Q. Which one of the following makes a tool with a stick to scrape insects from a hole in a tree or a log of wood?

  • Fishing cat
  • Orangutan
  • Otter
  • Sloth bear

Answer: (b) Orangutan

Orangutan
  • Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China.
  • The most arboreal of the great apes, orangutans spend most of their time in trees. They have proportionally long arms and short legs, and have reddish-brown hair covering their bodies. Adult males weigh about 75 kg (165 lb), while females reach about 37 kg (82 lb). Dominant adult males develop distinctive cheek pads or flanges and make long calls that attract females and intimidate rivals; younger subordinate males do not and more resemble adult females.
  • Orangutans are the most solitary of the great apes: social bonds occur primarily between mothers and their dependent offspring.
  • Fruit is the most important component of an orangutan’s diet; but they will also eat vegetation, bark, honey, insects and bird eggs.
  • They can live over 30 years, both in the wild and in captivity.
  • Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. They use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage.
Fishing cat
  • The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia.
  • Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declined severely over the last decade.
  • The fishing cat lives foremost in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps, and mangroves.
  • The fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal.
  • In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.
  • The fishing cat is nocturnal and apart from fish also preys on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
  • It is capable of breeding all year round but in India its peak breeding season is known to be between March and May.
  • Protection Status:
    • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable. Despite multiple threats, the Fishing Cat was recently downlisted to “Vulnerable” from “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List species assessment.
    • CITES: Appendix II
    • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • Conservation Efforts:
    • Earlier, Chilika Development Authority had declared its intent to adopt a five year action plan for fishing cat conservation in Chilika.
    • In 2021, the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance initiated a study of the bio-geographical distribution of the fishing cat in the unprotected and human-dominated landscapes of the northeastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.
    • The Fishing Cat Project, launched in 2010 started raising awareness about the Cat in West Bengal.
    • In 2012, the West Bengal government officially declared the Fishing Cat as the State Animal and the Calcutta Zoo has two big enclosures dedicated to them.
    • In Odisha, many NGOs and wildlife conservation Societies are involved in Fishing Cat research and conservation work.
Otter
  • Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae.
  • The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates.
  • Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs. Their most striking anatomical features are the powerful webbed feet used to swim, and their seal-like abilities for holding breath underwater. Most have sharp claws on their feet and all except the sea otter have long, muscular tails.
  • The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species and the giant otter and sea otter are the largest.
  • Several otter species live in cold waters and have high metabolic rates to help keep them warm. Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body weight each day, and sea otters 20 to 25%, depending on the temperature.
  • Feeding
    • For most otters, fish is the staple of their diet. This is often supplemented by frogs, crayfish and crabs. Some otters are experts at opening shellfish, and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion. Sea otters are hunters of clams, sea urchins and other shelled creatures. They are notable for their ability to use stones to break open shellfish on their bellies.
Sloth bear
  • The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), also known as the Indian bear, is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent.
  • It feeds on fruits, ants and termites.
  • It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation.
  • It has also been called “labiated bear” because of its long lower lip and palate used for sucking up insects. It has a long, shaggy fur, a mane around the face, and long, sickle-shaped claws. It is lankier than brown and Asian black bears.
  • Sloth bears breed during spring and early summer and give birth near the beginning of winter. When their territories are encroached upon by humans, they sometimes attack them. Historically, humans have drastically reduced these bears’ habitat and diminished their population by hunting them for food and products such as their bacula and claws. Sloth bears have been tamed and used as performing animals and as pets.