Born to be Wild Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pakistan

Scientifically known as the Capra falconeri, the markhor derives its common name from the Persian language with 'mar' meaning snake and 'khor' meaning eater. Though the exact origin is unknown, it may have been named after its large coiled horns which look like twisting snakes.

The horns of the male of the species can grow up to 1.5 meters in length. These wild goats are found to inhabit the sparse forests found in the high altitude regions of the Himalayas.

Answer: Pheasant

Known as danphe in Nepal, the Himalayan monal belongs to the pheasant family. The male monal has an iridescent plumage in shades of blue and green. The birds were earlier under threat as they were hunted for their colourful feathers that were used by the people living in the Kulu Valley of India to decorate their headdresses.

However, this practice has since been outlawed and the bird is no longer considered threatened.

Answer: It cannot roar.

The native habitat of the snow leopard spans across twelve countries from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the west to China and Bhutan in the east. They are nicknamed the "Ghosts of the Himalayas" due to their solitary nature and rare sightings. The body of the snow leopard is covered with rosettes and differences in the patterns of these are used to identify individual animals.

A distinctive feature of the snow leopard is that it cannot roar despite possessing the bone features earlier considered critical for big cats to be able to roar.

Instead the cat makes sounds in the form of hisses, mews and growls.

Answer: Red panda

The red panda, also called the lesser panda, is native to the eastern part of the Himalayas. Apart from its bamboo diet, the red panda doesn't have much in common with giant panda and is only distantly related to it. The tail of the red panda is considered to be a good luck charm and is still used in wedding celebrations in parts of China.

Answer: Mammal

The pika is a small mammal from the order of lagomorphs which also include rabbits and hares. With its small body, round ears and no tail, it is often mistaken for a rat and also called 'mouse hare', though it is not related to rodents in any way. The pika is native to cold climates and can be found across Asia, North America and parts of Europe.

Answer: Blue

The bharal are also called the Himalayan blue sheep due to the bluish tint of their fur which helps camouflage them against the rocks of the mountainous terrain. Bharals stick to the edges of the rocky cliffs so that they can escape their predators by running on the steep slopes. They also stop moving when spotted which helps them blend further among the rocks.

Answer: Strong thick tail for balance on the ground

Apart from these, the yaks have a thick fleece of coarse outer hair to help them conserve heat. Before winter sets in, the yaks also develop a layer of subcutaneous fat that further helps in adapting to the cold.

Answer: Marco Polo

The Marco Polo sheep inhabit the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia and are named after the explorer since he had described them in his famous book "The Travels of Marco Polo".

The argalis are hunted for their large corkscrew horns. The poaching along with the human interference in their natural habitat has led to a sharp decline in their numbers.

Answer: Mountain zebra

A herbivore, the kiang inhabits the alpine grasslands of the Tibetan plateau region. Its only natural predator is the wolf, though it also hunted by humans for its meat.

Mountain zebras are found in the mountainous terrain of Namibia and South Africa.

Answer: Bhutan

The black-necked crane breeds on the Tibetan plateau and migrates to parts of northeastern India and Bhutan during the winter. The Buddhists of Bhutan revere these birds as manifestations of the Bodhisattva. The Black-necked Crane Festival is celebrated in the courtyard of the Gangtey Gonpa monastery in Central Bhutan on the 12th of November every year to honour the arrival of these birds.