Consider the following statements:
- Statement-1: Marsupials are not naturally found in India.
- Statement-II: Marsupials can thrive only in montane grasslands with no predators.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
- Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
- Statement-1 is correct Statement-II is incorrect
- Statement-1 is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Explanation
Statement-1 is correct
- Marsupials are mammals that give birth to relatively undeveloped young, which then continue to grow and develop outside the womb, typically in a pouch. There are around 270 species of marsupials. About 72 of these are found in Central and South America, one–the opossum–in North America, and a few in Papua New Guinea. Around 200 marsupial species are found in Australia, which is the largest number by far. Australian marsupials include wallabies, kangaroos (including tree kangaroos), possums, Tasmanian devils, bilbies, quolls, numbats, phascogales, quokkas and many others, including the extinct Tasmanian tiger (thylacine). They are not naturally found in India.
Statement-II is incorrect
- Most Australian marsupials live in dry scrub or desert habitat.
- In South America, marsupials live in tropical rainforests.
- Marsupials can inhabit various parts of the forest, from the trees to the forest floor, where some, like wombats, burrow underground.
