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Hundred Years of Zoological Survey of India

Technical Report · March 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2585.8801

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R.N. 70269/98 Postal Registration No.: DL-SW-1/4082/15-17
ISSN : 0972-169X Date of posting: 26-27 of advance month
Date of publication: 24 of advance month

March 2016 Vol. 18 No. 6 Rs. 5.00

Sprinkling Colours or
Hidden Poisons?
Editorial: Some interesting 35
thoughts on the "science of
science communication"

Charles Francis Richter: 34

The Creator of the Earthquake
Magnitude Scale
Sprinkling Colours or 32
Hidden Poisons?
Break Your Fast with a Good 30
Breakfast
Innovative Ways of Fire- 28
fighting
Hundred Years of 26
Zoological Survey of India
Knowing about Coeliac 23
Disease—Diagnosis and Care
Recent developments 21
in science and technology

36
 Hundred Years of
Zoological Survey of India
Ratnadeep Banerji
E-mail: [email protected]

T he study of zoology grew

out of the study of natural
history. India had its own
military officer serving in India.
He hired local artists to produce
a huge collection of illustrations
the Indian Museum, Calcutta were made into
the Zoological Survey of India, spearheaded
age-old tradition of studying of Indian animals. It was by Dr. Thomas Nelson Annandale. In the
nature. The Vedas mention subsequently studied by John beginning, the Zoological Survey of India
of names of nearly 250 Edward Gray (1800–1875) acquired collections from the former Indian
kinds of birds including giving rise to the publication Museum that included the collections it had
the knowledge of brood of Illustrations of Indian zoology inherited from the Asiatic Society of Bengal
parasitism in the Indian koel. consisting of 202 colour plates. of the period between 1814 and 1875. Dr
Ustad Mansur, a 17th-century TN Annandale went on to describe more
court artist of Emperor
Annandale Nelson
The legacy than 300 new species from different groups
Jehangir, was the first man to In 1796, the Asiatic Society and also researched upon island and aquatic
(1876-1924)
accurately paint the Siberian of Bengal in Calcutta (now fauna.
crane. The dodo was brought Kolkata) planned establishing
to Jehangir’s court via a natural history museum. It Faunal repository
Portuguese controlled Goa. was, however, only in 1814 With the increasing interest in life sciences
Natural history research that contributions of animals, and with the advent of country´s Five Year
in early times included the plants, minerals, etc., were Plans after independence, the expansion
broad fields of paleontology, solicited and arrangement made programme of the Survey surged ahead. The
zoology, botany, anthropology, to house them and thus the Survey has so far established 16 regional
and geology. Zoology in Oriental Museum of the Asiatic and field stations. The Zoological Survey
its modern form was a late Society was born. Dr. Nathaniel of India is the designated repository for
starter in British India. These Wallich, a Danish botanist the National Zoological Collection (NZC)
studies as of now fall under Edward Blyth became the first founder and in India as per section 39 of the National
the ambit of ecology, but in (1810-1873) curator of the Oriental Museum Biodiversity Act, 2002. Over 4.4 million
earlier times, such researches of the Asiatic Society. William zoological specimens including 17,000
were undertaken mainly by amateurs, often Blanford among others contributed to the Type Specimens are maintained in the NZC
physicians, civil servants and army officers. collections of the museum and also played repository. Altogether 4,755 animal species
Plants then being a commercial item, the critical role in bringing out a compendium, have been described by scientists of ZSI
modern form of systemic study of botany Fauna of British India. since its inception. About 1.7 million living
started much before zoology. The inception In 1865, John Anderson, a field species have been described and named
of modern-day zoology in India happened naturalist took over as the first curator of the
in the hands of botanists like Dr. Nathaniel upcoming Imperial Museum (now called the
Wallich. Indian Museum). The Imperial Museum at Zoological Survey of India
The Indian Civil Services brought Calcutta came up in 1875 using mostly the National Designated Repository of Fauna
many British naturalists to India. India was collections from the Oriental Museum of the
much sought after by explorers and travellers Asiatic Society of Bengal.
in the region and many collectors from A hundred years ago, on 1 July, 1915,
different countries travelled through India. the Zoological Survey of India was formed to
Even Winston Churchill had made a small promote survey, exploration and research of
collection of 65 butterfly species during his faunal distribution of the country. The Asiatic
brief stint in Bangalore (now Bengaluru). Society of Bengal stood as the cornerstone of
Some people even collected species on behalf the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical
of the British and other European naturalists Survey of India, the Zoological Survey of
and museums. The birth of museums thus India as well as the Anthropological Survey of
traces to colonialism. India. In 1891, the Botanical Survey of India
The massive collections and their was constituted long before the Zoological
documentation led to the production of Survey of India was formed in 1915.
numerous works. The earliest effort came It was on 1 June 1915, the
from Thomas Hardwicke (1755–1835), a anthropological and zoological sections of

Dream 2047, March 2016, Vol. 18 No. 6 26

Zoological Survey of India
from all over the world, and another 5 to 15 The Zoological Survey of India is
million species are expected to be discovered. designated for the collection of zoological
In India till date, nearly 96,891 species of specimens as per Section 39 of the National
animals have been described, but a large Biodiversity Act, 2002. With reference to
number of species are yet to be discovered, Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18
especially from the lower invertebrate groups of the Biodiversity Convention, the role of
occurring in various ecosystems. ZSI has been broadened. As per Article 7,
ZSI has been enriching its zoological for identification and monitoring, ZSI has
collections by accepting the ‘types’ and other made extensive surveys in different parts of
identified faunal materials from animal the country and large numbers of specimens
taxonomists and biodiversity researchers have been collected. Of these collections, only
of various zoological institutions and about 65% have been taxonomically studied.
universities in the country and abroad. These include the major groups of vertebrates,
The Central Entomological Laboratory while the lower groups of invertebrates need
receives thousands of zoological specimens admixture of these three realms. Since the more attention in identification as well as
from various sources. The confirmation inception of ZSI in 1916, twenty-three in surveys and explorations. As per Article
of identification up to species level is also new taxa of animals have been described as 14, ZSI undertakes Environmental Impact
undertaken. Assessment with special reference
Confiscated faunal materials to ecology and wildlife.
are regularly being received by ZSI According to the past
from various government agencies, Director of ZSI, Dr. Venkatraman,
such as departments of Police, “We have a strong affinity towards
Forest and Customs for their marine organisms, especially the
identification and reports to be corals. A very few institutes in India
submitted to the Judiciary for the concentrate on marine organisms
sake of implementation of different and our Regional Centres in
conservation laws including the Port Blair and Chennai work on
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Andaman and Nicobar region
Act, 1972. The experts of the and East Coast of India including
department even receive samples the Gulf of Mannar region. Due
of skin, hair, feathers, and other to climate change and recent
items of animal origin, proposed tsunami, many coral dominant
to be exported from India by regions in both Andaman and Gulf
different private firms, are sent of Mannar get affected. In 2012,
from the Custom Authorities for we had reported 42 species of hard
Grappling with recording location
authentic identification to ensure and soft corals from Andaman and
that the threatened and endangered new to science. The scientists of ZSI have Nicobar chain of islands. Such reporting of
species according to CITES (Convention of conducted 30 expeditions that include a considerable higher number of 42 corals in
International Trade on Endangered Species) expeditions to Silent Valley, Chilka Lagoon, just one year shows how important the whole
are not exported. Namdapha, Subansiri, Neora Valley, and region is in terms of marine biodiversity.”
Antarctica among others.
Indian biodiversity
India is located at the confluence of Oriental,
Palearctic and Ethiopian biogeographical
realms and Indian mammals are the

Species name: Paracyathus caeruleus Species name: Lobophyllia dentatus

Indian presence first recorded in 2014 Indian presence first recorded in 2014
by Tamal Mondal, C. Raghunathan by Tamal Mondal, C. Raghunathan
and K. Venkataraman and K. Venkataraman

25 Dream 2047, March 2016, Vol. 18 No. 6

 Zoological Survey of India
Redeeming finds of islands within Andaman and Nicobar Zoological Survey of India has published
l The 2003 report of the living fossil region, northeast India and northeast its Red Data Book, An Identification Manual
frog Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis by Himalayas. Majority of the world’s primitivefor Scheduled Mammals of India, containing
S.D. Biju and Franky Bossuyt from burrowing snakes that constitute the family,a consolidated documentation and listing
Western Ghats is considered as once Uropeltidae, are restricted to the mountain of all the scheduled or protected species of
in a century find due to its relationship ranges of south India. mammals found in India. It provides detailed
with Gondwanan relics. information on scheduled mammals, their
l Dr. Biswamoy Biswas, one of the Publications of the Survey status as per IUCN (International Union
eminent ornithologists of the country The publication called, Records of the for Conservation of Nature) Red List of
while working at ZSI has described the Zoological Survey of India (formerly Records Threatened Species. The book also lists
blossom-headed parakeet, Psittacula of the Indian Museum) was started in the the mammals that fall in the “Critically
roseate besides undertaking taxonomic year 1907 and so far 107 volumes have been Endangered” category of the IUCN.
revisions of many bird groups. Dr. published. Keeping in view the mandate of India is home to 428 species of
Biswas also happened to be a part of the department to take up the status survey mammals out of which more than 60 per
the Daily Mail expedition sent to look of endangered species, a series of publications cent; that is, about 251 species are under
for the Yeti around Mount Everest in called, Status Survey of Endangered Species, protected or scheduled categories of the
1954. totalling 11 of them so far have been brought Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Of
l Recently the scientists posted at the out. these 428 species of mammals in India that
ZSI’s Andaman and Nicobar Island constitute to about 8 per cent of the total
Centre have discovered an mammal species found in the world,
apparently new species of about 50 per cent of mammalian
Rallina crake (a wading bird fauna of India have shrunk in their
with short bills) from the distributional range due to various
Great Nicobar Island with the anthropogenic pressures. Already
help of Dr. Pamela Rasmussen. four mammal species, viz., cheetah,
It is a rather elusive species. banteng, Sumatran rhinoceros
l Discovery of Namdapha Flying and Javan rhinoceros are extinct in
squirrel Biswamoyopterus India.
biswasi Saha in1981 is Out of the 251 Scheduled
remarkable as this arboreal, mammal species listed under the
nocturnal flying squirrel was India Wildlife (Protection) Act,
described based on a single 1972 and documented in the
specimen from Arunachal publication, about 180 fall under
Pradesh and till now there the “lesser-known” category, and
is no information on its very little information is available
population. Exact number of Species name: Calliactis miriam about their habitat, behaviour, and
species described by Zoological Indian presence first recorded in 2014 by C. Raghunathan, R. population.
Survey of India is yet to be Raghuraman, Smitanjali Choudhury and K. Venkataraman
ascertained. Widening approach
ZSI has also started molecular
What more to find? taxonomic studies dealing with
No, it’s not the end of journey. chromosomal mapping, polymerase
India is recognised as one of the chain reaction (PCR) and DNA
twelve mega diversity countries of barcoding in order to genetically
the world with two biodiversity hot characterise species and their
spots − the Eastern Himalaya and the variations in natural population.
Western Ghats. There are about 1.7 Molecular Systematic Laboratories
million living species described from have started functioning in the
all over the world and an estimated Headquarters in Kolkata as well as
15 million species are waiting to be in the Regional Centres of ZSI at
discovered. Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and
The Western Ghats, Eastern Dehradun. More than 250 DNA
Himalaya, and the Andaman and sequences have been barcoded in
Nicobar Islands have several unique these laboratories.
and endemic reptilian fauna. Many Species name: Phymanthus buitendijki
new bird species hitherto not known Indian presence first recorded in 2014 by C. Raghunathan, R. Ratnadeep Banerji is a senior feature
to science may emerge from the chain Raghuraman, Smitanjali Choudhury and K. Venkataraman writer and a documentary maker

Dream 2047, March 2016, Vol. 18 No. 6 24

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