UPSC Civil Services Model Paper 3

● Pangolin is only scaly mammal on the planet. Hence statement 1 is correct.
● According to CITES, it is also the most illegally traded vertebrate within its class (Mammalia).
● Of the eight species of pangolin worldwide, two are found in India.
● They are Chinese pangolin, mostly found in northeast India and Indian pangolin.
● Protection Status:
◦ Chinese pangolin has been listed as “critically endangered”.
◦ Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) has been listed as “endangered”.
● It is also a Schedule I category protected animal, under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and it cannot be hunted by any person except under some provisions provided by law. Hence statement 3 is correct.
● The animal can be found in grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to desert regions as it is believed to have a tolerance to dry areas, but prefers more barren hilly regions. Hence statement 2 cannot be correct.
● It prefers soft and semi-sandy soil conditions suitable for digging burrows.