Reverine. Enter estuarine waters from sweet water rivers. |
| |
� Black finless porpoise or little porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) |
� Found in the tidal rivers of project tiger and in the many parts of Biosphere Reserve. Enters estuary from sea. |
| |
� Irrawady dolphin (Orcella brevirostris) |
� Do |
| |
� Plumbeus dolphin (Sotalia plumbea) |
� Do |
| |
� Malay dolphin (Stanella malayana) |
� Do |
|
| Carnivora |
� Common otter (Lutra lutra) |
� Become extremely rare. Lone representative of aquatic carnivores in the Sundarbans. Prey on fishes in the creeks, tidal streams. |
Mammals
