question_answer

(a) ?India has an extremely wild variety of fauna? Explain this statement.

(b) Where are elephants and one-horned Rhinoceros mainly found and why?

Answer:

(a) India has rich wild variety of fauna:

(i) It can be seen in different parts of India-in the mountains, deserts, plateaus, rivers, valleys and Himalayan foot hills and snow-covered regions.

(ii) This diversity is largely due to India's varied relief, climate, natural vegetation. There are 89,457 known species of fauna in India.

(iii) The break-up of species is as follows :

Mammals: .190, Fish : 2546; Birds : 1232, Insects : 60,000; Reptiles : 456, Molluscs : 5.000; Amphibians 209.

(b) Elephants are mainly found in the southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Keral and Assam. The hot and moist tropical forests provide ideal habitat for elephants. They prefix forested hilly areas, providing plenty of food (bamboo, plantain, tail grass, leaves, twigs) air water for them throughout the year.

One-horned rhinoceros are found in the swampy grasslands of Assam (Kaziranga, Manas) northern parts of West Bengal. Marshy and swampy areas are ideal habitat for rhinoceros.