Silent Valley, the rainforest in the Nilgiri Hills that the Forest Department records as a national park
Background
The Kerala Forest Department describes Silent Valley National Park as a pristine tropical rainforest in the Nilgiri Hills of Kerala, renowned for its biodiversity. It was declared a national park in 1985. The department lists its endangered fauna as the lion-tailed macaque, scientific name Macaca silenus, the Nilgiri langur and the Malabar giant squirrel. The park is a stretch of tropical moist evergreen forest. It is one of a small group of national parks that the department says showcase the biodiversity of the Western Ghats.
Declared a national park:
1985
Hills:
Nilgiri Hills
Flagship species:
Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)
Why it matters for exams: The year it became a national park and the lion-tailed macaque's scientific name are asked repeatedly in state and central examinations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Macaca silenus Macaca silenus — The scientific name of the lion-tailed macaque, an endangered primate of the Western Ghats.