L12: Fauna of Goa — Wildlife & Biodiversity

Good morning, everyone! Welcome back. I hope some of you actually made it out to a market this week and did your plant observation exercise. We will discuss those responses next session. Let me briefly recap Lecture 11. We explored the flora of Goa — from the Western Ghats evergreen forests in the east, through the laterite midland scrublands, down to the mangroves and khazan wetlands of the coast. We talked about flagship plant species, the cultural role of coconut, cashew, mango, and kokum, and we discussed sacred groves — devrais — as traditional conservation systems. Today we are continuing in the natural world but turning our attention to the animals — Lecture 12: Fauna of Goa — Wildlife and Biodiversity. [INTRODUCTION — 0 to 10 minutes] I want to start with a story. In 2015, a Goa Forest Department patrol team in the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary near Molem spotted pugmarks — large, deep pugmarks in the soft mud near a stream. The pugmarks were confirmed to belong to a tiger. Now Goa is not traditionally thought of as tiger territory — we think of Corbett, we think of Sundarbans, we think of Ranthambore. But here, in our own Ghats, a tiger had walked. It came from the Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve just across the Karnataka border, moving through the continuous forest corridor. This one sighting tells you something fundamental: Goa's forests are connected to a much larger landscape, and that landscape is alive. Goa may be India's smallest state, but its biodiversity is astonishing — and this is entirely because of the Western Ghats, which UNESCO recognised as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2012. The Indian portion of the Ghats spans six states, and Goa's 1,424 square kilometres of protected forest within the Ghats is a critical link in this chain. Today we will move through four faunal categories: mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and marine and freshwater fauna. In each category I will highlight the culturally significant species — the animals that appear in Goan folk stories, proverbs, ritual, and daily life. [CORE CONTENT — 10 to 40 minutes] Let us begin with mammals. The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and its core zone, the Mollem National Park, is home to the highest diversity of mammals in Goa. The Indian Gaur — Bos gaurus — is Goa's state animal. The gaur is the largest wild bovid in the world. An adult male can weigh over 1,000 kilograms. In Goa, gaur are found in the forests of Sattari, Sanguem, and Canacona talukas. Villagers in these areas have complex relationships with gaur — they are respected, sometimes feared, occasionally in conflict when gaur raid agricultural fields at forest edges. The gaur has become something of a conservation symbol for Goa's forest communities. The Indian Elephant — Elephas maximus — also uses Goa's forests seasonally. Herds move between Goa and Karnataka through forest corridors. Elephant presence in areas like Castle Rock and Anmod Ghat has led to human-elephant conflict in villages near the forest edge. In Goan folk tradition, the elephant appears in temple iconography — Ganesha is of course central to Hindu worship — and the elephant is featured prominently in the Shigmo festival processions. Leopards — Panthera pardus — are present throughout the forested areas of Goa and are in fact more commonly encountered than tigers. Leopard sightings near human habitation have been reported even in areas close to Panaji, in the forests of Tiswadi island. The sloth bear — Melursus ursinus — is found in the Canacona forests. The Indian Wild Dog, or Dhole — Cuon alpinus — hunts in packs in Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary. The four-horned antelope, the mouse deer, the sambar deer, the barking deer — all present in Goa's forests. Of particular cultural significance is the Malabar Giant Squirrel — Ratufa indica — which is India's largest squirrel. This beautiful creature, with its deep chestnut and cream coat, lives in the high canopy of Ghats forests and is frequently spotted along the road from Ponda to Mollem. Children growing up near the forests know this squirrel well. It appears in local nature folklore. Now let us talk about birds, because Goa is one of India's premier birdwatching destinations. The state has recorded over 450 species of birds. This is remarkable diversity for a small state. The Indian Roller — known locally as Neelkanth — is Goa's state bird. Its brilliant turquoise flash as it swoops across an open field is one of the iconic sights of the Goan landscape. The Malabar Pied Hornbill is another flagship species of the Ghats. Hornbills are seed dispersers critical to forest regeneration, and they are large and conspicuous enough to have entered local folk consciousness. The Western Ghats forests of Goa are home to several endemic bird species — species found only in the Ghats. The Malabar Whistling Thrush — which sings a haunting, flute-like song at dawn along forest streams — the Nilgiri Flycatcher, the White-bellied Treepie. Migratory birds add another dimension to Goan avifauna. The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary on Chorao Island — named after the great Indian ornithologist Salim Ali who did important fieldwork in Goa — is the wintering ground for migratory species including kingfishers, egrets, herons, and waders that fly in from Central Asia and Siberia between October and March. The mangroves of Chorao provide critical wintering habitat. Among waterbirds, the Purple Heron and the Grey Heron are fixtures along Goa's rivers. The Brahminy Kite — with its chestnut body and white head — soars over every Goan beach and river. Fishermen consider the Brahminy Kite an auspicious bird. There is a folk belief that spotting a Brahminy Kite when setting out to fish is a good omen. Reptiles and amphibians — this is a group often overlooked in cultural discussions, but it is important. Goa has the King Cobra — Ophiophagus hannah — the world's longest venomous snake. It is found in the wet forests of the Ghats and is revered in Goan Hindu tradition. The Nag Panchami festival is dedicated to serpent worship, and King Cobra motifs appear on temple facades and in folk art. The crocodile — Mugger crocodile, Crocodylus palustris — inhabits the Mandovi and Zuari rivers and their tributaries. Old-timers in riverine villages have traditional knowledge about where crocodiles rest and how to avoid them. Crocodiles appear in Goan cautionary folk tales told to children. Amphibians are perhaps the most scientifically exciting group in Goa. Every few years, new frog species are discovered in the Ghats. The Purple Frog — Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis — is a remarkable living fossil discovered only in 2003, found burrowing underground in the Ghats. It represents a lineage that separated from its closest relatives over 100 million years ago, during the break-up of Gondwana. The diversity of caecilians — limbless amphibians — and tree frogs in Goa's forests is extraordinary and still being documented. Marine and freshwater fauna bring us to Goa's other great ecosystem. Goa's continental shelf is rich in marine life. The Kingfish — Scomberomorus commerson — locally called Viswon or Iswan — is the prestige seafood of Goa, used in the famous fish recheado, stuffed and pan-fried. The Pomfret — Silver Pomfret, Pampus argenteus — is the iconic Goan fish, appearing at every wedding feast and festival meal. The Tiger Prawn and the Mantis Shrimp are also culturally beloved. Dolphins — most commonly Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins and Spinner Dolphins — are seen year-round in Goa's coastal waters. Dolphin watching has become a major tourist activity, but for traditional fishing communities, dolphins are navigational indicators — their presence signals schools of fish. There is a deep respect for dolphins in Goan fishing culture, and old fishermen will tell you that you never harm a dolphin. Olive Ridley Sea Turtles nest on Goa's beaches, particularly at Morjim and Agonda. These nesting beaches are now protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and community-based turtle conservation programmes involve local youth in nest protection. This is a beautiful example of how wildlife conservation can become a vehicle for cultural pride. Freshwater fish of Goa's rivers — the Mahseer, Anguilla eels, and the freshwater prawn called Sungta — are all part of the food culture of inland Goa. The Sungta prawn curry is a staple of Hindu Goan cooking, and freshwater prawns from rivers like the Valvant and Mhadei are considered superior in flavour to sea prawns. [ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSION — 40 to 55 minutes] I have an activity for you today that I think you will enjoy. I call it the Goan Biodiversity Connections Map. Take a clean page in your notebook. Draw a simple outline of Goa — just a rough shape, does not need to be accurate. Mark three zones: Coast, Midland, and Ghats. Now I want you to populate this map with at least eight animals — mammals, birds, reptiles, or fish — and for each one, draw a short line to a note that says: what is the cultural connection? Is it a food item, a festival symbol, an omen, a traditional story, a livelihood source? You have eight minutes for this. It is a creative exercise and there are no wrong answers as long as you can justify the connection. [pause] Good. Let me ask — who wants to share one interesting connection they found? Yes, you in the back — the Brahminy Kite and fishermen's omens — yes, we mentioned that. Anyone find something more unexpected? Yes — the cow, the domestic cow, which grazes the khazan fields? Interesting, that is where domesticated and wild ecosystems intersect. The Mugger crocodile in the Mandovi — and you linked it to the cautionary tales — excellent. Discussion Question for today: Traditional fishing communities in Goa have accumulated generations of knowledge about marine and riverine fauna — seasonal fish movements, dolphin behaviour, river flooding patterns. With mechanised fishing, chemical agriculture, and river sand mining, this knowledge is becoming irrelevant or being lost. What are the consequences — ecological and cultural — of losing this traditional ecological knowledge? I want you to really think about this. Traditional ecological knowledge — often called TEK in academic literature — is intangible heritage of the highest order. When the last fisherman who knows where the kingfish school in February is gone, we lose not just knowledge but a whole relationship with the sea. [SUMMARY AND ASSIGNMENT — 55 to 60 minutes] Today we covered the fauna of Goa across four major categories. We discussed the megafauna of the Western Ghats — gaur, elephant, leopard, tiger corridor. We looked at Goa's remarkable birdlife, including the state bird Indian Roller and the endemic Ghats species. We explored reptiles and amphibians, including the culturally revered King Cobra and the scientifically fascinating Purple Frog. And we connected marine and freshwater fauna to Goan food culture and fishing tradition. Your assignment: Research the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle nesting project at Morjim beach. Find out who runs it, what methods are used, and what role local communities play. Write a 300-word response. There is good information on the Goa Forest Department website and in newspaper archives. Next class — Lecture 13 — we begin the performing arts section of Unit II. We will start with a broad overview of Goa's folk performing arts traditions — the context, the categories, the occasions on which they are performed. We will be discussing Tiatr, Mando, Dekhni, Fugdi, Dhalo, Kunbi, and more — it will be a rich unit, one that many of you will find personally familiar. See you Thursday, thank you!