Parambikulam Tiger Reserve: ✅Why in news: A faunal survey in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve recorded 15 new species, including birds, butterflies, and odonates, increasing its biodiversity checklist. ✅Location: Situated in Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala, between the Anamalai Hills and Nelliampathy Hills in the Western Ghats. ✅Area: Covers 643.66 sq. km, including the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary (declared in 1973, expanded in 1984) and later notified as a Tiger Reserve in 2010. ✅Flora: 🔸Comprises evergreen, moist and dry deciduous forests, and grasslands. 🔸Home to endangered medicinal plants like Coscinium fenestratum and Utleria salicifolia (IUCN Red-listed). Fauna: ✅Mammals: Lion-tailed macaques, Malabar giant squirrel, flying squirrel, leopards, elephants, Nilgiri langurs, smooth-coated otters. ✅Amphibians & Fish: Endemic species like Tomopterna parambikulamana (frog) and Garra surendranathanii (sucker fish). ✅Tribes Found: Indigenous tribes like Kadar, Malasar, Muduvar, and Mala Malasar inhabit the reserve in six colonies. ✅Conservation Significance: A UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Western Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster. ✅Implements Project Tiger under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). #national_park_series #tiger_reserve_series #places_in_news