UPSC Prelims 2023 Question:

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?

Explanation:

• Marsupials (Metatheria) are pouched mammals, that is mammals in which the females bear their young alive but in an almost foetal state and, in most species, carry them within an external pocket or pouch formed by a flap of dermal tissue on the abdomen. The most familiar marsupials are the kangaroos. The Marsupials are native to Australia. They are not naturally found in India. So, statement 1 is correct.
  
  
• Marsupials are mostly found in arid and semi-arid regions and not only in montane grasslands with no predators. So, statement 2 is not correct.
  
  

So, Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect.

Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.

Subject: Geography | Natural Vegetation and Wildlife