Mammals: Odd One Out Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gnat

A gnat can be classified as one of many species of small insects. The remaining entries are from the diverse mammal group: rats are considered 'medium' sized rodents from the superfamily Muroidea; bats are from the order Chiroptera and have over 1,200 species; while cats are from the order Carnivora.

Answer: Pygmy nuthatch

The pygmy nuthatch is a very small bird. The pygmy jeroba is one of the world's smallest rodents and has been described as having a face similar to the cartoon bird, tweety-pie (given its relatively large eyes). And yes, there is a pygmy version of the world's largest animal: the pygmy blue whale is much smaller than its relative, but still grows to about 80 feet in length.

Answer: Both of them

There are five species of egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. These consist of one species of platypus and four species of echidna. They are still considered to be mammals because they fit other criteria: this includes among other things being warm-blooded, having hair on their bodies and producing milk from mammary glands for feeding young.

Answer: Giant armadillo

The giant armadillo is found in South America, while the other options are African mammals. As the name indicates, giant armadillos are the largest living species of armadillo, with adult species weighing over 30kg (70 pounds).

Answer: True

Many of the world's largest animals ever to grace the earth have been mammals. This includes the blue whale, which is estimated to be bigger than any dinosaur ever to have lived. The typical blue whale grows over 30 metres (98 feet) and weighs over 150 tons.

Answer: Koala bear

The koala, sometimes referred to incorrectly as the koala bear, is in fact a marsupial. The remaining options are all true bears, being from the family Ursidae, which is a small but widespread family, with members found in Asia, North and South America, and Europe.

Answer: Northern hairy nosed wombat

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in 2012 all these mammals were extinct, except for the Northern hairy nosed wombat, which is listed as endangered.

Answer: Donkey

The donkey is a single species, while the other options are known as hybrid mammals (cross-breeding of two species). The mule is produced by breeding a male donkey and a female horse; the hinny is a female donkey and male horse; while the dzo is a yak/cattle cross-breed.

Answer: True

These animals are part of the more than 280 species of mammals that make up the order Carnivora. Despite its similarity to the word 'carnivore' (meaning meat eater), not all Carnivora animals are indeed carnivores, with many being omnivores (such as bears and raccoons). Cats and domestic dogs make up a large number of this group: it is estimated that there were over a billion of these animals on the earth at the turn of the 21st century.

Answer: Amazonian manatee

Dolphins, porpoises and whales all fall within the order Cetacea, while manatees (along with dugongs) are in the Sirenia order. As the name suggests, the Amazonian manatee is found in the Amazon Basin in South America. It is almost entirely hairless, apart from whiskers around its mouth and some fine hairs on the rest of its body.