Wildlife of Mumbai: Species List for India's Megacity
Despite being India's densest megacity (~21M metro), Mumbai retains surprising biodiversity across Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), coastal zones, mangroves, and urban green spaces.
Mammals (SGNP & Surroundings)
- Big cats: Leopard (resident, ~40–50 in SGNP), occasional tiger dispersals
- Small cats: Rusty-spotted cat, jungle cat, fishing cat
- Canids: Golden jackal, Indian fox
- Ungulates: Sambar, chital (spotted deer), barking deer, four-horned antelope, wild boar
- Primates: Rhesus macaque, bonnet macaque, Hanuman langur
- Others: Striped hyena, sloth bear (rare), pangolin, porcupine, civets, mongooses, giant squirrels, flying foxes, bats
Birds (300+ species recorded)
- Wetland/coastal: Flamingos (Sewri mudflats), herons, egrets, ibises, sandpipers, gulls, terns
- Raptors: Brahminy kite, black kite, shikra, crested serpent eagle, white-bellied sea eagle
- Forest: Hornbills, woodpeckers, drongos, bulbuls, babblers, sunbirds, flycatchers
- Urban adapters: House crow, common myna, rock pigeon, rose-ringed parakeet, coppersmith barbet
Reptiles & Amphibians
- Snakes: Indian rock python, cobra (spectacled), Russell's viper, saw-scaled viper, common krait, rat snake, checkered keelback
- Lizards: Bengal monitor, garden lizard, geckos (house, bark), fan-throated lizard
- Amphibians: Indian bullfrog, skittering frog, cricket frog, common toad, tree frogs
Marine & Freshwater Fish
- Coastal: Bombay duck, pomfret, mackerel, sardine, anchovy, hilsa, sea bass, mullet
- Creeks/mangroves: Mudskipper, archerfish, cichlids, catfish
- Lakes/tanks: Tilapia, carp, rohu, catla (stocked)
Conservation Context
- SGNP (104 km²): World's largest urban national park; critical leopard habitat
- Threats: Habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict, pollution, encroachment
- Successes: Leopard coexistence model, flamingo recovery, mangrove restoration