Question

India contains a globally important population of some of Asia's rarest animals. Which of the following animals belong to that category?
(i) Marbled cat
(ii) Asiatic lion
(iii) Indian elephant
(iv) Bengal fox
(v) Indian rhinoceros
(vi) Asiatic wild ass
A. (i), (iii), and (vi)
B. (i), (ii), and (iii)
C. (i), (iv), (v), and (vi)
D. (i),(ii), (iii), (iv), (v), and (vi)

Answer 1

Hint: India has an extensive variety of fauna, out of which many are endemic to the country. The different climatic zones present within the country makes it a biodiversity hotspot. The country has almost 89,451 varieties of fauna species.

Complete answer:
Considering the given animals:
Marbled cat: It is a wild cat with a small stature. The animal is native to the eastern part of the Himalayas and belongs in the category of Asia’s rarest animals. The animal is included in the Red list issued by the IUCN.
Asiatic lion: The animal at present is surviving only in India. Mainly in the Gir Forest of Gujarat and hence is a rare animal in Asia. The animal is also included in the red list issued by the IUCN.
Indian Elephant: The animal is endemic to Asian mainland mainly present in India. Hence it is a rare animal found in Asia.
Bengal fox: The animal is also known as Indian fox. The animal is endemic to Indian subcontinent. Predominantly present in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Indian rhinoceros: It is also called the one- horned rhino. The animal is also native to the Indian subcontinent.
Asiatic wild ass: The animal is endemic or native to the southern part of Asia.
Thus therefore from the given names of animals, the most appropriate option containing the answer is D. That is, all the six animals belong to the Indian subcontinent comprising the population of some of Asia’s rarest animals.

So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note:
The population of many animals endemic to the subcontinent is decreasing over the years. There are many reasons for the same. Some of which are, habitat loss due to industrialization or expanding land for agriculture, pollution and the climatic changes, hunting and poaching.