**2. Study area**

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is one of the few areas in the country with a rich and varied terrain, flora and fauna. Mudumalai plays an important role in biodiversity conservation of especially large mammals, by offering habitat contiguity of about 3300 km2 with three other protected areas in the region, namely Nagarahole and Bandipur National Park and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary through forest corridors between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. The reserve was created in 1940, the first in southern India, with an area of 60 km2 . In 1956, it was enlarged to 295 km2 and later to a further 321 km2 and 688.59km2 core zone = 321 km2 and buffer zone = 367.59 km2 which it is present extent (**Figure 1**). Champion and Seth [13] classified the vegetation type in Mudumalai as Southern Tropical dry thorn forest, Southern Tropical dry deciduous forest, Southern Tropical moist deciduous forest, Southern Tropical semi-evergreen, Moist bamboo brakes, and Riparian fringing forest.

**Figure 1.** *Map showing the surveyed riverine habitats in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.*
