Important Zonal Divisions of Wildlife in India – Essay
(i) The Himalayas (ii) Peninsular India (iii) Tropical evergreen forest region or Indo-Malayan Sub- region (iv) Andaman and Nicobar Islands and (v) Mangrove Swamps of Sundarbans.
Image Source: thewildlifeofindia.com
(I) The Himalayas:
The Himalayas can be sub-divided into three parts.
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Western Himalayas:
There are numerous species of bovines in the western Himalayas. Yak (Ladakh the Shapu or Urial, Bhoral the blue sheep and Nayar; the beautiful Kashmir stag, brother of the European red stag and the Kastura or the musk deer, Himalayan, black bear, Slou or Sikkim stag.
Eastern Himalayas:
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Serow and goral are the goat antelopes found here. The other mammals are the one horned rhinoceros, the hog deer, clouded leopard, tigers, and panthers, Chinese Pangolin, Barasinga Sambar, Chital and Muntiac (barking deer). All the three species of Indian Otters, the Ratel, a few giant and flying squirrels, porcupine, the majestic Kashmir markhor, the ibex and Himalayan Thar, red panda are also found in the eastern sector.
Foothills of Himalayas:
Elephants, tigers, cheetals, golden langaur swamp deer and hog deer.
(II) Peninsular India:
In peninsular India, the distinctive species are the elephants, gaur; the chinkara or the Indian gazelle, the black buck or the Indian antelope, the nilgiri thar, the Indian lion, Nilgai or the blue bull, the mouse deer the Indian chevrotain, the Chowsingna or the four-horned antelope, the now extinct cheetah, All the de species of the Himalayan foothills except hog deer are also found here. Arna, two species of otters, hare squirrels and the pangolin inhabit the region.
(III) Tropical Evergreen Forest Region or Indo Malayan Sub-Region:
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Elephants, hoolock gibbons, golden langurs, capped langurs, etc.
(IV) Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
These Islands constitute about 75 per cent of the total mammals found in Islands e.g., pig, crab-eating macaque, rats, bats, palm civet, deers and many marine mammals such as whales, dolphines etc. and some rare birds such as narcondum, hornbill, Nicobar pigeon and megapode.
(V) Mangrove Swamps of Sunderbans:
Fish, small crabs, Dorippe, weaver ants, spotted deer, pigs, lizards and man eater tigers of Sunderbans.