Game of Zoos: Cryptically Hidden Animals Quiz

Answer: Hippopotamus

The word "initially" is a clue indicating that the answer can be found by using the first letters of the words that follow, thus:

H(arry) I(s) P(ositively) P(ointing) O(ut) P(erry's) O(ther) T(wo) A(lternative) M(ethods) U(nder) S(upervision) = Hippopotamus

Hippos are among my favourite animals to watch at the zoo, although it is true that they can be quite dangerous should one disturb them in their natural habitat hanging out in the rivers of sub-Saharan Africa with not much more than their eyes and ears showing. Watching a mother hippo teaching baby to swim is fascinating!

Answer: Elephant

"Overturn" indicates an anagram, in this case of "the plane" which gives us "elephant".

Elephants in the wild can be found in both Africa and Asia. In captivity they have performed in circuses as well as delighting zoo visitors in many parts of the world, though some zoos have sent their elephants to sanctuaries at the request of animal activists.

Answer: Panda

"Look" points to a hidden word, thus:

... uP AND Arrive...

Giant pandas, those big cuddly black and white creatures that turn up on the internet sliding down slides or playing in the snow, are native to China. They are unrelated to the red panda, also from Asia, who looks rather more like a fox than anything else. Both can sometimes be found in zoos.

Answer: Lion

"In the end" tells us to use the final letters of the words that follow:

wil(L) el(I) g(O) agai(N)

Did you know that not all male lions have the big flowing manes normally associated with the King of the Jungle? I first learned this from a zookeeper at the Toronto Zoo, and find in my reading that the most likely reason for mane growth, or lack thereof, is differences in temperature. Another possibility is that the ability to grow a mane is genetic.

Answer: Ostriches

"Upset" is the indication of an anagram, and "birds" is a clue to the type of animal. "Hot crises" when upset can become "ostriches".

Ostriches are long-necked, flightless birds with a (probably undeserved) reputation for hiding their head in the sand. They are native to Africa, able to get around very well by running and possess a potentially lethal kick.

Answer: Eland

"Every other" tells us to use alternate letters from the following word, in this case, ignoring the hyphen,

wElLeArNeD

The eland is a large antelope native to the savanna of the southern and eastern part of Africa. The giant eland is larger than the common eland, but both grow to a good size, with males standing 1.6 metres (5'2") at the shoulder. That's taller than I am!

(You might ask what a "well-earned animal" is. I'm thinking it is one of these slippery zoo creatures that we've found after hard searching!)

Answer: Bear

So, you can "bear a bare bear", but as he's only "seemingly naked" the answer is "bear".

The bears in the zoo can be white polar bears, black bears, grizzly bears and maybe others. I watched one polar bear swim a very precise circuit, over and over again at the Toronto Zoo. It was mesmerising, but I did worry that the poor chap might be suffering from OCD.

Answer: Bactrian camel

"First of all" tells us to look at the first letters of what follows.

B(ob) A(nd) C(arol) T(ook) R(ides) I(n) A N(issan) . C(an) A(nyone) M(ake) E(mma) L(ook)

Bactrian camels are native to Asia and have two humps. Although they have been domesticated since ancient times, they are still to be found (if we're lucky!) in zoos around the world. I've discovered that the easiest way to remember how many humps a camel has is this: the Bactrian camel's two humps look like a B lying on its side; the Dromedary's single hump looks like a D doing the same.

Answer: Zebra

"To find the answer" hints towards something hidden, in this case "...gaZE BRAd..."

Zebras come in several species, all looking like horses with black and white stripes. This is unsurprising as they are all of the genus Equus. There has long been discussion as to whether they are black with white stripes or vice versa, but I'll just settle for black and white. The patterns of the stripes varies, and may be useful camouflage for these herbivores.

Answer: Tapir

The word "Last!" is telling us quite forcefully to use the last letters of the preceding words.

ge(T) ann(A) u(P) el(I) holle(R)

The tapir, I hate to say, is a bit of an ugly creature - so ugly it's cute, perhaps? It looks a bit like a pig whose legs are too long, with a very long nose dominating its face. For some reason, this herbivorous animal is usually the first one I seen whenever I visit the zoo. In the wild it inhabits parts of South and Central America and also Southeast Asia.