Page 305 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

WEST BENGAL & SIKKIM  303

Flora and Fauna of the Eastern Himalayas

The Eastern Himalayas and their foothills in northern Bengal, Sikkim and the
northeastern states are exceptionally rich in rare flora and fauna. This region receives
the brunt of the Southwest Monsoon winds as they rise over the Bay of Bengal and hit
the Eastern Himalayas with full force, gradually losing impetus as they travel westward.
The resulting high moisture content in the air and soil has helped create a habitat of
dense virgin forests, fertile hillsides and lush alpine pastures. Among the plants that
can be seen in this region are over 50 species of rhododendron, 500 species of orchid
and several varieties of primula and bamboo. Typical fauna of the region include
yaks, blue sheep and red pandas. Local folklore adds another – the elusive Yeti or
Abominable Snowman, glimpsed by many mountaineers.

The blue poppy
(Meconopsis
betonicifolia),
which attracted
famous 19th-
century plant
hunters such as
Joseph Hooker
to the Eastern
Himalayas, grows Orchids, such as
above the tree this beautiful yellow
line, in alpine dendrobium species, festoon
pastures where The cardiocrinum the forests of Arunachal
yaks graze. lily (Cardiocrinum Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur,
giganteum) is highly Nagaland and Sikkim.
scented. It grows in
temperate forests
of oak, maple and
rhododendron
in Sikkim. The great pied hornbill,
(Buceros bicornis) with its
huge yellow beak, is
common in the
forests of
Magnolia Arunachal
campbelli Pradesh, where
with its lovely several tribes
white blossom, sport its
blooms profusely black-and-
in early spring in the white feathers in
temperate forests their headdress.
of the Darjeeling
hills and Sikkim.

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens),
also called the cat-bear, is a bright
chestnut colour with white-
rimmed ears and a bushy tail.
One of its favourite foods
is dwarf bamboo, which
grows in the temperate
forests of Arunachal
Pradesh and Sikkim. The The yak is greatly prized in Sikkim. It serves as
red panda is the state a pack animal, and also provides milk and meat,
animal of Sikkim. and wool from its shaggy coat.

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