Question map
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.
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- [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378111924004220
- [6] https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/save-these-camels-of-kutch-61548
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis 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.
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?
- Statement 2: Do Kharai camels (a breed found in India) survive by grazing on mangrove vegetation?
- Statement 3: Do Kharai camels (a breed found in India) live in the wild rather than under human ownership?
- Statement 4: Are Kharai camels (a breed found in India) incapable of being domesticated?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Gives a general biological rule: animals have intrinsic abilities (including swimming) that determine their capacity to cross water barriers.
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.
States that India contains a broad spectrum of native livestock breeds (including many camel breeds), implying local genetic diversity and possible local adaptations.
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).
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).
A student could use a map to locate these coastal/near-coastal camel habitats and then investigate whether local camel populations interact with seawater.
Describes pastoral movements to coastal agricultural tracts (Konkan), showing pastoralists and their livestock operate in near-coastal zones.
A student might infer that pastoralists living/traveling near coasts could expose camels to seawater, prompting inquiry into behavioral adaptations like swimming.
Explains that some aquatic mammals are obligate to particular water types (marine vs freshwater), illustrating that affinity for water is a specific, specialized trait.
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.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.
Login with Google to unlock study guidance.
Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.
Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.
Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.
Login with Google to unlock The Vault.