UPSC Prelims 2015 · Question 19 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2015 question on Dugong Protection

With reference to 'dugong', a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is a herbivorous marine animal.
2. It is found along the entire coast of India.
3. It is given legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

  1. 1 and 2
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 3
  4. 3 only
Show answer

Answer: C. 1 and 3

Verdict

The answer is 1 and 3. The dugong is a herbivorous marine mammal protected under Schedule I, but it is not found along the entire Indian coast.

Analysis

Statement 1 is CORRECT. The dugong grazes on sea grass and is the only strictly herbivorous marine mammal. Statement 3 is CORRECT. It is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which carries the strongest protection and imprisonment for poaching. Statement 2 is INCORRECT. The dugong depends on sea grass beds in sheltered waters, lagoons and bays, and in India those beds are concentrated in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, with populations also in the Gulf of Kachchh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, not along the entire coast.

Source

NCERT Class XI, India: Physical Environment, page 66, with news coverage of dugong poaching.

How to crack it

A species tied to a specific habitat cannot occupy an entire coastline, so link the animal to its food before evaluating any distribution claim. Dugong means sea grass, sea grass means sheltered shallow bays, and that immediately falsifies the entire coast statement. The word entire is itself the flag. Fuse this with the news hook of dugong poaching reports, which is what put the species on the paper in the first place.

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