Touring Taronga Zoo Trivia Quiz

Answer: They make their own poison

There are two species of corroboree frog, the northern (Pseudophryne corroboree) and the southern (Pseudophryne pengilleyi). Unlike every other known species of poisonous frog, they make their own poison (an alkaloid that has been tentatively named pseudo-phrynamine) instead of ingesting it from their food.

The terms northern and southern are relative - both species are found only in small areas near Canberra and in nearby New South Wales. While they are small compared to other animals, they are not particularly small for frogs; neither are they exceptionally long-lived, with a life cycle that includes (roughly) one year as an embryo/ tadpole, two years as a juvenile, and one or two years as an adult.

The embryo does not develop until the nest in which it is forming floods during the next rainy season.

This means that the length of time before hatching varies from year to year.

Answer: Okapi

Sentiment forces me to stop and visit the giraffes - on our family's first visit to Taronga Zoo, my (then) two-year-old daughter fell in love with them, and a week later spotted a plush giraffe in the discount bin of a toy store; named Cam (he seemed to be a Giraffa camelopardalis), he became a much loved, and much-patched, family member.

As of the time when this quiz was written, the official IUCN classification of giraffes has them all members of a single species, with nine recognised subspecies. There is much debate, based on genetic evidence, that they should be considered to be considered as belonging to anywhere between one and eight different species.

The closest relative of the giraffe, the okapi, is found in the wild in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its striped legs make it look as if it might be related to a zebra, but its physiology led to its classification as a Giraffidae from the time of its first discovery by Europeans in 1901.

Answer: They are carnivores, eating live prey and carrion

Those sharp pointy teeth, and the aggressive attitude, should have suggested that these ferocious little (dog-sized) beasts are indeed carnivores. In fact, with the thylacine having been declared extinct, they are the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world.

Their aggressive nature has proved to be a problem, and they were declared endangered in 2008 due to the spreading of the transmissible cancer called devil facial tumour disease between animals who bite each other during fights. Programs were set up to breed healthy devils in captivity, with selection for those that appeared to be more resistant to the disease, followed by release into isolated locations. Breeding groups are also being sent to zoos around the world, in the hope of maintaining a viable population.

Answer: Africa

Meerkats are found in southwestern Africa, specifically in the Kalahari and Namib deserts which are located in Botswana, Namibia, Angola and South Africa. The name meerkat comes from Afrikaans, and is possibly used with the literal meaning of lake cat - they are not cats, but definitely can have a feline appearance. It is also possible that the name comes from 'mier kat', 'mier' being the colloquial Afrikaans term for a termite, a common food for these primarily insectivorous animals. Meerkats forage for food (which also includes lizards, small snakes, spiders, eggs, and small mammals) in groups, with one meerkat standing guard on sentry duty, a responsibility that is rotated at regular intervals.

This is another sentimental stop for my tour - I fell in love with the Russian-accented meerkats featured in a series of advertisements for an insurance broker on Australian television, and live ones are endearingly similar in haughty appearance.

Answer: Tamarins

Tamarins come in a large range of sizes (13 to 30 cm body length, with a tail between 25 and 45 cm) and colorations (mostly combinations of brown, black and white), depending on the species. One feature shared by many is facial hair that resembles a moustache. Tamarins originate in rainforests of Central and South America, where they live in family groups of five to ten members. Tamarins are arboreal (live in trees) and omnivorous, with their favourite foods including fruit, insects, eggs and small vertebrates.

Answer: Tropical forest

One of the major reasons for the vulnerability of this species is the extensive deforestation that has occurred since the middle of the 20th century. The sun bear gets its name from the crescent patch of fur, whose color varies from cream to orange. The sun bear is also known as a honey bear, because it adores honey; the same name is used for a member of the raccoon family formally known as the kinkajou (which also likes honey).

They are omnivores, and also eat fruits (especially figs), insects and other invertebrates, nuts (cracking the shells with their strong teeth), and on occasion small vertebrates.

Answer: Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)

Both the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus, shown in the picture) and the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) are New World vultures, along with the turkey vulture, black vulture, king vulture, and the greater and lesser yellow-headed vultures. Aside from the two yellow-headed vultures, each of them is in a genus of its own, and is the only species in that genus.

The condors got their name from their Quecha name, 'kuntur'. Like Old World vultures, condors mostly eat carrion. In fact, their digestive systems actually thrive on the bacteria found in decaying flesh, and (unlike Old World vultures) they often hunt by scent in search of "ripe" food. Like most vultures, they have virtually no plumage on their head and neck.

Answer: Bongo

The name bongo probably comes from their name in the Kele language of Gabon, one of the areas in which they are found. It has been used as their English name since 1861. The name of their genus is derived from two Greek words: 'tragos' (male goat) and 'elaphos' (deer).

The species name comes from the words 'eurus' (wide or broad) and 'keras' (animal horn) - a reference to the fact that both males and females have long and heavy horns, with a slight but distinct spiral. There are currently held to be two subspecies, lowland or western bongos and eastern bongos (which are found only in the mountains of Kenya).

Answer: Giant panda

The incorrect options are all families that belong to the Musteloidea superfamily. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), however, is a member of the bear family. Both pandas are found in China, with the giant panda mostly in the south central part of the country, and the red panda in the Himalayas and nearby southwestern parts of the country. Classification of the red panda has been difficult: it started off with raccoons, before being moved to be with bears, then with the giant panda, and finally into its own family. This last change is based on DNA evidence, which shows that the physiological resemblances to each of the other groups is caused by convergent evolution, not common ancestry. In other words, the different animals developed similar characteristics as they adapted to similar environmental features.

Since the red panda was actually known in Europe before the giant panda, it was originally just called the panda, then the true panda. Other names that have been applied include fire fox, fire cat, fox bear, bright panda and Himalayan raccoon. All of these are clear references to its appearance, with a glowing red-orange fur, a body resembling a cat or small fox in size, and facial marking similar to those of a raccoon (in reverse).

Answer: Fairy penguins

Their New Zealand name is in reference to their plumage, which is a blue-grey colour. Australians pay more attention to their small size. (What's more, in Australia it would be more likely that they would be called a red penguin, due to their blue colour, just as a redheaded person is often nicknamed Blue. Don't ask.) Fairy penguin colonies are mostly established on islands, where predators have reduced access to the small birds in their land-based nests. Phillip Island, in Victoria, has a thriving tourist site based around their nests, set up so tourists can watch them return to their nests each evening.

The penguin population there is estimated to be about 75,000 - but they don't all come ashore each evening. On a good viewing evening, the sand will be covered with them; when I took overseas visitors to the show, there were a few dozen spread across the area - you had to look hard to spot one!