About Satkosia Tiger Reserve:
- It is located in the heartland of Odisha and spread over four districts viz. Angul, Cuttack, Boudh and Nayagarh.
- It comprises two adjoining sanctuaries, namely Baisipalli Sanctuary and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary.
- The reserve has an area of 963.87sq km with 523.61sq km as core area.
- The area is also a part of the Mahanadi elephant reserve. The river Mahanadi flows through the valleys in the middle of the reserve.
- Satkosia is the meeting point of two biogeographic regions of India; the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.
- Landscape: The terrain is hilly, with moderate to steep slopes and narrow valleys. The average elevation of the terrain varies between 37 m and 932 m, with the lowest point being at Katrang and the highest point being at Sunakhania.
- Vegetation: The forest vegetation comprises North Indian tropical moist deciduous forests and Moist peninsular low-level Sal.
- Flora:
- The main tree species is Sal, which grows in gregarious formations.
- Other associate species are Asan (Terminalia alata), Dhaura (Anogeissus latifolia), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) and Simal (Bombax ceiba).
- Fauna:
- The reserve has a low population of tiger, leopard, elephant, spotted deer, sambar, chowsingha, barking deer, bison, wild dog, sloth bear, jackal, giant squirrel, and porcupine.
- It is the natural habitat of two endangered species, viz., the fresh water crocodile and the gharial.
