:Fauna of India

{{see also | Indian natural history | Flora of India | Wildlife of India | Endangered Mammals of India | List of Indian state birds }}

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File:FAMILY TIME.jpg pride]]

[[Indian rhinoceros|thumb]]

[[Gaur|thumb]]

[[Indian peafowl|thumb]]

[[Indian cobra|thumb]]

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File:Ophrysia superciliosa hm.jpg from A. O. Hume's work. Last seen in 1876]]

[[Nilgiri langur|thumb]]

[[Indian vulture|thumb]]

[[Red panda|thumb]]

[[Olive ridley turtle|thumb]]

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with its headquarters in Kolkata (the capital of West Bengal) and 16 regional stations is responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India. Possessing a tremendous diversity of climate and physical conditions, India has a great variety of fauna, numbering 89,451 species.

The mammals include the Indian elephant, the gaur or erroneously the Indian bison - the largest of existing bovines, the great Indian rhinoceros, and the wild water buffalo. Deer and antelopes include the barasingha, the sangai, chital, sambar deer, Indian hog deer, Himalayan musk deer, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, Kashmir stag, Tibetan antelope, blackbuck, chausingha, goa, Indian gazelle, and nilgai. There are also wild donkeys like Indian wild ass and kiang, and caprines like Bhutan takin, Mishmi takin, red serow, Himalayan serow, red goral, Himalayan goral, markhor, Siberian ibex, Nilgiri tahr, Himalayan tahr, urial, argali, and blue sheep. These caprines are generally found in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), as well as the Dooars forest and the Terai region, floodplains at the base of the Himalayas. A notable exception is the Nilgiri tahr which is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. There are several big cats; the Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, Eurasian lynx and caracal. Lesser cat species include fishing cat, Asiatic wildcat, jungle cat, Pallas's cat, Bengal cat, marbled cat, Asian golden cat, and leopard cat. There are also canines such as Ussuri dhole, Indian jackal, Indian wolf, Bengal fox, Tibetan wolf, and Tibetan fox. Another carnivore is the striped hyena.

Several birds, like greater flamingos, Brahminy ducks, white-breasted waterhen, pheasant-tailed jacana, Eurasian spoonbills, lesser flamingos, purple herons, great and cattle egret, Indian pond herons, oriental magpie-robins, Nicobar pigeons, Indian mynas, Indian rollers, slaty-breasted rails, greater coucals, black-bellied terns, Indian pittas, Indian paradise flycatchers, sarus cranes, Siberian cranes, demoiselle cranes, great hornbills, rose-ringed parakeets, vernal hanging parrots, knob-billed ducks, painted storks, and Asian openbills are found in the various habitats of the country. The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India. Pheasants include red junglefowl, grey junglefowl, Himalayan monals, satyr tragopans, and kalij pheasants; the great Indian bustard is also common in grasslands. Predatory birds include the Northern goshawk, shikra, black kite, white-bellied sea eagle, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, Indian vulture, slender-billed vulture, and white-backed vulture. The house crow and Indian jungle crow are some crow species in India. Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse is a sandgrouse found in India.

There are several species of small mammals in India. These include the Asian house shrew, the northern and greater hog badger, the Chinese ferret-badger, the honey badger, the Indian pangolin, and the Chinese pangolin. Arboreal small mammals include the Nilgiri marten, small-toothed palm civet, Asian palm civet, small Indian civet, large Indian civet, binturong, and red panda. The bears of India are sun bear, sloth bear, Himalayan black bear, and Himalayan brown bear.

There are also many primates in India. The apes of India are the gibbons; western hoolock gibbon and eastern hoolock gibbon. Macaques include rhesus macaque, bonnet macaque, lion-tailed macaque, Northern pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque, Arunachal macaque, white-cheeked macaque and Assamese macaque among others. The various species of langurs include purple-faced langur, the Nilgiri langur, the Gee's golden langur and capped langur. There is also the Phayre's leaf monkey. The suids in India are Indian boar and the critically endangered pygmy hog. There are lagomorphs like the critically endangered hispid hare, the woolly hare and the black-naped hare. The Royle's pika and Himalayan marmot are some of the montane small mammals. There is also the large Malabar giant squirrel, Indian palm squirrel, Indian gerbil, porcupine species Indian crested porcupine and hedgehog species bare-bellied hedgehog and Indian hedgehog. Another predator in India is the spotted linsang, a civet-like creature.

Many animals are domesticated in India, and seeing them in the streets of villages and even cities is common. Bovines include the zebu, which descended from the extinct Indian aurochs, the domestic water buffalo, the gayal, which is a domesticated gaur, and in the northern regions domestic yak, which descended from the also native wild yak. Dromedary camel can be found in desert states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Punjab. Mongrel dogs are a common sight in most cities of India. Other small mammals found throughout urban areas are several species of mongoose and white-tailed mole. These mongoose species are ruddy mongoose, Indian grey mongoose, Indian brown mongoose, small Indian mongoose, stripe-necked mongoose, and crab-eating mongoose. The desert locust is infamous for destroying crops.

Rivers and lakes harbour mugger crocodiles and gharials. The saltwater crocodile is found along the eastern coast and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A project for breeding crocodiles started in 1974, has been instrumental in saving the crocodile from extinction. Snakes include king cobra, Indian cobra, monocled cobra, Indian rock python, reticulated python, Sri Lankan green vine snake, Brahminy blind snake, green pit viper, Salazar's pit viper, Russell's viper, saw-scaled viper and Indian krait. The cobras are an important part of Indian culture. Frogs include purple frog, Chunam tree frog, Indus Valley bullfrog, and Indian green frog. A notable newt is the Himalayan newt; it is the only salamander in India. There are also caecilian species, like the yellow-striped caecilian. India's coasts are full of sea turtles; these include the leatherback sea turtle, green sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, and olive ridley sea turtle. Indian softshell turtles and Indian flapshell turtles are found in mangrove vegetation, lagoons, and freshwater and brackish bodies. The Asian water monitor and Bengal monitor are the monitor lizards in India; there are also several gecko species like the golden gecko, and the only chameleon, Indian chameleon.

Fish are a major part of the Indian economy. The fish include tilapia, Atlantic pomfret, hilsa, barramundi, rohu, largetooth sawfish, Pearse's mudskipper, giant oceanic manta ray, leopard torpedo, among thousands of others. Hilsa and barramundi are important in the fishing industry of India, especially in West Bengal. These also include sharks, such as thresher shark, great white shark, mako shark, hammerhead shark, tiger shark, and sand tiger shark. Bull sharks and Ganges sharks are also found in freshwater areas and brackish areas such as the Sundarbans National Park, part of the world's largest mangrove forest the Sundarbans. Remora are commonly found attached to these sharks. Coral reefs in India are rich in fish such as angelfish, clownfish, powder blue tang, pufferfish, parrotfish, moray eel, Chinese trumpetfish, redtoothed triggerfish, and butterfly fish.

Marine dolphins along the coast of India include bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, and pantropical spotted dolphin among others. Finless porpoise are found along the coast as well. The endangered Irrawaddy dolphin is found in freshwater areas, such as Chilika Lake, alongside the Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin. Blue whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, dwarf sperm whales, orcas, Cuvier's beaked whales, and pygmy killer whales are the most common whales. The semi-aquatic mammals in India are otters. The species of otters are Asian small-clawed otter, Eurasian otter, and smooth-coated otter. The increasingly endangered dugong is found throughout coastal estuaries and brackish water bodies.

A notable dragonfly is the Himalayan relict dragonfly. India is also known for its butterflies, such as lesser grass blue, common blue Apollo, common mime, common Mormon, and common Pierrot. The orchid mantis is an iconic mantis found in the Western Ghats of India. Laboratory stick insects and leaf insects are found in abundance.

Stegodon elephants, Indosaurus, Himalayan quail, and pink-headed duck are famous extinct animals from India. The Himalayan quail and pink-headed duck are only presumed extinct. However, there are other quails such as rain quail in India, and the pink-headed duck's relative the Indian spot-billed duck.

Depletion of vegetative cover due to expansion of agriculture, habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, introduction of toxic imbalance in community structure, epidemics, floods, droughts and cyclones, contribute to the loss of flora and fauna. More than 39 species of mammals, 72 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, three species of amphibians, two species of fish, and a large number of butterflies, moth, and beetles are considered vulnerable and endangered.{{Cite web|last=Hawk|first=Indian|date=2021|title=Fauna of India|url=https://knowindia.gov.in/profile/fauna.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819104719/http://knowindia.gov.in/profile/fauna.php|archive-date=19 August 2017|url-status=dead|website=Know India}}

{{see also | Ecoregions in India }}

India is listed 12th among the mega-biodiverse nations in the world with a BioD score of 0.46 on the diversity index "which is calculated by its percentage of species in each group relative to the total global number of species in each group". With 23.39% of its geographical area under forest and tree cover, India is rich in biodiversity. A 2020 faunal survey of India by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) reported a total of 102,718 species of fauna, with 557 new species including 407 newly described species and 150 new country records. Among the new finds, 486 species were invertebrates (mostly insects), and 71 were vertebrate species, mostly fishes and reptiles. New species were reported from Karnataka (66 species), Kerala (51), Rajasthan (46) and West Bengal (30). From 2010 to 2020, 4,112 species, including 2,800 new species and 1,312 new records, were added to the Indian fauna.[https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-adds-557-new-species-to-its-fauna-zoological-survey-of-india/article36141615.ece India adds 557 new species to its fauna: Zoological Survey of India] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913071118/https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-adds-557-new-species-to-its-fauna-zoological-survey-of-india/article36141615.ece |date=13 September 2021 }}, The Hindu, 27 Aug 2021.

There is insufficient information about the invertebrate fauna of India, with significant work having been done only in a few groups of insects, notably the butterflies, Odonata and Hymenoptera, mostly in The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma series.

There are about 2,546 species of fishes (about 11% of the world species) found in Indian waters. About 197 species of amphibians (4.4% of the world total) and more than 408 reptile species (6% of the world total) are found in India. Among these groups the highest levels of endemism are found in the amphibians.

There are about 1361 species of birds recorded from India, with some variations, depending on taxonomic treatments, accounting for about 12% of the world species.[http://www.wcmc.org.uk/igcmc/main.html WCMC website] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20011128135101/http://www.wcmc.org.uk/igcmc/main.html |date=28 November 2001 }}

There are about 410 species of mammals known from India, which is about 8.86% of the world species.{{cite book |last=Nameer |first=P. O. |date=1998 |title=Checklist of Indian mammals |publisher=Kerala Forest Department |place=Thiruvananthapuram}}

India has the greatest number of cat species in the world.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VU69BAAAQBAJ|title=Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India: General Background and Ecology of Vertebrates|last1=Sharma|first1=B. K.|last2=Kulshreshtha|first2=Seema|last3=Rahmani|first3=Asad R.|date=2013-09-14|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9781461408000|page=482|language=en}}

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre gives an estimate of about 15,000 species of flowering plants in India.

{{Main|Western Ghats}}

The Western Ghats are a chain of hills that run along the western edge of peninsular India. Their proximity to the ocean and through orographic effect, they receive high rainfall. These regions have moist deciduous forest and rain forest. The region shows high species diversity as well as high levels of endemism. Nearly 77% of the amphibians and 62% of the reptile species found here are found nowhere else.Daniels, R. J. R. (2001) [http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/aug102001/240.pdf Endemic fishes of the Western Ghats and the Satpura hypothesis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191139/http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/aug102001/240.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}. Current Science 81(3):240-244 The region shows biogeographical affinities to the Malayan region, and the Satpura hypothesis proposed by Sunder Lal Hora suggests that the hill chains of Central India may have once formed a connection with the forests of northeastern India and into the Indo-Malayan region. Hora used torrent stream fishes to support the theory, but it was also suggested to hold for birds.Ripley, Dillon S. (1947) [https://www.jstor.org/pss/2405549 Avian relicts and double invasions in Peninsular India and Ceylon(Sri Lanka)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205125548/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2405549 |date=5 December 2022 }}. Evolution 2:150–159 Later studies have suggested that Hora's original model species were a demonstration of convergent evolution rather than speciation by isolation.

More recent phylogeographic studies have attempted to study the problem using molecular approaches.Karanth, P. K. (2003) [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/nov102003/1276.pdf Evolution of disjunct distributions among wet-zone species of the Indian subcontinent: Testing various hypotheses using a phylogenetic approach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031243/https://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/nov102003/1276.pdf |date=16 December 2018 }} Current Science, 85(9): 1276-1283 There are also differences in taxa which are dependent on time of divergence and geological history.Biswas, S. and Pawar S. S. (2006) [http://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/mar2006/95.pdf Phylogenetic tests of distribution patterns in South Asia: towards an integrative approach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031527/https://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/mar2006/95.pdf |date=16 December 2018 }}; J. Biosci. 31 95–113 Along with Sri Lanka this region also shows some fauna similarities with the Madagascan region especially in the reptiles and amphibians. Examples include the Sinophis snakes, the purple frog and Sri Lankan lizard genus Nessia which appears similar to the Madagascan genus Acontias.{{Cite web |url=http://www.pdn.ac.lk/socs/zaup/reptiles/affinities.html |title=affinities |access-date=30 August 2006 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051931/http://www.pdn.ac.lk/socs/zaup/reptiles/affinities.html |url-status=dead }} Numerous floral links to the Madagascan region also exist.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Madagasc/biomad1.html |title=Bio geography of Madagascar |access-date=6 September 2006 |archive-date=18 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118113039/http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Madagasc/biomad1.html |url-status=live }} An alternate hypothesis that these taxa may have originally evolved out-of-India has also been suggested.Karanth, P. 2006 [http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/mar252006/789.pdf Out-of-India Gondwanan origin of some tropical Asian biota] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411223533/http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/mar252006/789.pdf |date=11 April 2019 }}. Current Science 90(6):789-792

Bio geographical quirks exist with some taxa of Malayan origin occurring in Sri Lanka but absent in the Western Ghats. These include insects groups such as the plants such as those of the genus Nepenthes.

The Eastern Himalayas is the region encompassing Bhutan, northeastern India, West Bengal, and

southern, central and eastern Nepal. The region is geologically young and shows high altitudinal variation. It has nearly 163 globally threatened species including the one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Wild Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis (Arnee)) and in all 45 mammals, 50 birds, 17 reptiles, 12 amphibians, 3 invertebrate and 36 plant species.[http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/where_we_work/eastern_himalayas/eastern_himalayas_info.xml Conservation International 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825232127/http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/where_we_work/eastern_himalayas/eastern_himalayas_info.xml |date=25 August 2006 }}[http://assets.panda.org/downloads/final_ehimalayas_ep.pdf Ecosystem Profile: Eastern Himalayas Region] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928092502/http://assets.panda.org/downloads/final_ehimalayas_ep.pdf |date=28 September 2011 }}, 2005 The Dooars forest in the Terai is a biologically diverse area, with Himalayan biodiversity as well as tropical biodiversity. The relict dragonfly (Epiophlebia laidlawi) is an endangered species found here with the only other species in the genus being found in Japan. The region is also home to the Himalayan newt (Tylototriton verrucosus), the only salamander species found within Indian limits.[http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=27738 Amphibian Species of the World - Desmognathus imitator Dunn, 1927] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310233130/http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=27738 |date=10 March 2007 }}

During the early Tertiary period, the Indian tableland, what is today peninsular India, was a large island. Prior to becoming an island, it was connected to the African region. During the tertiary period, this island was separated from the Asian mainland by a shallow sea. The Himalayan region and the greater part of Tibet lay under this sea. The movement of the Indian subcontinent into the Asian landmass created the great Himalayan ranges and raised the sea bed into, what is today, the plains of northern India.

Once connected to the Asian mainland, many species moved into India. The Himalayas were created in several upheavals. The Siwaliks were formed at the last and the largest number of fossils of the Tertiary period are found in these ranges.Prater, S. H. (1971) The Book of Indian Animals. BNHS

The Siwalik fossils include mastodons, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, sivatherium, a large four-horned ruminant, giraffe, horses, camels, bison, deer, antelope, gorillas, pigs, chimpanzees, orangutans, baboons, langurs, macaques, cheetahs, sabre-toothed cats, lions, tigers, sloth bear, Aurochs, leopards, wolves, dholes, porcupines, rabbits and a host of other mammals.

Many fossil tree species have been found in the intertrappean beds,Stewart R. Hinsley [http://www.malvaceae.info/Fossil/Wood.html Notes on fossil wood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119185436/http://www.malvaceae.info/Fossil/Wood.html |date=19 November 2017 }}. Retrieved September 2006. including Grewioxylon from the Eocene and Heritieroxylon keralensis from the middle Miocene in Kerala and Heritieroxylon arunachalensis from the Mio-Pliocene of Arunachal Pradesh and at many other places. The discovery of Glossopteris fern fossils from India and Antarctica led to the discovery of Gondwanaland and led to the greater understanding of continental drift. Fossil CycadsRobert Buckler (1999) A brief review of the fossil cycads. [http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/evolution/fossils.pdf PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224053853/http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/evolution/fossils.pdf |date=24 February 2012 }} are known from India while seven Cycad species continue to survive in India.{{Cite web |url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/cycadpg?region=ind |title=Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney, Australia |access-date=10 August 2006 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401122145/http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/cycadpg?region=ind |url-status=dead }}Singh, Rita, P. Radha (2006) A new species of Cycas from the Malabar Coast, Western Ghats, India. Volume 58(2):119-123

Titanosaurus indicus was perhaps the first dinosaur discovered in India by Richard Lydekker in 1877 in the Narmada valley. This area has been one of the most important areas for paleontology in India. Another dinosaur known from India is Rajasaurus narmadensis,Rajasaurus and Indian Dinosaur. Geological Survey of India. [http://www.gsi.gov.in/rajasaur.pdf PDF] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528000848/http://www.gsi.gov.in/rajasaur.pdf |date=28 May 2008 }} a heavy-bodied and stout carnivorous abelisaurid (theropod) dinosaur that inhabited the area near present-day Narmada river. It was 9 m in length and 3 m in height and somewhat horizontal in posture with a double-crested crown on the skull.

Some fossil snakes from the Cenozoic era are also known.Rage J.-C., Bajpai S., Thewissen J. G. M. & Tiwari B. N. 2003. Early Eocene snakes from Kutch, Western India, with a review of the Palaeophiidae. Geodiversitas 25 (4) : 695-716 [http://www.mnhn.fr/publication/geodiv/g03n4a6.pdf PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221235530/http://www.mnhn.fr/publication/geodiv/g03n4a6.pdf |date=21 February 2012 }}

Some scientists have suggested that the Deccan lava flows and the gases produced were responsible for the global extinction of dinosaurs. However, these have been disputed.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU05/11195/EGU05-J-11195-1.pdf |title=Floodvolcanism is the main cause of mass extinctions: Nice try, but where is the evidence? PDF |access-date=21 February 2006 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043641/http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU05/11195/EGU05-J-11195-1.pdf |url-status=live }}[http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/thomas.wolosz/volcanism.htm Volcanism] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504212202/http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/thomas.wolosz/volcanism.htm|date=4 May 2006}}

Himalayacetus subathuensis, the oldest-known whale fossil of the family Protocetidae (Eocene), about 53.5 million years old was found in the Simla hills in the foothills of the Himalayas. This area was underwater (in the Tethys sea) during the Tertiary period (when India was an island off Asia). This whale may have been capable of living partly on land.{{Cite web |url=http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/classification/Whalefossils.shtml |title=Whale fossils |access-date=21 February 2006 |archive-date=16 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216032339/https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/classification/Whalefossils.shtml |url-status=live }}Bajpai, S. and Gingerich P.D. (1998) A new Eocene archaeocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from India and the time of origin of whales Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:15464–15468 [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gingeric/PDFfiles/PDG344_himalayacetus_opt.pdf PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222060959/http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gingeric/PDFfiles/PDG344_himalayacetus_opt.pdf |date=22 December 2005 }} Other fossil whales from India include Remingtonocetus approximately 43-46 million years old.

Several small mammal fossils have been recorded in the intertrappean beds, however larger mammals are mostly unknown. The only major primate fossils have been from the nearby region of Myanmar.

• See also Geology of India

The exploitation of land and forest resources by humans along with hunting and trapping for food and sport has led to the extinction of many species in India in recent times.{{citation needed|date=October 2010}}

Probably the first species to vanish during the time of the Indus Valley civilisation was the species of wild cattle, Bos primegenius nomadicus or the wild zebu, which vanished from its range in the Indus valley and western India, possibly due to inter-breeding with domestic cattle and resultant fragmentation of wild populations due to loss of habitat.Rangarajan, M. (2006) [https://books.google.com/books?id=a89yMml_etQC&pg=PA4 India's Wildlife History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205125547/https://books.google.com/books?id=a89yMml_etQC&pg=PA4 |date=5 December 2022 }}, p. 4 {{ISBN|81-7824-140-4}}

Notable mammals which became or are presumed extinct within the country itself include the Indian / Asiatic cheetah, Javan rhinoceros and Sumatran rhinoceros.{{cite book|first=Vivek|last=Menon|title=A field guide to Indian mammals|publisher=Dorling Kindersley, Delhi|year=2003|isbn=0-14-302998-3}} While some of these large mammal species are confirmed extinct, there have been many smaller animal and plant species whose status is harder to determine. Many species have not been seen since their description.

Hubbardia heptaneuron, a species of grass that grew in the spray zone of the Jog Falls prior to the construction of the Linganamakki reservoir, was thought to be extinct but a few were rediscovered near Kolhapur.[https://archive.today/20030310045600/http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/ebulletin2002/ebulletindec02.html IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) E-Bulletin] - December 2002. Retrieved October 2006.

Some species of birds have gone extinct in recent times, including the pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) and the Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa). A species of warbler, Acrocephalus orinus, known earlier from a single specimen collected by Allan Octavian Hume from near Rampur in Himachal Pradesh was rediscovered after 139 years in Thailand.[http://www.rdb.or.id/detailbird.php?id=693 Threatened birds of Asia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013154616/http://www.rdb.or.id/detailbird.php?id=693 |date=13 October 2006 }}. Retrieved October 2006.The Nation, [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/03/07/headlines/headlines_30028700.php March 6, 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527090228/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/03/07/headlines/headlines_30028700.php |date=27 May 2007 }} Similarly, the Jerdon's courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus), named after the zoologist Thomas C. Jerdon who discovered it in 1848, was rediscovered in 1986 by Bharat Bhushan, an ornithologist at the Bombay Natural History Society after being thought to be extinct.

File:Thumb strip india biodiv.jpg

An estimate of the numbers of species by group in India is given below. This is based on Alfred, 1998.Alfred, J.R.B. (1998) [http://zsienvis.nic.in/newsletter/vol4%2520mar97.PDF Faunal Diversity in India: An Overview: In Faunal Diversity in India, i-viii] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410051128/http://zsienvis.nic.in/newsletter/vol4%20mar97.PDF |date=10 April 2009 }}, 1-495. (Editors. Alfred, JRB, et al., 1998). ENVIS Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta.

File:Akwa18_puntius2.jpg is endemic to the Western Ghats region of India.]]

File:Praying mantis india.jpg]]

File:Harpegnathos saltator fight.jpg]]

File:BannerghattaBlackSpiderFr.jpg spider endemic to India]]

This section provides links to lists of species of various taxa found in India.

• Molluscs
• List of non-marine molluscs of India
• Arachnids
• Spiders of India
• Insects
• Odonata
• Dragonflies and damselflies of India
• Lepidoptera
• Butterflies of India
• Papilionid butterflies of India
• Pierid butterflies of India
• Nymphalid butterflies of India
• Lycaenid butterflies of India
• Hesperid butterflies of India
• Riodinid butterflies of India
• Moths of India
• Hymenoptera
• Ants of India

• Fishes of India
• Amphibians of India
• Reptiles of India
• Snakes of India
• Birds of South Asia
• Birds in India
• Mammals of India

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• Ecoregions in India
• Endangered Mammals of India
• Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma
• Flora of India
• List of Indian state birds
• Wildlife of India
• Other related
• Indian natural history
• Endemic birds of South Asia
• Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
• India Nature Watch

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{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101222012410/http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/envis/species_database.html SPECIES CHECKLIST: Species Diversity in India]; ENVIS Centre: Wildlife & Protected Areas (Secondary Database); Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
• [http://www.biodiversityofindia.org/index.php?title=List_of_all_mammals_of_India_and_their_taxonomic_status Biodiversity of India: List of all mammals of India and their taxonomic status] based on data from the [http://www.ibin.co.in/ IBIN Portal], Encyclopedia of Life and Catalogue of Life 2010 checklist.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091227234702/http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/envis/database.html ENVIS Centre: Wildlife & Protected Areas (Secondary Database)]; Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
• [http://www.ecoheritage.cpreec.org/index.php ENVIS Centre on Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sights of India] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112195115/http://www.ecoheritage.cpreec.org/index.php |date=12 January 2019 }}; ENVIS; C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre is a Centre of Excellence of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

{{Commons category|Animals of India}}

• [http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/maps/biodivin.htm Tata Energy Research Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430135404/http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/maps/biodivin.htm |date=30 April 2018 }}
• [http://www.zeroextinction.org/search_form_country.cfm Alliance for Zero extinction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215055249/http://www.zeroextinction.org/search_form_country.cfm |date=15 December 2005 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060222165950/http://envis.nic.in/ffc.asp The official Indian Environment information site]
• [http://www.biodiversityofindia.org Biodiversity of India], a community-driven, Mediawiki based initiative to document the biodiversity of India.

{{Geography of India}}

{{Asia topic|Fauna of}}