Question

The state animal of Tamil Nadu is ________
(A) Deer
(B) Nilgiri Tahr
(C) Elephant
(D) Squirrel

Answer 1

Hint:
The animal is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Eastern and Western ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is closely related to sheep. The name of the animal is derived from a Tamil word meaning blue hills.

Complete solution:
 The state animal of Tamil Nadu is Nilgiri Tahr. It is closely related to sheep and is genetically more similar to members of the genus Ovis than to other tahrs. Their backs are called “Saddlebacks”, as the adult males of Nilgiri Tahr develop a light grey area or saddle on their backs.

 It is also known as Nilgiri Ibex and has been listed endangered by the IUCN. The main threats to the animal are habitat loss, poaching and climate change. There has been a significant increase in the population of Nilgiri tahrs over the last four years and the main factors leading to this increase are keeping the national park closed for poachers and other tourists, and fighting the spread of invasive flora.
Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note:
Mukurthi National Park, located in the northwest corner of the Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats was mainly created to protect Nilgiri Tahr. This park was previously known as Nilgiri Tahr National Park. This park is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is characterised by montane grasslands as the Nilgiri Tahr are mainly found in open montane grassland habitat of rain forests ecoregion.
This park is also home to many endangered animals such as Royal Bengal Tiger and Asian Elephant. As Nilgiri Tahr has been listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife(Protection) Act, 1972, it is provided and absolute protection and offences under these might lead to high penalties.