Placed in a valley between the Nelliampathy ranges of Kerala and the Anamalai ranges of Tamil Nadu in the majestic Western Ghats, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is a haven of serenity and verdant greenery. The sanctuary houses teak plantation that has been managed scientifically for the very first time and also has the tallest and oldest teak tree in the world.
Fauna
Parambikulam is blessed with a rich diversity of wildlife including:
Mammals- 39 species of mammals can be found here including Lion-tailed Macaques, Elephants, Nilgiri Tahr, Flying Squirrel, Gaur, Indian leopards, Bonnet Macaques, Sambar, Wild boar, Sambar deer, Sloth Bears and more.
Reptiles- Around 61 species of reptiles can be sighted here including Travancore kukri snake, Olivaceous keelback, Cochin cane turtle, South Indian rock lizard, South Indian rock lizard, Western Rat snake, Indian day gecko, King cobra and so on.
Fish- In Parambikulam, there are around 47 fish species including some endangered and 17 endemic to Western Ghats. Exyprius, Aral, Noori, Mooshu, Kollotty, Vattudi and more.
Birds- 268 avifauna species can be seen in this wildlife sanctuary. Out of these 134 species are rare and 18 species are common in Western Ghats. While indulging in bird watching, you can spot various beautiful colourful birds like Grey-headed Fish-eagle Peninsular bay owl, Great pied Hornbill, Lesser adjutant stork, Black-capped kingfisher, Darter etc.
Butterflies- The sanctuary is home to 124 kinds of butterflies out of which 34 are rare and endemic.
Amphibians- There are around 23 amphibian species in the sanctuary including Common Asiatic toad Bufo melanostictus, Common frog Micrixalus fuscus, South Indian Frog Rana semipalmata, White-nosed bush frog Philautus leucorhinus, Parambikulam Wart Frog, Verrucose Frog Rana keralensis, Reddish burrowing frog Tomopterna rufescens and more.
Flora
Vegetation in Parambikulam includes semi evergreen forest, tropical evergreen forest, southern dry deciduous forest and southern evergreen and moist deciduous forest. There are several types of tree here including teak, rosewood, sandalwood and neem. 360-yr old Kannimara teak tree has also won the Mahavriksha Puraskar given by the Indian Government. There is large- scale teak plantation too in the sanctuary.
