Match List-I with List-II
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| Placental mammals | Australian marsupials |
| (A) Anteater | (I) Bandicoot |
| (B) Lemur | (II) Spotted cuscus |
| (C) Flying squirrel | (III) Numbat |
| (D) Mouse | (IV) Sugar glider |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) - (III), (B) - (II), (C) - (IV), (D) - (I)
(A) Anteater — this matches (III) Numbat. The numbat is the marsupial anteater. Both have a long snout and a long sticky tongue for eating ants and termites.
(B) Lemur — this matches (II) Spotted cuscus. Both live in trees, climb with grasping hands and feet, and have large eyes and a long tail.
(C) Flying squirrel — this matches (IV) Sugar glider. Both have a fold of skin stretched between the front and hind legs. They use it to glide from tree to tree.
(D) Mouse — this matches (I) Bandicoot. Both are small ground animals with a pointed snout that feed on the ground.
These pairs are examples of convergent evolution. The placental mammals and the Australian marsupials are not closely related. But animals of the two groups that live in similar habitats have come to look alike.
Note: In the NCERT figure of convergent evolution, the mouse is paired with the marsupial mouse and the flying squirrel with the flying phalanger. The bandicoot and the sugar glider are shown in the other figure, on the adaptive radiation of marsupials. The sugar glider is a gliding marsupial, like the flying phalanger. The mouse and the bandicoot are the pair left over, and only Option (3) fits all four pairs.