Which Animal is That? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bobcat

Approximately twice the size of a domestic cat, the bobcat has distinctive black bars on its front legs, and a black-tipped, stubby tail (from which its name comes). Part of the Lynx genus, the bobcat is smaller than the Canadian lynx.
Of the alternatives, the ocelot (or dwarf leopard) is native to South America, the caracal (or desert lynx) is found in Africa and central Asia, but the the cougar (or mountain lion) is a North American species.
This photograph was taken at Sunol Park near Livermore, California.

Answer: Sloth Bear

The sloth bear (or Stickney bear or labiated bear) has a long coat, long claws and lower lip that has adapted for sucking insects. He also has a shaggy mane that surrounds his face. Despite the name, he is no relation to the many species of sloth from South America, which is part of the anteater family.

Of the alternatives, the spectacled bear is the largest carnivore and the only member of the ursine family found in South America. The sun bear (or honey bear) is native to southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, whilst the Asian black bear (also known as the white-chested bear or the moon bear) is found mostly in the Himalayas as well as in the forests of northern India, Japan, northeastern China and the far east of Russia.

The sloth bear pictured here is resident at the National Zoo in Washington DC.
Other members of the ursine family include the brown bear (which includes the grizzly bear), the American black bear, the polar bear and the giant panda.

Answer: Nyala

The nyala (or inyala) are shy animals that are rarely seen other than around waterholes as they prefer dense, dry savannah woodland to open plains. The main predators are lions, leopards and hunting dogs although both baboons and raptors have been known to attack juveniles. Young nyala are a light rusty brown color and females remain that way. Males turn a darker brown or even slate grey as they age. Only the males have horns, which can grow as long as 33 inches.
The nyala in the photograph are fighting during the rut in Malawi.

Of the alternatives, the kéwel is a smaller red or yellow-brown antelope that lives in the rainforests of western and central Africa, ranging from Senegal to Ethiopia. The bongo is one of the larger antelope species: native to the forests of Africa: it has a distinct red coat with white-yellow stripes and slightly spiraled horns. Even larger still is the common eland (or southern eland), which lives on the plains and savannahs of East and South Africa.

Answer: Marmot

The pictured animal is a yellow-bellied marmot (or rock chuck). It typically lives in the meadows and forests at elevations above 6,500 feet, eating grass, flowers and fruit as well as grasshoppers and bird eggs. Its main predators are foxes, wolves, coyotes and eagles.
This photograph was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana.

Of the alternatives, the ground hog (aka woodchuck, whistle-pig, or land-beaver) lives primarily in the northeastern US although it can be found as far afield as Alaska and Georgia. The prairie dog lives in the North American grasslands from Canada to Mexico. Chipmunks are found throughout North America.

Answer: Dingo

The dingo (or Australian native dog) can be found in southeast Asia and throughout Australia, and it is the largest terrestrial predator found in Oceania. Usually sandy or reddish-brown, they can also be tan, white or even black, although the black variation is now almost exclusively limited to Asia.
This photograph was taken at the Australia Zoo in Queensland.

Answer: Marmoset

The Goeldi's marmoset (or Goeldi's monkey) is a native of the Amazon Basin in northwestern South America. First written about only in the early 20th century, the Goeldi is one of the most recently-discovered new primates. Although they eat a variety of foods including fruit, insects, spiders, lizards, frogs and snakes during the wet season, they rely almost entirely on fungi during the dry months, something no other tropical primate does.
This photograph of a Goeldi's marmoset was taken at The Living Rain Forest in Berkshire, England.

Answer: Lemur

The word lemur means 'ghost' or 'spirit', and there are five distinct families and nearly 100 different species, all of them native the the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean off southeastern Africa. The one pictured here is the best-known species, the ring-tailed lemur. Living in groups of up to thirty with a dominant female, the ring-tailed lemur is one of the most vocal of all primates.

Of the alternatives, galagos (or bushbabies) are small nocturnal primates native to continental Africa. They are also sometimes known as napgapies, which translates to 'little night monkeys'. The potto (also sometimes known as a 'softly-softly') inhabits the rain forests in tropical Africa from Guinea to Kenya. The two known species of loris are native to the rainforests of Sri Lanka and southern India.

Answer: Duiker

The common duiker (also called the grey or bush duiker) is a small-horned antelope that is found throughout Africa south of the Sahara except in the rainforests. Its habitat of choice is on the savannahs and in hilly areas with sufficient vegetation for hiding. The duiker is one of the few animals that seldom drinks, instead getting most of its required liquids from the fruit that it eats.

Of the alternatives, the oryx is a large antelope that is native to very dry regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsular. The addax (aka white antelope or screwhorn antelope) lives in the Saharan Desert and is easily recognizable by its long, twisted horns that can grow as long as thirty inches. The rhebok is a medium-sized antelope that lives in the grassy, mountainous regions of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Answer: Markhor

The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan. Native to the monsoon forests in the high mountains, this species of wild goat is on the endangered list with 2,500 still remaining in the wild. Both the males and female have curled, corkscrew-like horns. The horns of a male, though, are much longer, growing up to a spectacular 64 inches.
This photograph of a markhor was taken at Syracuse Zoo in New York state.

The habitat of the half-dozen different species of ibex range from the mountains of the Alps and the Pyrenees in Europe, to Ethiopia, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula, and to as far north as Siberia. The takin (also known as the cattle chamois or the gnu goat), the national animal of Bhutan, is native to the eastern Himalayas. The bharal (also called the Himalayan blue sheep or the naur), a major source of food for the snow leopard, is found in the high mountains of Nepal, Tibet, India and Pakistan.

Answer: Polecat

The European polecat (also called the black or forest polecat) is generally less agile than its fellow Mustelids. It also has a shorter, stronger body with a more compact skull. Feeding on small rodents, birds, amphibians and reptiles, it is known to bite into the brain of prey in order to cripples it before storing it, still alive, for future consumption.
These European polecats were photographed at a zoo in southern Sweden.

Of the alternatives, the stoat (or short-tailed weasel) has a distinctive long tail with a black tip. When wearing its pure white winter coat the stoat is known as an ermine. The grison is native to Central and South America. It is distinguishable from its cousins by its short legs, long neck and short, bushy tail. There are two main sub-species of mink, American and Russian. Although they are not closely related, both are semi-aquatic and have similar builds and behavior.