GUWAHATI COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

FIELD REPORT ON ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF

INDIA, SHILLONG

SUBMITTED BY:
STUTI GOSWAMI
FYUGP B.A 2ND SEMESTER GU
ROLL NO: UA-231-016-0207

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that STUTI GOSWAMI , student of FYUGP 2ND Semester, Guwahati
College, bearing roll no. UA-231-016-0207 participated in an excursion trip to "Zoological
Survey of India, Shillong" as a partial fulfilment of the requirement of SEC as a part of
their academic syllabus. This excursion trip was conducted under my guidance and
supervision.

DR. ARATI BAIRAGEE

Department of Zoology
Guwahati College

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
For the successful completion of zoological trip, it is always important to choose a
suitable place that meets the need and explores the area gathering as much as
knowledge possible about history, present status and diversity.

I would like to express my heart full of indebtedness and owe a deep sense of gratitude
to my project report supervisor, DR. Dinesh Kakati sir, DR. Pinky Baruah ma'am and DR.
Shamim Rahman Sir for the valuable advice and proper guidance without which this work
would not have come to its completion.

I would also like express my heartiest gratitude to DR. Pranab Sandilya sir, Principal of
Guwahati College, DR. Aarti Bairagee Ma'am, Department of Zoology (HOD) for
permitting us to the excursion field study to "Zoological Survey of India, Shillong".

I would also like to thank the authorities of Zoological Survey of India, Shillong for
helping us throughout the journey. I would also like to thank our bus driver for making us
reach our destination safely. And last but not least I faithfully applaud my fellow
classmates and my Parents for their help and support for finishing the project within the
limited time.

STUTI GOSWAMI

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 CONTENT

SL.NO NAME PAGE NO.

1 Importance of excursion 5

2 Reason for selection of site 6

3 Introduction 7
4 Travel diary 9

5 Journey 10
6 Methodology 12
7 Observation(findings) 13
8 Photo gallery 15
9 Conservation 16
10 Conclusion 17
11 References 18

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 IMPORTANCE OF EXCURSION

 It helps in visual and practical experience that allows students to remember, learn
and understand subjects for their lifetime.
 Excursions helps strengthen classroom materials and brings classroom lessons
to life.
 Excursion trips provide student with an opportunity to visualize experience
and discuss Information.
 Excursion is a powerful learning that takes place in the real world, it is learning
of social skills development in a non-college setting.
 It also offers unique cultural learning experiences, allow students to involve in a
new environment key to encouraging curiosity about the given subjects.
 It helps in developing qualities of resourcefulness, self-confidence, initiative and
leadership among the students. It also helps in developing the co- operative
attitude and various others in proper utilization.

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 REASON FOR SELECTION OF SITE
The North Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong is the first of the 16 Regional Centre of
Zoological Survey of India and was established on 6th March, 1959 with the primary
objective of exploring and documenting faunal diversity of northeastern India. The
Centre's jurisdiction extends to six North East Indian states of Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Over the years, the Centre has completed
about 120 research projects covering faunal diversity of protected areas and ecosystems,
status survey of animal groups, environmental impact assessment etc. The scientists of
the Centre have so far described 75 new species and reported hundreds of new faunal
species records to India and states. Over 380 research papers in various national and
international journals and book chapters were published by the scientists of the Centre.

The centre has published over 390 research papers (including books and book chapters)
over the years in various national and international journals.

Thus, it proves to be a suitable location for students to gain knowledge of the field.

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 INTRODUCTION
The Zoological Survey of India:

India is recognized as one of the seventeen mega diversity countries of the world with
four biodiversity hot spots -Western Ghats / Sri Lanka, Indo Burma, Himalayas and Sunda-
land. There are about 1.7 million living species described from all over the world and
another 15 million species are waiting to be discovered. In India till date, 1,00,693 species
of animals have been described, but a large number of species are expected to be
discovered especially from the lower invertebrate groups occurring in various
ecosystems. Also, the status of the higher group of animals especially those in the
Schedules need to be studied before their habitats get disappeared.

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was established on 1st July, 1916 to promote survey,
exploration and research leading to the advancement in our knowledge of various
aspects of exceptionally rich life of the erstwhile 'British Indian Empire'. The survey has
its genesis in the establishment of the Zoological Section of the Indian Museum at
Calcutta in 1875. By gradually strengthening its staff and expanding its research
programme, the Survey has met the challenge of the past and is on its way to meet the
demands of the future. It has maintained its primary objectives unchanged from its
inception.

The Zoological Survey of India, SHILLONG

The North Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong is the first of the 16 Regional Centre of
Zoological Survey of India and was established on 6th March, 1959 with the primary
objective of exploring and documenting faunal diversity of northeastern India. The
Centre's jurisdiction extends to six North East Indian states of Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Over the years, the Centre has completed
about 120 research projects covering faunal diversity of protected areas and ecosystems,
status survey of animal groups, environmental impact assessment etc. The scientists of
the Centre have so far described 75 new species and reported hundreds of new faunal
species records to India and states over.

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380 research papers in various national and international journals and book chapters
were published by the scientists of the Centre.

The centre has published over 390 research papers (including books and book chapters)
over the years in various national and international journals.

The digital archive of the publications of the ZSI represents a very valuable resource for
research on Indian fauna.

The Records of the Indian Museum served as a vehicle for publishing zoological research
articles even before the establishment of the ZSI. At one time, it was the only journal for
publishing taxonomic research papers, descriptions of new species, new records,
revisionary studies, etc. for scientists of the ZSI. The first issue was published in 1907.
After India's independence, the ZSI published 88 issues of the Records of the Indian
Museum in 21 volumes. After 1962, the journal was renamed the Records of the
Zoological Survey of India.

The Records of the Zoological Survey of India is a quarterly in-house journal now. It is a
medium for zoological communications related to taxonomy, faunistic, biology, ecology
and populations of all taxa. Since 1947, 168 issues of the Records of the Zoological Survey
of India have been published in 67 volumes.

State Fauna Series:

ZSI headquarters in collaboration with its 16 Regional Centres located in various parts of
the country has undertaken intensive and extensive survey programmes on the faunal
resources of various States of India and collected and documented the baseline data. The
first of the series: State Fauna of Orissa was published in 1987. These published
documents on fauna have been realised to be highly useful not only to the research
workers but also to the state governments to assess/monitor the faunal wealth of their
states. The faunal documents also help in EIA works/study as the base line data. The State
Fauna series of the 20 States have been published; survey, study and documentation of
the fauna of other 4 states are being completed; and the Survey and faunal inventorying
works of 3 states are in progress.

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 TRAVEL DIARY

Our journey was scheduled for 1 day,

Time Stamps:

• Bus started: 7:00 AM

• Breakfast at (Excelencia, restaurant, Nongpoh): 9:00 AM

• Reached Umiam lake: 11:00 AM

• Reached Zoological survey of India: 1 PM

• Introduction by Faculty members: 1:15 PM

• Demonstration of preserving techniques and pinning: 2:00 PM

• Museum Visit, ZSI: 2:30PM

• Lunch: 3:00 PM

• Return journey to Guwahati: 4:00 PM

• Tea Break (nongpho): 6:00 PM

• Reached Guwahati: 8:30 PM

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 JOURNEY

An educational trip was organized by Department of Zoology, Guwahati College for the
students of FYUGP 2ND semester to Zoological Survey of India, SHILLONG, dated
03/05/2024.

DAY 1

Guwahati to Shillong:

Everything that comprise with excitement and enthusiasm, the journey always begins the
day before. The day before on 2nd May my journey along with others has had started
with packing our bags and packing necessary essentials for the one-day trip. That night
seems to be endless one with our adrenaline at its maximum. The next morning that is
our journey day to SHILLONG, we reported to college by 6:00 A.M. The bus arrived at the
college gate at around 6:30 A.M.

We boarded our bus at around 6:45 A.M, chose our seats, put our luggage on the
overhead shelves over our seats. Our journey than started at 7:00 A.M, accompanying 31
of our students by Aarti Ma'am, Shameem Sir. At about 7:30 A.M we picked up Pinky
Ma'am on the way.

We reached The excelencia Restaurant in nongpho at around 9:00 AM. There we

freshened up, and had our breakfast. After resting for a while, we continued on our
journey. The journey was full of enthusiasm, with students singing songs and professors
sharing small talks in between.

Zoological Survey to India, Shillong:

We reached ZSI, Shillong at around 1 pm, the arrival time took longer than expected
because of wrong navigation. After reaching ZSI, all students gathered around the
entrance and we were approached by the staff members of ZSI.

After a quick introductory session, we were directed to the specimen storage room of
the institute. There we saw preserved specimens of various different species. There were
storage racks, incubators and a few families and genus were kept for display. Each
scientist took turns to tell us about the genus they were studying on

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 Kept for display. Each scientist took turn to tell us about the genus they were studying
on.

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Dr. Uttam Saikia explained about Orthoptera, Sir Prabin Konwar explained about Odonta
and lastly Mr Amit Rana explained us about Cerambycidae.

After brief explanations, we were then shown how pinning and storage of specimen is
done.

After the small workshop we were directed to the museum where various preserved
animals were only display. We were thrilled by looking at the displays. It was a fascinating
site.

Back To Guwahati:

After our museum visit, we bid our farewell to the institute and went to the town for
lunch. In a restaurant we had our lunch and after that we, students were given some free
time to explore the market place. We purchased a few souvenirs and they finally at
around 4 PM, we boarded our bus for journey home.

We reached Guwahati at around 8:30PM

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 METHODOLOGY
For the report of the field study, survey method was adapted for the identification of
different species. Through the survey method, the findings of the species were done by
direct sighting of the species displayed. Also, the experts helped us in identifying. For the
findings; different equipment's were used to record the survey of the species at the
institute.

Equipment used during the survey:

• Camera

• Mobile Phone

• Pen

• Notebook

• Watch

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 OBSERVATION
The various species that were stored in ZSI,Shillong were:

SL.NO. COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME LOCATION

1 Long-Horned Grasshoppers Tettigoniidae ZSI,Shillong

2 Cone-Headed Grasshoppers Copiphorinae ZSI,Shillong

3 True Katydids Pseudophyllinae ZSI,Shillong

4 House And Field Crickets Gryllinae ZSI,Shillong

5 Tree Crickets Oecanthinae ZSI,Shillong

6 Ground Crickets Nemobiinae ZSI,Shillong
7 Pygmy Grasshoppers Tetrigidae ZSI,Shillong

8 Short-Horned Grasshoppers Acridida ZSI,Shillong

9 Lubber Grasshoppers Romaleinae ZSI,Shillong

10 Spur-Throated Cyrtacanthacridinae ZSI,Shillong

Grasshoppers
11 Harlequin Beetle Acrocinus longimanus ZSI,Shillong
12 Citrus Long-Horned Beetle Anoplophora Chinensis ZSI,Shillong

13 Asian Long-Horned Beetle Anoplophoraglabripennis ZSI,Shillong

14 Cactus Longhorn Beetles Moneilema ZSI,Shillong

15 Titan Beetles Titanus giganteus ZSI,Shillong

16 Flower Long-Horned Beetle Zorion guttigerum ZSI,Shillong

17 Huhu Beetle Prionoplus reticularis ZSI,Shillong

18 Red-Brown Longhorn Stictoleptura rubra ZSI,Shillong
Beetle
19 Brown Spruce Longhorn Tetropiumfuscum ZSI,Shillong
Beetle

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 CONSERVATION

The conservation of species in India is greatly supported by the Zoological Survey of India
(ZSI), established in 1916 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
ZSI's primary role is to survey, document, and study the vast array of animal species
found across diverse ecosystems in India, from forests and wetlands to coastal and
marine areas. Through extensive faunal surveys and continuous biodiversity monitoring,
ZSI gathers critical data on species distribution and population trends, which is essential
for effective conservation planning. The organization's taxonomic research, which
includes the discovery and classification of new species, adds to the scientific knowledge
necessary for preserving biodiversity. ZSI's conservation programs focus on species-
specific initiatives for endangered animals like the Bengal tiger and Asiatic lion, alongside
habitat restoration efforts that ensure the survival of various wildlife populations. These
targeted actions are crucial for maintaining ecological balance and protecting vulnerable
species from extinction. Furthermore, ZSI's collaborations with national and international
research institutions, universities, and conservation organizations amplify its research
capabilities and conservation impact. The institution also plays a significant advisory role,
providing scientific expertise for policy formulation and management plans aimed at
conserving protected areas. Public awareness and education are integral to ZSI's mission.
The organization conducts outreach programs, seminars, and exhibitions to raise public
awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation. By producing educational
materials, ZSI helps inform the public about India's rich wildlife heritage. Overall, the
Zoological Survey of India is indispensable in the conservation of species, contributing
significantly to the sustainable management and protection of the country’s biodiversity.

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 CONCLUSION

ZSI plays a pivotal role through its extensive exploration, surveys, and research on the
animal resources of India. One of the primary activities of ZSI is conducting
comprehensive faunal surveys across various ecosystems, including forests, wetlands,
coastal regions, and marine environments, to document and monitor the distribution and
abundance of animal species. In addition to field surveys, ZSI focuses on taxonomic
studies, which involve describing new species and revising the taxonomy of known ones.
This research is disseminated through publications like the "Fauna of India" series and
regional faunas, which provide detailed information on the country's species.
Conservation programs are another critical aspect of ZSI's work, including targeted
initiatives for endangered species such as the Bengal tiger and the Asiatic lion, as well as
efforts to restore and manage critical habitats. ZSI collaborates with national and
international research institutions, universities, and conservation organizations to
enhance its research and conservation efforts. As an advisory body, ZSI provides scientific
inputs for conservation policy formulation and management plans for protected areas,
playing a crucial role in supporting governmental efforts in wildlife conservation. Public
awareness and education are also significant components of ZSI's mission. The
organization conducts outreach programs, exhibitions, and seminars to raise public
awareness about wildlife conservation. Additionally, it produces educational materials to
inform the public about India's wildlife heritage. Notable achievements of ZSI include the
discovery of numerous new species, the compilation of the Red Data Book on Indian
Animals, and conducting ecological studies that aid in understanding species' habits,
habitats, and interactions within ecosystems. Through its multifaceted approach, the
Zoological Survey of India significantly contributes to the protection and sustainable
management of India's vast animal resources, promoting a deeper understanding of the
ecological importance of various species and their habitats.

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 REFERENCES

 https://zsi.gov.in/
 https://zsi.gov.in/rc-whats-new/en?rc-54
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoological Survey of India
 https://moef.gov.in/moef/about-the-ministry/organisations-
institutions/subordinate-offices/zoological-survey-of-india-2/index.html
 http://zsi.gov.in/regional-centres/en?rc-54

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