Question

Match column I with column II and select the correct option.

Column I	Column II
(i) Dodo	A. Africa
(ii) Quagga	B. Russia
(iii) Thylacine	C. Mauritius
(iv) Steller's sea cow	D. Australia

• A. i-A, ii-C, iii-B, iv-D
• B. i-D, ii-C, iii-A, iv-B
• C. i-C, ii-A, iii-B, iv-D
• D. i-C, ii-A, iii-D, iv-B

Answer 1

The correct option is D i-C, ii-A, iii-D, iv-B

There is a gradual decline observed in the species population. Such decline in the species diversity might be due to natural factors such as adverse climatic conditions and natural calamities (earthquake, flood etc.).

The current extinction of species happening right now is primarily an outcome of human activities (colonisation, deforestation).

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published the Red List of Threatened Species. They have listed the 784 species (338 vertebrates, 359 invertebrates and 87 plants) that became extinct in the last 500 years.

Some examples of recent extinctions include

• Dodo (Mauritius) is a flightless bird
• Quagga (Africa) is a subspecies of plains zebra
• Steller’s Sea Cow (Russia) is an aquatic mammal
• Thylacine (Australia) is a marsupial