Question

In which of the following is an endemic species to the Western Ghats?
A) Asiatic elephant
B) Asiatic lion
C) Nilgiri Tahr
D) One-horned rhino

Answer 1

The plants and animals species that are restricted to a particular geographical area are called endemic species. These species do not spread to other locations as they are mostly contained in an isolated area. It is important to conserve these species because they can become endangered due to habitat destruction, climate change, disease etc.

Complete answer:
Also called Sahyadris, the Western Ghats are chains of mountains found running parallel to the western coast of India. It covers only 6% of the total land area of the area but it is home to more than 30% of the total species of plants, animals, fishes and birds found in India. It covers the six states of India Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and also one of the biological hotspots of the world.

The Western Ghats consists of a variety of ecosystems that includes Tropical wet evergreen forests, Tropical deciduous forests and montane grasslands. Shola forests are also found in this region. Many species are found in this region. The plant species include Gamboge tree, cardamom, rock banana etc. The Nilgiri hills of Western Ghats consist of over 6,000 elephants. It also includes other mammals such as gaur, sambar, tiger etc.

Several national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves are located in the Western Ghats. It also contains many endemic species such as Lion tailed-macaque, Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, Indian giant squirrel etc. Many of these endemic species are endangered species.

Asiatic elephant: It is an endangered species of elephant. It is distributed throughout India.
Asiatic lion: It is only present in the Gir national park India. The Gir national park is located in Gujrat in the west.
One-horned rhino: It is only present in India. It is also known as the Indian Rhino. It is located in Assam Kaziranga National Park in the east.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: The Western Ghats has significance because of many reasons. It affects the ecological and geophysical processes of the peninsular region of India. It acts as a barrier to the southwest monsoon that comes in India during June-July month. Besides this, it is rich in biodiversity. It is home to a number of species of plants and animals.