ICSE Class 8 Answered

India has wide variety of fauna. The country has 90,000 species of animals and about 2,000 species of birds. India has 5-8 percent of the world’s share of reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

Elephants are found in the forests of Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. The unique one horned rhinoceros species is found in the swampy and marshy conditions of Assam and West Bengal.

India is the only country in the world which has both tigers and the lions. While the Gir forests of Gujarat are the last natural habitat of the Asiatic lions, the Royal Bengal tigers are found in the Sunderban delta.

In the Himalayan regions, many animals like the yak, snow leopards, wild ox etc. are found. These have thick furs to survive the extremely cold climatic conditions.

In rivers and coastal areas, turtles, crocodiles and gharials are found. In India, more than 2,500 species of fishes are found which contribute nearly 12% of the world stock.

Varieties of birds are also found in India. Peacocks, ducks, pheasants, parakeets, pigeons and cranes are some of the common birds found in India.