Mammals Around the World (2) Quiz | Mixed Mammals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Extinct in mainland Australia since 1960, this mammal can still be found in the rainforests, heathland and alpine areas of Tasmania. What is this marsupial, which evolved during the Miocene period some 15 million years ago?

Answer: Eastern Quoll

The eastern quoll is one of six quoll species, four of which are native to Australia and two to New Guinea. These carnivorous mammals eat rabbits, lizards, small birds and insects. Females give birth to as many as 18 pups, but she has teats for only six to survive beyond infancy.

2. Our second creature is another Australian marsupial. There are some 15 different species of these small carnivores that are sometimes referred to as pouched mice. What is their correct name?

Answer: Antechinus

These shrew-like animals are members of the antechinus genus. They are found mostly in Australia's rainforests, woodlands and heaths. Many species are strictly tree-dwelling although some hunt at ground level, but all nest in communal tree hollows. Antechinus survive on a diet of spiders, beetles and weevils.

3. A member of the ' Leporidae' family, this genus is unique in that it bears its young above ground, in flattened grass nests called forms. What type of animal is this, known collectively as droves?

Answer: Hare

Native to Africa, Eurasia, North America and Japan, hares are generally larger than rabbits with longer ears. Hares have also not been domesticated as pets, like rabbits. Unique amongst all mammals, hares have jointed skulls, thought to have developed in order to absorb the shock as hares hit the ground between bounding leaps. A group of hares is a 'drove'. A young (under one year old) hare is called a leveret.

The pictured species is the Ethiopian highland hare, notable for living at elevations much higher than any other African hare species.

4. This animal genus is divided into nine species, all of which are native to the islands surrounding Sulawesi in Indonesia. Living primarily on a diet of insects, they capture their prey by leaping onto it. Which animal is this?

Answer: Tarsier

Tarsiers are a genus of dry-nosed primates native to Indonesia. Extremely shy animals, tarsiers are rarely seen not only because they are mainly arboreal with some species also living at fairly high altitudes, but because they are strictly nocturnal creatures.

Many scientists have concluded that tarsiers departed early from the evolutionary line of most other primates: their dental formula is unique, as is the arrangements of connections between their eyes and their brains.

5. There are around 35 species of this animal, all of them native to South America. The smallest of the simian primates, they belong to the only primate family that regularly produces twins. What type of animal is this?

Answer: Tamarin

Tamarins, along with marmosets, are members of the 'Callitrichidae' family of New World monkeys. These arboreal creatures are native to the rainforests of the Amazon Basin and live on a diet insects, fruit and tree sap. Highly sociable animals, they live in small territorial groups and the males, unlike any other primates, take as active a role in child rearing as the females.

The pictured species is the golden lion tamarin (also known as a golden marmoset), which lives in the forests along Brazil's Atlantic coastline. With only some 3,200 individuals remaining in the wild, the golden lion tamarind is considered an endangered species. Around 500 individuals are also housed in some 150 zoos around the world.

6. There are 16 species of this South America native. Primarily herbivorous, these medium-sized monkeys are both diurnal and arboreal. Which type of animal is this?

Answer: Saki

All species of saki are members of the 'Pitheciidae' family, which also includes takis and uakaris. The sakis are divided into two genera, sakis and bearded sakis. They are all well-adapted to life swinging and jumping from tree to tree, with long, bushy tails and strong hind legs.

The pictured species is the white-faced saki (also known as the Guianan saki). Usually found in the lower canopy of the forest, they live on a diet of fruits, nuts, seeds and insects.

7. These creatures appear more like monkeys than apes, but their lack of a tail places them firmly in the latter category. Native to Asia, species in this animal family are all masters of swinging from branch to branch at speeds of up to 35 mph. What type of animal is this?

Answer: Gibbon

Often called 'lesser apes', gibbons differ in numerous ways from their close cousins, the 'great apes'. It is estimated that the lineage of the gibbons and the great apes diverged some 16-17 million years ago, more than 10 million years after that line had split from that of the monkeys. Gibbons are unique amongst all primates for the anatomy of their wrist joint, which has developed in the same way as the shoulder joint in other species, thus allowing biaxial movement. This significantly reduces the stress from swinging through the trees on other joints.

The pictured species is the lar gibbon (or the white-handed gibbon), which is native to the forests of Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. Endangered by forest clearance and illegal logging, lar gibbons are also hunted for meat. Their popularity with the pet trade also means that parents are sometimes killed solely in order to capture young animals.

8. This animal is a camelid native to the arid, mountainous regions of South America. Predators include cougars, jaguars and foxes and although their first instinct when threatened is to spit, they are also remarkably fleet of foot, capable of speeds up to 35 mph, even over rocky terrain. They also excellent swimmers. Which animal is this?

Answer: Guanaco

The guanaco is one of the largest of South America's endemic mammal species, along with the manatee, tapir and jaguar. Somewhere between 400,000 and 600,000 wild guanacos live wild in the continent where their close cousins, the llama, have mostly been domesticated.

Hunting of guanacos is legal in Bolivia and in the province of Tierra del Fuego in southern Chile. Fur from the second of the guanaco's two coats is much prized, valued only second to the vicuna for softness.

9. Sometimes called a 'javelina', this medium-sized hoofed mammal is native to the southern USA and throughout Central and South America. They can be found in a variety of habitats, from scrubland to tropical rainforests. Which animal is this?

Answer: Peccary

Although members of the same sub-order as pigs and hogs, all of which originated in Eurasia, the three species of peccary (or skunk pig) are part of an entirely different family. The main differences from the pig family are the tusks, which are short and straight in the peccary, and the workings of the stomach. Peccaries are omnivores: they prefer roots, grasses, seeds and fruits but will also eat small animals too.

The pictured species is a collared peccary, or musk hog, has adapted to live alongside humans, particularly in regions with high agricultural development, although they can also be found in cities, notably Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona.

10. Native to the south American forests and the slopes of the Andes, this animal is sometimes called a 'Chilean mountain goat'. Smaller than most species of goat it is, in fact, the world's smallest deer. What animal is this?

Answer: Pudu

There are two species of pudu, southern and northern. They stand just 14-18 inches tall and weigh less than 30 pounds (sometimes much less). They do grow horns like other deer species, but with an average length of only 2-3 inches they are not exactly impressive. The pudu lives on a diet of grass, leaves and fallen fruit.

Unlike most other deer species, the pudu is capable of climbing trees, either to escape predators or to reach food. When threatened it barks almost like a dog. A series of paths and trails beneath the undergrowth allow the pudu to move quickly from place to place in densely forested areas.

Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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Mammals Around the World (2) Trivia Quiz

We travel around the world to find a collection of ten more wild mammals for you to identify from the photographs and the clues.

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