Mammals:
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is mainly known for its tigers. It has typical central Indian fauna with more than 22 species of mammals. Common langur and rhesus macaque represent the primate group. Among the carnivore species jackal, Bengal fox, sloth bear, rattle, grey (small Indian) and ruddy mongoose, striped hyena, wolf, wild dog, jungle cat, leopard and tiger are prominent. Ungulates (animals which walk on tips of their toes) include chital, sambhar, barking deer, chinkara, chausingha, nilgai and wild pig. Porcupine, lesser bandicoot and three-striped palm squirrel are among the rodents. Small Indian civet and toddy cat are also found here though seen rarely being nocturnal. Another nocturnal animal, the rufous-tailed hare is also seen usually during dusk. The wild dog, Bengal fox, sloth bear, leopard and tiger found in Bandhavgarh are listed as threatened animals in IUCN Red List.

Tiger:
The majestic Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of India and virtually the most charismatic animal of the country. And Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is the best place to see a tiger in wild, as the density of tiger is remarkably high in this area. The variation in coat colour is also an important feature of tigers of this area. It was in the adjoining forests of this park that the erstwhile Maharaja of Rewa had captured the famous white tiger Mohan, in 1951.

Leopard:
This is the most adaptable big cat species. The rasping call of the leopard, called ‘sawing’ because it resembles the sound of wood being sawed, is a familiar nocturnal call in the jungle. It is a good climber and it's comparatively long tail helps in maintaining balance while climbing up or down. It is usually active at dawn and dusk. It hunts small preys and at times hauls the carcasses upon the trees. It tends to live at the periphery of forests near villages where it can pick up stray livestock. A leopard can weigh anywhere between 39 and 68 kg. It breeds all the year round and gestation is of about 3 months. Leopard is a shy animal and its sightings are not very common here.

Chital:
The most common and most easily visible deer in Bandhavgarh is chital or the spotted deer. Males have antlers, which they shed annually. Females do not have antlers. Average weight of a chital is about 85 kg and average height at shoulder is 90 cm. Chital breeds throughout the year and they are prolific breeders as they may produce twice in a year. Chital is an important prey species for tiger.

Sambhar:
This is the largest deer of India with grandest antlers. It weighs 225-320 kg with a shoulder height of 150 cm. Males cast antlers during March-April which re-grow in May. It is a forest dwelling species and feeds mainly at night. Sambhar is solitary in habit and is usually not seen in herds. One can easily sight a sambhar browsing behind the trees and moving quietly.

Barking deer:
Barking deer is small in size with a shoulder height of 50-75 cm and weighing only 22-23 kg. Due to the presence of bony ridges that run along its head up to its antler, it is also known as rib-faced deer. It keeps to more or less thick jungle. Its call from a distance sounds much like the bark of a dog, hence the name barking deer. It is seen singly or in pairs. It sheds its antlers in May-June and breeds throughout the year. It is a shy animal and its sighting is quite rare in the Park. Once observed, it tends to dash into the undergrowth in a flash.

Nilgai, Chausingha and Chinkara:
Nilgai (blue bull) and chausingha (four-horned antelope) are the antelopes and chinkara (Indian gazelle) the only gazelle found in Bandhavgarh. Nilgai is a good runner. The bull has horns. It both grazes and browses. Sparsely forested hills are their usual haunts. They have the peculiar habit of depositing their droppings at the same spot. Chausingha is the only antelope with two pairs of horns. The females are hornless. They live in open jungle and close to water. They are usually seen alone or in pairs, though their sighting is not easy. Chinkara is of small and elegant build. It lives in wastelands and thin jungles. It requires very little water. Both male and female have horns but hornless females are also not uncommon. All these species are seen in the drier regions of Bandhavgarh.

Wolf, Wild Dog, Fox and Jackal:
All these represent the dog family in the park. These are pack hunters. Settle for small prey when alone but go for larger prey animals when in-group. Wolf is the biggest of all. Wild dogs live in dense forest where there is enough food and water. They act daringly even in front of a tiger when in a large pack. Fox is smaller in size and is usually a solitary hunter. It breeds usually in November-December. Jackal hunts smaller animals. It is a good scavenger also. It lives near villages and is usually active after dusk. The call of the jackal is a long howl and they frequently set each other off by calling in the late evening.

Sloth bear:
This is 65 to 85 cm in height and weighs about 120 to 145 kg. It is a nocturnal animal and looks for food all night. It lives in forest and is quite unpredictable in nature. Sudden encounters of man with a sloth bear are dangerous. Insects are its main food though it likes to eat fruits and honey also. Termites are its favourite food, which it sucks through the gap caused by its missing front teeth.

Wild pig:
This is an omnivore animal. A well grown male stands 90 cm high at shoulder and may weigh more than 230 kg. The tushes are well developed in males. No animal is more destructive to crops than wild pigs. They are highly prolific and breed throughout the year. They are easily seen in the Park.

Langur:
Langurs are 60 to 75 cm high when seated, the tail length being 90 to 100 cm. They weigh between 9 to 16 kg. They are more arboreal in habit. Langurs are pure vegetarians. Leopard is their major enemy. The females have young ones every two years with gestation period of about six months. They are the most easily sighted animal in the Park with chital. This commonly seen association is a unique protective mechanism.

Reptiles
Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrate (i.e. having backbone) animals and need sun’s warmth to be active. Their bodies are covered with tough waterproof scales. Snakes, lizards, skink, turtle and calotes belonging to this group are found in Bandhavgarh.

Indian Rock Python (Ajgar):
This is a thick bodied, smooth scaled, slow moving non-poisonous snake, which feeds on mainly rodents, fruit bats, birds, jackals, civets, dear and wild pigs. They are nocturnal and need large, undisturbed areas to hunt and hide in.

Common Vine Snake (Harahara):
This is a green, long, slender and smooth scaled snake. This is diurnal and usually seen on low bushes or trees, rarely on ground. It feeds mainly on lizards, frogs, small birds and mice. It is mildly venomous.

Russell’s Viper (Daboia):
This is a brown snake with three longitudinal series of prominent, large brown or black oval or round spots. The head is triangular which is broader than neck. It is nocturnal and feeds on rodents. It is highly venomous.

Striped Keelback (Dhoria):
This is a slender bodied snake with keeled scales. It has brown back with two distinct ribbon-like yellowish stripes from neck to tip of tail. It is one of India’s most common diurnal snakes. It feeds on insects, tadpoles, small toads and frogs. It is non-venomous.

Bengal Monitor Lizard (Goh):
One of the largest lizards, monitor lizards have elongated head, unusually long neck and tail. They are carnivores and feed on insects, crabs, molluscs, rodents, birds and carrion. They are fond of eggs. They eat any animal, which they can overpower. Once spotted it runs off into cover at an unexpectedly rapid pace.

Skink (Bhabani):
It is generally small ground dwelling very common lizard easily recognized by their glossy scales. The small limbs and elongated body give it the appearance of a snake. It mainly feeds on insects. It slips through dry leaves looking for its prey.

Butterflies and other insects

Butterflies:
Butterflies are one of the most beautiful and colourful of insects sometimes also called flying flowers or flying jewels. Greeks believed that when the soul leaves the body, it flies to heaven like a butterfly. They do not bite or sting. Butterflies belong to order lepidoptera of class insecta.

One can mistake a moth for a butterfly. But the most significant difference between them is in the structure of their antennae. The antennae of butterflies always have club-like swelling either at the tip or just before it. The antennae of moths are never clubbed and maybe branched, thread-like or feathery.

Butterflies are very important part of nature’s food chain because of their abundance and short life cycle. They form the preferred food of many species of birds, reptiles, spiders and predatory insects. Butterflies are extremely sensitive to the changes in habitat and weather conditions, thus act as indicators of environmental changes. They are also very important pollinating agents of a variety of floral species.

Bandhavgarh harbours more than 75 species of butterflies.

Spiders: Several species of spiders are found in Bandhavgarh. They build different types of fascinating webs. The giant wood spiders with their enormous orb webs are a beautiful sight especially in early mornings when they sparkle with dew. The large female usually sits in the center of the web while smaller males await a chance to mate. Once they mate, the female catches and eats the poor male.

Moths: Several beautiful moths are found in Bandhavgarh at night because of their nocturnal nature. The Moon moth and the Owl moth are large spectacular moths. The Moon moth is silvery pale green with elongated wings that form two tail like ribbons. The Owl moth is a large brown moth with two distinctive eye-like spots which give it an appearance of a large staring predator that is enough to scare off its predators.