Marayur is a remote village on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Relics of the New Stone Age have been unearthed here. It has ancient stone cabins, called 'Muniyaras', and is the only place in Kerala with natural growth of sandalwood trees. Marayur has more than 1,000 species of flowering plants and is a well-known repository of medicinal plants. There are 114 endemic species and the sighting of Albizia lathamii, a critically endangered tree, was recently reported from the dry forests. Chinnar - the wildlife sanctuary in Marayur - has recorded the largest number of reptilian species, including the mugger crocodile, in Kerala. With 225 recorded species of birds, it is one of the richest areas in avian diversity in South India. The forests in Marayur preserve a population of the endangered grizzled giant squirrel. The rare white bison has been recently reported in Chinnar wildlife sanctuary. Other important mammals found are elephant, tiger, leopard, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, Nilgiri thar, common langur, bonnet macaque, etc. The phenomenon of butterfly migration occurs in between the monsoons.