12 Rare Creatures of Nepal

From the massive one horned Rhinoceros to the spider that lives far up in the Himalayas, here are 12 RARE animals of Nepal

1. The Red Panda
   Nepal is a landlocked country in Central asia on the Himalayas between China and India. For being only the 93rd largest country in the world, this area has an extremely unique wildlife due to the varying climates and terrains. One of the unique animals found here is known as a Red Panda. It’s about the size of a domestic cat and looks quite cuddly. It’s believed that only less than 10,000 Red Pandas still exist in the Western Foothills of Nepal and China. Despite the name, this animal is not apart of the Panda family and is classified in bear and racoon families.

2. The Great Hornbill

3. Asiatic Rock Python
   This snake is mostly found in India but they can slither their way up to Nepal as well. They can be found in a number of different habitats including forests, jungles, swamps and marshes to name a few. This type of python is an extremely effective swimmer and they can grow about 9 feet long! They’re generally friendly towards humans and don’t exhibit too much aggressive behavior. These strict carnivores only survive off of meat and will feast on anything from birds, other reptiles and most commonly mammals. This photo here shows it swallowing a baby deer head first. Some can lay up to 100 eggs but despite their exceptional reproductive capabilities the Asiatic rock python is classified as a near threatened species.

4. The One Horned Rhinoceros

5. Clouded Leopard
   This rare, wild and beautiful cat is found roaming around the foothills of the Himalayas in Western Nepal and they’re numbers are beginning to dwindle. These are some of the most talented cats when it comes to climbing trees and can basically scale tall vertical tree trunks with ease. The color of their fur makes them blend in quite easily with trees, and foliage quite well. These creatures are nocturnal hunters and spend most of the day time sleeping in trees, kinda like your house cat. They were actually thought to be extinct in Nepal for a long period of time but conservation efforts have been made to keep this unique wild cat in existence. Many of the bans are poorly enforced however in some countries of Asia

6. Himalayan Brown Bear

7. Himalayan Monal
   The himalayan monal is a beautifully colored pheasant which is actually the national bird of Nepal. This relatively large bird can weigh over 2 and a half pounds on average and is notable for it’s green, red, blue and even orange coloring. This is found from the mountains of Afghanistan all the way to Nepal. The Himalayan Monal is under threat from a few factors including poachers and the development of hydroelectric power which disturbs their water source. The feathers used to be popular features in mens hats throughout the himalayas however hunting them has been banned, making the hats illegal. Here we see 2 preserved spotted eggs from this bird being held at a museum.

8. Himalayan Tahr

9. The Snow Leopard
   Snow leopards cover a fairly large habitat but their numbers are few and far between. Also found in Kazakhstan, M ongolia, Kyrgyzstan,Tibet and Siberia This map we see here shows the natural habitat of the snow leopard but it’s estimated that there’s only 2500 still remaining in the wild. These guys are only slightly smaller than other big cats like lions or tigers. Snow leopards are quick and agile predators and here we can see one that hunted a himalayan marmot for a healthy snack.They have tremendous power when it comes to jumping. They’re able to leap 50 feet in some cases. They’re beginning to disappear slowly however, due to chinese traditional medicine, their pelts and because of environmental factors.

10. The Himalayan Jumping Spider

11. Gharial
    This rare fish eating crocodile with an extremely skinny jaw is considered to be critically endangered and there could be only about 235 of them left in the wild. These naturally inhabited Northern parts of india as well as parts of southern Nepal. They obviously prefer the more marshy areas but unfortunately, many have tried to keep these in captivity as pets. Their thin jaws are basically a prehistoric evolutionary adaptation for them to be more efficient in hunting fish. Male Gharials can reach sizes of up to 20 feet long! Gharials tend to have similar DNA to many dinosaurs from the cretaceous period, and it’s still kind of a miracle these aren’t completely extinct.

1.Asiatic Elephant