Shaista Aslam , Saima Siddiqui , Ubaid Ullah , Uzma Manzoor , Tahira Lateef , Naseem Samreen , Ponum Nasir , Sehrish Khan , Laraiba Noor and Syed A Ghalib
Keywords: Vertebrate biodiversity, mountain biodiversity, ecosystem, marine turtle, freshwater turtle.
Abstract: Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world with rich diversity of wild animals and ecosystems. Seven healthy populations of Brown bear are found in Karakoram ranges, Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountains. The vertebrate biodiversity includes 198 species of mammals, 700 bird species, 177 reptilian species, 22 amphibian species and 198 species of fresh water fishes. Five species of marine and eight species of freshwater turtles were also recorded. Several globally important endangered species such as Snow leopard, Common leopard, Brown bear, Balochistan black bear, Astor markhor and Indus River dolphin are also part of wildlife of Pakistan. Hingol National Park is a unique national park and comprises of six ecosystems including Arabian Sea, rugged mountains, desert, river, estuary and open plains. Many endemic species including Indus dolphin, Balochistan black bear, Chiltan markhor and Wholly flying squirrels have also been recorded in Pakistan. A lot of research work has been done to observe and record the wildlife of Pakistan. This paper is mainly focused on a review of some selected published data on vertebrate wildlife of Pakistan up to 2022.
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