Path of the Mammals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rodents

Rodents are the by far largest order of mammals in the world, with around two out of every five mammals being a rodent. They include some animals that are fun to keep as pets, such as mice, rats, hamsters and gerbils; and some you definitely wouldn't want, like beavers and the giant South American capybara. All rodents have two large front teeth that keep growing for their whole lives, no wonder they're always gnawing on something!

Answer: Primates

Primates are the order of mammals that includes humans, as well as our close relatives the monkeys and the apes. They are distinguished by their 'opposable' thumbs, meaning that they can place their thumb opposite their other fingers in order to pick things up. This makes them really good at using simple tools like sticks and swinging from tree to tree in the jungle.

Answer: Elephants

The order of mammals known as the Proboscidea are named after their extremely long noses, also known as trunks. They can use them to feed themselves, wash themselves and cool themselves down. Hands are overrated! African and Indian elephants are the only surviving members of the order today but in the past it included woolly mammoths and the enormous palaeoloxodon namadicus, the largest land mammal ever.

Answer: Platypus

The playtpus is one of only five species of monotreme on the entire planet. The other four are all varieties of a spiny creature known as an echidna. All monotremes live in the southern hemisphere, with the platypus being restricted to Eastern Australia and the several species of echidna being found both on the Australian mainland and the neighbouring island of New Guinea.

Answer: Dolphins

Fish definitely aren't mammals, but not all of the animals in the sea are fish. While they might look similar to sharks, dolphins are actually mammals and have to breathe the air like we do. That's why they're always jumping out of the ocean! Some other cetacean mammals that live in the sea are whales and porpoises.

Answer: Toes on their hooves

All of these animals are collected together in an order known as 'Artiodactyla', meaning 'even-toed'. However, the Simpsons family wouldn't be allowed in because they have human-like feet and not hooves; its all very exclusive. Other animals with an even number of toes on their hooves include hippos, camels and giraffes.

Answer: Rabbits

Despite being named exclusively for hares, the lagomorphs contain a range of animals including rabbits, hares and pikas. Pikas are small mammals that live in North America and Central Asia. They like to make their homes between rocks so if you want to spot one you'll need to keep your eyes open!

Answer: Marsupials

All of the marsupials living in the world make their home in either Australasia (the continent containing Australia) or somewhere in the Americas. Cuddly koalas and bouncy kangaroos are perhaps the most famous marsupials, but over 300 species exist in total. The only marsupial found in North America is the opossum.

Answer: Sea cows

The official name for the sea cows is 'Sirenia' because fisherman thought they were the sirens that appear in Greek mythology. Sea cows are some of the most laid back creatures in the world, gracefully swimming with their large front flippers and spending most of their day eating. What a life! They can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes but usually like to come up for air every 3-4 minutes.

Answer: Bats

Many people use the phrase 'blind as a bat' to describe a human that can't see very well, but in reality most bats can see almost as well as humans. However, bats also have a special system called echolocation in which they use sound waves to create an image of objects around them to make sure they don't crash when in flight. Very useful in the dark!