Almost Human... Quiz | Wild Mammals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 'Pan paniscus' is one of two species in the 'Pan' genus, the other being the common chimpanzee. Also known as a pygmy chimpanzee, it is native to a relatively small area in the Congo Basin in central Africa. Which animal is this?

Answer: Bonobo

The 'Hominini' tribe, part of the 'Homininae' family, includes both the 'Pan' genus and the 'Homo' genus, in the latter of which the only extant species is Homo sapien -- you and me. The 'Pan' genus includes the four species of chimpanzee (Western, Eastern, Central and Nigeria-Cameroon plus the Bonobo, or pygmy chimpanzee.
The Bonobo is found only in a relatively small area (about the size of Spain) in the Congo Basin in Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa. It is distinguishable from its chimp cousins by longer legs, a tufted tail and long, parted hair on its head.

2. 'Pongo pygmaeus' is one of the two surviving species in the 'Pongo' genus. One of the most intelligent primates, they are the most solitary and the most arboreal of all great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, which creature is this?

Answer: Orangutan

The name orangutan derives from Malay and Indonesian words meaning "person of the forest". Ancestors of the 'Pongo' genus split from the African line of great apes more than 15 million years ago. Today, just two species have survived, 'Pongo pygmaeus' (the Bornean orang-utan), which is divided into three sub-species, northwest, east and southwest, and the critically endangered 'Pongo abelii', the Sumatran orangutan.

Amongst the most intelligent of all creatures, they are adept at using tools and they use branches and foliage to construct complex sleeping nests high in the trees each night. For a creature that spends most of its life in the trees, the logging industry has destroyed much of the orangutan's natural habitat. Poaching and the exotic pet trade have also contributed to the endangered status of all wild orangutans.

3. 'Chlorocebus pygerythrus' is an Old World monkey native to southern and the eastern coast of Africa. Recognizable by their black faces, this species displays numerous human-like traits including anxiety and a propensity for alcohol dependency. Which species is this?

Answer: Vervet Monkey

Previously known as part of the 'Guenon' family, the six species now classified as within the 'Chlorocebus' genus were once considered a single species. 'Chlorocebus pygerythrus', the vervet monkey (pictured here at the Kriger park in South Africa), is one of those six. The other five species of medium-sized arboreal monkeys in the genus are the green monkey, the grivet, the Bale Mountains vervet, the tantalus monkey (divided into three sub-species) and the malbrouck.

Vervet monkeys are often used in studies to understand human behaviours. They have been found to suffer from hypertension and anxiety very similar to humans, for example. Vervets live in social groups of as many as 70 individuals, and males move to neighbouring groups when they reach sexual maturity. This reduces the chances of inbreeding in the short term, but does mean that genetic variance is limited over a period of generations.

4. This Old World primate species is native to a small area on Africa's Atlantic coastline. Found mostly in tropical rainforests, they live in family groups called hordes. The world's largest monkey species, which animal is this?

Answer: Mandrill

The mandrill ('Mandrillus sphinx') is the world's largest monkey, with males typically weighing between 40 and 80 pounds and standing as tall as three feet. (Female mandrills are roughly half the size of males.) Native to the rainforests of southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo, they are instantly recognizable by the white face with a red stripe down the middle.

More arboreal than their close cousins, the baboon, mandrills walk on the toes of all four limbs when they move about on the ground. Their major predators are leopards, rock pythons and crowned eagles. Whilst their usual response to a predator is flight into the high canopy, dominant males will stand and face down even leopards, baring their teeth and pacing back and forth as an indication of aggression.

5. 'Pygathrix nemaeus' (pictured) is one of three species in the Pygathrix genus. Native to southeast Asia, its physical characteristics include bright maroon legs and long tails that allow them to move agilely around their treetop habitat. Which type of primate is this?

Answer: Douc

The pictured animal is 'Pygathrix nemaeus', a red-shanked douc. The other two species with whom he shares the genus are the black-shanked douc and the gray-shanked douc. Members of the 'Cercopithecidae' family of primates, doucs live either in small family groups containing a single adult male, numerous adult females and many children, or in troops of adolescent males.

Their closest cousins are the snub-nosed monkeys and the proboscis (or long-nosed) monkeys.

6. The pictured primate is a member of a genus found virtually throughout the Old World. This specific species is native to Algeria and Morocco, but is perhaps most famous for the small population that was introduced into Gibraltar. Which species is this?

Answer: Barbary Macaque

The Barbary macaque ('Macaca sylvanus') is also known as the maggot or the Barbary ape, although it is clearly a monkey rather than an ape. Named for the Barbary Coast of northwestern Africa, the 200 or so individuals that inhabit the Rock of Gibraltar are the only wild monkeys living in Europe. Indeed, other than humans, they are Europe's only free-living primate.

There are numerous macaque species living throughout Africa and Asia. All are members of the 'Papionini' tribe that also includes baboons and the various species of mangabey.

7. The pictured primate is one of numerous species within the Cebinae subfamily that is native to South and Central America. These primates were named after a group of Franciscan friars who wore brown robes with large hoods covering their heads. Which primates are these?

Answer: Capuchins

The Cebinae subfamily contains numerous species of Capuchin monkey, named for the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. The picture shows the white-headed capuchin (or white-faced capuchin) 'Cebus capucinus'. This species is perhaps best-known as the typical companion to the 'organ grinder'.

One of the most long-living of all primates (they have been known to live into their 50s), this medium-sized monkey is also one of the most intelligent. They are sometimes trained as assistants to paraplegics.

8. 'Callicebus cupreus' (pictured) is one of around 30 species within the Callicebus subgenus of South American primates. They can be found mostly in dense forests near water, jumping from tree to tree high in the canopy, hence their German name, 'Springaffen', meaning "jumping monkeys". Which type of animal is this?

Answer: Titi

The 30-odd species of titi are the only surviving members of the Callicebus genus. Along with their closest cousins, numerous species of uakari and saki, they make up the Pitheciidae family of New World monkeys.

Titis are native to Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and northern Paraguay. They live in family groups which, like humans, usually consists of just two parents and their offspring. Highly territorial, titis make plenty of noise and rush back and forth in a show of bravado when their territory is threatened, but they are essential peaceful and rarely actually fight each other.

The pictured species is the coppery titi ('Callicebus cupreus') which is found in the rainforests of Brazil and Peru.

9. 'Daubentonia madagascariensis' is a member of the lemur superfamily and a native of the island of Madagascar. The world's largest nocturnal primate, this is the only surviving species within the Daubentonia genus. Which species, with an unusual method of finding its food, is this?

Answer: Aye-aye

A fully-grown aye-aye can be as large as three feet in length, with a tail as long as its body. The aye-aye feeds using a method similar to a woodpecker, making holes in tree branches in order to extract the invertebrates hiding inside. This method, known as 'percussive foraging', is unique amongst mammals to the aye-aye and the striped possum.

Primarily arboreal, aye-ayes eat, sleep and mate high in the trees of the Madagascan rainforest. Solitary by nature, aye-aye males command large territories, often overlapping with the territories of multiple females.

10. "Star Wars" fans could be forgiven for thinking that this is a photograph of an early 'Yoda' model, but it is in fact a species of small primate native to Indonesia. This nocturnal creature lives in the mangrove forests, where it can be found clinging to vertical branches or leaping from tree to tree. Which type of primate is this?

Answer: Tarsier

The Tarsier genus consists of eight nocturnal primate species, all of them native to Indonesia. Weighing in at around 4-5 ounces with a body length of between 4-6 inches (with a tail that can be up to 10 inches long), spotting a tarsier in the wild is not an easy task. They seldom venture down to ground level and their coats blend almost seamlessly into the foliage of their habitat.

Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor guitargoddess before going online.
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Almost Human... Trivia Quiz

We travel around the world to see some of mankind's closest genetic relatives. Identify them from the photographs and the clues.

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