Question

The Sundarban Delta is the home of which animal?
1. Royal Bengal Tiger
2. One Horned Rhinoceros
3. Tibetan Wild Ass
4. Asiatic Lion

Answer 1

Hint:
A delta is a piece of land formed at an estuary by the sediments from the river while merging into the sea.
Sundarban delta is formed at the Bay of Bengal and is home to the national animal of India.

Complete answer:
Sundarban Delta is formed at the Bay of Bengal by the confluence of rivers Ganga, Hooghly and Brahmaputra. It is a freshwater mangrove swamp. 40% of the total area of the swampy delta is in India. The rest is part of Bangladesh. These swamps protect the neighbouring inhabitants from floods and cyclones from the Bay of Bengal.
The Sundarban Delta is very rich in flora and fauna. The region is dominated by mangrove forests of a tree called ‘sundari’. This is the characteristic tree and gives Sundarban its name. Other plant species found here are passur, kankra and palms. The rich fauna of the region includes 270 species of birds, 40 mammals, 35 reptiles and 8 amphibians.
The Sundarban Delta is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is the only mangrove ecosystem in Asia which has the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is the largest predator of the region. Different species of monkeys and wild cats are very common in this region. It also once harbored the Javan Rhinoceros, which got extinct from the Sundarbans in the mid-1900s. The Sundarbans are also home to a number of deadly organisms, like the saltwater crocodile, Russel’s viper, monitor lizard, electric ray, Indian python and the infamous King Cobra.
2. One Horned Rhinoceros: This option is incorrect. They are found in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

3. Tibetan Wild Ass: This option is incorrect. They are found in the Tibetan plateau, Ladakh and northern Nepal around the Tibetan border.

4. Asiatic Lion: This option is incorrect. They are only found in Gir Forest in Gujarat.

Thus, option 1. Royal Bengal Tiger is the correct answer.

Note:
The Royal Bengal Tiger is a regular predator of humans that venture into the forest.
These man-eater prey on 30 to 100 humans every year.
According to the 2011 census, there were 74 tigers in the Indian region of the Sundarbans. This number has increased over the years and is currently 96.