Indian Mammals Trivia Quiz

Answer: kiang

The kiang is also known as Tibetan wild ass, tarpan and gorkhar.
It is found all over the Tibetan plateau, thus you can spot a kiang in India, China, Nepal and even Pakistan (although rarely).

It falls under the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Answer: mongoose

Mongooses are kept as pets in India, especially in rural areas.
They reproduce very fast.
They can kill venomous snakes, especially a king cobra.
In rural India cobra-mongoose fights are a common sight during various festivals.

I had once seen such a fight. The cobra won by spitting venom. It was very gruesome but I was helpless to do anything about it (animal cruelty), since the local authorities weren't concerned at all!

Answer: bharal

The blue sheep or bharal (actually a goat) is found in India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Tibet autonomous region. It has a blue sheen on its coat, and is thus called blue sheep. The name "bharal" is from the Hindi language.

Answer: pika

Pikas are also known as "mouse hare". They are related to rabbits. They live in a cold climate. They are often seen to share their burrows/holes with snow finches (a kind of sparrow found in Eurasia and especially on the Himalayas). A single glance at a pika would make it look similar to a hamster!

Pikas hoard hay and grass before winter as food. They dry the green grass (by sunlight of course) and then take it to their burrows for storage.

Answer: spotted chevrotain

Four species of mouse deer exist. Among them the spotted chevrotain is found in Southern India (which is a peninsula) and Sri Lanka. It's a nocturnal animal and lives in sub-tropical forests.

Answer: red panda

It's classified under the raccoon family. The family Ailuridae was created especially to accommodate the red panda. They are generally herbivorous. They are popularly known as "fire foxes". It's also found in southern China.

Answer: Wroughton's free-tailed bat

Also known as "mastiff bat" and "big eared freetailed bat".
It is found in mostly in the Western Ghats of India. They are found at the Barapede caves near the Bhimgad forest in Talewadi village, Belgaum district of Karnataka. It's their sole natural habitat that's intact.
It's a critically endangered species.

Answer: dolphin

Ganges river dolphins are literally blind since their eyes are devoid of the eye lens. Navigation is essentially done by echolocation.

They are a highly endangered species falling under the red category.

Answer: sloth bear

The sloth bear is a nocturnal (active at night) animal. It's endemic to the whole Indian subcontinent. They suck the larvae of ants and termites. They don't hibernate.

"Baloo" from "Jungle Book" the famous book authored by Rudyard Kipling is a sloth bear.

Answer: dromedary camel

The dromedary camel has only one hump.
The Bactrian camel has two humps.
Dromedary camels are faster than their Bactrian counterparts.
The Bactrian camel is a sturdier animal.