Consider the following animals: 1. Hedgehog 2. Marmot 3. Pangolin To reduce the chance of being captured by predators, which of the above organisms rolls up/roll up and protects/protect its/their vulnerable parts?

Answer: D. HEDGEHOG (1) and PANGOLIN (3) roll up; Marmot (2) does NOT. ROLLING UP into a tight ball with the vulnerable underside and head tucked inside is a DEFENSIVE STRATEGY in which the animal exposes only its hard or spiny outer surface to predators. (1) HEDGEHOG — CORRECT. Hedgehogs have SPINE-COVERED BACKS made of stiff, modified hair (keratin). When threatened, they roll into a tight spiny ball protecting the soft underside, face, and limbs. The contracted muscle (panniculus carnosus) draws the spiny skin around the body. This is one of the textbook examples of defensive rolling. (2) MARMOT — WRONG. Marmots are LARGE GROUND SQUIRRELS (genus Marmota — yellow-bellied marmot, alpine marmot, Himalayan marmot). Their defence strategies are: alarm calls (warning whistles), retreating to BURROWS, and group vigilance. They do NOT roll up — they sprint and hide. Marmots have no spines or scales to make rolling effective. (3) PANGOLIN — CORRECT. Pangolins have a body covered with HARD, OVERLAPPING KERATIN SCALES — the only mammals so covered. When threatened, they ROLL INTO A TIGHT BALL exposing only the armoured scales. Even leopards and lions cannot pry open a fully rolled pangolin. The name 'pangolin' derives from the Malay 'pengguling' meaning 'one that rolls up'. Both the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin are critically endangered, heavily trafficked for scales. Hence hedgehog and pangolin both roll up; marmot does not. Source: NCERT Class 11 Biology — animal diversity / IUCN species accounts.