An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c20.s1.t3.36

v1.c20.s1.t3.36

India’s population of higher mammals was far greater in the past than it is today. The sudden and widespread reduction of the vertebrates is a most startling event for the geologists and biologists. Large carnivores, varied races of elephants and numerous hoofed animals which inhabited the Indian jungles are no longer found. The sudden disappearance of the vertebrates in n.-w. India is attributed to the effect of intense cold of the Glacial Age while anthropogenic factors may have been responsible for the reduction of animals in c. and peninsular India. Some species were able to move to warmer regions, e.g. the giraffes, which were profusely abundant in the Upper Siwaliks but are now found only in Africa. Of the nearly 30 species of elephants that were present in India, only one is found living today.