About Silent Valley National Park:
- It is a stretch of pristine wet evergreen forest located along the southwest corner of the Nilgiris in South India, in the State of Kerala.
- It is one of the last undisturbed tracts of tropical rainforest in India.
- It constitutes the centerpiece of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, sanctified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.
- It is nourished by the Kunthipuzha River, which meanders through the dense forest.
- The valley is said to be "silent" because of the absence of the cicadas, a type of insect that produces a loud buzzing sound in many forests.
- Vegetation: It has four types of vegetation "West Coast tropical evergreen forest, southern sub-tropical broad-leaved hill forest, montane wet temperature forest, and grasslands.
- The park's dense forests, riverine ecosystems, and high-altitude grasslands provide a habitat for a variety of species, many of which are endemic to the Western Ghats.
- Flora:
- The flora of the valley includes about 1000 species of flowering plants, 107 species of orchids, 100 ferns and fern allies, 200 liverworts, 75 lichens, and about 200 algae.
- Plants of high medicinal value as well as the towering Culinea trees are also found here.
- Fauna:
- The park is famous for its population of lion-tailed macaques, an endangered primate species that is endemic to the Western Ghats.
- Other notable mammals include the Nilgiri langur, Malabar giant squirrel, Indian elephant, tiger, leopard, and gaur (Indian bison).
- The park is also home to over 200 species of birds, including the great Indian hornbill, Nilgiri wood pigeon, and several species of eagles and owls.
