Question

Which animal has become extinct from India?
a. Snow leopard
b. Hippopotamus
c. Wolf
d. Cheetah

Answer 1

Hint: It belongs to the order Carnivora of the kingdom Animalia, and in these animals, the males are slightly larger than the females in overall body size. Open lands, small plains, semi-desert areas, and other open habitats where prey is available are the areas in which this animal is found.

Complete step-by-step solution:
Among the mammals, two animals Acinonyx jubatus and Dicerorhinus sumatrensis are considered to be extinct from India where the former one is commonly known as Indian Cheetah or Asiatic Cheetah and the later one as Sumatran rhinoceros. As per the Ministry of India, the main causes behind the extinction of these animals are factors like predation, natural selection, competition, and some human-induced factors like habitat destruction, hunting, etc. The Asiatic Cheetah is currently found only in Iran and is in the list of critically endangered species of the world.

Fig.- Indian Cheetah

Additional information:
From a broad perspective, the factors that cause the extinction of animals also include pollution as one of them beside the other above mentioned factors. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 14) has announced that the species of animals that have gone extinct in India are - Indian Cheetah, pink-headed duck, northern Sumatran rhinoceros, and Sunderban dwarf rhinoceros. In the convention, it was mentioned that these animals have reached the state of extinction mainly due to desertification in India which destroyed the natural habitats of these animals.

So, the correct answer is ‘Cheetah’.

Note: In India, many more animal species are on the verge of extinction and currently have been listed in the critically endangered species. Over the past years, more than 30% of the land area in our country has been damaged due to deforestation, over-cultivation, soil erosion, and similar reasons. Currently, Hangul, Great Indian Bustard, Sangai, and Dugong are on the verge of extinction in India.