The Wandering Indian Plate and Its Changing Biogeography During the Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary Period

Abstract

Discussion and Conclusion New biogeographic synthesis suggests that the Late Cretaceous Indian tetrapod fauna is cosmopolitan with both Gondwanan and Laurasian elements by the formation of multiple temporary land bridges and is dominated by geodispersal biogeography. The Early Eocene tetrapods, in contrast, show the influence of both geodispersal and vicariance. Several endemic families of archaic mammals in Early Eocene may indicate partial isolation of India. Middle Eocene vertebrates show strong influence of geodispersal biogeography as India made the initial contact with Asia with development of northeast biotic corridor.