Q. Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: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?
Statement I is correct.
There are about 270 marsupial mammals left in the world today, and they can be found in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and South America. In India, these Marsupials are not found naturally. Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, opossums, bandicoot and koalas are the examples of marsupials. The pouch, or marsupium, after which marsupials are named is not present in all marsupial females. For marsupials, the gestation period can be as short as 10.5 days.
Statement II is incorrect.
In South America the marsupials live in tropical rainforests. Marsupials can thrive in any part of the forest habitat, from the trees to the forest floor whereas the wombat burrow underground. North America’s only marsupial is the Virginia opossum.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/marsupials https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/marsupial#:~:text=In%20South%20America%2C%20marsupials%20live,is%20North%20America’s%20only%20marsupial
