Kerala leads India’s record faunal discoveries in 2024, emerges as top biodiversity hub

Kerala tops India's 2024 biodiversity list with the highest number of new faunal discoveries. (Image: Canva)

In a landmark year for biological documentation, India has witnessed its highest number of faunal discoveries ever recorded in a single calendar year. The Animal Discoveries: New Species and New Records 2024 report, published by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), chronicles an extraordinary 683 new additions to the nation’s fauna—comprising 459 species new to science and 224 newly recorded in the country. Leading this scientific milestone is Kerala, which has emerged as India’s foremost state in biodiversity documentation, underscoring the rich ecological fabric of southern India.

South India Emerges as a Biodiversity Powerhouse

According to the ZSI’s flagship annual publication, 2024 has eclipsed previous records with a total of 683 faunal discoveries, surpassing the highs of 662 in 2022 and 641 in 2023. Kerala alone accounted for 101 of these, including 80 entirely new species and 21 new records—cementing its status as India’s most biodiverse state this year. Karnataka followed with 82 discoveries (68 new species and 14 new records), while Tamil Nadu contributed 63 (50 new species and 13 new records).

This pattern reinforces the ecological prominence of southern India, long known for its diverse ecosystems ranging from the Western Ghats to coastal and forested zones. These landscapes continue to yield previously undocumented species, drawing attention from biologists, conservationists, and eco-tourists alike.

Eastern and Northeastern India: Steady Contributors to Discovery

Outside the south, biodiversity hotspots in the eastern and northeastern regions made significant contributions. Arunachal Pradesh documented 72 discoveries (42 new species and 30 new records), Meghalaya followed with 42 (25 new species and 17 new records), while West Bengal registered 56 (25 new species and 31 new records). The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, long regarded as a cradle of endemic wildlife, contributed 43 new faunal entries to the national register, including 14 new species and 29 new records.

Unprecedented Growth in Plant Discoveries

Parallel to faunal growth, the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) reported notable advances in flora documentation. In 2024, India added 433 taxa of plants, comprising 410 species and 23 infra-specific taxa. Kerala again led the tally with 58 plant discoveries, followed by Maharashtra (45) and Uttarakhand (40). The Western Ghats and northeastern states together contributed 35% of these botanical findings—affirming their status as botanical treasure troves.

The new plant records span a wide biological range: 154 angiosperms, 4 pteridophytes, 15 bryophytes, 63 lichens, 156 fungi, 32 algae, and 9 microbial species. These findings bring India’s documented plant species to 56,177, underlining the subcontinent’s rich floral heritage.

Highlight: A Snake Named After Leonardo DiCaprio

Among this year’s most intriguing discoveries is Anguiculus dicaprioi, a newly identified snake species from Himachal Pradesh named in honour of actor and environmental advocate Leonardo DiCaprio. Belonging to the Colubridae family, the species exemplifies the global connections between celebrity advocacy and environmental awareness. Other notable herpetological discoveries include two new genera and 37 reptilian species, alongside five amphibians—one of which, Dravidoseps gouensis, represents a new genus.

ZSI’s Legacy and Continuing Mission

The Animal Discoveries report, authored by ZSI Director Dr. Dhriti Banerjee and scientists C. Raghunathan, Anjum N. Rizvi, and Jayita Sengupta, was unveiled during the organisation’s 110th anniversary in Kolkata by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. The report brings India’s total number of recorded faunal species and subspecies to 105,244 since ZSI’s inception in 1916, highlighting more than a century of scientific exploration and documentation.

In stark contrast, the lowest discovery numbers were noted in urbanised or ecologically limited areas such as Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, and Telangana—further reinforcing the importance of protecting natural habitats for future biodiversity findings.

India’s exceptional biodiversity, showcased in this latest compilation, serves as both a scientific achievement and a reminder of the nation’s custodial responsibility. As climate shifts, urbanisation, and ecological pressures continue to mount, the documentation and protection of new species become ever more urgent. For travellers, researchers, and nature enthusiasts alike, the country’s living catalogue offers endless frontiers for discovery—many of them still hidden in plain sight.