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India accounts for about one in seven recorded blue whale strandings worldwide
ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਉਂ?
India holds one in seven of 470 blue whale strandings: the IUCN Endangered status GS3 expects
India has about one in seven of the 470 recorded global blue whale strandings, mostly on the west coast.
Why it matters: asked in UPSC 2013; factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 ਮਿੰਟ
India accounts for roughly one in seven of the world's 470 recorded blue whale strandings, with about three-quarters of the Indian cases occurring along the west coast.
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal known to have lived and is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
ਸਰੋਤ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ਮੁੱਖ ਤੱਥ
Remember these
- India accounts for about one in seven of the 470 recorded global blue whale strandings.
- Roughly three-quarters of the Indian cases occur along the west coast.
- Scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus; the largest animal known to have lived.
- IUCN Red List status: Endangered.
- Blue whales are baleen whales that feed mainly on krill; all cetaceans are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼ · ਮੇਨਜ਼
How the exam will ask it
ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼
- The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
- A stranding is an event in which a live or dead cetacean comes ashore or into very shallow water.
- Blue whales are marine mammals and the largest animal known to have lived.
ਮੇਨਜ਼
GS3 (Environment): Whale strandings on India's west coast signal pressures on marine mammals such as ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear and ocean noise. Protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the species' Endangered IUCN status frame the policy response. The way forward lies in systematic stranding records, a trained rapid-response network, ship-lane management and fisheries bycatch mitigation.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
Consider the following fauna of India:
- Gharial
- Leatherback turtle
- Swamp deer
Which of the above is/are endangered?
- 1 and 2 only
- 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- None
ਜਵਾਬ ਵੇਖੋ
ਜਵਾਬ: C
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The blue whale, whose strandings along the Indian coast have drawn conservation attention, is categorised on the IUCN Red List as:
- Vulnerable
- Least Concern
- Near Threatened
- Endangered
ਜਵਾਬ ਵੇਖੋ
ਜਵਾਬ: D — The correct answer is Endangered. The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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