State Animals of India

Written by

Manjishtha Bhattacharyya

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Each of India’s 28 states and seven of its eight union territories (all except Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu) has an official animal, selected to represent its unique wildlife and cultural heritage. The practice of selecting a state animal began in the 1970s. The selected animals, some of which are shared by multiple states and union territories, are endemic or closely associated with that particular region and serve as symbols of regional identity, highlight the country’s rich biodiversity, and reflect the varied ecosystems across India—from mountains and forests to deserts and coastlines. This list explores the official animals of India’s states and union territories, their conservation status, and the protected natural areas of the country where they are commonly found.

**State Animals of India**
animal (scientific name)	state/union territory	description	IUCN conservation status	interesting fact	notable conservation site
Mithun (Bos gaurus frontalis*) is culturally significant in Arunachal Pradesh and is its former state animal.
Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)	Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab	Medium-sized antelope closely related to gazelles and springboks, the males of which have characteristic spiraled horns	Least Concern	Achieving a speed of 80 km (50 miles) per hour, the blackbuck is one of the fastest animals in the world.	Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar, Gujarat
Western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock)	Arunachal Pradesh*	Large-armed, white-browed primate known for its swinging locomotion through trees and loud vocalizations	Endangered	The hoolock gibbon is the only ape species found in India.	Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)	Assam	One-horned rhinoceros and the largest of three extant Asian species	Vulnerable	The Indian rhinoceros, unlike its African counterpart, can swim in deep waters and cross rivers.	Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Gaur (Bos gaurus)	Bihar, Goa	Large species of heavy-bodied, typically blue-eyed wild cattle with a high ridge on the forepart of the back	Vulnerable	The gaur is the largest wild bovine in the world and the inspiration behind the logo and name of the energy drink Red Bull.	Wayanad-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Nagarhole range (comprising national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu)
Wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee)	Chhattisgarh	Large species of wild buffalo with two flexible joints near the hooves that allow easy movement through deep mud	Endangered	Both sexes of the wild water buffalo have large crescent-shaped horns that can grow to 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length.	Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)	Delhi	Largest species of Asian antelope, named for the blue-gray color of adult bulls	Least Concern	This antelope species forms dung piles (also called middens) by consistently defecating in the same spot.	Gir National Park, Gujarat
Asiatic lion (Panthera leo leo)	Gujarat	Subspecies of lion found only in India, with a smaller body and thinner mane than its African counterpart	Endangered	The presence of a belly fold—a lengthwise fold of skin—distinguishes Asiatic lions from African lions.	Gir National Park, Gujarat
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)	Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh	Long-haired Asian cat adapted to cold and high altitudes	Vulnerable	Snow leopards are more closely related to tigers than to leopards.	Hemis National Park, Ladakh
Kashmir red deer, also called hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu)	Jammu and Kashmir	Only extant Central Asian red deer species, the males of which have large antlers	Critically Endangered	Hanguls have a matriarchal society, and the herd follows a female leader.	Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)	Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala	Only living species of the genus Elephas, notable for its distinctive gray color, floppy large ears, and multifunctional trunk	Endangered	Asian elephants have one flaplike protrusion at the end of their trunk and use it to grasp and lift an object, whereas African elephants have two such structures, which they use to pinch and pick up an object.	Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, spread across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala
Swamp deer, also called barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii)	Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh	Medium-sized, chestnut brown deer, the males of which have large multipronged antlers that look like a crown at the top	Vulnerable	The deer’s name derives from the number of tines, or prongs, in the male’s antlers: barasingha translates to “12-horned,” but some individuals may have up to 20 prongs.	Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh
Indian giant squirrel, also called Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica)	Maharashtra	Large species of squirrel with sizable claws and tail that is endemic to India	Least Concern	It is the largest species of squirrel in the world and nicknamed the rainbow squirrel because of its vibrant red, orange, and purple fur.	Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra
Sangai, also called brow-antlered deer or dancing deer (Rucervus eldii eldii)	Manipur	Medium-sized deer endemic to India, the males of which have distinctive antlers with very long brow tines that form the main beam	Endangered	The sangai’s gait as it moves across the phumdis (floating masses of vegetation that form tiny islands in Loktak Lake) inspired its dancing deer nickname.	Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur
Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)	Meghalaya	Short-legged cat with prominently marked short, grayish brown coat and upper canines that are proportionately longer than those of other cats	Vulnerable	The rotating anklebones of the clouded leopard allow it to climb down trees headfirst, climb upside down, and hang from its back feet.	Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram
Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar)	Mizoram	Medium-sized, goatlike mammal that looks like a hybrid of a goat, cow, pig, and donkey	Vulnerable	Musky secretions from glands below the eyes of these animals are used for scent marking and indicating the reproductive status of females.	Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve, Assam
Mithun, also called gayal (Bos gaurus frontalis)	Nagaland	Semi-wild montane cattle subspecies with prominent white stockings and a dark coat	Vulnerable	Mithuns can be lured from the wild toward human settlements with salt, an essential part of the diet of all cattle.	No specific protected area designated
Chinkara, also called Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii)	Rajasthan	Small antelope species adapted to dry climates, both sexes of which have horns	Least Concern	The name chinkara derives from a word that means “sneezer” and refers to the sneezelike sound the animal makes when alarmed.	Desert National Park, Rajasthan
Sambar (Rusa unicolor)	Odisha	Large, long-tailed deer species, the males of which may weigh as much as 550 kg (1,210 pounds)	Vulnerable	Some individuals of this species develop a red neck patch of unknown function during the breeding season.	Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand
Red panda (Ailurus fulgens)	Sikkim	Long-tailed, raccoonlike mammal the size of a large domestic cat	Endangered	The red panda can taste the artificial sweetener aspartame, unlike most nonprimate species, and is related to neither the giant panda nor the raccoon, despite similarities in name or appearance.	Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim
Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)	Tamil Nadu	Goatlike horned mammal and the only mountainous hoofed species found in southern India	Endangered	These animals are more closely related to sheep than to other tahrs.	Eravikulam National Park, Kerala
Spotted deer, also called chital (Axis axis)	Telangana	Deer with a reddish brown coat marked with distinct pale spots	Least Concern	Chitals forage where monkeys are present, benefiting from the half-eaten fruits and leaves that monkeys drop and the alarm calls that monkeys make when approaching predators are spotted.	Nagarhole National Park and Tiger Reserve, Karnataka
Phayre’s leaf monkey, also called Phayre’s langur (Trachypithecus phayrei)	Tripura	Medium-sized monkey with distinctive pale markings around the eyes that look like spectacles or a bandit’s mask	Endangered	Upon maturity females leave their natal groups to join other groups, whereas males remain in their birth group. This contrasts with most primates, where females stay and males disperse.	Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura
Musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster)	Uttarakhand	Small mountain deer, the males of which produce musk	Endangered	Male musk deer do not have antlers but possess fanglike, downward-pointing tusks.	Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand
Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus, previously Felis viverrina)	West Bengal	Short-limbed, stocky, spotted cat adept at swimming, using its short tail as a rudder	Vulnerable	Fishing cats dive underwater to catch fish and also scoop fish out of water with their paws.	Chilika Lake, Odisha
Dugong, also called sea cow (Dugong dugon)	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Herbivorous marine mammal that primarily grazes on seagrass	Vulnerable	Dugongs are more closely related to elephants than to other marine mammalian groups.	Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Tamil Nadu
Indian gray mongoose (Urva edwardsii, previously Herpestes edwardsi)	Chandigarh	Coarse-coated mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia	Least Concern	These animals can fight and kill extremely venomous snakes, such as the cobra.	No specific protected area designated
Indian vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon decussatus)	Lakshadweep	Small, quick-moving, silvery-white marine fish, with gray lines on the body that form a chevron pattern	Least Concern	This fish is closely related to the angelfish.	No specific protected area designated
Common palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)	Puducherry	Squirrel species characterized by three black stripes on the back	Least Concern	The generic name Funambulus is Latin for “tightrope-walker” and is a reference to the animal’s agility.	No specific protected area designated

Manjishtha Bhattacharyya

State Animals of India

Thank you for signing up!