Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Recently, the Barbados threadsnake, world’s smallest-known snake, was rediscovered in Barbados after nearly 20 years. It belongs to species Tetracheilostoma carlae, named by scientist S. Blair Hedges in 2008. It has pale yellow dorsal lines and eyes on the side of its head. It is blind, burrows underground, feeds on termites and ants, and lays one slender egg. It is Critically Endangered as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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A tiny animal called the silver-backed chevrotain, or two-tone mouse deer, was rediscovered in a Vietnamese forest after being lost for nearly 30 years. It was captured on camera using trap cameras by scientists from Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC). The chevrotain is a rabbit-sized hoofed mammal with a russet head, silver-grey body, and white rear end. Mouse Deer live in dense tropical forests across South and Southeast Asia like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Mouse Deer are mainly herbivores, feeding on fruits, leaves, and soft plants.

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Recently, Palmyra palm trees in Odisha were found to reduce lightning-related deaths and provide food for elephants during lean seasons. The tree is commonly known as sugar palm, toddy palm, or fan palm. It is native to tropical Africa but widely cultivated and naturalized in India, often planted as a windbreak on plains. Palmyra trees act as natural shelters for birds, bats, and wild animals. The main product is sweet sap (toddy), which ferments quickly and is used as a beverage.

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The population of saltwater crocodiles has increased in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (SBR), as per a recent survey by the State Forest Department. Saltwater crocodile is the largest and heaviest living reptile in the world. It is also called estuarine crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, marine crocodile, sea crocodile, or saltie. It is an opportunistic hypercarnivorous apex predator. It is native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India’s east coast to Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and Micronesia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

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Recently, Kilauea volcano erupted in Hawaii, a group of volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Kilauea volcano is located in the United States, on the island of Hawaii. It’s part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano. It’s located on the southeastern part of Hawaii’s Big Island. Kilauea is a shield volcano, and the youngest and most active of the Hawaiian shield volcanoes.

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The government declared 8.6 acres of green cover at Cantonment Railway Colony as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS), the second in Bengaluru after Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK). The site has 371 trees belonging to 50 species. Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) are rich ecosystems with rare, threatened, endemic or culturally significant species, notified under Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Karnataka already hosts India’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site, Nallur Tamarind Grove (2007). Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) declaration does not restrict local community practices and aims to enhance their quality of life through conservation.

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Kashmir Fisheries Department plans to reintroduce Brown trout (Salmo trutta) into the Valley for game. Brown trout is a salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus Salmo. It is globally introduced as a game fish and is one of the world’s worst invasive species outside its native range. It is a cold-water fish preferring cool, well-oxygenated freshwater and lives in crevices between stream boulders. It is native to northern Norway, White Sea tributaries in Russia, to Atlas Mountains in North Africa; Iceland in the west, Aral Sea tributaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered a new freshwater fish species named Garra nambashiensis in Manipur. The discovery was made in Taretlok, a tributary of the Chindwin River, near Nambashi Valley in Kamjong district. The fish belongs to the Labeonine family and is locally called Nutungnu. The Northeast region has 60 Garra species, of which 32 are proboscis species group, including eight from the Chindwin River system.

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King Charles III of the United Kingdom gifted a Burflower tree, also called Kadamb tree, to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday. The gesture was inspired by PM Modi’s Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative, which encourages planting trees in mothers’ names to honour maternal care and support ecological balance. During PM Modi’s UK visit in July 2025, he gifted King Charles a Sonoma tree under the same initiative. The Kadamb tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) is an evergreen tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, growing up to 45 meters tall. It is known for fragrant orange flowers that bloom in dense, globe-shaped clusters.

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Betla National Park, Jharkhand, will host India’s first AI-enabled nature experience centre. The centre is inside Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) and recreates real jungle life with wildlife movements, sounds, and ecosystem dynamics. Modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants, 3D holographic projection, Augmented Reality (AR), and immersive sound effects will be used. Visitors will experience animal movements, bird calls, food sharing, waterfalls, breeze, and even a tiger or lion hunting. The centre aims to educate, engage researchers, and attract nature lovers.