About Vela carli:
- Vela carli is an endemic freshwater crab found only in the forests and streams of the Central Western Ghats.
- It belongs to family Gecarcinucidae.
- It is for the first instance it showed gynandromorphy (a rare condition in which individuals exhibit both male and female characteristics)
- The bodies of the crabs displayed male reproductive structures, while other parts showcased female features, including gonopores
- It is rare in crustaceans and has never before been reported in the freshwater crab family Gecarcinucidae.
Key Facts about Silent Valley National Park
- Location: It is located in Kerala.
- It constitutes the centerpiece of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, sanctified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.
- River: It is nourished by the Kunthipuzha River.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fauna: It is famous for its population of lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langur, Malabar giant squirrel, Indian elephant, tiger, leopard, and gaur (Indian bison).
