Question

Which of the following animals shows a continuous distribution?
A. Green muscle
B. Bats
C. Lungfish
D. Pacific salmon

Answer 1

Hint: The distribution of animals is not always the same on terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Their presence is constrained by many factors such as food, reproductive environment, shelter, temperature, flora and fauna, etc.

Complete answer: Distribution in animals is of three major types, i.e. Continuous distribution, Discontinuous distribution, and Bipolar distribution. Continuous distribution means the animals have a wide range of areas or regions where they can survive and are not regulated to any specific type of food or place. They can move from one place to another through swimming, rafting, or flying; and thus can easily change their place to live. They have the ability to adapt themselves to various kinds of environmental conditions. The animals that show continuous distributions are rats, cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, bats, snakes, lizards, and most importantly, human beings. Bats are the second largest order of the mammals and constitute more than 20% of all the mammals present in the world. They have the ability to fly for long distances.
So, the correct answer is “Option B, Bats”.

Additional Information:
 Discontinuous distribution is observed when distribution of a species is not continuous and is regulated due to the presence of uninhabited regions in between, such as large oceans.
Bipolar distribution is seen in animals that are adapted to very low temperature regions (cold climate) and cannot survive in the warm regions. These species are mostly limited to the Polar Regions.

Note: Example of animals showing discontinuous distribution is Peripatus which is present in Asia (Southeast region), Africa, East Indies, New Zealand, Australia, and some portion of America.
Examples of animals showing bipolar distribution are reindeers, polar bears, lemmings, arctic fox, etc.