Northern Indian Grassland

Description:

The Northern Indian Grassland is a region of tropical flooded grasslands and wetlands found in the north of the Indian subcontinent. Due to the expansion of the Himalayan mountains, the warmer climate, and the weakening of the monsoons, the subcontinent of India became a drier and less forested region. Most of the tropical dry deciduous forests in the northern half of the subcontinent transitioned to grassland roughly 20 million years ago. Unlike the rest of the region's grasslands, this grassland is constantly flooded due to the runoff from the Himalayas, which creates a high number of rivers and creeks. These waterways support a variety of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial fauna and flora. This area is also incredibly flat, with erosion and anthropogenic change affecting the environment of the region. The densely packed roots of the wild grasses in the region also make it incredibly difficult for trees to grow. Certain creatures also act as environmental engineers that diminish the number of trees in this area. This region is also fairly wet throughout the year, with rainfall and flowing rivers flooding the region. Due to the year-round rains, there is limited seasonality in this region, with the temperature hovering between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius. 

Fauna and Flora:

Due to these drier conditions, the extinction of many of India's native Holocene fauna, and global isolation from the Himalayas preventing most terrestrial fauna from entering the subcontinent, India's fauna composition is composed of endemic faunal groups. In this region, even-toed ungulates dominate the terrestrial megafaunal herbivores. Cattle, chevrotains, and nilgai are the main mammalian herbivores. These mammals range in size from the deer-sized chevrotains to the massive aabee-ghoda. There are also the Gastornis-like titanogeese, large wading flightless descendants of the common greylag goose (Anser anser). These geese play an important role in feeding on aquatic plants and bivalves. Various semi-aquatic and aquatic animals dominated the region. Fish, otterdogs, semi-aquatic rodents, and swimming reptiles are some of the fauna you will find here. This area is also the endemic home to the elusive spotted nakili-billi, a massive civet that stalks these grasslands. These animals create a whole different world underwater that supports a vast aquatic food web. The plant life here is mostly dominated by grasses and shrubs. The dense roots of regions prevent other plants from growing in the terrestrial areas. Underwater, many aquatic plants thrive due to the slow-flowing rivers and abundant sunlight.

Animals of the Region