An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c14.s8.t4.10

v1.c14.s8.t4.10

While individually the fauna [15.1.5] showed little change collectively its proportion changed. Both steppe and forest animals increased. The buffalo made this land its home. Cattle of the *indicus* variety appeared and became widespread. It is curious that both the sheep and goat [1] have been associated with later cultures, Harappa [4.9], Neolithic [4.6] and Chalcolithic [4.14]. They naturally appear to be an immigrant species at least so far as the mainland of India is concerned. The rarity of the horse is surprising. For on one hand it existed in India during the end of the Pleistocene and on the other the grasslands afforded a good pasture. It is possible that being an animal of comparatively dry habitat the extreme moist condition did not go well with this species. The elephant of the Indian variety originated here only. From a general and widely distributed habitat it later got isolated in the forests near the grasslands. Among other grassland animals the deer and antelope became widely prevalent. Predators like the lion, panther, hyena and jackal also remained associated with the grasslands or forests near by. The gradual diminishing of the lion population seems more probably due to the grasslands being fully turned into agricultural lands, forcing both the lion and its food animals to the forest. While it is possible to some extent for the deer and antelope to adjust themselves to the forests it is not possible for the lion to do so for it is not that good to ambush for hunting. Besides, physically a lion gets very little camouflage in a forest. The panther group is more natural to the forest both in the nature of its hunting and its capacity to camouflage.