📌 The Question

Consider the following statements:

Statement I: Marsupials are not naturally found in India.
Statement II: Marsupials can thrive only in montane grasslands with no predators.

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

✅ Correct Answer: (c)

Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect

🧑‍🏫 Classroom Explanation

• Statement I – Correct ✅
  Marsupials are not naturally found in India. Their natural distribution is overwhelmingly concentrated in Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania, and nearby islands. Outside this region, only a few species (like the opossum) occur naturally in the Americas.
• Statement II – Incorrect ❌
  Marsupials are not restricted to montane grasslands, nor do they require predator-free environments.
  In fact, marsupials occupy diverse habitats:
  • Deserts (kangaroos)
  • Forests (koalas)
  • Grasslands
  • Urban edges
    They have coexisted with predators for millions of years.

Hence, Statement II does not explain Statement I.

⚡ Curiosity Raiser

Why are marsupials mostly confined to Australia?
👉 Because continental drift and evolutionary isolation protected them from placental mammal competition.

📚 Enrich Notes (UPSC Value-Add)

• Marsupials vs Placental Mammals
  • Short gestation, long pouch development
  • Absence of corpus callosum
• Biogeography Insight
  • Australia split early from Gondwana
  • Placental mammals dominated Asia & Africa later
• UPSC Trend
  • Questions often mix evolution + geography + ecology

🕊️ IAS Monk Whisper

“Where continents drifted apart, evolution chose different scripts.”