Just Mammals Trivia Quiz

Answer: 2

There are two species of the family Tachyglossidae, being the long-nosed echidna (Zyglossus bruijnii) and the short-nosed echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). The other family of egg-laying mammals is the family Ornithorhynchus which is the platypus family. They all live in Oceania.

Answer: Dingo

It is believed that the Dingo (a placental mammal and close relative of the domesticated dog) came along with the tribes who started to populate Australia thousands of years before the Europeans arrived and destroyed a lot of the environment by introducing all kinds of new mammals like housecats, foxes, rabbits and rats.

Answer: The Chinchilla

There aren't many populations left. The Chinchilla still lives in the wild in Chile and Bolivia, high up in the mountains. They are bred in captivity for their beautiful and soft silvery furs. They've also become a popular pet. The Chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger), the Degu (Octodon degu), the Mara or Patagonian Hare (Dolichotis patagona) and the Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) are all South-American rodents.

Answer: Grizzly Bear

Most of the bear-species are omnivorous. The grizzly (Ursus arctos horribilis) and his close relative the European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) mostly eat vegetation, like roots, flowerbuds and fruit. Their bone structure and teeth aren't suited for hunting. If bears eat meat it's mostly fish, small birds, rodents, reptiles, mollusks and insects. Bears are often seen as man-eaters and fierce hunters, but that's a misunderstanding. Like many animals, bears get fierce and dangerous when threatened, especially when they have young.

The weasel (Mustela nivalis) with its 20 cm or 13' in length is the smallest mammal predator of the world. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the biggest cat in America. The Egyptian mongoose or Ichneumon (Herpestes ichneumon) was considered holy to the Egyptians.

The mongoose is known to hunt for cobras and other poisonous snakes.

Answer: an insectivore

Shrews are insectivores, they eat insects, spiders and the occasional slug or earthworm. The term insectivore can't be taken too literally. It's a term that defines an animal that eats small invertebrates (bugs). The Watershrew (Neomys fodiens) also eats fish eggs and mollusks. A carnivore is a meat-eater, a piscivore is a fish-eater and a herbivore is a plant-eater.

Answer: It pierces a vein of the victim and licks up the blood.

The Vampire Bats usually feed on cattle and other hoofed mammals. A Vampire Bat has got to feed every 24 hours otherwise it will die of exhaustion. To overcome this problem a Vampire Bat sometimes begs for blood at another bat. If this bat remembers it has once been helped out by the other bat, it will regurgitate blood for the beggar.

Answer: a Narwhal

The male Narwhal (and the occasional female) has two teeth, the left of which grows into a long tusk extending forward from the head. The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros), the Orca (Orcinus orca), the Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) are all endangered species, although the Narwhal isn't officialy considered to be endangered.

Answer: the Eurasian Wild Boar

The Eurasian Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), just like the Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), the Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus) and the Giant Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), is a social omnivore and a fierce enemy when threatened. There isn't much difference in size between the Wild Boar and the Giant Forest Hog, but the Wild Boar can wheigh up to 320 kg or 711 lb. while the Giant Forest Hog just reaches a measly 270 kg or 605 lb.

They both have a maximum size of 110 cm or 3.6 ft. (shoulder height).

Answer: Arctic hare

The Arctic hare (Lepus timidus), like all rabbits and hares, isn't a rodent. They belong to the order Lagomorpha, not to the order Rodentia. The capybara is the largest rodent of the world and can reach a length of over a meter or three feet and a height of 50 cm or 1.5 ft.

The deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and the European beaver (Castor fiber) are both rodents. The Lagomorphs and the rodents are much alike, but have totally separate ancestors. The Lagomorphs would be more closely related to hooved mammals than rodents.

They developed the same adaptations as rodents but have nothing to do with each other.

Answer: three

The Eastern Cape Elephant (Loxodonta africanus africanus)is the South-African subspecies. The Forest Elephant or Pygmy Elephant (Loxodonta africanus cyclotis) lives in the rainforests of Central- and West-Africa. The Pygmy Elephant is particularly small, a mature bull hardly reaches 240 cm or 95 inches in height.

The Plains Elephant (Loxodonta africanus oxyotis) lives on the plains of East-Africa and is the largest of them all. A mature bull easely reaches 350 cm or 138 inches in height.