Which animal is known to fast for about eight months in a year and yet remains active, gives birth and nurses its young during this extended fasting period?

Introduction / Context:
This general knowledge question highlights an extreme adaptation to harsh environments in the animal kingdom. Some animals are capable of surviving very long periods without eating while still performing energy demanding activities such as giving birth and nursing their young. Understanding which species can fast for many months and still remain active is important for questions about animal physiology and behaviour in polar regions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The animal fasts for about eight months in a year.
• Despite fasting, it remains active, gives birth and nurses its young.
• The options include animals from different environments: polar bear, frog, reindeer, lion and leopard seal.
• We assume the question refers to a well known polar species described in many exam oriented GK books.

Concept / Approach:
Polar bears live in Arctic regions with long, harsh winters and seasonal food scarcity. Pregnant female polar bears dig maternity dens where they enter a state similar to hibernation. During this period, they do not eat or drink but rely on stored body fat. Remarkably, they give birth and nurse their cubs entirely from these reserves for several months. This leads to the commonly quoted fact that polar bears, particularly females in dens, may fast for around eight months in a year. Other animals listed do not show this exact combination of very long fasting, birth and nursing while remaining relatively active.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the duration of fasting, which is about eight months, an extremely long interval. Step 2: Recall that polar bears live in the Arctic where seasonal food shortages occur, especially on sea ice. Step 3: Remember that female polar bears enter dens, give birth and nurse their cubs without feeding during winter. Step 4: Compare with frogs, which may hibernate but are not simultaneously giving birth and nursing young in the same manner. Step 5: Note that reindeer, lions and leopard seals typically feed seasonally but do not consistently fast for eight months while raising offspring, so polar bear best fits the description.

Verification / Alternative check:
Many wildlife documentaries and exam handbooks emphasise the remarkable maternal investment of female polar bears, highlighting that they rely entirely on fat reserves during pregnancy, birth and early nursing. While the exact length of fasting can vary, the popular general knowledge statement about fasting for about eight months appears specifically in association with polar bears. The other animals listed are not commonly described this way in exam material, supporting polar bear as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Frog can undergo hibernation or aestivation but it does not usually give birth and nurse young while fasting in this way.
Reindeer migrate and face food scarcity but continue to graze when possible and do not typically fast for such a long continuous period.
Lion is a large carnivore that hunts regularly and does not have such an extended fasting and nursing period as part of its life cycle.
Leopard seal is a marine predator that feeds on penguins and fish and does not match the described pattern of eight month fasting while raising young.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may be tempted to pick reindeer because it is also a northern animal or may confuse fasting with ordinary winter scarcity. Another pitfall is to overlook the combination of clues: long fasting plus birth plus nursing while fasting. Keeping the complete description in mind leads to the recognition that the question is about the well known behaviour of female polar bears in maternity dens.

Final Answer:
The animal that fasts for about eight months in a year and still gives birth and nurses its young is the polar bear.