Previous Year Question
With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements:
The leader of an elephant group is a female.
The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 and 2 only
2 and 4 only
3 only
1, 3 and 4 only
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
The Indian elephant is a subspecies of the Asian elephant, and its scientific name is Elephas maximus indicus.
Elephants are social animals, and complex social relationships occur within family groups of female elephants.
Statement 1 is correct: An elephant family group is generally led by the oldest and most experienced female, known as the matriarch.
The group generally consists of the matriarch, other related adult females and their calves.
The experienced matriarch plays an important role in decisions related to food, water sources, safe routes and avoidance of danger.
Adult males generally leave their natal group after reaching maturity and may live alone or in temporary male groups.
Statement 2 is correct: The gestation period of an elephant is generally about 18 to 22 months and is one of the longest among terrestrial mammals.
Such a long gestation period generally results in the birth of a single calf; the birth of twins is extremely rare.
Elephant calves remain dependent on their mother and other females of the group for food, protection and learning social behaviour for a long period.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The reproductive capacity of a female elephant does not necessarily end at the age of 40 years.
Reproductive rate may decline with age, but a healthy female elephant can give birth even after the age of 40 years.
There is generally a gap of several years between two births in elephants. Consequently, their natural population-growth rate is slow.
Statement 4 is incorrect: According to the 2017 All-India Synchronized Elephant Population Estimation relevant to the question, Karnataka had the highest elephant population among the States, not Kerala.
The estimation recorded approximately 6,049 elephants in Karnataka, 5,719 in Assam and 3,054 in Kerala.
The Indian elephant is an important seed disperser and ecosystem engineer. Its movement affects vegetation structure, water sources and forest pathways.
Major threats to elephants include habitat fragmentation, obstruction of elephant corridors, human-elephant conflict, railway and road accidents and illegal hunting.