Pratyush P. MOHAPATRA

I am a Scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. My research focuses on animal taxonomy, evolutionary biology, and wildlife conservation, with a particular emphasis on reptiles and scorpions. Over the course of my work, I have described 17 new species of reptiles, amphibians, and insects, with several additional discoveries currently underway. 

At the Zoological Survey of India, I am responsible for the curation and management of the National Zoological Collection of Reptiles—the largest and oldest repository of reptile specimens from India and South Asia. A key aspect of my work is addressing long-standing taxonomic ambiguities among Indian reptiles. I have contributed to IUCN Red List assessments for more than 150 species of South Asian reptiles and amphibians and played a significant role in shaping the “Reptiles of India” section of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022. 

I also serve as the Nodal Officer for the National Red List Assessment of Indian Fauna and am an active member of the IUCN-SSC Snake, Viper, and Monitor Lizard Specialist Groups. In addition to my research and conservation responsibilities, I currently supervise six PhD scholars working on diverse topics ranging from human-elephant conflict and snake ecology to the taxonomy of scorpions and trapdoor spiders.