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Mongoose Mania Trivia Quiz

I made this quiz because all I saw were quizzes soley on meerkats. There are other mongooses too!

A multiple-choice quiz by Benjihurlock. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Benjihurlock

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
342,050

Updated
Mar 04 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
339

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What would be a good description of a mongoose? Hint

big stocky bodies, large ears, no tails

long slender faces and bodies, short ears and legs, long tails

medium sized animals with no fur and no tails

very small short round bodies, pointed ears, rat like tails

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Question 2 of 10

2. Mongooses can be found primarily in what two regions of the world? Hint

North America and Central America

Australia and Oceania

Europe and Siberia

Africa and southern Asia

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Question 3 of 10

3. The Indian mongoose, also known as the Small Asian mongoose, indigenous to south and southeast Asia, is renowned for its ability to fight and kill which venomous snake? Hint

viper

cobra

rattlesnake

coral snake

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Question 4 of 10

4. About how many species of mongoose are there? Hint

100

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Question 5 of 10

5. The banded mongoose, Mungo mungo, has been observed removing ticks and insects from the skin of warthogs. This kind of relationship can be described as what? Hint

parasitism

mutualism

annoying

commensalism

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Question 6 of 10

6. Most mongooses don't have strongly marked coats; they are usually plain or grizzled. What does it mean if a mongoose has grizzled fur? Hint

fur is smooth and straight

fur is rough and coarse

tip of the fur is grey or white

tip of the fur is black

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Question 7 of 10

7. What is a kusimanse? Hint

adult mongoose

dwarf mongoose

male mongoose

female mongoose

8. Mongooses are sometimes referred to as "the most dangerous animal on the planet" because of their devastating effect on ecosystems of the islands where they were introduced. Mongooses were introduced to what Pacific islands in 1883? Hint

Marshall Islands

Galapagos Islands

Hawaiian Islands

Falkland Islands

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Question 9 of 10

9. What is another name for a meerkat? Hint

katmeer

mongoose cat

ground cat

suricate

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Question 10 of 10

10. A mongoose is *least* likely to prey on which of these animals? Hint

snake

rabbit

lizard

frog

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What would be a good description of a mongoose?

Answer: long slender faces and bodies, short ears and legs, long tails

Mongooses are very similar looking to weasels though they are not closely related. Mongoose belong to the Herpestidae family which is more closely related to Viverrids (civets and genets) and Felids (cats).

2. Mongooses can be found primarily in what two regions of the world?

Answer: Africa and southern Asia

Mongooses can be primarily found in Africa and southern Asia but some do live in southern Europe. They have been introduced to some islands and they usually have a devastating effect on the island's ecosystems.

3. The Indian mongoose, also known as the Small Asian mongoose, indigenous to south and southeast Asia, is renowned for its ability to fight and kill which venomous snake?

Answer: cobra

The mongoose circles the cobra while evading its numerous strikes and waits for an opening. The mongoose will then attack the cobras head and continue until the cobra is subdued.

4. About how many species of mongoose are there?

Answer: 30

There are 33 known species of mongoose known; most of which are in the genus Herpestes.

5. The banded mongoose, Mungo mungo, has been observed removing ticks and insects from the skin of warthogs. This kind of relationship can be described as what?

Answer: mutualism

A mutualistic relationship involves two organisms both gaining something from their interaction with each other. In this case the banded mongoose gets food and the warthog gets clean.

6. Most mongooses don't have strongly marked coats; they are usually plain or grizzled. What does it mean if a mongoose has grizzled fur?

Answer: tip of the fur is grey or white

Another animal that can have grizzled fur is a brown bear. Thats where the sub species the Grizzly Bear gets its name, its fur is tipped with white making it grizzled.

7. What is a kusimanse?

Answer: dwarf mongoose

There are four species of kusimanse and they all live in Africa. They are all diurnal and live in groups of about 12 to 20.

Answer: Hawaiian Islands

Mongooses were first brought to Hawaii to control rat populations on the sugarcane plantations. The funny thing is that the rats on the island were nocturnal while the mongooses were diaurnal, so the mongooses had very little effect on the rat population.

The mongooses did however have an affect on the bird population which was decimated by the introduction. Mongooses have no natural preadators on the islands so their population keeps growing.

9. What is another name for a meerkat?

Answer: suricate

The t.v. show "Meerkat Manor" ran for four seasons on Animal PLanet (2005-2008). it showed the day to day struggles of meerkat families as they tried and survive in the Kalahari Desert.

10. A mongoose is *least* likely to prey on which of these animals?

Answer: rabbit

Mongooses haven't been known to prey on any species of rabbit or hare. They mostly prey on small rodents, reptiles, amphibians, birds and occasionally they eat carrion.

Source: Author Benjihurlock

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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