Meeting American Mammals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lynx

Lynx canadensis is the lynx, or Canada or Canadian lynx. Cougars or mountain lions (also known as pumas or panthers) are called Felis concolor. House cats, feral or not, are Felis silvestris, and bobcats are Lynx rufus. These cats are all carnivores in order Carnivora, and are felines in family Felidae.

Answer: Muskox

Bison bison refers to the North American buffalo or bison. The muskox is Ovibos moschatus, while bighorn sheep are Ovis canadensis and mountain goats are Oreamnos americanus. Bison, muskoxen, sheep, and goats are all classified in family Bovidae, and order Artiodactyla which are even-toed hoofed mammals.

Answer: Norway rat or brown rat

Though not indigenous to North America, the Norway rat, "Rattus norvegicus", is now found across the continent where people are concentrated. It is also called the Norwegian rat, the house rat, common rat or wharf rat. The muskrat is Ondatra zibethica and the Florida water rat, also known as the round-tail muskrat, is Neofiber alleni.

The bushytail woodrat is Neotoma cineraa. Rats, woodrats, and water rats such as the muskrats are all rodents in order Rodentia.

Answer: Grizzly bear

Bears (though many species eat some plants) and wolverines are carnivores or flesh-eaters, both classified in order Carnivora, while the vampire bat is classified in order Chiroptera and family Desmodontidae. Wolverines, Gulo luscus, are weasels in family Mustelidae, and bears are in family Ursidae.

The polar bear is called Ursus maritimus while the grizzly bear is Ursus arctos horribilis.

Answer: Black bear

While all these animals, being flesh-eaters, are in order Carnivora, raccoons (Procyon lotor) are in family Procyonidae, and skunks are actually weasels in family Mustelidae. The bear family is family Ursidae. The Kodiak bear is Ursus arctos middendorffi, while the black bear is Ursus americanus. Though called black bears, they can be many colours including brown, cinnamon, and even blond.

Answer: Coyote

Wolves, coyotes, foxes, and raccoon dogs are all flesh-eaters in order Carnivora and are canines in family Canidae. The coyote is Canis latrans, while the gray or timber wolf is Canis lupus, the red fox Vulpes vulpes, and the raccoon dog is Nyctereutes procyonoides.

Answer: Killer whale

While whales and dolphins are mammals in class Mammalia, sharks are in class Chondrichthyes which are cartilaginous fish. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are baleen fin-back whales. Killer whales and bottlenose dolphins are both types of dolphins.

The various species of bottlenose dolphins are classified in genus Tursiops, but killer whales are Orchinus orca and are sometimes called orca whales or simply Orca.

Answer: Beaver

While all of these mammals are in order Rodentia, each is in a different family. The North American procupine, in family Erethizontidae, is Erethizon dorsatum, while the hoary marmot is Marmota caligata in family Sciuridae. In family Heteromyidae are the kangroo rats, of the genus Dipodomys. The beaver, Castor canadensis, is in family Castoridae.

Answer: Caribou

Caribou, elk, moose, and deer are all classified in order Artiodactyla (even-toed hoofed mammals) and in family Cervidae as deer. Elk or wapiti are Cervus canadensis, whitetail (white-tailed) deer are Odocoileus virginianus, and moose are Alces alces. Caribou and reindeer are Rangifer tarandus.

The North American Rangifer tarandus is called caribou while in Europe and Asia the same species is called reindeer. The species is divided into many subspecies throughout the northern areas of the planet.

Answer: Short-tailed weasel

While all of these carnivores are in the weasel family, family Mustelidae, this question might have been easier to answer if you knew that the short-tailed or shorttail weasel is also known as ermine. The striped skunk is Mephitis mephitis, the badger is Taxidea taxus, and the river otter is Lutra canadensis.

By the way, all members of the weasel family have scent glands, so all produce a musty odour.