Orders of Mammals, Part II Trivia Quiz

Answer: southern two-toed sloth

The name of this order comes from the Latin, meaning hairy.

This order represents 0.3% of extant mammal species. It includes anteaters and tree sloths.

It also represents the extinct species of giant sloths, which went extinct in North America about 11,000 years ago. These giant sloths could grow up to 9,000 pounds (~4,100 kilograms).

Answer: pen-tailed treeshrew

The name is from Latin: scandere - to climb.

This orders consists of 0.3% of extant mammal species. It is divided into two families: Tupaiidae (19 species of "ordinary" treeshrews) and Ptilocericidae (one species, the pen-tailed treeshrew).

Though called treeshrews, they are not true shrews and not all are arboreal. They are closely related to primates.

Answer: eastern caenolestid

The Paucituberculatans (0.1% of extant mammal species) are the shrew opossums of South America.

Prehistorically, they were represented by 60 other species which have gone extinct. They first appear in the fossil record in the late Paleocene (66 - 55 million years ago).

Answer: Indian pangolin

The name of this order is from ancient Greek: pholidotos - clad in scales.

This order represents 0.1% of extant mammal species, either eight or nine species of pangolins, or scaly anteaters.

Though pangolins resemble armadillos, they are not closely related. Any similarities are due to convergent evolution.

Answer: rock hyrax

This order represents 0.09% of extant mammals, namely the hyraxes of Africa and the Middle East.

They have poorly developed internal temperature regulation. They regulate their internal temperature by behavioral regulation, such as huddling and sun basking.

Prehistorically, hyraxes were much more diverse. Their megafauna ancestor, Titanohyrax ultimus, weighed 1,300b - 2,900 pounds (600 - 1,300 kilograms).

Answer: platypus

The name derives from Greek: monós - single, and trêma - hole. This refers to their anatomical structure, the cloaca, which exists in birds, reptiles, amphibians, carilaginous fish, and monotreme and marsupial mammals.

They represent 0.08% of extant mammals, through 5 extant species.

The main difference between monotremes and other mammals is that they lay eggs rather than partially or fully developing their young before birthing them live. They nurse their young as other mammals, lactating from their mammary glands via simple openings in their skin instead of through teats.

Answer: West Indian manatee

The name is derived from the sirens of Greek mythology. Sirens were described as "sea girls with the body of a maiden, but have scaly fishes' tails."

This order represents 0.06% of extant mammals. Representatives of this order are manatees, dugongs, and sea cows. They evolved in the Eocene epoch around 50 million years ago.

Answer: African bush elephant

The name of this order is rather autological, from ancient Greek meaning 'elephant's trunk'.

They represent 0.05% of extant mammal species, namely the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.

They have unique characteristics separating them from other mammalian orders. They are the largest land mammals, have tusks (extremely large incisors) and large ear flaps. From their order name, their trunks are their most distinctive trait. Besides being their nose, trunks are prehensile and are used to bring food and water to their mouths and for grasping other objects.

Extinct members of this order include mammoths and mastodons, which had a range that extended into North America, while modern elephants exist in the wild in Africa and Asia.

Answer: Sunda flying lemur

This order's name is from ancient Greek: dérma - skin, and pterón - wing.

This order represents 0.03% of extant mammal species, specifically the Sunda flying lemur and the Philippine flying lemur. They are closely related to primates.

They are also called colugos. Just like flying squirrels, they don't truly fly, but rather glide. The only truly powered flying mammals are bats (Chiroptera).

Answer: colocolo opossum

This order consists of 0.03% of extant mammal species, specifically the colocolo, or monito del monte. It is the only extant species of the two families Microbiotheriidae and Woodburnodontidae.

Although colocolos are only found in southwestern South America, they are more closely related to Australian marsupials than opossums of the Americas.

Fossils of the now-extinct species of this order have been found in South America, northeastern Australia, and western Antarctica. This is undoubtedly because these land masses were once joined as Gondwana, one of the continental splits of Pangea.

Answer: northern marsupial mole

This order consists of 0.03% of extant mammal species, namely the northern marsupial mole and the southern marsupial mole.

This order is an example of convergent evolution. Its members resemble the true moles from North America and Eurasia.

Answer: aardvark

This order, consisting of only the aardvark, represents 0.02% of extant mammals.

The name comes from Latin: tubulis - tubule, and dentis - tooth.

They are not closely related to the American anteater. Fossil and genetic studies have confirmed their distant relationship. Their characteristic of eating ants is an example of convergent evolution.