India added 709 animal species to its national database in 2025, the highest number recorded in a single year since systematic counting began. The Zoological Survey of India released the figures in Animal Discoveries–2025 during the organisation’s 111th foundation day celebrations.
The total includes 483 species new to science and 226 species recorded in India for the first time. The previous record was 683 species in 2024.
With these additions, India’s recorded faunal diversity now stands at 105,953 species and subspecies. That is about 5.3% of the global total of 1,679,523 recorded animal species, according to the report.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav launched the report. “India is among the world’s richest biodiversity nations,” he said, adding that the Zoological Survey of India’s work had helped the country understand and protect its natural heritage.
Zoological Survey of India Director Dhriti Banerjee called the findings “much more than a testimony of taxonomic success.” She said the data helps improve understanding of biodiversity and contributes to global efforts to address the biodiversity crisis. Banerjee also called for more investment in biodiversity research and capacity-building.
Insects accounted for 417 of the 709 new species, about 59% of the total. Among the 483 species new to science, 295 were insects.
Hymenoptera, the group that includes bees, wasps, ants and sawflies, topped the list with 106 species. Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies and moths, followed with 65 records.
Diptera, the group that includes flies and mosquitoes, and arachnids, which include spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites, each added 64 species. The report said insects, particularly beetles, moths and bees, represent the highest diversity in India’s faunal registry. Fishes lead among vertebrates.
Kerala Tops State List Again
Kerala recorded the highest number of new species in 2025, with 98 additions. It also topped the list in 2024.
West Bengal followed with 76 species. Karnataka recorded 67, and Arunachal Pradesh added 65.
The findings point to the importance of biodiversity-rich landscapes such as the Western Ghats, the eastern Himalayas, and coastal and forest ecosystems, which continue to yield new species records. Experts say such discoveries matter for conservation planning, habitat protection and environmental decision-making, beyond their value to taxonomy.
The Zoological Survey of India also launched Version 3.0 of the Fauna of India Checklist, a digital database of the country’s recorded animal life. Banerjee said 185 taxonomic experts contributed to the checklist, which indexes 105,953 species and subspecies across 121 taxon-specific inventories. The report said the checklist will be updated every year.
The event also saw the launch of the PaleoIndia Portal, developed jointly by the Zoological Survey of India and the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management in Chennai, using maps from the Geological Survey of India. The portal documents fossil fauna across all 28 states and eight Union Territories and holds information on more than 5,000 animal specimens.
Minister Raises Tiger Reintroduction in Bengal
Yadav also raised the possibility of reintroducing tigers in West Bengal, pointing to Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve as a model. He said the reintroduction could be attempted in Buxa forest in north Bengal, which currently has no resident tiger population.
Sariska lost all its tigers by 2008. Yadav said the reserve now has 56 tigers after sustained reintroduction and conservation work. “Sariska stands today as a powerful testament to what sustained scientific management, community participation and political commitment can achieve,” he said.
He said the Union government and the West Bengal government are exploring a similar plan for what he called “the land of the Royal Bengal Tiger.” Efforts are underway, in consultation with experts, to explore tiger reintroduction in suitable landscapes, he said, aimed at strengthening biodiversity conservation and ecological security.
The Zoological Survey of India said the country’s expanding biodiversity database is essential as ecosystems face pressure from habitat loss, climate change, pollution and other human-driven threats.
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