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Q44 (IAS/2016) Environment & Ecology › Biodiversity & Protected Areas › Flagship species ecology Official Key

What is/are unique about 'Kharai camel', a breed found in India? 1. It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater. 2. It survives by grazing on mangroves. 3. It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is option A (statements 1 and 2 only).

The Kharai camel can indeed swim up to three kilometres into the sea[3], making statement 1 correct. These camels graze on saline/mangrove trees and can swim up to three kilometres into the sea in search of mangroves, their primary food[4], confirming statement 2 is also correct.

However, statement 3 is incorrect. The Kharai is classified among domesticated camel breeds[5], and breeders own Kharai camels, with one breeder and 8 others together owning 350 Kharai camels[6]. This clearly demonstrates that Kharai camels are domesticated and do not live exclusively in the wild.

Therefore, only statements 1 and 2 are correct, making option A the right answer.

Sources
  1. [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378111924004220
  2. [6] https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/save-these-camels-of-kutch-61548
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Q. What is/are unique about 'Kharai camel', a breed found in India? 1. It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater. 2. It…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'Species in News' question derived directly from environmental reporting (Down To Earth/The Hindu) on the 'Swimming Camels of Kutch'. It targets an 'Ecological Anomaly'—a desert animal adapted to water. While the specific swimming distance is a hard fact, the question is solvable by logic if you understand that 'breeds' are inherently domesticated concepts.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Can Kharai camel (a breed found in India) swim in seawater for distances up to three kilometres?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"It can swim upto three kilometres into the sea in search of mangroves, their primary food."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states the Kharai camel 'can swim upto three kilometres into the sea' in search of mangroves.
  • Notes the breed is tolerant to high saline water and adapted to coastal ecosystems, tying swimming to seawater context.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"also regularly swim up to three or four kilometers into the Arabian Sea to access island groves."
Why this source?
  • States Kharai camels 'regularly swim up to three or four kilometers into the Arabian Sea' to reach island mangrove groves.
  • Connects the swimming behavior directly to foraging on mangroves in seawater.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"cushioned hooves let them easily traverse the damp and saline coastal terrain, and they can swim up to three[kilometres]."
Why this source?
  • Clearly states the camels 'can swim up to three[kilometres]' and describes their coastal, saline habitat.
  • Mentions adaptations (cushioned hooves) for traversing damp saline terrain, supporting sea-swimming capability.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: PLANT AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS > Dispersal of animals > p. 9
Strength: 5/5
“Oceans, waterbodies, large-deserts, mountains, rugged terrain, ravines, barren lands, clifs, gorges, canyons, etc. are the physical barriers which limit and restrict the dispersal of animals. For example, there are signifcant variations in the animals found to the north and the south of the Himalayas. Te aquatic animals cannot cross over the land surface because they do not have walking mechanism, while the land animals are not able to cross the oceans as they do not have the swimming mechanism.• (ii) Biological Factors: All the animals adjust in their physical environment which determine and modify their intrinsic biological properties. Such intrinsic ability of animals includes the ability of habits like burrowing, creeping, climbing, crawling, digging, fying. hopping, leaping, running, and swimming.”
Why relevant

Gives a general biological rule: animals have intrinsic abilities (including swimming) that determine their capacity to cross water barriers.

How to extend

A student could use this rule to ask whether any camel breed has evolved intrinsic swimming ability and then seek geographic/ethnographic evidence that a coastal camel population might have such adaptation.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 9: Indian Biodiversity Diverse Landscape > 9.3.4. Livestock genetic diversity > p. 158
Strength: 4/5
“India has vast resources of livestock and poultry, which play a yital role in rural livelihood security. Irl terms of population, India ranks first in buffaloes, second in cattle and goats, third in sheep, fourth in ducks, fifth in chicken and sixth in camels in the world. The genetic resources of farm animals in India are represented by a broad spectrum of native breeds of cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep, swine, equines, camel and poultry. Over the years, animal husbandry has intensified in India with widespread introduction of exotic breeds. This has led to the reduction in total genetic variability and population size of many local breeds.”
Why relevant

States that India contains a broad spectrum of native livestock breeds (including many camel breeds), implying local genetic diversity and possible local adaptations.

How to extend

A student could combine this with knowledge of coastal environments in India to hypothesize that a camel breed living near the sea might have developed unusual behaviors (e.g., entering water).

CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and Wildlife > WILDLIFE > p. 43
Strength: 4/5
“Arid areas of the Rann of Kachchh and the Thar Desert are the habitat for wild ass and camels respectively. Indian bison, nilgai (blue bull), chousingha (four-horned antelope), gazel and different species of deer are some other animals found in India. It also has several species of monkeys. Wildlife Protection Act was implemented in 1972 in India. India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions. The natural habitat of the Indian lion is the Gir forest in Gujarat. Tigers are found in the forests of Madhya”
Why relevant

Notes that arid areas include the Rann of Kachchh and the Thar Desert — places where camels live, some of which are close to sea/coastal regions (Rann of Kachchh is a coastal salt marsh).

How to extend

A student could use a map to locate these coastal/near-coastal camel habitats and then investigate whether local camel populations interact with seawater.

India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Pastoralists in the Modern World > 1.2 On the Plateaus, Plains and Deserts > p. 100
Strength: 3/5
“By October the Dhangars harvested their bajra and started on their move west. After a march of about a month they reached the Konkan. This was a flourishing agricultural tract with high rainfall and rich soil. Here the shepherds Fig.5 – Raika camels grazing on the Thar desert in western Rajasthan. Only camels can survive on the dry and thorny bushes that can be found here; but to get enough feed they have to graze over a very extensive area. were welcomed by Konkani peasants. After the kharif harvest was cut at this time, the fields had to be fertilised and made ready for the rabi harvest.”
Why relevant

Describes pastoral movements to coastal agricultural tracts (Konkan), showing pastoralists and their livestock operate in near-coastal zones.

How to extend

A student might infer that pastoralists living/traveling near coasts could expose camels to seawater, prompting inquiry into behavioral adaptations like swimming.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 16: Conservation Efforts > 16.13.r. Ganges Dolphin > p. 246
Strength: 3/5
“• The Ganges Dolphin is among the four obligate treshwater dolphins found in the world - the other three are the 'baiji' found in the Yangtze River (China), the 'bhulan' of the Indus (Pakistan) and the 'boto' of the Amazon River (Latin America). • Although there are several species of marine dolphins whose ranges include some freshwater habitats, these four species live only in rivers and lakes.”
Why relevant

Explains that some aquatic mammals are obligate to particular water types (marine vs freshwater), illustrating that affinity for water is a specific, specialized trait.

How to extend

A student could use this pattern to reason that swimming long distances in seawater would be a specialized trait for a typically terrestrial mammal, so evidence of such behavior would require strong ecological or ethological support.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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