Question 73 from UPSC CSE 2021 - Environment

Question

Consider the following animals:
1. Hedgehog
2. Marmot
3. Pangolin
To reduce the chance of being captured by predators, which of the above organisms rolls up/roll up and protects/protect its/their vulnerable parts?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. 1 and 3

Strategy: Identify animals that use rolling into a ball as a primary defense mechanism. Recall that hedgehogs and pangolins exhibit this behavior, while marmots use burrowing and vocal alarms instead. Select the animals that match the rolling-up defense and eliminate the marmot.

Key Info: **Hedgehog:** Small nocturnal mammals covered in spines found across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Their defense mechanism involves curling into a tight ball, presenting spines outward to deter predators like foxes, badgers, and birds of prey.

**Marmot:** Large ground squirrels (genus Marmota) inhabiting mountainous or grassland regions of Eurasia and North America. Marmots typically use vocal alarms to warn of danger and escape to burrows. They do not exhibit 'rolling up' as a defense; their primary response is retreat and alertness.

**Pangolin:** Unique mammals native to Asia and Africa covered in keratin scales. When threatened, pangolins quickly curl into a tight ball, shielding soft underparts with tough scales; this behavior effectively deters many predators. Pangolins are myrmecophagous, primarily feeding on ants and termites, and are critically endangered due to poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 and 2

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: 3 only

Consider the following animals: Hedgehog Marmot Pangolin To reduce the chance of being captured by predators, which of the above organisms rolls up/roll up and protects/protect its/their vulnerable parts?

Consider the following animals:

Hedgehog

Marmot

Pangolin
To reduce the chance of being captured by predators, which of the above organisms rolls up/roll up and protects/protect its/their vulnerable parts?