Situated in the Western Ghats (13° 54' 10" to 14° 16' 31" N and 74° 82' 23" to 74° 59' 45" E), the Sharavathi sanctuary is clothed in dense evergreen and semi-evergreen forests and is contiguous with Mookambika sanctuary to the south. The Lingamakki reservoir on the Sharavathi river spreads across almost half the sanctuary. Lying at the junction of the northern sahyadris, it has floral and faunal elements of both regions. Spices, soapnuts, natural dyes, thousands of medicinal plants, fruits, oil seeds, varieties of cane and bamboo, dhupa, gum, and honey are only some of the gifts of this magical forest. This is a forest alive with megafauna - elephant and tiger. Commonly founds are sloth bear, samber, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, malabar flying squirrel and giant flying squirrel. Three types of civets, common palm, small Indian, and brown palm civet all exist here along with three primate species. The hanuman langur, bonnet and lion tailed macaque. These animals of the tree tops require a top dense canopy to continue their ancient chain of life. If the trees go, they go other mammals in valley include the wild boar, dhole, gaur, blackednaped hare, jackal, leopard, slender loris, common mongoose, common Indian pangolin. Over thirty different reptiles found refuge here, including the python and the king cobra.