Kolkata | Kerala and West Bengal are the top two states in the number of discoveries of new animal species last year, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) said in a report.

The highest number of 101 discoveries were reported from Kerala, while West Bengal recorded 72.

Tamil Nadu became the third state on the list with 64 discoveries last year, according to the ZSI report released on Sunday.

“ZSI scientists have found 641 faunal species in 2023 in the country and the information was updated in the latest records,” ZSI director Dhriti Banerjee told PTI.

The mission of the Kolkata-headquartered 109-year-old organisation is to trace all faunal species, she said.

"This is imperative to save the bio-diversity of our system,” Banerjee said.