Geographical Restrictedness of Species and Climate Resilience: Insights from the Endemic Cold-blooded Vertebrates of the Western Ghats, India

Journal of Climate Justice
An International Peer-Reviewed Journal in Environmental Science
Volume 1, Issue 1, 2026
Pages: 29–42
Online ISSN: 3139-8529

R. J. Ranjit Daniels
Co-founder and Trustee, Care Earth Trust
No. 5, 21st Street, Thillaiganganagar
Chennai – 600061, India

Corresponding Author:
R. J. Ranjit Daniels
Email: ranjit.daniels@gmail.com

Received: 30th April 2026
Published: July 2026

Key words

Western Ghats, Endemic, Vertebrates, Cold-blooded, Bioclimate, Resilience

Abstract

This paper focuses on the geographical distribution of endemic cold-blooded vertebrates in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Western Ghats are among the earth’s oldest tropical hill ranges. More than 1,500 vertebrate species are currently known in the ecoregion. 42% of the species are endemic. Majority of the endemic vertebrates are cold-blooded, including fish, amphibians and reptiles. When the latitudinal distribution of 454 species of vertebrates, endemic to the Western Ghats, was analysed, it became evident that 49% of the species are local endemics and 80% of the local endemics are not known north of 13 ° N latitude. Higher levels of endemism in the south are attributed to the shorter dry season. While the role of massifs and the Palghat Gap in limiting the geographical distribution of local endemics needs to be investigated in greater detail, it is emerged that hill streams and the associated species of fish and amphibians, when studied in the context of the local bioclimate, can offer clues to understanding climate resilience in the Western Ghats.