The Slow One Now Trivia Quiz

These rare animals are found on tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean, although they are primarily associated with the Galapagos Islands. They are noted for being extremely long-lived, with one hundred years not uncommon. Some have even reached two hundred years or more when kept in zoos, where it's easier to keep track of their ages.

As for speed, their size and weight means they don't move very fast. The Galapagos tortoise is said to move at no more than 1.2 mph (around 2 km per hour).

The number on the map shows the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador.

Cornu aspersum is the scientific name given to the common garden snail which many of us know only too well for its habit of feasting on the vegetables in our gardens. These snails can be found anywhere from the Mediterranean area, parts of North Africa and through Europe as far north as the UK.

Snails are renowned for their slow movement, and are often used in idioms to denote a lack of urgency. Even in Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' the famous speech by Jacques which starts 'All the world's a stage' mentions a schoolboy 'creeping like snail unwillingly to school'. The actual speed of a snail is given as half an inch (1.3 cm) per second at top speed or as little as a tenth of an inch (0.28 cm) if not in a hurry.

France was used to indicate one of the countries in which snails are found as the French are quite fond of catching and eating what they call escargots.

Koalas are found in the eastern and southern regions of Australia, in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales primarily. Koalas' diet of eucalyptus leaves does not provide much in the way of nourishment so they conserve energy by moving slowly and sleeping as much as twenty hours out of twenty-four during the day.

Generally, they do not move very fast through the trees. On the ground, though, they can move rather faster than you might expect, especially to escape from danger. They can reach around 12 mph (20 kph) but in very short bursts, so are included in the quiz due to their normal slow pace of life.

This may have been the first one you placed, since koalas are a symbol of Australia.

Seahorses can be found in most oceans, from the temperate ones of Europe to the tropical ones of Asia. They normally live in shallow areas, but not exclusively as some have been found at depths of as much as 300 ft (100 m). Because of their upright nature, with no tail fin, seahorses are often described as the slowest moving fish. Maximum speed is under two yards per hour (1.5 metres per hour) for the slowest moving type, making them even slower than a snail.

The map shows the colony in the Mediterranean Sea, just one of the places seahorses can be found.

The banana slug gets its name from its yellow colouring, and can be found in the Pacific north-west. Its range is from mid-California as far north as Alaska. They live in forests and their colour allows them to blend in with leaves which reach the forest floor. They play a role in the ecosystem by consuming dead leaves and fungi with their excrement helping to spread seeds and fertilise the soil.

Some sources claim that the banana slug could be the slowest moving of all animals. It has only one foot and creates slime which enables it to move, very slowly. The maximum speed recorded is six and a half inches (around 16.5 cm) a minute which equates to 0.0028 mph - it sounds a bit faster in kilometres, at 0.0045 kph.

The map shows them on the west coast of Canada, towards the northern part of their range.

If asked to name a slow animal, the sloth might well be the first to spring to mind. It shares its name with the deadly sin of sloth, meaning laziness. There are two types of sloth, the two-toed and the three-toed, with six species between them. All species are native to regions of Central and South America, and are arboreal. Three-toed sloths are nearly 100% herbivorous while the two-toed version is omnivorous with lizards, carrion and insects added to their diet.

It is well known that sloths descend from the trees only once a week to excrete waste. They move very slowly through the trees, with their average speed being in the range of 0.15 to 0.5 mph (0.24 to 0.8 kph).

The map indicates the eastern part of South America, one of the places where sloths are found.

This large lizard is native to the south-western regions of the USA and northern parts of Mexico. It is the only venomous lizard found in the USA, although Mexico also has the beaded lizards, which are also venomous. Because it moves so slowly, due to its size, the Gila monster is not considered a threat to human life. The name comes from the Gila river in New Mexico and Arizona.

Gila monsters have a top speed of around 1.5 mph (2.4 kph) and spend most of their time resting, with only short periods when they are active.

Their range is relatively small, so the map indicates the general region where they can be found.

The name of this primate rather gives away its lack of movement. It is a rather cute looking mammal which is native to the south-eastern countries of Asia. Its range is from India and Bangladesh to the Philippines and includes Malaysia, Thailand and neighbouring countries. There are several different species depending on the location in which they are found.

They are nocturnal animals, coming out to feed at night after sleeping in trees during the day. As for speed, this is just over one mile per hour (1.6 kph) although they can move faster than this when catching insects. They are omnivores, with much of their food coming from nectar and plant gums.

The map shows one of the regions of Asia in which these animals are found.

The Greenland shark is another slow moving sea creature. As the name implies, they are found in the seas around Greenland but also in other northern areas of the Atlantic Ocean from Canada to Norway and in the Arctic Ocean. They are huge animals reaching as much as 23 feet (7 metres) in length, but are rarely seen by humans due to the depths at which they live. They are extremely long-lived too, possibly living up to five hundred years.

They are also the slowest moving shark, with a speed estimated at about one mile per hour (1.6 kph).

The map shows the normal range, although the Greenland shark has occasionally been spotted further south off the coast of the USA.

Often called sea cows, manatees are slow moving mammals which live in waters close to the coastlines of various countries or in rivers. There are three recognised species: the Amazonian, the West Indian and the African. The West Indian manatee is found from Florida to Brazil in its southern range, the Amazonian live in the Amazon river while the African manatee's habitat is the western coasts and rivers of Africa.

They are herbivores, feeding on grasses, algae and weeds, and consume a lot each day. They are slow moving normally, with a speed of around 5 mph (8 kph) but can manage up to 15 mph (24 kph) over a short distance if necessary.

Florida may well be the region that first sprang to mind, but the map indicates where the African manatee makes its home.