The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest penguin, after the emperor penguin. It can reach a height from head to toe of 70 - 100 cm and weighs on average about 12 kg. Its feathers are black on the back and white on the belly, with an orange-red patch near the neck and throat.
The king penguin lives on various islands situated in the area comprised between 45 and 55 degrees south: near Tierra del Fuego (at the tip of south America), the Falklands and the South Georgia islands in the Atlantic Ocean; the Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands and Prince Edward Islands in the Indian Ocean; Macquarie Island in the Pacific.
King penguins are flightless birds, but excellent swimmers and divers. They mostly feed on fish, krill and squid, and they have been observed diving over 100 m to catch their prey.
Although their numbers rapidly dwindle in some of their habitats, the king penguins are still considered least concern to extinction.
2. Small flightless bird in New Zealand
Answer: Kiwi
Kiwi are native to New Zealand. There are five species of this genus. The little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii) is near threatened. The other species all are vulnerable: the great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii), the Okarito kiwi (Apteryx rowi), the southern brown kiwi (Apteryx australis) and the North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli). Kiwi have marrow in their bones (unlike the flying birds, whose bones are hollow to decrease weight).
Kiwi are omnivorous, with a preference for seeds and worms, but also devouring for instance fruit or small crayfish. They are equipped with a long pliable bill, which helps them to consume underground worms. Kiwi have poor eyesight, but adapted to a nocturnal life with a keen smell to locate food.
Usually male and female kiwi form monogamous relationships.
3. South-American feline
Answer: Kodkod
The kodkod (Leopardus guigna) is the smallest of the South-American wild cats. It lives in the Chilean Andes forests. The common fur is not unlike a leopard or a jaguar: brown-grey fur with darker spots, a paler belly and ringed tail. But it is much smaller than one of the aforesaid big cats, more like a domestic cat (although lighter built). The kodkod can reach a body length from head to toe of 50 cm, to which comes a tail of maximum 20 cm. It weighs about 2,5 kg.
The kodkod feeds on birds, lizards and small rodents. It is active both during daytime as during the night, but will venture only into open spaces at night.
On the IUCN Red List, the kodkod is marked vulnerable.
4. Leaping marsupial
Answer: Kangaroo
The kangaroo is a family of marsupials indigenous to Australia. Four species are typically called kangaroo: the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), the western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) and the antilopine kangaroo (Macropus antilopinus). Of these "true" kangaroos and the fifty-odd other species in the genus Macropus, I'll discuss here only the red kangaroo - the largest marsupial alive at the start of the twenty-first century. The red kangaroo is exposed to least concern of extinction.
The red kangaroo has short forelimbs and large, muscled hind paws. This explains why they move in a leaping way: the hind paws are much stronger, while the fore paws are not very well developed.
The female red kangaroo can weigh about 40 kg, while a male can weigh up to the double and more. Red kangaroos are seen all over Australia in scrubland, grassland or desert, with a preference for open plains. The feed mostly on grass and are active during the night and the crepuscular time.
5. Parrot from New Zealand
Answer: Kea
The kea (Nestor notabilis) is a large green parrot native to the South Island of New Zealand. The plumage is olive-green, with a reddish-orange streak under the wings. It can reach a height of about 48 cm and weight up to 1 kg.
The kea is an omnivore, feeding on a wide range of plants, beetles, little birds, and sometimes also rabbit or other mammals. Their conservation status is endangered.
The New Zealand government is contemplating to move some keas to a safe environment in the North Island.
6. Eucalypt eating marsupial
Answer: Koala
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a vulnerable marsupial. It lives in eucalypt forests in the eastern part of Australia and will dine mostly on eucalypt leaves (occasionally adding some other leaves such as acacia leaves). Koalas are active only a few hours per night, and they spend this time mostly on foraging and feeding.
Koalas are recognisable as chubby tailless animals with a large head. It can reach a body length of 60-85 cm and weigh 4-15 kg. The fur is usually grey to brown.
In common speech, the koala is erroneously called a bear, for the body outline resembles the true bears. But a koala is a marsupial, no closer relative to a bear than an ape to a cow.
According to the IUCN Red List, the koala is vulnerable.
7. Tree-dwelling mammal from South and Central America
Answer: Kinkajou
The kinkajou (Potos flavus) is a rather intriguing mammal. It is classified as one of the Carnivores, and yet is primarily a fructivore. The kinkajou is member of the family of the procyonidae (for instance raccoons), and within this family the kinkajou is the only animal to live in trees.
As some of you may have deduced from its Latin name, the kinkajou has a yellow to pale-brown fur. It grows up to about 50 cm length (head to toes), completed by a prehensile tail of roughly the same length. Average weight is between 1.5 and 4.5 kg, so the kinkajou is rather slender.
The habitat of the kinkajou stretches from the southern mountains in Mexico up till the south of Brazil, and from the Atlantic shore up till the Andes slopes. Kinkajous prefer tropical forest.
The diet of the kinkajou consists mostly of fruit, supplemented by leaves, flowers, and insects - perhaps sometimes with a bird's egg thrown in.
According to the IUCN Red List, the kinkajou is of least concern to extinction.
8. African antelope
Answer: Kudu
There are two species of antelope named kudu: the lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis, native to East Africa) and the greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros, native to East Africa and southern Africa).
Male kudus are mostly solitary, while the females live in groups with their young calves. Both species have brown-grey fur with white stripes. Typical are the long, twisted horns of the males.
As the English name suggests, the greater kudu is a larger animal. Greater kudus can grow to a shoulder height of 125 cm and weigh 210 to 300 kg, while lesser kudus typically reach a shoulder height of 90-110 cm and weigh maximum 105 kg.
The lesser kudu is near threatened, while the greater kudu is least concerned.
Both kudu species prefer bushy vegetation or woodland. They feed on grass, leaves and young shoots, while occasionally also devouring fruit, roots or tubers.
9. North-American ursine
Answer: Kodiak
The Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) is the largest subspecies of the brown bear. The Kodiak bear was named after the Kodiak archipelago in Alaska, the only region where it is native.
When standing on its hind paws, a Kodiak bear can tower at maximum 2.4 m. On average, an adult Kodiak bear in the wild weighs up to 320 kg (females) or 530 kg (males) - but the weight can fluctuate depending on the season. When they awake from hibernation they are usually the lightest, but at peak moments their weight can be huge. One (captive) Kodiak bear has been recorded at 680 kg.
Kodiak bears have an omnivorous diet, with an outspoken preference for fresh salmon.
The conservation status of the brown bear as a whole is least concern. But the IUCN Red List does not distinguish between the different subspecies. One can't exclude that the Kodiak bear has a less favourable conservation status.
10. Large lizard
Answer: Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest monitor lizard and arguably the largest reptile. It lives in Indonesia, mostly on the islands Komodo and Rinca, and a few sites on the island Flores.
Komodo dragons are also known as Komodo monitors. They are about 2-3 m long (including the tail) and typically weigh about 70 to 90 kg. As the Komodo dragon ages, its skin becomes more and more covered with bony structures, that can form a true plate in older animals.
Komodo dragons are carnivores, sniffing carrion from quite a distance (over 5 km). They also hunt for live prey such as deer or goats, which they attack from an ambush.
Komodo dragons are deemed vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor guitargoddess before going online.
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