HYDERABAD: There are as many as 82 species of fauna endemic to Telangana, meaning they are not found anywhere else. The State is also home to 93 species of threatened fauna that have been classified as either Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable by the IUCN.
The first-ever report on faunal diversity of Telangana published by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled 'Current status of Faunal Diversity of Telangana' was released on Thursday by Forest Minister A Indrakaran Reddy, ZSI Director Dr Kailash Chandra and Telangana PCCF R Sobha.
The State is home to 2,450 species of fauna, of which 1,744 are invertebrates and 706 are vertebrates. These include 380 species of birds, 169 species of fishes, 74 of mammals, 66 of reptiles and 17 species of amphibians.
However, more than half of the 2,450 species - around 52 per cent, belong to the phylum Arthropoda which includes Arachnida (spiders and scorpions), Crustacea (water fleas, freshwater shrimp and crabs) and Insecta. The State is also home to 64 species of molluscs and 9 species of centipedes.
However, as the press release on the report pointed out, this is not the final account of total biodiversity of Telangana as most of the districts and some faunal groups remain unexplored.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, ZSI Director Dr Kailash Chandra said, "The report on Telangana’s faunal diversity has 45 chapters and provides great baseline data on the State’s rich biodiversity. Some parts of Eastern Ghats in the State are biodiversity hotspots."
Dr Chandra, who also inaugurated the regional museum of ZSI in Hyderabad, said ZSI has been working since three years with the Forest Department on developing a repository of faunal species in the State’s three National Parks, seven Wildlife Sanctuaries and two Tiger Reserves, and a report on the findings will be published.