भारतीय हाथियों के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :
- 1.हाथियों के समूह का नेतृत्व मादा करती है ।
- 2.हाथी की अधिकतम गर्भावधि 22 माह तक हो सकती है ।
- 3.सामान्यतः हाथी में 40 वर्ष की आयु तक ही बच्चे पैदा करने की क्षमता होती है ।
- 4.भारत के राज्यों में, हाथियों की सर्वाधिक जीवसंख्या केरल में है ।
उपर्युक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/से सही है/हैं ?
Read this question in English
With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements:
1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only · (b) 2 and 4 only · (c) 3 only · (d) 1, 3 and 4 only
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (a) केवल 1 और 2
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: an elephant herd is led by the oldest female (the matriarch), and gestation lasts about 22 months. Statement 3 is wrong because females keep reproducing until their 60s, and statement 4 is wrong because Karnataka, not Kerala, has India's largest elephant population.
- ✓ 1. An elephant herd is led by its oldest female, the matriarch, and consists of her calves and grand-calves; young bulls leave at puberty.
- ✓ 2. MoEFCC puts the gestation period of elephants at about 22 months, so 22 months is the maximum.
- ✗ 3. Female elephants begin reproducing at about 15 years of age and continue until they are in their 60s, so a cut-off at 40 years is not the norm. UPSC's key treats this statement as wrong.
- ✗ 4. Among Indian States, Karnataka has the largest elephant population in the 2017 synchronized census (6,049, against 5,706 for Kerala and 5,719 for Assam, per MoEFCC's Project Elephant table); Kerala is not the leader.
Remember · Elephants: matriarch-led herds; gestation about 22 months; females reproduce till their 60s; Karnataka has the most elephants among Indian States.
Sources
- MoEFCC, Project Elephant: Elephant Corridors of India 2023, Table 1 (Population Estimates of Elephants as per the Synchronized Elephant Census, 2017) ↗ “Southern Karnataka 6049 19 Kerala 5706 20 Tamil Nadu 2761 21 Andhra Pradesh (southern) 65”
- MoEFCC, Caring for Elephants: Managing Health & Welfare in Captivity (Demography) ↗ “Female elephants start reproducing when they are about 15 years’ age and continue to reproduce till they get into their 60s … The gestation period of elephants is about 22 months.”
- Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, Elephant population estimation report (July 2023) ↗ “The basic family unit in a herd of elephants, with anywhere between 6 and 20 animals, consists of the matriarch with her calves and grand calves. Elephant herd is lead by the oldest female (known as matriarch.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·