The Masai Mara Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wildebeest

Estimated figures say that over two million animals migrate, 1.7 million of those being wildebeest, with 400,000 Thomson's gazelle, 300,000 zebra and 12,000 eland, making it the largest animal migration in the world. The time of the migration changes each year all depending on the start of the annual rains in the Serengeti, but females usually start giving birth to their young by January or February.

By April, the young are mobile, the region has become arid and the herds make their momentous move across plains and crocodile infested rivers until they reach the verdant Masai Mara. They stay there until October, then proceed back south to the Serengeti where their food and water has replenished. The circular journey is undertaken in a clockwise movement and is approximately 1,800 miles long. The cycle then starts again the following year.

Answer: Cape buffalo

The "Big Five" was the name given to the top five dangerous game animals for hunting, also known as trophy hunting by the 'great white hunters' of the 19th and 20th centuries. Due to the conservation status of some animals, the phrase has since changed to the top five mammals people like to see on safari where most of the shooting these days is done by camera.

The cape buffalo is a heavyweight in the bovidae family, the males reaching up to 2,000lb in weight. Their black or brown coated frames are long and stocky, but it is their massive horns, fused at the centre and then curving downwards then upwards in a curve, which makes them appear so dangerous. It is these horns which they use against any predator. Although their conservation status is of least concern, they are still hunted as trophies.

Answer: Bat-eared fox

The bat-eared fox resides in parts of South Africa and also the west of Africa including Kenya, the area where the Masai Mara National Reserve is located. The Masai Mara is also called Maasai Mara or The Mara. The name Mara means "mottled," possibly because of the sun causing patchy shade through the groves of acacia, a popular place where the bat-eared fox seeks shelter during the heat of the day. The Mara, as it is commonly known, is where you can see large quantities of wildebeest and zebra, as well as leopards, lions and cheetahs.

The bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) was so named because of its huge ears which they use to regulate their body temperature. They have slightly elongated snouts and a distinctive raccoon-like facial marking around their eyes. They are insectivorous and 80% of their diet is made up from eating termites.

Fennec fox and jerboa live in north Africa, and the cape fox lives in South Africa.

Answer: False

This is just one of the questions which African safari tour guides get asked. Other questions include "Where can I see a tiger?", and "Can I stroke that lion"?, and even "Is this where Tarzan lives?". There are a lot of misconceptions about the wilds of Africa, and it is only when you see the harsh reality first hand that you appreciate how dangerous the environment is.

Thousands of zebra live in Masai Mara, never too far from watering holes and rivers. Each animal has distinctive and unique black and white stripes - no two zebras are the same. They do not hunt in packs as some people are led to believe. They don't hunt at all as they are herbivorous docile creatures, happily spending most of the day chomping on grass and foraging for leaves and bark. They live in herds, as predators are put off by large quantities of these striped mammals in a concentrated area as they can't be singled out. Those found wandering on the periphery of their herd are more at risk from the big cats.

Answer: Aardvark

The aardvark is an unusual looking creature, resembling a large rat, but with long rabbit ears and long elongated noses. Their name in Afikaans means "earth pig"; "aard" for earth', and "vark" for pig. These nocturnal creatures come out from their burrows at night to forage for their favourite food, termites, termites and more termites. They are voracious termite eaters, their sharp claws digging deep into the ground with their long tongue catching up to 50,000 termites during one night of feeding.

Other nocturnal mammals in Masai Mara include the bushbaby, a primate with bulging eyes, and the African civet, a small carnivorous animal with a cat-like appearance. Also out at night are pangolin, porcupine, caracal and duiker, all foraging for food as the temperature drops.

Answer: African wild dog

If you pick up several paintbrushes and splodge various hues of black, white, brown, red and yellow on a medium sized animal, you just may be able to identify an African wild dog. They are a very social animal, living in large packs amongst other males, females and their offspring. Females can have anything up to 20 in one litter, and these small pups are taken care of by the whole pack. As well as their identifiable mottled coat, they can be distinguished by the number of toes they have. Dogs usually have five toes, but the African wild dog only has four.

They hunt in large packs and their joint strength can take down prey such as antelope and even wildebeest. Unfortunately their numbers are dwindling due to disease, predation and habitat loss. The recorded number of wild dog sightings in Masai Mara are few and far between.

Answer: Masai giraffe

Not only is the Masai giraffe the tallest sub-specie of giraffe but also the most populous, with numbers estimated at around 33,000 living in the wild. They can reach up to 19 feet, their tall necks helping them to feed off the tallest acacia tree. A unique feature is the special valves inside their necks for when when they bend down to drink water. Their circulatory system will still work by regulating the blood flow to the brain using these valves.

The Masai giraffe can be identified by their skin-covered horns called ossicones and splotched markings resembling oak leaves. Another interesting fact is their tail. It is the longest tail of any land mammal, sometimes growing up to eight feet in length, with a short tassel of darker fur at the end they use to swat away flies and other pests.

Answer: Lilac-breasted roller

These small non-migratory birds have a head full of soft grey-green feathers which is in contrast with the rest of their bodies. Bold lilac, pale blue and electric blue, black and tan complete their colourings. A quirky characteristic of roller birds is that they prey on animals escaping a bush fire, or when farmers burn their scrub. They are able to eat their food "on the wing", meaning they can fly and eat at the same time. Their main diet composes of grasshoppers, beetles and small amphibians.

Their name "roller" comes from their courtship flight. They will dive from an elevated height, twisting and rolling in an aerobatic display, while letting out a loud screeching call to attract their mate. They will perform a similar movement to stop predators attacking their nests.

Answer: Eland

There are many species of antelope both large and small which are native to the Masai Mara, These include Kirk's Dik-dik, the populous Thomson's Gazelle, impala, waterbuck, topi, hartebeest and wildebeest. They can be identified by their size, shape, colouring and horns, some of which can be upright and wavy.

The giant eland and common eland both live in Masai Mara, living on the plains and savannah region where they graze on grasses, leaves and flowers. They have spiral horns, a large hanging dewlap from their neck, and most have black, dark tan or chestnut coats, sometimes with white stripes down their back. Eland are slow creatures compared to other antelopes but they make up for it in the heights they can reach. They can jump, sometimes as high as eight feet from a standstill, usually when they are trying to escape from predators.

Answer: Reduces glare while the cat is hunting

The cheetah can reach speeds of between 60-70 mph in short spurts when they are out hunting, usually only around 60 seconds at a time. Because their night vision is relatively poor, the cheetah is the only one of the big cats who tend to hunt for food during the day. It is believed the black stripes run down their faces to reduce glare when they are hunting under harsh sunlight. This is a natural method of reducing glare, and footballers use a similar method by painting black grease under their eyes.

When hunting, the cheetah will spot and single out their prey by crouching low in scrub land to hide their approach. With stealth and cunning, they shoot out of their covering, making sure they are approaching from a downwind position so as not to alert their prey, before launching a surprise attack. Their prey may run for their lives but will soon tire out as they cannot outrun a cheetah, although some zebra, wildebeest and gazelle may be lucky to live another day.