Q. Consider the following animals :
1. Hedgehog
2. Marmot
3. Pangolin To reduce the chance of being captured by predators, which of the above organisms rolls up/roll up and protects/ protect its/their vulnerable parts?
Why this question:
- The Madhya Pradesh Forest department, for the first time, has radio-tagged an Indian Pangolin in Feb 2020.
- A detailed article came in The Hindu in Feb 2021.
- Alert for bubonic plague caused by marmots in China in July 2020.
Ans) d
Exp) Option d is correct.
Option 1 is correct. Hedgehogs are small nocturnal spiny mammals. When they are frightened, or annoyed, hedgehogs will roll into a ball so that a predator will feel the full brunt of its sharp spines and will then leave the hedgehog alone.
Option 2 is incorrect. Marmots are relatively large ground squirrels with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. They are the heaviest members of the squirrel family. It does not roll up to protect itself.
Option 3 is correct. Pangolins are actually mammals. They are the only mammals wholly-covered in scales and they use those scales to protect themselves from predators in the wild. Under threat, a pangolin will immediately curl into a tight ball and will use their sharp-scaled tails to defend themselves.
Source: How does a hedgehog roll up? – Dickinson County Conservation Board
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-a-pangolin
Subject) Environment
