Q 01/05

Which animal, the fastest land mammal of the New World, would still lose a sprint to a cheetah?

A) Black-tailed jackrabbit

B) Pronghorn

C) Coyote

D) White-tailed deer

Answer · why

B) Pronghorn

The pronghorn is slower than a cheetah over a sprint, but it can hold high speeds for kilometres, while a cheetah's chase averages under 40 seconds.

Q 02/05

What is a group of lions called?

A) A pack

B) A troop

C) A pride

D) A clan

Answer · why

C) A pride

A pride centres on related females, and males who take one over often kill the young cubs, likely so the mothers breed again sooner.

Q 03/05

Which Indian ruler commissioned a mechanical organ shaped like a tiger mauling a European?

A) Akbar

B) Shah Jahan

C) Tipu Sultan

D) Ranjit Singh

Answer · why

C) Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan: after he was killed as British troops stormed his capital in 1799, it was shipped to London and put on public display.

Q 04/05

Which coat feature tells a jaguar apart from a leopard?

A) Stripes on its legs

B) Spots inside its rosettes

C) Solid round spots

D) Tear marks on its face

Answer · why

B) Spots inside its rosettes

Spots inside its rosettes: a leopard's rosettes lack them, and in both cats the broken pattern helps break up the body's outline.

Q 05/05

What is a 'black panther'?

A) A separate species of big cat

B) A cougar with dark fur

C) A lion-leopard hybrid

D) A melanistic leopard or jaguar

Answer · why

D) A melanistic leopard or jaguar

A melanistic leopard or jaguar still has its rosettes: the dark coat hides them, but they show through in the right light.