page_title: Melagiri
section_title: Fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Melagiri / Fauna
caption_attribution_description: Tetracerus quadricornis; Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India English: Four-horned Antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis)
context_page_description: The Melagiris are a range of hills on the Eastern Ghats, bound by the river Cauvery on the west. Melagiri contain an expanse of 1295 km² of dry deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. It is an elephant country and contains two traditional elephant corridors. With the Bannerghatta National Park in the North east and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in the south, the forest range stretches to sanctuaries of BR Hills and Sathyamangala and joins the tiger reserves of Nilgiri Biosphere. As the meeting point of the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats, these forests form a vital link in the elephant corridors of South India, connecting the Bannerghatta National Park and the River Cauvery. It borders some of the prominent tiger sanctuaries of the south.
  Part of Melagiri hills ranges were declared as a Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary with effect from 12 March 2014 by the Government of Tamil Nadu as per the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
context_section_description: The area is home to significant numbers of predators such as Asian elephant, leopard, dhole, sloth bear, marsh crocodile, jackal and prey species such as chital, gaur, sambar, grizzled giant squirrel, four-horned antelope, smooth-coated otter, etc. Other species such as tiger, ratel and striped hyena are awaiting rediscovery. The area is also home to the last few remaining common langurs in the Hosur Forest Division.
  Threatened species
  Grizzled giant squirrel, four horned antelope, gaur, elephant, panther, sloth bear, crocodiles, mouse deer, python
  Birds
  Grey junglefowl, grey-fronted green pigeon, crested honey buzzard, Egyptian vulture, lesser fish eagle, brown fish owl, changeable hawk eagle, peafowl, Osprey and plain flowerpecker are found in these hills.
  Reptiles & Amphibians
  Indian cobra, Indian python, Russell's viper, Dhaman rat snake, keelback water snake and rare snakes like the racer Coluber bholanathi, the endangered marsh crocodile, the little-known lacertid lizard Ophisops leschenaultii, Indian chameleon, Bengal monitor and the Indian star tortoise occur here. Nearly 20 species of frogs and toads occur here including the rare rock-dwelling toad Bufo hololius. A good number of endemic and rare amphibians and reptiles are known to occur in Melagiri hills.
caption: Four horned antelope at Rasimanal, Melagiri
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