Area, climate, physical features and faunas of palaearctic region

1. Palaearctic
region
Submitted by: Syed Usman Abdullah
Roll No: 2712 (148077)
Department: BS-Zoology
Semester: 6th (Evening)

2. Introduction
 The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of
the eight biogeographic realms of the
Earth.
 It was first used in the 19th century,
and is still in use as the basis
for Zoogeographical region.
 The Palearctic is the largest of the
eight realms.

3. Extent:
 It is the largest zoogeographical region
that includes;
◦ whole of Europe,
◦ northern part of Africa,
◦ northern China,
◦ U.S.S.R,
◦ Japan,
◦ Iran,
◦ Afghanistan and
◦ Baluchistan (western province of
Pakistan).

4. Palaearctic Map

5. Physical features
 Palaearctic region is bounded by sea to
the west, north, and east, and by the
Sahara and Himalayas to the south.
 The Palaearctic is therefore, in
continuous land connections with two of
its neigbours, the Ethiopian and
Oriental regions.
 From which it is separated by a desert
in the one case and a high mountain
range in the other.
 From its other neigbour, the nearctic, it
is cut off by sea.

6. Climate
 The climate is more or less
temperate.
 The region includes both wet forest
lands and dry open steppe lands, as
well as, large coniferous forests.
 Wide range of temperature, greater
fluctuation in the rainfall, greater
diversity of surface features are the
characteristics of the Palaearctic
region.

7. Zoological characteristics
Mammals:
 There are 28 families of land
mammals (excluding the numerous
bat families).
 This region does not have any large
spectacular mammals.
 There are moles, shrews, rabbits,
hedgehogs, porcupines, hyaenas,
camels, donkeys, sheeps, oxen,
deers, bears, cats and doges.

8. Unique families of mammals:
 The two families of mammals that are
unique to this region are both are
rodents, namely, and the
 Each family is represented by only one
genus.
 Spalax is a brownish yellow burrowing
rat with no tail.
 Selevinia is mainly remarkable
because it was discovered recently in
1938 in Kazhakstan.

10. Birds:
 There are 53 families of birds most of
which are migratory.
 All birds have wide distribution and are
shared with Nearctic, Oriental and
African regions.
 Birds include hawks, ducks, stork,
cuckoos, kingfishers, swifts, swallows,
thrushes, blackbirds, finches, grebes,
loons etc.
 There are no parrots.
family of bird is
only restricted family of this region.

12. Reptiles:
 The reptilian fauna is characterized
by turtle, tortoises, few lizards and
snakes.
 There is an alligator in China.
 No family is confined to this region.

14. Amphibians:
 Palaearctic is important from the point
of view that is has a large number of
tailed amphibians, the newts and
salamanders.
 Of the tailless amphibia, the common
toads and frogs are widespread.
 Few tree frogs of both the hylid and
polypedatid families.

16. Fishes:
 There are carps, salmon, pikes,
perches, eels and Petromyzon.
 Carp fish is the dominant family.
 There is no endemic fish family in
this region.

18. Thank You