Kaziranga’s Wetlands Reveal Evolution of One-Horned Rhino Habitat

Mud beneath the wetlands of Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has yielded new scientific insights into how the habitat and residence of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros have evolved over time under the influence of climate change, vegetation shifts, invasive species and herbivore activity.

Northeast India, which forms part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, is home to several endangered species facing a high risk of extinction. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kaziranga National Park remains a key stronghold of megaherbivores, particularly the one-horned rhino.

In a pioneering study, scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) analysed pollen preserved in wetland sediments to generate the first long-term palaeoecological record linked to palaeoherbivory from Kaziranga. For this, researchers extracted a sediment core measuring just over one metre from the Sohola swamp located within the park.

The study examined the causes behind the decline and present-day confinement of megaherbivores, especially the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, to Kaziranga. Fossil evidence revealed that the species was once widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent, but its range contracted sharply after the Holocene, underscoring the long-term ecological and climatic factors shaping its current distribution.

Source: PIB