Tarsiers, Lemurs and Meerkats Trivia Quiz

Answer: They eat charcoal

Tarsiers have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal - in fact, each eye weighs more than its whole brain. They were once thought to include charcoal in their diet but, rather, they burrow through charcoal to get to the insects they really eat.

The forest, mangrove and scrub habitat of these tiny creatures is shrinking, and they are now only found in parts of Asia. They were once present in Europe and North America. Tarsiers are nocturnal and have a well-developed sense of smell. They live in monogamous pairs, and in one place, on the island of Celebes, they sing duets with different but complementary calls made by each partner. They live 12 to 20 years and have a single offspring in each litter.

Answer: Reed lemur

The reed lemur is so-named for its habit of eating papyrus reed, shoots of tambo grass (phragmites communis), and two other species of grasses. Though it also sometimes called the 'bamboo' lemur, it does not, like many of its family, actually eat bamboo.

They are the only primates that live in marshland; sadly, much of its habitat around Lake Alaotra, the largest lake in Madagascar, is being converted to rice paddocks and fisheries and it is listed as 'critically endangered.' It is thought that may have 'rafted from the African mainland to Madagascar. Gentle lemurs grow to 40 cm (16") long and weigh up to 1.5 kg (just over 3 pounds) and can live for upwards of twenty years.

Answer: Mongoose

Meerkats love the desert life they live, able to kill (and eat!) venomous snakes - even if they are bitten, a glycoprotein in their system binds to proteins in the snake venom and renders it inactive. Similarly, they can withstand scorpion toxins, with scientists estimating that it would need six time as much venom as would kill a rabbit to harm a meerkat.

More than that, they have 'sunglasses' in the form of distinctive dark patches around their eyes that assist with reducing sun glare. That's helpful when they are scanning the skies to ensure that no large birds, looking for tasty meerkat for dinner, are overhead. They are as winsome as they appear on the television ads; they settle arguments with eating contests; cuddle up together to sleep; and make a paste of secretions from under their tails and rub it on their surroundings to mark their territory. Well, okay, that last one is not so cute.

Answer: Specialised vocal chambers

These monkeys love nothing better than getting together for a chin wag early in the morning or at dusk, and their choral performances can be heard up to 5km (3 miles) away. The males in particular have an enlarged throat and a vocal cavity that permits sounds to reverberate. Making sure that others in the jungle know that their territory is not to be invaded by other creatures, they add grunts, woofs and barks to the cacophony.

These largest of the so-called New World monkeys live almost entirely in the trees and have an omnivorous diet. Groups consist of 1-3 males for every 8 or so females and they mate within their own group.

Answer: True

The family of langurs (formerly known as 'leaf' monkeys) have variations of fur according to sub-species, and the purple-faced langur is actually mostly grey-brown. It is a folivore, eating leaves as its staple diet. However, with its habitat shrinking, it will also eat fruit, flowers and seeds.

While populations exist in the rainforest areas of Sri Lanka, some subspecies live in urban areas and eat a modified diet including rubber plants.

Answer: Roloway Monkey

The Diana monkey is named for its 'bow of Diana' eyebrows, which the Roloway monkey doesn't have. The Roloway monkey has a row of white hair that goes straight across its eyes (not in a bow), but apart from that, they are very similar. The Roloway monkey is endemic to Africa and has a distinct caste system.

They are omnivorous primates, and really enjoy insects. While they associate freely within their own social groups, Rolaways eschew the presence of humans, though they do fraternise with other monkeys.

This means that many of the habits of other monkeys are known, Roloways remain somewhat mysterious, and because of this, their conservations status is uncertain.

Answer: Bush babies

The members of the galago family have a cry that sounds like a human baby, hence their common name. They have a broad diet that includes snakes, fruit, tree sap/gum, insects and even other small animals. They have the huge eyes common in nocturnal creatures and find a comfy spot in vegetation or a tree hollow for sleeping during the day.

They also possess some interesting quirks. They keep themselves groomed with a second 'tongue', which they use in conjunction with their teeth. And...they urinate on their front paws so that as they swing from branch to branch, their territory is marked. Don't let it pat you, if you come across one during your travels!

Answer: Seeds

The Formosan rock macaque diet consists of fruits, seeds, insects and other food they forage, sometimes from human habitats. It is the only native primate on the island of Taiwan, and lives amongst the bamboo and mixed hardwood forests. The Formosan rock monkey, as they also known, is around 55 - 60 cm (around 2 feet) long and lives in large social groups of roughly 50:50 male and female.

The female gives birth to one young at a time. They stockpile food in their inbuilt cheek pouches, and share food amongst their troop, depending on their place in the hierarchy.

Answer: Cambodia

While the douc prefers to live in an evergreen forest due to its leafy diet, it will also opportunistically consume fruit and berries, some seeds and flowers. It has a lovely orange-brown face, with hair brushed back from its forehead, noble whiskers, and features a striking orange collar.

It lives in groups and enjoys communicating through grooming, but will also slap or grab each other in aggressive behaviour. They also have a series of facial grimaces that are used in communication. They are on the endangered list as they are sought after for use in traditional medicine and as pets.

Answer: Perrier's sifaka

The Perrier's sifaka is diurnal, and prefers a habitat close to riverbanks. It has silky, black fur and powerful legs which allow them to spring from tree to tree. They choose to spend most of their time in the treetops but will scamper across the ground to get to another copse. They have a largely folivorous diet, and the inclusion of fruit means they are important in spreading seeds in their habitat.

I wasn't able to ascertain exactly how the Perrier's sifaka got its name, but I don't really think it's from the French mineral water!