Fish Fossils in Dehradun: Scientists have found something very unusual in the Shivalik foothills near Mohand, close to Dehradun. For a long time, this area was known mainly for fossils of land animals. Now, for the first time, researchers have found fossils linked to aquatic life there. This new discovery is important because it changes the old idea of what this region looked like millions of years ago. Reports on April 6 say the fossils belong to freshwater fish and are about 4.5 million years old, placing them in the Pliocene period.
The research team was led by scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun. They also worked with experts from Doon University, Panjab University, and researchers from Taiwan.
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The study was published in Springer Nature’s journal Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments around the end of March and early April 2026. The paper describes this as the first Pliocene otolith record from the region, giving scientists a rare look at old freshwater fish life in northern India.
What Exactly Was Found?
The fossils are very small ear bones of fish, called otoliths. These tiny parts came from three kinds of freshwater fish. The species identified were snakehead, goby, and gourami. Scientists say this is a major finding because the gourami fossil is the first one of its kind ever recorded in India. It is also said to be only the second such fossil found anywhere in the world, after an earlier one from Sumatra in Indonesia.
Senior scientist Ningthoujam Premjit Singh from WIHG spoke about what this means. He said, “This tells us a lot about similar climatic and ecological conditions of the landscapes,” His comment shows that these fish fossils are not just about one ancient animal. They help scientists understand the weather, water, and plant life that once existed in the region too.
Old Shivalik Region
These fish remains suggest that the Shivalik area was very different during the Pliocene epoch. Instead of only being linked with land animals, the region also had quiet and stable freshwater bodies. Scientists say those waters were likely surrounded by thick plant life.
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The kinds of fish found support that idea. Gourami fish usually like calm water for breeding, while snakehead fish are known as ambush hunters.
To make this discovery, the researchers collected around 500 kg of sediment during fieldwork in 2024. Later, they processed those samples in the WIHG lab very carefully to pull out the delicate otoliths.
The team says these fossils give direct proof that freshwater fish lived in northern India’s ecosystems millions of years ago. They also want more fossil hunting and wider sampling in the future so they can understand this ancient freshwater world in a better and fuller way.
