"C" is for cat, and also for....? Quiz

Answer: Crocodile

There are 14 living species of crocodile in the world today, and I have to say that this is one of the few animals I wouldn't miss if they disappeared. The pictured species is the Cuban crocodile, a small but particularly aggressive species found mostly in freshwater swamps. The Cuban crocodile has an incredibly powerful tail that enables it to jump out of the water to grab prey from low-hanging branches of trees. A particular favorite on its menu is the giant sloth.

Collective names for a group of crocodiles include bask, congregation, float and nest.

Answer: Clam

There are various species of clam, many of which are used as seafood around the world. Included in the clam family are soft-shell clams (often called 'steamers'), surf clams (aka sea clams or skimmers), the ocean quahog (known as black clams) and Pacific razor clams. Of particular note is the geoduck, sometimes called a mud duck or king clam: not only are these the largest species of clam but they are also one of the world's most long-lived animals.

Answer: Chinchilla

Colonies of chinchillas, called herds, can still be found living high (above 14,000 feet) in the Andes of Peru and Chile. Widely hunted for their ultra-soft fur, though, they have lost more than 90% of their numbers in the last 15 years and are now considered critically endangered in the wild.

The chinchilla's closest relative is another Andean species, the rabbit-like viscacha.

Chinchillas love the cold weather and are apt to overheat if the temperature rises above 75 degrees F (about 24 C). Lacking the ability to sweat, they re-route blood to their large ears when they get hot, so red ears is a sign of potential heatstroke. They also need to chew constantly to prevent their teeth growing so long that they are unable to eat.

A baby chinchilla is called a kit. A female is a velvet and the male is a boar.

Answer: Cougar

Also known as a mountain lion, puma or catamount, the cougar is the second-heaviest of all cat species found in the New World (after the jaguar). It is, though, more closely related to the domestic cat than to any member of the panther family.

Reclusive by nature, cougars prey mostly on larger ungulate species, mostly deer, but will also take rodents if they are available. Through much of their habitat, though, they are not the apex species, sharing territory as they do with jaguars, grizzly bears and wolves.

The largest cougar ever shot, in 1901, weighed more than 230 pounds, although their average size is about half that.

Answer: Chipmunk

Chipmunks belong to the genus called 'Tamias', which is Greek for "housekeeper", a reference to the animal's habit of collecting and storing food through the summer months. Although omnivorous, chipmunks eat a diet of mostly seeds, nuts and fruits that can be easily stored away for future use. Special cheek pouches allow chipmunks to collect numerous food items for transportation to their nest.

Answer: Curlew

There are eight species of curlew distributed around the world. Their closest relatives are the sandpipers and snipes.

The pictured species is the long-billed curlew, native to North America, which is also known as the "sicklebird" or the "candlestick bird". Candlestick Point in San Francisco, and subsequently the former home of the Giants and 49ers, Candlestick Park, was named after this bird, which is a common sight in that area.

Answer: Chameleon

The 200+ species of chameleon come in a range of colours, with many able to change their skin coloration and pattern so that they blend into their background. Chameleons are ancient creatures, with some species known to date back some 60 million years to the Middle Paleocene period.

The pictured species is the veiled chameleon, native to the Arabian peninsula. They are also sometimes called cone-head chameleons or Yemen chameleons. Like many chameleon species, it prefers warm or hot temperatures and is arboreal, living in trees or other large plants. An omnivore, its main diet consists of insects, but it also eats some plant matter too, mostly as a source of water.

Answer: Coati

Also known as a coatimundi, coatis have paws similar to raccoons and bears. Like bears, raccoons and humans, they walk on the soles of their feet. Omnivorous, their diet consists of a mix of insects, invertebrates, rodents, fruit and bird or crocodile eggs.

Unfortunately for coatis, they live in regions where they are not high up on the food chain so they have plenty of predators: foxes, dogs, jaguars and eagles are all partial to coati meat, whilst capuchin monkeys hunt their pups.

The collective noun for coatis is a troop, whilst the adjective that describes them is nasuine.

Answer: Chamois

Chamois are usually seen in rugged, rocky terrain at moderately high altitudes. They spend their summers in meadows above the tree line, moving down to the pine forests of lower elevations during winter months. Males live solitary lives, whilst the females and their young gather in herds numbering as many as 100 individuals.

Chamois are popular game animals: their meat is considered very tasty and their hides are used to make chamois leather, which is smooth and absorbent and ideal for buffing and polishing as it leaves no scratches.

Answer: Chevrotain

The name chevrotain derives from French, meaning "little goat". There are ten surviving species living throughout southern Asia. with one in northwest Africa.

The pictured species is the lesser mouse-deer, also known as the kanchil or the lesser Malay chevrotain. Fully grown, it stands just 18 inches high and weighs less than five pounds: this is the world's smallest hoofed mammal.

Widely found throughout Burma, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, this small vegetarian's main predators are packs of feral dogs.