Previous Year Question

The Black-necked Crane is naturally found in India.

Its scientific name is Grus nigricollis, and it is a distinctive bird of the Tibetan Plateau and adjoining high-altitude regions.

In India, it breeds mainly in the high-altitude wetlands of Ladakh.

During winter, it is also observed in the Sangti Valley and certain other high-altitude valleys of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Black-necked Crane depends on shallow wetlands, marshy grasslands and riverine areas for feeding and breeding.

Alteration of wetlands, human disturbance, attacks by feral dogs and power lines are major threats to the species.

In the context of the question, the Cheetah was not naturally found in India.

The Asiatic Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, which historically occurred in India, disappeared because of excessive hunting, habitat loss and depletion of prey species.

The Government of India declared the Cheetah extinct in the country in 1952.

In 2012, India had no natural wild population of the Cheetah; therefore, statement 2 is not correct.

African Cheetahs were subsequently brought to Kuno National Park under a conservation-translocation programme, but this is different from the natural occurrence asked about in the question.

Flying squirrels are naturally found in India.

Flying squirrels do not perform powered flight like birds or bats; they glide from one tree to another with the help of a membrane of skin extending between their forelimbs and hindlimbs.

The Indian Giant Flying Squirrel, Red Giant Flying Squirrel and several other flying-squirrel species occur in the forests of the Himalayas, north-eastern India, central India and the Western Ghats.

Most flying squirrels are nocturnal and arboreal and feed on fruits, seeds, leaves, bark and occasionally insects.

The Snow Leopard is naturally found in India.

Its scientific name is Panthera uncia, and it is adapted to the cold, dry, rocky and alpine regions of the high Himalayas.

In India, it is distributed across the high-altitude regions of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Its grey-white fur, broad paws and long tail help it survive in snow-covered and rocky environments.