Question map
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 ?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 1 (1 and 2 only). This is based on the biological and behavioral characteristics of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus).
- Statement 1 is correct: Elephant herds follow a matriarchal structure. The oldest and largest female leads the group, guiding them to food and water sources.
- Statement 2 is correct: Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal, lasting between 18 to 22 months.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: Elephants are long-lived animals. While fertility may decline, they can continue calving well beyond 40, often up to 50-60 years of age.
- Statement 4 is incorrect: According to the Elephant Census (2017), Karnataka has the highest elephant population in India, followed by Assam and Kerala.
Since statements 1 and 2 are scientifically accurate while 3 and 4 are factual errors, Option 1 is the only valid choice.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis question signals a shift from 'Conservation Status' (IUCN/Location) to 'Species Biology & Ethology' (Behavior/Life Cycle). While Statement 1 is standard book knowledge, Statements 2 and 3 require reading the 'About' section of news explainers during major events (like the 2020 Kerala elephant incident or the Elephant Census release). It punishes superficial reading.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Are Indian elephant social groups led by a female (i.e., do Indian elephants exhibit matriarchal herd leadership)?
- Statement 2: Is the maximum gestation period of Indian elephants 22 months?
- Statement 3: Do female Indian elephants normally continue calving only until about age 40?
- Statement 4: Does the Indian state of Kerala have the highest elephant population among all Indian states?
- Explicitly states elephants live in a social hierarchy dominated by older females.
- Describes long-lasting social units of about half a dozen adult females and offspring.
- Specifies each unit is led by a single matriarch, a matrilineal leader.
- Describes use of five or seven female elephants in operations to tether and trace wild herds.
- Implies coordinated roles of female elephants in locating and managing herds.
- Official Kerala forest report refers specifically to the Asian elephant in India.
- Gives a gestation range that includes 22 months (20–22 months), supporting 22 months as the maximum in that range.
- Research journal text addresses Asian (cow) elephants and reports gestation values.
- Specifies a gestation range '17 to 22 months', directly including 22 months as an upper bound.
- Wildlife organization statement gives a concise gestation length for elephants.
- States 22 months as the gestation period, consistent with 22 months as a maximum value cited elsewhere.
Notes elephants live in matriarchal social units composed of adult females and their offspring, implying significant maternal investment and extended offspring dependency.
A student could combine this with basic biological knowledge that species with prolonged parental care often have long gestation periods, so they would check species-specific reproductive data for Asian/Indian elephants to see if ~22 months is plausible.
States elephant numbers are enumerated only every five years and population changes are relatively slow, suggesting low reproductive rates and long life-history stages.
Using the general link between slow population turnover and long gestation/inter-birth intervals, a student could regard a ~22-month gestation as consistent and then seek direct zoological sources to confirm or refute it.
Identifies India as home to a large share of Asian elephants and highlights conservation concerns, implying monitoring includes demographic and reproductive parameters.
A student could take population size and conservation focus as motivation to consult mammalogy texts or species profiles for Asian elephant reproductive biology (gestation length) to test the 22-month claim.
- Direct, explicit statement saying elephants normally calve until age 40.
- Matches the claim verbatim about calving cessation at about 40 years.
- Provides empirical age data showing the mean age of the oldest females in some categories is 40 years.
- Supports the idea that female elephants' reproductive/oldest-female ages cluster around 40 in parts of the dataset.
Notes that elephant societies are dominated by older females and led by a matriarch, implying many females survive to older ages and remain socially active.
A student could combine this with a lifespan map or life-history facts (elephants are long‑lived) to ask whether surviving older females are still reproductively active past 40.
Reports that India’s elephant population is increasing and is being monitored, implying successful reproduction occurs across the population.
Compare population growth rates and age-structure data (from population surveys referenced) to infer whether births are confined to younger females or include older age classes.
Explains habitat shrinkage and resource scarcity forcing elephants into human areas, pointing to environmental stressors that can affect reproduction and age at last birth.
Use basic ecological knowledge that nutritional/stress conditions can shorten reproductive spans to evaluate whether habitat pressure might reduce calving age toward ~40 in some regions.
Describes fragmentation of elephant corridors and varying habitat quality across regions, suggesting regional differences in elephant health and life-history outcomes.
A student could look up regional corridor maps and overlay them with demographic studies to test whether female calving ceases earlier in heavily fragmented areas versus intact habitats.
States India harbours >50% of the world’s Asian elephants and notes threats (habitat degradation, conflict, poaching), providing context that population-level reproductive patterns are influenced by these pressures.
Combine this with demographic sampling (age-at-last-birth data from Asian elephant studies) to judge if a country-wide norm of stopping calving at ~40 is consistent with pressure gradients described.
- Gives nationwide elephant totals and a state-wise ranking for 2017.
- Explicitly states which state had the highest population and lists Kerala's figure, showing Kerala is not highest.
Lists the states where Project Elephant is implemented, showing that free‑ranging elephant populations exist in many states (Kerala is one among several).
A student could use this list to identify other candidate states (e.g., Assam, Karnataka) and then look up statewise elephant counts to compare with Kerala.
Gives an expanded list of 17 states under Project Elephant, reinforcing that elephants are widely distributed across numerous states.
Use the broader state list to form a short list of high‑probability states for large elephant populations and then consult state forest surveys or census data for rankings.
Again notes Project Elephant cover across multiple states (16 states in this source), indicating elephant presence is not confined to Kerala.
Combine this with a world/India map to identify large elephant ranges (northeast and south India) and focus comparisons on those regions.
Gives a national total (~25,000 wild elephants) and states India harbours >50% of the world's Asian elephants, implying national distribution must be split across many states.
A student can seek statewise portions of that national total (forest department/state surveys) to test if Kerala holds the largest share.
Lists several Kerala national parks (Silent Valley, Parambikulam, Periyar) where elephants are dominant species, indicating Kerala has significant habitat and populations but not quantifying a state total.
Use these park-level presences as indicators that Kerala is an important elephant state, then compare park and state population estimates from official surveys to judge whether Kerala is highest.
- [THE VERDICT]: Trap / Applied Biology. Statement 1 is standard; Statement 4 is Census data; Statements 2 & 3 are 'General Science' applied to Environment.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: The release of the 'All India Elephant Estimation' (Census) and the viral news of the pregnant elephant death in Kerala (2020).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize Flagship Species Bio-Data: 1) Tigers (Gestation ~3.5 months, Solitary except mating), 2) Rhinos (Gestation ~16 months, Assam highest pop), 3) Lions (Pride led by females? No, males defend, females hunt), 4) Dolphins (Blind, echolocation).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When a 'National Heritage Animal' is in the news, do not stop at the news headline. Go to its Wikipedia or Britannica page and read the 'Reproduction' and 'Behavior' sections. UPSC loves superlatives (e.g., 'longest gestation').
Indian elephant groups are organized around older female leaders (matriarchs) who lead matrilineal units.
High-yield for environment and biodiversity topics: helps answer questions on species behaviour, social structure, and implications for conservation and human–elephant conflict management. Connects behavioural ecology to wildlife policy and management questions.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 8: Biodiversity > IUU yuu ku fiul= ii. ri,, ;"ri,t.,- , > p. 144
Asian elephant social units typically comprise several adult females plus offspring forming long-lasting matrilineal groups.
Useful for answering questions on population dynamics, reserve design, and corridor planning; links to topics like Project Elephant and habitat management in the syllabus.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 8: Biodiversity > IUU yuu ku fiul= ii. ri,, ;"ri,t.,- , > p. 144
Female elephants were specifically used to help tether and trace wild herds during capture operations.
Helps bridge historical practice and wildlife management questions (e.g., traditional methods, human–animal interaction, procurement of war elephants), useful for interdisciplinary UPSC questions combining history and environment.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > Capturing elephants for the army > p. 35
Project Elephant is the central government programme for conserving wild elephants and managing their habitats in India.
High-yield for environment and biodiversity sections: it connects to protected area management, inter-state implementation, and wildlife policy questions. Knowing its objectives, launch year, and scope helps answer questions on species-specific conservation frameworks and human–wildlife conflict mitigation.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 16: Conservation Efforts > 16.3. PROJECT ELEPHANT > p. 232
- INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation > 48 INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT > p. 50
India's wild elephant population size, trends, and designated Elephant Reserves are core metrics for assessing conservation status.
Useful for UPSC questions on biodiversity status, species distribution, and conservation prioritisation; connects to topics like habitat fragmentation, protected area networks, and population monitoring methods. Familiarity enables interpretation of policy impact and resource allocation questions.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > project elephant > p. 46
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 16: Conservation Efforts > The campaign mascot ,Gaju,. > p. 234
Asian elephants live in female-led social units with a matriarch guiding multi-generational groups.
Important for questions on animal behaviour, population dynamics, and conflict mitigation strategies; understanding social organisation informs discussions on breeding, movement corridors, and community-based conservation approaches.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 8: Biodiversity > IUU yuu ku fiul= ii. ri,, ;"ri,t.,- , > p. 144
Female Indian elephants live in long‑lasting social units dominated and led by older females (a matrilineal matriarch).
High-yield for UPSC environment and biodiversity topics: explains social behaviour that shapes herd reproduction, movement and conflict patterns; links to wildlife management, population dynamics and community-based conservation questions.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 8: Biodiversity > IUU yuu ku fiul= ii. ri,, ;"ri,t.,- , > p. 144
African vs. Asian Elephant differences: African elephants are larger, have larger ears shaped like Africa, and BOTH males and females have tusks. In Asian elephants, only males have tusks (females have 'tushes').
Biological Logic Hack: Look at Statement 3 ('calving till age 40 only'). Elephants live for 60-70 years. In the animal kingdom, unlike humans, females usually reproduce until near the end of their lives. A 20-30 year post-reproductive 'menopause' is rare in non-human mammals. Thus, '40 years' is suspiciously low. Eliminate 3 -> Options C and D gone. You are left with A or B.
Link to GS-3 (Environment & Disaster Management): 'Linear Infrastructure vs. Wildlife'. The fragmentation of Elephant Corridors by railways/highways leads to conflict. Mention the 'Eco-Bridges' solution and the 'Gaj Yatra' awareness campaign.