Megafauna

05.07..2024

Megafauna

Why in the news?                        

The discovery of a 41,000-year-old ostrich nest by a team of archaeologists in Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh could provide key information about the extinction of megafauna in the Indian subcontinent.

About Megafauna:

• This term is generally used to describe animals weighing more than 50 kg.
• The term was first used by the English naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace in his 1876 book, The Geographical Distribution of Animals.
• Megafauna may be classified based on their dietary type as megaherbivores (plant-eaters), mega carnivores (meat-eaters), and mega omnivores (who eat both plants and meat).
• Ostriches are mega omnivores, with an adult ostrich weighing anywhere between 90 and 140 kg, with height between seven and nine feet.

Historical evidence of Megafauna

• The earliest documented evidence of the species in the subcontinent was presented by Richard Lydekker in 1884 in the Dhok Pathan deposits in Upper Siwalik (Shivalik) Hills in present-day Pakistan.
• Archaeologist S A Sali in 1989 reported the discovery of ostrich eggshell beads and engraved pieces (dating back to roughly 50,000–40,000 years ago) in an Upper Palaeolithic open-air camping site at Patne, Maharashtra.
• In 2017, researchers at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad assessed the ages of a batch of fossilized egg shells from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and established the presence of ostriches 25,000 years ago.

                                                            Source: Indian Express

Ques :- Consider the following statements with reference to the Megafauna:

Statement-I

It is generally used to describe animals weighing more than 50 kg.

Statement-II

Ostriches are considered as mega carnivorous species.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer C