India is home to over 28,000 endemic species.

The central government on Sunday released the first comprehensive fauna checklist covering 1,04,561 lakh species of animals. The list was released by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Bhupender Yadav during the 109th foundation day of Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata.

Yadav also launched a portal for the comprehensive checklist during the occasion. India is home to over 28,000 endemic species.

“The faunal checklist will be an invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers, and policymakers. It comprises 121 checklists of all known taxa covering 36 phyla. Endemic, threatened, and scheduled species have also been included in the list,” Yadav was quoted in a government statement.

For instance, the checklist for avian species has enumerated 1,358 species of birds under 26 order and 114 families.

Globally, there are 11,888 species of birds that are grouped into 36 orders and 247 families.

Yadav also released a Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) publication, ‘Animal Discoveries– 2023’ comprising 641 new animal species and new records from India and ‘Plant Discoveries- 2023’ of Botanical Survey of India (BSI) comprising 339 new plant species and new records published by scientists and researchers.