Fun Trivia » Animals » Wild Mammals » Rodents

The common red squirrel is alternately known as the Eurasian red squirrel, which would give away the answer to this question. It lives in most of Europe and Russia, as well as in Honshu (the northern main island of Japan), the northern parts of China and Mongolia, a small part of the Caucasus mountains, and some parts of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. There is also an American red squirrel, but that is a different species (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, living all over Canada and most of the northern states of the USA).

North and Central America are home to four species of the grey squirrel. South America is home to the neotropical pygmy squirrel (Sciurillus pusillus) and others. Africa has given its name to the African ground squirrels (genus Xerus). There are no squirrels native to Oceania nor to Antarctica.
Difficulty: Average.

 

North- and Central America, South America and Africa, Oceania and Antarctica

Close to half of all species of mammals are rodents. Rodents are native to all continents except Antarctica, and are found in every area where humans live. They live in pretty much every habitat; trees, ground nests, underground burrows, and semi aquatic environs. Commonly known rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, beavers, gophers, groundhogs, porcupines, hamsters and guinea pigs.
Difficulty: Average.

 

fifteen percent, five percent, ninety percent

It has been found that when a rat is introduced to a new group it will eat food that it has found unpalatable before purely because the rats in the new group eat it. This is an example of peer pressure - you're doing it, so I'll join in. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Swinging emotions, Acne, Rebelliousness

Chipmunks take preparing for winter seriously. They gather a supply of seeds, grains or nuts, and stash it near where they plan to spend the winter so it's easily accessible. What they don't eat can sprout the next spring, and if it grows, the chipmunk has also done its part for seed dispersal for the plant. Difficulty: Easy.

 

wasteful, careless, spendthrift, stingy, miserly, boring, musical, always singing, tuneful

Some of the yellow-bellied marmot's predators are wolves and eagles. When one marmot spies a predator it instinctively whistles to warn other marmots. They then dig a hole in the ground and hide, or hide behind rocks or other places. Difficulty: Average.

 

Because it whistles when it mates., Because it whistles when it dies., No one really knows as it never whistles.

According to most sources, there are 25 species of chipmunks; all but one, the Siberian chipmunk, are native to North America. The eastern chipmunk has a wide range, covering most of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. If you live in the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, or western Canada, the chipmunk you are most likely to encounter is the least chipmunk. My chipmunk is an eastern chipmunk. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Palmer's chipmunk, Red-tailed chipmunk, Long-eared chipmunk

Naked mole rats live in burrows under the dry areas of grasslands in east Africa, mostly in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. The colonies can have between twenty to three hundred members, but the average size is around seventy-five. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Asia, Europe, South America

Muskrats tend to inhabit wetlands, including both salt and fresh-water areas, such as rivers, lakes, or ponds. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Rainforests, Deserts, Polar regions

Rats are in the order Rodentia. The order runs the gamut in terms of the sizes from the smallest, the pygmy jerboa, to the largest, the capybara.

Lagamorpha is the order of rabbits and hares. Carnivora is the large order of animals that eat mainly meat. This orders includes animals such as dogs, cats, and raccoons among others. Passeriformes is the order of most small songbirds such as chickadees, kinglets, and bushtits. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Lagomorpha, Carnivora, Passeriformes

Luckily the naked mole rat lives in an environment with constant warmth and humidity (28-32ºC), so their body temperature doesn't vary greatly.

During sleep or rest the entire colony snuggles together in underground nest chambers to help slow heat loss. When temperatures get cooler, naked mole rats soak up heat in tunnels closer to the ground's surface. The warmed individuals will then travel back to the nest to huddle with their colony mates, transferring heat in the process. The large surface area of their loose and wrinkled skin helps them to dissipate heat when they get too hot. Difficulty: Easy.

 

They don't need to; they have anti-freeze in their blood, They frequent underground hot springs, Handy zoologists knit them sweaters

Lemmings live primarily in the tundra in the Northern Hemisphere. Their long fur allows them to be able to withstand harsh, cold weather. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The Antarctic, Deserts, Jungles

Capybaras are actually semi-aquatic. Their diet consists of grasses, aquatic plants, grains, and fruit. They are found mostly in South America. Difficulty: Easy.

 

In a dry desert area, In an alpine tundra high on a mountain, On a coastal beach without much vegetation

Traditionally, biologists thought that there were two species: Castor canadensis, the North American beaver, and Castor fiber, the Eurasian beaver. However, since North American beavers introduced to Eurasian populations readily breed with the Eurasian beavers, many biologists consider them to be the same species, Castor fiber. Difficulty: Hard.

 

1, 2, 3

The beaver weighs between 24 to 71lbs. (Wild! America) Difficulty: Hard.

 

80 - 120lbs, 10 - 15lbs, 115 - 150lbs

The red squirrel is an arboreal animal. It lives mostly in trees, where it also will build its nest, and descends to the ground for foraging or to move over larger distances. They can jump from one tree to an adjacent one, and they are also able to swim. The red squirrel usually prefers conifers such as pines and spruces, but has also been spotted in deciduous trees.
A common red squirrel has a tail almost as long as its body: typically about 19-23 cm body length and 15-19 cm tail length, for a total weight of 250 - 340 g. Males and females typically are about the same size.

Ground squirrels tend to be larger and have shorter tails. The family of the ground squirrels also includes the marmots and the groundhogs.
Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Terrestrial (at ground level), Aquatic (in the water), Subterranean (digging underground)

Sexual dimorphism is the inclusive term for physiological and behavioral differences between males and females of a given species. Perhaps you got the correct answer even without knowing the size difference, as the beaver is the only rodent among the answers. Beavers are the second largest rodent species. Males and females are similar, with females tending to be slightly heavier. Most people, through their own experience and observation, can see that human males and male dogs tend to be larger than their female counterparts on average, notwithstanding the case of American woman Sarah Elaine Allen (1955-2008), who was listed in the Guinness record book at 7'7" tall. In other large primates, such as gorillas, orangutans, and baboons, size disparity is greatest, with males normally being up to twice as large. Difficulty: Hard.

 

the dog, the human being, the gorilla

It is well known that a camel can survive up to fifteen days without water. The kangaroo rat (Dipodomys species) can go their whole lives (3-5 years) without water. They get enough liquid from the food that they consume. An interesting fact that is not well known is that giraffes can go without water for around 20 days, but one should take into account their typical habitat would not include deserts. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Giraffe, Desert Elephant, Moose

The best guess of etymologists is that the chipping sound made by chipmunks predisposes people to use that in their name, adding other syllables as they want. A few names don't use it, such as my favorite, "timber tiger," but "chipminck" and "chitmunk" are just some of the many variations. Difficulty: Average.

 

it's in all the native language names, spelled just like that, Mr. Chip discovered the chipmunk in 1832, Webster's Dictionary standardized the name in 1828

The yellow-bellied marmot primarily lives in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but they can be found in grasslands on rare occasions. Most of their habitat is in the western United States, with Yosemite National Park a popular location for them. They can be found less commonly in parts of southwestern Canada. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Ireland and United Kingdom, Russia and China, Brazil and Argentina

How many rats have you seen with long bushy tails?
Ever wonder why you see rodents constantly chewing on things? Its because of those incisors. If they are not trimmed regularly by gnawing, they can grow so long that the animal can no longer eat. In domestic situations, the rodent would need to be taken to a veterinarian who will file down the teeth. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Long bushy tails, Short pointed ears, Five toes on each foot

Naked mole rats have high oxygen affinity hemoglobin that extracts as much oxygen as possible from the atmosphere. In addition, they have a high acid buffering capacity in their blood to neutralize the formation of carbonic acid from carbon dioxide.

The naked mole rat has a metabolic rate less than half that of a typical rodent. Their low metabolism lessens their need for oxygen and is also thought to prevent them from overheating while digging burrows. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

They carry miniature scuba tanks on their backs, They've developed gills and extra capillaries in their skin, They aerate their tunnels with straws to the ground's surface

Most rodents are placed into subfamilies based on the shape of their teeth. Voles, muskrats and lemmings have molars that are different than any other types of rodents. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Otters and beavers, Chipmunks and woodchucks, Ferrets and minks

Capybaras usually live in groups of 10-30 capybaras. The dominant male will keep his position by chasing the subordinate males (rarely will the males fight). Difficulty: Hard.

 

A dominant female, A dominant female and male, There are no leaders

The mountain beaver is found from Point Reyes along the California coast and inland to the Sierra Nevadas, then northward to British Columbia. Most of the California subspecies are rare or endangered; mountain beavers are most common in Washington and Oregon. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The Himalayas, The Rocky Mountains, The Swiss Alps

Hystricidae is made up of the Eurasian porcupines, but Coendou is a genus, not family. Sphiggurus villosus are classified as thin-spined porcupines. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Hystricidae, Coendou, Sphiggurus villosus

A drey is a platform of twigs in the high branches of a tree, usually higher than 5 metres. The twigs are used to construct a little hollow which is filled with soft bedding materials. The drey (or den as it is sometimes called), can also be a hidey hole in the trunk of a hollow tree. Again the hole is lined with soft mosses and leaves to create a warm safe place for the squirrel to retreat to. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Lair, Warren, Holt

The oily substance is called castoreum. It comes from two large glands that are aptly called castoreum glands. Beavers use this pungent yellow secretion to mark their territory. Difficulty: Hard.

 

It's a Latin word meaning "large rodent"., It's a Latin word meaning "teeth"., The biologist that named the beaver liked the constellation Gemini.

There are five species in the genus Cynomys: Black-tailed, White-tailed, Gunnison's, Mexican, and Utah Prairie Dogs. Difficulty: Hard.

 

three, four, six

A beaver builds a lodge, which has underwater entrances that lead to the main living chamber. (Wildlife Fact File) Difficulty: Hard.

 

Dam, Food Store, Nursery

The red squirrel's tale has many uses, but it is not prehensile - so it cannot be used to grab things. It does help to steer a jump or in keeping the balance when running, especially on narrow branches. And in harsh weather a resting squirrel may drape its tail around its head in the way of a scarf, to help keeping warm.

According to my research, there is not any species of squirrel equipped with a prehensile tail. The only rodents with prehensile tails are the harvest mouse and (to a lesser degree) rats and arboreal porcupines.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

Balancing when running over narrow branches , Steering the jump from one tree to another, Keeping warm

The chipmunk's range in North America means it encounters everything from deserts to mountains. There are some biologists who say the western chipmunk should have its own genus, Neotamias, with 23 species, but others say that two genuses are enough: the Tamias in North America and Eutamias in Asia, with minimal species. DNA testing may bring the arguments to a close, but there's still work to be done in 2016. Difficulty: Hard.

 

worldwide except for Antarctica, in North and South America, in Australia and North America

Yellow-bellied marmots spend over half of the year hibernating. Because of their hibernation habits, the marmots are constantly eating during April through August. Despite this, they have a low calorie diet which makes their incredibly long hibernation a mystery to scientists. Difficulty: Hard.

 

They spend their winters in Mexico., Wolves hunt the marmots in the winter months., Their fur changes color; they are camouflaged in the other months.

When looking at a chipmunk, one wouldn't think of that cute little fellow as a predator, but he is. Most of a chipmunk's diet consists of nuts and seeds, but a chipmunk will eat insects, worms and even small frogs! Difficulty: Hard.

 

Herbivore, Carnivore, Piscivore

Muskrats can weigh up to about 2kg (4.4 pounds). Difficulty: Hard.

 

About 2 times heavier, About the same, About 2 times lighter

The black rat may not be the most well known or often seen species, but it carried fleas that had the pathogen that caused bubonic plague. These rats scurried onto ships and then disembarked wherever the ship made port. This allowed the fleas to spread to other parts of Europe.

The more well known rat is the Norway rat. Among its many names are city rat and sewer rat. It is also the species that was used to create the domestic rat, or fancy rat. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), African grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus)

The toilet chamber is located in a dead-end burrow near the nest (the particular nest in use will change depending on where the source of food is). When the chamber becomes full a new one is created.

The toilet chamber is also used to retain the scent of the colony. Members will roll in it to achieve a recognizable odor; this will distinguish themselves from other intruding colonies. Difficulty: Hard.

 

A dining hall, Storage areas, A sick room

Most rodents gnaw their food which causes their incisors to wear away. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Molars, Premolars, Bicuspids

The word "capybara" is from the native people of South America. Capybaras have also earned the nickname "water hogs". Difficulty: Hard.

 

Master of the water, Master of the dirt, Master of the tree

Sciurus carolinensis is the grey squirrel which was introduced into the UK, sciurus niger is the fox squirrel (or Eastern fox squirrel) which can be found in Texas, and sciurus igniventris is the Northern Amazon red squirrel. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger, Sciurus igniventris

Casteroides was monstrous. It probably weighed around 800 pounds and measured 8 to 9 feet in length. Difficulty: Hard.

 

About the size of modern beavers., About the size of an adult elephant., About twice the size of modern beavers.