1.A new species of which insect has been recently named after Siruvani, an ecological hotspot in the Western Ghats?
[A] Fruit Fly
[B] Spider
[C] Honey Bee
[D] Beetle
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A new species of fruit fly which was discovered from Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu has been named after Siruvani. Siruvani is considered as an ecological hotspot in the Western Ghats. The fruit fly ‘Euphranta siruvani’, which is the new addition to the list of 104 known species across the world and 14 species across India. The new fruit fly has a unique ‘V’ shaped black band on the wing. ©navclasses
2.Siruvani hills, which has been identified as a butterfly super-hotspot, is located in which state?
[A] Kerala
[B] Karnataka
[C] Tamil Nadu
[D] Andhra Pradesh
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After a six-year study conducted by ‘The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS)’, the Siruvani hills in the state of Tamil Nadu has been identified as a butterfly super-hotspot.
240 out of the total 325 species found in Tamil Nadu, are from the hills between 2015 and 2020. As per TNBS, if 25% of the state checklist species are found in a single area, it can be identified as a hotspot. Here around 74 per cent of the total species is found in the hills, from six families. ©navclasses
3.‘Inji’, a Sumatran female, which died in the Oregon Zoon, U.S, was an animal of which species?
[A] Elephant
[B] Hippopotamus
[C] Orangutan
[D] Giraffe
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Explanation: The world’s oldest known orangutan, named Inji recently died in the Oregon Zoo, U.S. It is a 61-year-old female Sumatran Orangutan.
There are three species of orangutans namely Bornean orangutans, Tapanuli orangutans and Sumatran orangutans, all of which are listed as critically endangered, according to the IUCN Red List. At present, there are only 15,000 Sumatran orangutans, while only 800 Tapanuli orangutans are left.
©navclasses
4.Siang river, which was making news with reference to Red Panda species, is located in which state?
[A] Sikkim
[B] Arunachal Pradesh
[C] Assam
[D] Meghalaya
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As per the recent study by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Both the species of Panda, namely Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens) and the Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani) are present in India.
It also revealed that the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh serves as the boundary by splitting the red panda into these two genetic species. As per another study, the Himalayan red panda was affected more during the Pleistocene glaciation.©navclasses
5.As per the recent publication of ZSI, which region of India is home to as many as 428 species?
[A] Western Ghats
[B] Sunderbans
[C] Deccan Plateau
[D] Himalayan Region
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Explanation: As per a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) named “Birds of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve”, the region is home to 428 species of birds.
The Indian Sunderbans one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, also comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Some birds like Masked Finfoot and Buffy fish owl are found only in the Sunderbans.
©navclasses
6.Which species has been recently named after the state of Arunachal Pradesh?
[A] Spider
[B] Gecko
[C] Turtle
[D] Butterfly
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Explanation: A team of researchers have discovered a new gecko species in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The new species belongs to the genus Cyrtodactylus also known as bent-toed geckos. The species was named as Cyrtodactylus arunachalensis after the state of Arunachal Pradesh, in which it was discovered. ©navclasses
7.Brookesia nana, which was making news recently, is one of the smallest species of which family?
[A] Butterfly
[B] Chameleon
[C] Turtle
[D] Spider
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Explanation: A German-Madagascan expedition team has discovered a chameleon subspecies in Madagascar, which might be the smallest reptile on earth. Named as Brookesia nana, the male reptile has a body of only 13.5 mm and top to tail length of 22mm. As per the Scientists, the species native to northern Madagascar rainforest might be threatened by extinction. ©navclasses
8.Sigur plateau, which was making news recently, is located in which state/UT?
[A] Kerala
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Karnataka
[D] Punjab
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Explanation: A group of six black storks (Ciconia nigra), were spotted recently in the Sigur plateau in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. The species is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the “Least Concern” category. The sighting of the black stork in this region is considered to be extremely rare. ©navclasses
9.Which endangered animal has been cloned successfully in the USA recently?
[A] Black footed Ferret
[B] Whooping crane
[C] Blue Whale
[D] Snow Leopard
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Explanation: Scientists from the USA have successfully cloned Black Footed Ferret, an endangered species. This species is North America’s only native ferret. The cloned animal has been named Elizabeth Ann. The cloning has been successfully done using the cells of “Walla”, a black-footed ferret that lived more than 30 years ago. ©navclasses
10.Which mold was recently found to be capable of saving memories despite the absence of nervous system?
[A] Acremonium
[B] Penicillium
[C] Cladosporium
[D] Physarum polycephalum
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Explanation: Physarum polycephalum is a single-cell slime mold. It was recently found to be capable of saving memories despite the absence of nervous system. This finding deviates from the traditional assumption that memories are held by only by those organisms with a nervous system. ©navclasses