Wild At Night Trivia Quiz

Answer: Margay

The margay is a South American cat which is mostly adapted to arboreal life. It can even hang from a tree with one hind leg. Its diet mainly consists of small mammals and birds. It is often confused with the ocelot.

Answer: Macrotis

The macrotis or bilby is a desert dwelling marsupial in Central Australia. It is a long eared marsupial about the size of a rabbit and is strictly herbivorous. Until recent times there were two species, the greater bilby which is still extant and the lesser bilby which went extinct during the 20th century for reasons that are not clear, although imported carnivores like cats and foxes are strongly suspected to have had a major role in their extinction

Answer: Aye-aye

The aye-aye is the largest nocturnal primate in the world. Like other lemurs it can only be found in Madagascar. Aye-ayes are arboreal and have pointed claws which enable them to dangle from branches. As the natives considered the aye-aye an omen of bad luck they were almost driven to extinction. Today they are protected by law and their numbers are slowly increasing.

Answer: Galago

The galago or bushbaby is a small nocturnal primate found in most of sub-Saharan Africa. Like most primates it is omnivorous and lives mainly up in the trees.

Answer: Ratel

The ratel is also known as the honey badger, after its favorite food. It is part of the weasel family and thus related to otters, ferrets and skunks. They are native to Africa and Asia. Like most members of the weasel family they are very versatile and can both swim well and climb trees. Although mainly carnivorous they are known to also eat some vegetation and fruits.

Answer: Oncilla

The oncilla or tiger cat is distributed throughout tropical South and Central America. It is one of the smallest wild cats found in the Americas and in size is usually smaller than a regular domestic cat. Its coat is a light brown to ochre, with dark brown or black spots. With their large golden eyes and rounded ears they are some of the prettiest wild cats to be found. Like all cats they are strictly carnivorous.

Answer: Caracal

The caracal is sometimes called the African lynx or desert lynx as a result of its tufted ears. Is name comes from the Turkish word "karakulak" which means "black ear". It was once trained in Iran and India for bird hunting. The caracal is capable of leaping into the air and knocking down over ten birds at one time.

It is endemic to Northern Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and southwestern Asia.

Answer: Kinkajou

The kinkajou is often mistaken for a primate but is actually related to raccoons and binturongs. They are arboreal animals that are very nimble climbers. Although classified as carnivores, most of their diet is fruit and nectar. Travelling from flower to flower, kinkajous are important pollinators.

Answer: Octodon

The octodon is endemic to the lower slopes of the Andes in southern Chile. Although often mistaken for a gerbil, it is much larger, measuring between 30 and 40 cm. Octodons are generally herbivores that store some of their food for future use.

Answer: Tapeti

The tapeti, also known as the forest rabbit, is a medium size rabbit which is endemic to Central and South America. They mainly live in forested areas and plantations. Like other rabbits it is strictly herbivorous. Unlike European rabbits they do not live in warrens but live solitary or in pairs.