Top 10 Animals of Great Thar Desert

India is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. Indian wild forests and national parks are domestic to many species of wild animals, birds and reptiles. From golden sand beaches to a salt desert, snow-capped mountains and dense rainforests, India is thought for its geographical diversity. The Thar Desert, the pride of Rajasthan, is also known as the ocean of sand. Top 10 Animals of Great Thar Desert.

The Thar or Great Indian Desert has a top animlas of unparalleled diversity, While the climatic and geographic conditions are harsh, various desert animals and plants have adapted to it with ease. And, this has blessed the land with exotic wildlife species making it a paradise for nature enthusiasts. 

Here are Top 10 Animals of Great Thar Desert :

Indian Desert Cat

The Asiatic wildcat, is one of the top 10 animals of Thar Desert. It is also known as the Asiatic steppe wildcat and Indian desert cat, is a subspecies of the African wildcat found from the eastern Caspian Sea to northern Kazakhstan, east-west India, western China and southern Mongolia. 

The Indian desert cat is so colorful that it blends in well with the desert sand and is difficult to spot. The bobcat’s fur is light gray with small, rounded spots on the upper body. These spots are solid and sharply defined, and do not appear in clusters. The hairs along the spine are usually darker, forming a dark gray, brown, or ocher band.

The lips and upper eyelids are light, pale yellowish-white. It has a long, tapering tail, also with a short black tip and spots at the base. In India, the Asiatic wildcat inhabits the Thar Desert and is associated with the scrub desert. In 1999 it was seen in the districts of Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Nagaur in Rajasthan. However, only four Indian desert cats were sighted between 1999 and 2006. 

The Wildcats feed on giant and red-tailed gerbils, Afghan voles, ground squirrels, Tolai rabbits, small birds, lizards, beetles, and grasshoppers. In the thickets of western Rajasthan, they feed mainly on gerbils, but also hunt hares, rats, pigeons, partridges, groats, peacocks, onions, sparrows and eat the eggs of land birds. No wonder it is one of the top animals of Thar Desert.

Grey Moongoose

The Indian grey mongoose is, one of the top 10 animals of Thar Desert. It is a species of mongoose native to the Indian subcontinent and western Asia. The grey mongoose has a tawny or iron grey coat that is grayer, stiffer, and thicker than other mongooses. 

The grey appearance is due to the individual hairs being surrounded by creamy white and black fringes. The legs are brown and darker than the body. The fur around the snout and eyes is also brown, but with a stronger rusty tint. The tail is bushy while the tip of the tail if colored, is pale yellow or white.

 It lives in burrows, hedges, and thickets, between tree bushes, shelters under rocks or bushes, and even in drains. Overall it is one of the top  animals of Thar Desert.

Black Buck

Known scientifically as Antelope cervicapra, the Blackbuck is, one of the top 10 animals of Thar Desert. It is primarily found in India, where it is protected by wildlife laws. It is the best representative of the arid and semi-arid short grass plains that once abounded in undivided Punjab, Haryana, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and extreme southern Tamil Nadu. 

It inhabits grassy plains and lightly wooded areas with perennial water sources. It is one of the most famous antelope of the Thar Desert, but it is an endangered species. The blackbuck is about 2 feet tall and the males have beautifully curled and ringed horns, measuring 75 cm reachable.

 Dark brown males have a white ring around their eyes and black stripes on their faces. Blackbuck is mainly active during the day. Form three types of small groups: female , male, and young singles. 

It is an herbivore and will also sometimes graze low grass. It prefers sedge, switchgrass, mesquite and live oak and has occasionally been observed feeding on acacia trees in the Cholistan desert. The blackbuck is now a rare species living in small herds spread across about 13 states in India. 

Blackbuck hunting is prohibited in India under Schedule I of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1972. The animal is important in Hinduism.  The villagers of India and Nepal do not harm the antelope. Moreover it is one of the top animals of Thar Desert.

White Footed Fox

The white-footed fox is one of the top animals of Thar Desert. It is a small subspecies of the Thar Desert native red fox as found in the desert regions of Pakistan, Kutch in India and Balochistan, and southern India, Iran and ‘Iraq. It is found on sandy hills or in wide sandy semi-arid riverbeds and very rarely in fields and then near sandy stretches. 

It looks like the bengal fox and the fennec fox, but they are actually not related. The white-footed fox feeds on grouse, partridges and shrikes. It is approximately 18 inches long with a tail over 10 inches tipped with white. The color of the back varies from tawny to russet with a slight admixture of white, while the flanks are whitish or greyish.

 The outer surface of the limbs is steel gray or rough, while the inner surface of the front legs and the entire front of the hind legs are white. Their fur is sandy or brown with light gray or white markings, while most of the tail tips and ears are black. 

It has similar habits to the mountain fox, but its diet is more carnivorous than that of the other subspecies, and its prey tends to be limited to gerbils and sand rats. Moreover it is one of the top animals of Thar Desert.

The Dromedary

Dromedary is one of the top animals of Thar Desert.  The genus Camelus includes three different species: the Bactrian camel the wild Bactrian camel (and the dromedary, recognizable by the fact that it has only one hump. Dromedary originate from the Thar Desert because they are well adapted to life in arid regions. 

It is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 900 pounds. They have a single hump fairly high on their back and a long tail. Their necks are long and curved, and their mouths are quite large. Dromedary  in the Thar Desert are usually black or brown. The dromedary is found in northwestern India, particularly in Kaziranga and the National Park. Thar dromedary are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. Still it is one of the animals of Thar Desert.

Great Indian Bustard

The great Indian bustard or Indian bustard is one of the top of animals of Thar Desert. It is found at the Indian subcontinent. A large bird with a horizontal frame and lengthy bare legs, giving it an ostrich-like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest flying birds.  It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the light head and neck. 

The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff colored and all through the breeding season has a black breast band. This species was formerly widespread in India and Pakistan. 

The habitat where it’s far most often found in arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, and tall grass interspersed with cultivation The bustard is seriously endangered in Pakistan generally due to a lack of safety and rampant looking. 

In 2011 Birdlife International uplisted this species from Endangered to Critically Endangered, especially as it has been extirpated from 90% of its former variety and the population was estimated at possibly fewer than 250 people in 2008. The essential threats are looking and habitat loss. In the past, they have been heavily sought for their meat and for sport, and, today, poaching of the species may continue. 

The fast reduction of the population of India’s bustards, their endangered status, and the decline of grasslands led the Ministry of Environment and Forests to prepare species recovery programs in 2012 for 3 species of bustard. No wonder it is one of the best animals of Thar Desert.

The Indian Spiny Tailed Lizard

Also known scientifically as Saara hardwickii, this tiny lizard is one of the top of animals of Thar Desert. It is a spiny creature that lurks in the Thar Desert. The Indian or Hardwicke spiny lizard is listed as an endangered species as it is hunted for its meat and as a folk remedy.

 The lizard has a rounded head with a flat snout. It is usually yellowish, sandy, or olive-brown in color. It has black spots and worms and a prominent black spot on the front of the thigh.There are approximately 23 species of lizards native to the Thar Desert.

 It is mainly herbivorous and lives in large numbers in some areas. Because it occurs in loose aggregations, it often attracts predators such as birds of prey. These include geckos and monitor lizards, which are the largest species of lizards in the Rajasthan region. Moreover it is one of the top of animals of Thar Desert.

Caracal

Caracal are one of the top 10 animals of Thar Desert. These wild cats that are found in the African regions and various other areas like India, Central Asia and they may be of medium size. They have long legs with brief face and ears that are tufted but lengthy in period.

 And teeth are canine in look. Making them a contender on the list of different types of wild cats. It reaches 40–50 cm on the shoulder and weighs 8–19 kg.  They have a fur on their back that is a reddish tan color or sometimes sand color. 

They have a while red color of marks on their body.. The caracal is bodily dimorphic the females are more modest than the guys in most substantial boundaries. No wonder it is one of the known top animals of Thar Desert. 

Chinkara

The Indian gazelle, also known as the chinkara, is one of the known top animals of Thar Desert. It is scientifically called Gazella bennettii. The Chinkara stands over 25 inches tall and weighs around 50 pounds. It has fawn-colored fur with dark stripes from the snout to the corner of his eyes.

 Their horns can grow over a foot long. Chinkars can go without water for long periods of time, hydrating themselves from the dew and the plants they feed on as they are herbivorous ruminants. Chinkars avoid human-inhabited areas, so the Thar Desert is a good habitat for them. That’s why it is one of the known top animals of Thar Desert.

Indian Wild Ass

The Indian wild ass or baloch is , one of the known top animals of Thar Desert. It is slightly larger than a donkey, weighing about 650 pounds and reaching about 2 metre tall. 

The Indian wild ass is easily recognized by its beautiful sandy colored coat, which changes from reddish gray to pale yellow in the winter months and has a dark stripe down its back.

 It is currently listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. The range of the Indian wild ass once stretched from western India to southern Pakistan Provinces of Sind and Balochistan, Afghanistan and Southeast Iran.

 The last census of 2009 estimated the population at 4,038 Indian wild ass. Indian wild ass graze from sunrise to sunset. The animal feeds on grass, leaves and fruits of plants, crops, Prosopis pods and salty vegetation. Moreover it is, one of the known top animals of Thar Desert.

Conclusion

As for the conclusion these are some of the top animals of great Thar Desert. The animals are adapted to survive in extreme conditions of desert. They have bodies that are able to live and survive.