| Wildlife | Naturally found in |
|---|---|
| 1. Blue-finned Mahseer | Cauvery River |
| 2. Irrawaddy Dolphin | Chambal River |
| 3. Rusty-spotted Cat | Eastern Ghats |
Pair 1: Blue-finned Mahseer - Cauvery River
The Blue-finned Mahseer, also known as the Hump-backed Mahseer (Tor remadevii), is a critically endangered fish species endemic to the Cauvery River system in South India. This pair is correctly matched.
Pair 3: Rusty-spotted Cat - Eastern Ghats
The Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is one of the smallest wild cat species, found in India and Sri Lanka. Its distribution in India includes the dry deciduous forests of the Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, and central Indian forests. This pair is correctly matched.
Pair 2: Irrawaddy Dolphin - Chambal River
The Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is primarily found in brackish and freshwater bodies, notably Chilika Lake in Odisha, and river systems in Southeast Asia. The Chambal River is known for its population of Gangetic River Dolphins (Platanista gangetica), not Irrawaddy Dolphins. Therefore, this pair is incorrectly matched.
Options (a), (b), and (d) are incorrect because Pair 2 is not correctly matched.