Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary Gujarat

This sanctuary with area of 7506.22 sq.km. is the largest in the state, encompasses a true saline desert where thousands of Flamingoes nest and breed in the world famous Flamingo City while a 5000-year-old city lies buried in an eternal silence close by. This area was declared a sanctuary in February 1986.
The Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary of Gujarat comprises of forest area, revenue wasteland and territorial water of the Arabian Sea. Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the north-eastern part of Kutch district that borders Pakistan and Wild Ass Sanctuary.
Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary represents one of the largest seasonal saline wetland areas having water depth between 0.5 to 1.5 metres. But, after October-November, water dries up and the entire area turns into saline desert. The sanctuary supports wide variety of water birds and bewildering range of mammalian wildlife.

About the Sanctuary

The sanctuary has some other attractions as well. Embedded below the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks on Khadir, Kuvar and Pachchham bets, are plenty of fossils of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. There are records of recovery of fossils of dinosaurs, crocodiles (of Dinosaurian period) and whales (of tertiary period). Fossilised forests have also been found in the rocks belonging to Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. The fossils of invertebrates include those of amonites, sea urchins and such othersThe sanctuary has some other attractions as well. Embedded below the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks on Khadir, Kuvar and Pachchham bets, are plenty of fossils of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. There are records of recovery of fossils of dinosaurs, crocodiles (of Dinosaurian period) and whales (of tertiary period). Fossilised forests have also been found in the rocks belonging to Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. The fossils of invertebrates include those of amonites, sea urchins and such others.

Important animals-

Wolf, hyena, jackal, chinkara, wild ass, bluebull, wild boar, Indian porcupine, pale hedgehog, mongoose, rufous-tailed hare, desert fox, spiny tailed lizard etc.

Important birds:

Greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, pelicans, black-necked storks, cormorant, Indian cormorant, brahmini duck, pintail, spotbill, shoveller, pochard, sandpiper, gulls, terns, stints, plovers etc

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