Consider the following pairs
| Wildlife | Naturally found in |
| 1. Blue-finned Mahseer | Cauvery River |
| 2. Irrawaddy Dolphin | Chambal River |
| 3. Rusty-spotted Cat | Eastern Ghats |
Which of the pairs given are correctly matched?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Pair 1 is correct
- The Blue-finned Mahseer is one of the subspecies of the Mahseer. Mainly found in the Mota Mola river, east of Pune. This species is also found in other rivers of the Deccan Plateau.
- IUCN Status: LC
- Cauvery, the Mahseer community comprises two varieties—a “blue-finned” fish and an “orange-finned humpbacked’ fish.
- The Cauvery has an abundant population of the blue-finned mahseer ( Tor khudree ), a non-native, artificially bred fish.
- In the late 1970s, mahseer enthusiasts in Karnataka introduced the blue-finned mahseer from Tata Power’s hatchery in Lonavala into the Cauvery River, aiming to boost fish populations. This hatchery has since played a crucial role in conservation, distributing thousands of fishlings for restocking efforts across India and beyond. However, this introduction was made without foresight, leading to the blue-finned mahseer (Tor khudree) becoming abundant in the Cauvery and ultimately reducing the native orange-finned mahseer species.
Pair 2 is incorrect
- The Irrawaddy dolphin (EN) is the flagship species of Chilika Lake.
- Chilika is home to the only known population of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in India.
Pair 3 is correct
- The rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is found in Indian Subcontinent (India, Sri Lanka and a small part of Nepal). This small wild cat is known to inhabit various regions, including the Eastern Ghats. Many wildlife experts describe it as the smallest cat species in the wild, though some say the African black-footed cat qualifies for that status.
- This cat is nocturnal by nature.
- IUCN Status: Near Threatened (NT)
- Distribution: It is found in moist and dry deciduous forests, tropical thorn forests, scrub forests, grasslands, arid shrublands, rocky areas, and hill slopes.
Image Source: IUCN and The Hindu
