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Wildlife of India

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Wildlife of India
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Wildlife population

Indiais one of the mostbiodiverseregions and is home to a large variety of wildlife. It is one of the 17megadiverse countriesand includes three of the world's 36biodiversity hotspots– theWestern Ghats,theEastern Himalayas,and theIndo-Burmahotspot.[1][2]

About 24.6% of the total land area is covered by forests. It has various ecosystems ranging from the high altitudeHimalayas,tropical evergreen forestsalong the Western Ghats,desertin the north-west, coastal plains andmangrovesalong the peninsular region. India lies within theIndomalayan realmand is home to about 7.6% ofmammal,14.7% ofamphibian,6% ofbird,6.2% ofreptilian,and 6.2% offlowering plantspecies.

Human encroachment,deforestationandpoachingare significant challenges that threaten the existence of certain fauna and flora.Government of Indiaestablished a system ofnational parksandprotected areasin 1935, which have been subsequently expanded to nearly 1022 protected areas by 2023. India has enacted theWildlife Protection Act of 1972and special projects such asProject Tiger,Project ElephantandProject Dolphinfor protection of critical species.

Fauna

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Main article:Fauna of India
Indian elephant,the largest animal species in India

India has an estimated 92,873 species of fauna, roughly about 7.5% of the species available worldwide.[3][4]Insects form the major category with 63423 recorded species. India is home to 423mammals,1233birds,526reptiles,342amphibians,3022fishapart from other species which form 7.6% of mammal, 14.7% of amphibian, 6% of bird, 6.2% of reptilian species worldwide.[3][5]Among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.[5]

TheIndian subcontinentwas formerly an island landmass (Insular India) that split away fromGondwanaaround 125 million years ago, during theEarly Cretaceous.[6]Late CretaceousInsular Indian faunas were very similar to those found on Madagascar due to their shared connection until around 90 million years ago.[7]TheCretaceous-Paleogene extinction eventaround 66 million years ago caused the extinction of many animals native to Insular India, such as itstitanosaurianandabelisauriddinosaurs.[8]During the earlyCenozoic era,around 55-50 million years ago, the Indian subcontinent collided withLaurasia,allowing animals from Asia to migrate into the Indian subcontinent. Some elements of India's modern fauna, such as the frog familyNasikabatrachidaeand thecaecillianfamilyChikilidae,are suggested to have been present in India prior to its collision with Asia.[6]

Four species ofmegafauna(large animals) native to India became extinct during theLate Pleistocenearound 10,000-50,000 years ago as part of aglobal wave of megafauna extinctions,these include the very large elephantPalaeoloxodon namadicus(possibly the largest land mammal to have ever lived), the elephant relativeStegodon,the hippopotamusHexaprotodon,and the equineEquus namadicus.These extinctions are thought to have been after the arrival of modern humans on the Indian subcontinent.Ostricheswere also formerly native to India, but also became extinct during the Late Pleistocene.[9][10]

India is home to several well-known large animals, including theIndian elephant,[11]Indian rhinoceros,[12]andGaur.[4]India is the only country where thebig catstigerandlionexist in the wild. Members of thecat familyincludeBengal tiger,[13]Asiatic lion,[14]Indian leopard,[15]snow leopard,[16]andclouded leopard.[17]Representative and endemic species includeblackbuck,nilgai,bharal,barasingha,Nilgiri tahr,andNilgiri langur.[4]

There are about 31 species of aquatic mammals includingdolphins,whales,porpoises,anddugong.[18]Reptiles include thegharial,the only living members ofGavialisandsaltwater crocodiles.[4]Birds includepeafowl,pheasants,geese,ducks,mynas,parakeets,pigeons,cranes,hornbills,andsunbirds.[4]Endemic bird species includegreat Indian hornbill,great Indian bustard,nicobar pigeon,ruddy shelduck,Himalayan monal,andHimalayan quail.[19][20]

Flora

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Lotus,the national flower of India
Main article:Flora of India

About 24.6% of the total land area is covered by forests.[21]It has variousecoregionsranging from the high altitudeHimalayas,tropical evergreen forestsalong the Western Ghats,desertin the north-west, coastal plains andmangrovesalong the peninsular region.[22]India's climate has become progessively drier since the lateMiocene,reducing forest cover in northern India in favour of grassland.[23]

There are about 29,015 species of plants including 17,926 species offlowering plants.This is about 9.1% of the total plant species identified worldwide and 6,842 species are endemic to India. Other plant species include 7,244algae,2,504bryophytes,1,267pteridophytesand 74gymnosperms.[3]One-third of the fungal diversity of the world exists in India with over 27,000 recorded species, making it the largest biotic community after insects.[24][25]

Conservation

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Main article:Conservation in India

India harbors 172 (2.9%)IUCN-designated threatened species.[26]These include 39 species ofmammals,72 species ofbirds,17 species ofreptiles,three species ofamphibians,two species offish,and a number ofinsectsincludingbutterflies,moths,andbeetles.[4][27]

Human encroachment,deforestationandpoachingare significant challenges that threaten the existence of certain fauna and flora.Government of Indiaestablished a system ofnational parksandprotected areasin 1935, which have been subsequently expanded to nearly 1022 protected areas by 2023. Various laws have been enacted such asIndian Forest Act, 1927andWildlife Protection Act of 1972and special projects such asProject Tiger,Project ElephantandProject Dolphinhave been initiated for the protection of forests, wildlife and critical species.[28][29]

As of 2023, there are 1022protected areasincluding 106national parks,573wildlife sanctuaries,220 conservation reserves and 123 community reserves. In addition, there are 55 tiger reserves, 18 biosphere reserves and 32 elephant reserves.[21]

National symbols

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National symbols of India
Symbol Name Scientific name Image Reference
Animal Bengal tiger Panthera tigris [30]
Bird Indian peafowl Pavo cristatus [30]
Flower Lotus Nelumbo nucifera [31]
Tree Banyan Ficus benghalensis [31]
Fruit Mango Mangifera indica [31]
Aquatic animal Ganges river dolphin Platanista gangetica [32]
Heritage animal Indian elephant Elephas maximus [33]
Reptile King cobra Ophiophagus hannah [33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Stephen, A.; Suresh, R. & Livingstone, C. (2015)."Indian Biodiversity: Past, Present and Future".International Journal of Environment and Natural Sciences.7:13–28.
  2. ^"Biodiversity Hotspots".CEPF.Retrieved5 March2017.
  3. ^abc"List of Species".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
  4. ^abcdef"Fauna of India".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
  5. ^abBiodiversity profile for India(Report). United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Centre.Retrieved1 December2023.
  6. ^abParmar, Varun; Prasad, G.V.R. (1 March 2020)."Vertebrate evolution on the Indian raft - Biogeographic conundrums".Episodes.43(1): 461–475.doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2020/020029.ISSN0705-3797.
  7. ^Thomas John Dixon Halliday (15 February 2017)."Faunal similarity in Madagascan and South Indian Late Cretaceous vertebrate faunas".Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.468:70-75.
  8. ^Chatterjee, Sankar (2020), Prasad, Guntupalli V.R.; Patnaik, Rajeev (eds.),"The Age of Dinosaurs in the Land of Gonds",Biological Consequences of Plate Tectonics,Cham:Springer International Publishing,pp. 181–226,doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49753-8_8,ISBN978-3-030-49752-1,retrieved12 August2024
  9. ^Turvey, Samuel T.; Sathe, Vijay; Crees, Jennifer J.; Jukar, Advait M.; Chakraborty, Prateek; Lister, Adrian M. (January 2021)."Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions in India: How much do we know?".Quaternary Science Reviews.252:106740.Bibcode:2021QSRv..25206740T.doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106740.S2CID234265221.
  10. ^Jukar, A.M.; Lyons, S.K.; Wagner, P.J.; Uhen, M.D. (January 2021)."Late Quaternary extinctions in the Indian Subcontinent".Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.562:110137.Bibcode:2021PPP...56210137J.doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110137.S2CID228877664.
  11. ^Baskaran, N. & Desai, A. A. (1996)."Ranging behaviour of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, South India "(PDF).SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group.15:41–57.
  12. ^Choudhury, A. U. (1985)."Distribution of Indian one-horned rhinoceros".Tiger Paper.12(2): 25–30.
  13. ^Jhala, Y. V.; Qureshi, Q.; Nayak, A. K. (2019).Status of Tigers, Co-Predators and Prey in India 2018. Summary Report. TR No./2019/05.New Delhi, Dehradun: National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India.
  14. ^Singh, H. S. & Gibson, L. (2011)."A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) of Gir forest "(PDF).Biological Conservation.144(5): 1753–1757.doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009.
  15. ^Mondal, K.; Gupta, S.; Bhattacharjee, S.; Qureshi, Q. & K. Sankar (2012)."Prey selection, food habits and dietary overlap between leopardPanthera pardus(Mammalia: Carnivora) and re-introduced tigerPanthera tigris(Mammalia: Carnivora) in a semi-arid forest of Sariska Tiger Reserve, Western India ".Italian Journal of Zoology.79(4): 607–616.doi:10.1080/11250003.2012.687402.
  16. ^Mishra, C. (1997)."Livestock depredation by large carnivores in the Indian trans-Himalaya: conflict perceptions and conservation prospects"(PDF).Environmental Conservation.24(4): 338–343.doi:10.1017/S0376892997000441.
  17. ^Choudhury, A. U. (1992)."The Clouded Leopard in Assam".Oryx.27(1): 51–53.doi:10.1017/s0030605300023966.
  18. ^Aquatic mammals of India(PDF)(Report). Marine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India. 2011.Retrieved1 December2023.
  19. ^"7 Rare and Exotic Wildlife Species that can be found in India".19 June 2015.
  20. ^"Animals in Indian Sub-Continent".Archived fromthe originalon 2 March 2022.
  21. ^ab"Protected areas".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
  22. ^"Eco-regions of India".Ecoregion restoration alliance.Retrieved1 December2023.
  23. ^Polissar, Pratigya J.; Uno, Kevin T.; Phelps, Samuel R.; Karp, Allison T.; Freeman, Katherine H.; Pensky, Jennifer L. (April 2021)."Hydrologic Changes Drove the Late Miocene Expansion of C 4 Grasslands on the Northern Indian Subcontinent".Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology.36(4).doi:10.1029/2020PA004108.ISSN2572-4517.
  24. ^Manoharachary, C.; Sridhar, K.; Singh, R.; Adholeya, A.; Suryanarayanan, T. S.; Rawat, S. & Johri, B.N. (2005)."Fungal biodiversity: Distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India"(PDF).Current Science.89(1). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 August 2017.
  25. ^Fungal biodiversity: Distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India(Report).Retrieved1 December2023.
  26. ^Groombridge, B. (1993). The 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (Report). IUCN. p. 286.
  27. ^"India's bird populations 'declining sharply', research shows".18 February 2020.Retrieved1 December2023.
  28. ^Tritsch, M.E. (2001).Wildlife of India.London: Harper Collins.ISBN0-00-711062-6.
  29. ^Singh, M. P.; Singh, J. K.; Mohanka, R. (2007).Forest Environment and Biodiversity.Daya Publishing House. pp. 116–118.ISBN9788170354215.
  30. ^ab"National symbols".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
  31. ^abc"National symbols of India".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
  32. ^"Dolphin becomes India's national aquatic animal".Hindustan Times.Archived fromthe originalon 8 October 2009.
  33. ^ab"Significant symbols".The Hindu.8 August 2011.Retrieved1 December2023.

Further reading

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