Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Places in News

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

News: Recently, a new plant species was discovered in the genus ‘Impatiens’ here.

About:
• The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) is located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
• The reserve comprises three main sanctuaries: Kalakkad Sanctuary, Mundanthurai Sanctuary, and a segment of Kanyakumari Sanctuary.
• It is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu.
• Vegetation: The vegetation of the reserve varies from thorny shrub jungle to lush evergreen forests. This region has got vegetation types which gradually change from dry thorn forest to dry deciduous, moist deciduous and a patch of West coast wet evergreen forests on the higher reaches of the reserve.
• Fauna: The reserve is home to a diverse range of fauna. It is one of the best tiger reserves of India. Besides Tiger Panthera tigris, it has Leopard P. pardus as the major predator, and ungulates such as Sambar Cervus unicolor, Spotted deer Axis axis, Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak and Mouse Deer Moschiola meminna.