State Animals of India – Full List

Complete List of State Animals of India’s 28 States

The table below provides the official state animals of all 28 Indian states, along with their scientific names, general conservation status, and the reason each species is closely associated with its state.

Note: Conservation status follows the IUCN Red List where applicable. Administrative symbols may occasionally be revised by governments, so readers should refer to official notifications for the latest updates.

State	State Animal	Scientific Name	IUCN Status*	Why It Represents the State
Andhra Pradesh	Blackbuck	Antilope cervicapra	Least Concern	Native to India’s open grasslands and culturally significant across the Deccan Plateau.
Arunachal Pradesh	Mithun (Gayal)	Bos frontalis	Data Deficient	An important semi-domesticated bovine deeply woven into tribal culture and traditions.
Assam	Indian One-horned Rhinoceros	Rhinoceros unicornis	Vulnerable	Closely associated with Kaziranga National Park and Assam’s floodplain grasslands.
Bihar	Gaur (Indian Bison)	Bos gaurus	Vulnerable	India’s largest wild bovine, representing the forests of eastern India.
Chhattisgarh	Wild Water Buffalo	Bubalus arnee	Endangered	One of the state’s most important flagship wildlife species and a focus of conservation efforts.
Goa	Gaur	Bos gaurus	Vulnerable	Commonly found in Goa’s forested landscapes and protected areas.
Gujarat	Asiatic Lion	Panthera leo persica	Endangered	Gujarat is the world’s only natural home of the wild Asiatic lion.
Haryana	Blackbuck	Antilope cervicapra	Least Concern	Once widespread across the state’s grasslands and agricultural landscapes.
Himachal Pradesh	Snow Leopard	Panthera uncia	Vulnerable	Represents the fragile high-altitude ecosystems of the western Himalayas.
Jharkhand	Indian Elephant	Elephas maximus indicus	Endangered	Symbolises the state’s forests and traditional elephant corridors.
Karnataka	Indian Elephant	Elephas maximus indicus	Endangered	A flagship species of Nagarhole, Bandipur, and other protected forests.
Kerala	Indian Elephant	Elephas maximus indicus	Endangered	Closely linked with Kerala’s forests, wildlife tourism, and cultural traditions.
Madhya Pradesh	Swamp Deer (Barasingha)	Rucervus duvaucelii	Vulnerable	Famous for the successful conservation of the hard-ground barasingha in Kanha.
Maharashtra	Indian Giant Squirrel	Ratufa indica	Least Concern	An arboreal mammal commonly found in the Western Ghats and central Indian forests.
Manipur	Sangai	Rucervus eldii eldii	Endangered	Found only in and around Keibul Lamjao National Park, making it one of India’s most distinctive deer.
Meghalaya	Clouded Leopard	Neofelis nebulosa	Vulnerable	A secretive forest predator typical of Northeast India’s evergreen forests.
Mizoram	Himalayan Serow	Capricornis sumatraensis	Vulnerable	A mountain-dwelling ungulate inhabiting steep forested terrain.
Nagaland	Mithun (Gayal)	Bos frontalis	Data Deficient	Holds immense cultural, ceremonial, and economic importance among Naga communities.
Odisha	Sambar Deer	Rusa unicolor	Vulnerable	A widespread deer species inhabiting Odisha’s forests and tiger reserves.
Punjab	Blackbuck	Antilope cervicapra	Least Concern	Once abundant across the state’s plains and now protected in several reserves.
Rajasthan	Chinkara (Indian Gazelle)	Gazella bennettii	Least Concern	Well adapted to Rajasthan’s dry grasslands and desert habitats.
Sikkim	Red Panda	Ailurus fulgens	Endangered	A flagship species of Eastern Himalayan temperate forests and bamboo habitats.
Tamil Nadu	Nilgiri Tahr	Nilgiritragus hylocrius	Endangered	Endemic to the Western Ghats and strongly associated with Tamil Nadu’s montane landscapes.
Telangana	Spotted Deer (Chital)	Axis axis	Least Concern	A familiar herbivore of dry deciduous forests throughout the region.
Tripura	Phayre’s Langur	Trachypithecus phayrei	Endangered	One of Northeast India’s most distinctive primates, inhabiting evergreen forests.
Uttar Pradesh	Swamp Deer (Barasingha)	Rucervus duvaucelii	Vulnerable	Closely linked with the Terai grasslands and Dudhwa National Park.
Uttarakhand	Alpine Musk Deer	Moschus chrysogaster	Endangered	Represents the alpine forests and meadows of the higher Himalayas.
West Bengal	Fishing Cat	Prionailurus viverrinus	Vulnerable	A wetland specialist associated with marshes, mangroves, and river systems.

Field Note

Several state animals are not unique to a single state. Species such as the Indian Elephant, Blackbuck, Mithun, Gaur, and Swamp Deer have been adopted by multiple states because they are ecologically important across larger regions or hold deep cultural significance.

Complete List of Union Territory Animals

Although union territories receive less attention than states, many have also designated official animal symbols that reflect their local biodiversity.

Union Territory	Official Animal	Scientific Name	Notes
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Dugong (Sea Cow)	Dugong dugon	A rare marine mammal inhabiting shallow coastal waters and seagrass meadows.
Chandigarh	Indian Grey Mongoose	Herpestes edwardsii	A small carnivore commonly found in northern India.
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu	No widely accepted official animal listed in several reference sources	—	Different references vary; readers should consult official government notifications for any updates.
Delhi	Nilgai (Blue Bull)	Boselaphus tragocamelus	Widely cited, although recent reporting has questioned whether an official notification exists.
Jammu & Kashmir	Hangul (Kashmir Stag)	Cervus hanglu hanglu	Retained following the reorganisation of the former state and remains an important conservation flagship.
Ladakh	Snow Leopard	Panthera uncia	Officially adopted after the creation of the Union Territory, reflecting the region’s high-altitude wildlife.
Lakshadweep	Butterfly Fish	Family Chaetodontidae	Represents the coral reef ecosystems surrounding the islands.
Puducherry	Indian Palm Squirrel	Funambulus palmarum	A familiar small mammal found throughout the union territory.