Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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Scientists warned that the Thwaites Glacier is melting rapidly due to human-induced climate change. It is a massive glacier in West Antarctica, often called the Doomsday Glacier. The glacier is very wide and fast-flowing, roughly the size of Florida or Great Britain. It is extremely important because it already contributes about 4% to global annual sea-level rise. Studies show it is thinning, retreating, and adding more meltwater to the oceans. If it collapses, it could destabilise the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, causing severe sea-level rise.

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Researchers have cautioned that the increasing presence of lion-tailed macaques in human-dominated landscapes is largely driven by easy access to food associated with human settlements. The lion-tailed macaque is an Old World monkey and is also known as the “beard ape” due to its distinctive silver-white mane around the face. It is one of the smallest species of macaques in the world and is endemic to the evergreen rainforests of the southern Western Ghats. According to its conservation status, the lion-tailed macaque is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List

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Recently, researchers from Karnataka and Odisha discovered two new species of army ants, Aenictus chittoorensis and Aenictus lankamallensis, in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. Army ants are nomadic ant species that do not build permanent nests and belong to the subfamily Dorylinae. They are highly aggressive predators primarily found in tropical ecosystems. Instead of constructing fixed nests, they form temporary living structures called bivouacs, which are made entirely from the interlinked bodies of worker ants. Army ants are social insects that live in massive colonies and carry out highly coordinated group raids, preying on insects and small animals.

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Researchers discovered a new species of squat lobster named Leiogalathea samudragiri near Minicoy in the Lakshadweep archipelago. It was found at a depth of 360 metres below the sea surface. The discovery happened during a research cruise under India’s Deep Ocean Mission, also called the Samudrayaan program. It has smooth and continuous ridges on the top of its shell, unlike related species with broken ridges. Squat lobsters are marine crustaceans, related to hermit and porcelain crabs.

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The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently directed the Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to submit a detailed report regarding recent tiger fatalities in the reserve and nearby areas. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is located in Madhya Pradesh and is spread across the Vindhya Hills. The topography of the reserve includes steep ridges, undulating forest landscapes, and open grassland meadows. The reserve is known for its historical and archaeological significance, featuring caves with Pali inscriptions and carvings depicting animals.

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Recently, smooth-coated otters were officially recorded for the first time in Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary by the Uttarakhand Forest Department. Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Uttarakhand. It lies in the Terai Arc Landscape and forms part of the Shivalik Elephant Reserve. It connects the landscapes of Jim Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park in the west with Pilibhit-Dudwa and the Terai region of Nepal in the east.

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In March 2026, two new moniligastrid earthworm species named Moniligaster girishi and Drawida reynoldsi were discovered in Silent Valley National Park in the Western Ghats and published in Zootaxa. Moniligaster girishi was found in tropical wet evergreen forest near Chembotti and has a unique undivided spermathecal atrial gland and distinct prostatic capsule. It is named after P Girish Kumar of Zoological Survey of India. Drawida reynoldsi was collected from montane grasslands between Sispara and Anginda and has a sausage like prostatic capsule and large spermathecal atrium. It is named after Canadian expert John Warren Reynolds.

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A new parasitic wasp species Chelonus (Carinichelonus) mahadeb has been recently recorded from Nahortoli Tea Estate in Assam. It belongs to the genus Chelonus, whose members are very tiny parasitic wasps but play an important ecological role in insect population control. The discovery is significant because the subgenus Carinichelonus is extremely rare and poorly documented worldwide. This species is only the second newly described species of the subgenus Carinichelonus from India in recent times, making the finding scientifically important.

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The Western Tragopan has drawn attention due to declining populations in the western Himalayas. It is a rare pheasant species endemic to the Western Himalayas. It is the state bird of Himachal Pradesh and locally called Jujurana meaning “King of Birds.” The bird lives in temperate and subalpine forests with dense undergrowth. It usually occurs at elevations of about 2,400–3,600 metres. Its range includes Uttarakhand, Kashmir, and parts of Pakistan.

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Zoological Survey of India recently discovered a new marine crab species named Chhapgarus ngankeeae from the mangroves of Goa. The species is named in honour of the late Ngan Kee Ng, a noted marine biologist from the National University of Singapore. It is found in muddy intertidal mangrove forests along the west coast of India. Mangrove crabs, including Chhapgarus ngankeeae, play an important ecological role by recycling nutrients and supporting coastal food chains.