Fauna of Asia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The tiger is the largest carnivorous mammal in Asia.[1][2]

All of the animals living in

Holarctic), and its south-eastern part belongs to the Indomalayan realm
(previously called the Oriental region). Asia shows a notable diversity of habitats, with significant variations in rainfall, altitude, topography, temperature and geological history, which is reflected in its richness and diversity of animal life.

Origins of Asian wildlife

The formation of the Asian fauna began in the Mesozoic with the splitting of Laurasian supercontinent. Asia blends elements from both ancient supercontinents of Laurasia and Gondwana. Gondwanian elements were introduced from Africa and by India, which detached from Gondwana approximately 90 MYA, carrying its Gondwana-derived flora and fauna northward. Glaciation during the most recent ice age and the immigration of man affected the distribution of Asian fauna (see also Sahara pump theory). Eurasia and North America were many times connected by the

Holarctic realm).[3]

Zoogeographic regions

Satellite view of Asia.

European-Siberian region

The boreal and temperate European-Siberian region is the Palearctic's largest region, which transitions from

gray wolf, moose and wolverine
.

Mediterranean Basin

The lands bordering the

endemic species. The Mediterranean basin is also one of the world's most endangered biogeographic regions; only 4% of the region's original vegetation remains, and human activities, including overgrazing, deforestation, and conversion of lands for pasture, agriculture, or urbanization, have degraded much of the region. Conservation International has designated the Mediterranean basin as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots
.

Middle-East deserts

sand gazelle
.

Western and Central Asia

Gobi desert

The

Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests
ecoregion.

Indomalaya
ecoregions.

East Asia

Japanese macaques in the Jigokudani Hot Spring

Himalayas containing for example about 8% of the world's bird species.[4] In Southeastern Asia, high mountain ranges form tongues of Palearctic flora and fauna in northern Myanmar and southern China. Isolated small outposts (sky islands) occur as far south as central Myanmar, northernmost Vietnam and the high mountains of Taiwan
.

Indian subcontinent

Dark blue tiger butterfly in Kerala

The Indian Subcontinent bioregion covers most of

Himalaya, and Patkai ranges bound the bioregion on the northwest, north, and northeast; these ranges were formed by the collision of the northward-drifting Indian subcontinent with Asia beginning 45 million years ago. The Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalaya are a major biogeographic boundary between the subtropical and tropical fauna of the Indian subcontinent and the temperate-climate Palearctic realm. The Western Ghats and Sri Lanka are important biodiversity hotspots.[5]

Indochina

The Indochina bioregion includes most of mainland Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, as well as the subtropical forests of southern China. It covers the richest part of the Indomalayan realm, with dominant biomes of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and dry broadleaf forests. New species and even families are often found there (e.g. Laotian rock rat). It is home to about 500 native mammal species. The bird fauna is also very diverse, with some 1,300 species. Over 500 reptile and over 300 amphibian species are also present, including numerous endemics. See also the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.

Sunda Shelf and the Philippines

Lesser bird of paradise is an endemic of New Guinea

Wallace line either lack land mammals, or are home to a land fauna derived from Australia, which includes marsupial mammals and ratite birds. The insects of New Guinea are however mainly of Asian origin.[6]

Freshwater

Asia also contains several important

Issyk Kul, Qinghai Lake
).

South Asia is especially rich in freshwater life, with 10% of the world's fishes (over 2000 species).

Redtail butterflyfish, a widespread Indo-Pacific species

Marine fauna

There are strong affinities and relationships between Mediterranean and Atlantic faunas. The deep-water fauna of the Mediterranean has no distinctive characteristics and is relatively poor. Both are a result of events after the Messinian salinity crisis.[7] An invasion of Indian Ocean species has begun via the Suez Canal (see Lessepsian migration).

The

marine realm
).

Reptiles

Asia has a rich

Xenopeltidae and gavials
are endemic to Asia.

Indian cobra
Reticulated python
Komodo dragon

The

Cuora, Geochelone, Heosemys, Indotestudo, Mauremys, Pangshura, Pelochelys, Rafetus, Sacalia etc.). See also List of reptiles of South Asia
.

Birds

For a complete list, see
List of Asian birds
.
See also:
Endemic birds of the Philippines
Common green magpie

One bird family, the

cuckoo-shrikes, drongos, fantails, flowerpecker, helmetshrikes, hornbill, nuthatch, orioles, parrotbills, shrikes, sunbirds and woodswallows
.

Mammals

Giant panda

Two orders of mammals, the

langurs, the three species of orangutan of Borneo and Sumatra (Sumatran orangutan, Pongo abelii, Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, and Tapanuli orangutan, Pongo tapanuliensis) and the gibbons
.

Human impact

Wild Asian elephant populations are disappearing due to depletion of food sources and destruction of habitats

Across Asia wildlife populations and habitats are being decimated by poorly controlled industrial and agricultural exploitation, by infrastructure development (construction of dams, roads and tourist facilities), and by illegal activities such as poaching and timber theft. The result is

forest loss combined with severe hunting pressure and a variety of other threats (Hughes, 2017).[10]

Extinct animals

Main article:
List of extinct animals of Asia

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Geptner, V. G., Sludskij, A. A. (1972). Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Vysšaia Škola, Moskva. (In Russian; English translation: Heptner, V.G., Sludskii, A. A., Komarov, A., Komorov, N.; Hoffmann, R. S. (1992). Mammals of the Soviet Union. Vol III: Carnivores (Feloidea). Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation, Washington DC).
  2. ^ a b Pocock, R. I. (1939). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London. Pp. 199–222.
  3. ^ C.B.Cox, P.D.Moore, Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach. Wiley-Blackwell, 2005
  4. ^ Price, T. D., J. Zee, K. Jamdar, and N. Jamdar. 2003. Bird species diversity along the Himalaya: a comparison of Himachal Pradesh with Kashmir J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 100:394–410
  5. ^ Helgen, K.M., Groves, C.P. Biodiversity in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats. Science, vol 308, 8.apr. 2005
  6. ^ R.J.Whittaker, J.M.Fernández-Palacios, Island Biogeography. Ecology, evolution, and conservation. Oxford University Press, 2007
  7. ^ C.C.Emig, P.Geistdoerfer, The Mediterranean deep-sea fauna: historical evolution, bathymetric variations and geographical changes, Carnets de Géologie / Notebooks on Geology, 2004
  8. ^ Fauna & Flora International in the Asia-Pacific region
  9. ^ N.S. Sodhi et al., Southeast Asian biodiversity: an impending disaster. Trends in Ecology& Evolution, Vol.19, Issue 12, 2004
  10. ^ Hughes, A. (2017) Understanding the drivers of Southeast Asian biodiversity loss, Ecosphere. 10.1002/ecs2.1624
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