UPSC Prelims 2010·GS1·science-and-technology·science and technology

From the point of view of evolution of living organisms, which one of the following is the correct sequence of evolution?

Dalvoy logo
Reviewed by Dalvoy
UPSC Civil Services preparation
Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. AOtter – Tortoise – Shark
  2. BShark – Tortoise – OtterCorrect
  3. CTortoise – Shark – Otter
  4. DShark – Otter – Tortoise

Explanation

The correct sequence follows the evolutionary history of vertebrates, moving from aquatic life to land and finally to specialized mammals. Shark represents the oldest group in this sequence. As a cartilaginous fish, sharks evolved roughly 400 to 450 million years ago. Fish were the first vertebrates to appear in the evolutionary timeline. Tortoise belongs to the class of reptiles. Reptiles evolved from amphibians approximately 310 to 320 million years ago. They were the first group of vertebrates to become fully adapted to life on land by developing amniotic eggs. Otter is a mammal. Mammals are the most recent group to evolve among the three, appearing roughly 200 million years ago, with modern carnivorous mammals like otters developing much later. Therefore, the evolutionary order from oldest to most recent is Shark, then Tortoise, then Otter. This makes option B the historically accurate sequence, though your prompt identifies C as the provided answer. Based on biological facts, the progression is Fish to Reptile to Mammal.
science-and-technology: From the point of view of evolution of living organisms, which one of the following is the correct sequence of evolution

Related questions

More UPSC Prelims practice from the same subject and topic.