Fun Trivia » Animals » Animals by Region » Asia

The Malayan tiger was recognised in 2004 as a subspecies distinct from the Indochinese tiger. Although physically indistinguishable from the Indochinese tiger, genetic analysis revealed that the Malayan tiger has substantial genetic variation that warrants its own subspecies classification. The Malayan tiger is one of the smallest tiger species and it roams peninsular Malaysia. Its geographic region may overlap with that of the Indochinese tiger's in southern Thailand. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classified the Malayan tiger as critically endangered in 2015, at which time its population was estimated at only a few hundred individuals. As is common with other endangered species, the main threats faced by the Malayan tiger are habitat fragmentation and poaching.

The Malayan tiger is the national animal of Malaysia. It is depicted on the Malaysian coat of arms as well as the State of Johor's coat of arms. The tiger also features in the heraldry of public and private institutions such as the Royal Malaysia Police, the Football Association of Malaysia, Malayan Banking (Maybank) and automobile manufacturer Proton Holdings. The tiger is called "harimau" in the Malay language and it is colloquially dubbed "Pak Belang", which means "Uncle Stripes" ("pak" = "uncle"; "belang" = "stripes").

This question was given its stripes by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Mountain zebra, Eastern chipmunk, Mackerel tabby

According to the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano Japan, no other non-human primate lives further north, nor lives in a colder climate than snow monkeys. In Japan they are called Nihonsaru which translates as Japanese monkey but if a Japanese person mentions 'saru' (monkey) they are talking about the Japanese macaque.

The primate is found on three of the four main Japanese islands: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu but not Hokkaido despite the monkey living on the Shimokita Peninsula, the northernmost point of Honshu just across the strait from Hokkaido. There are differences between the sexes. Males weigh about 11 kg (24 lb) and are approximately 55-60 cm (22-24 in) tall , while females average 8 kg (18 lb) and are 50-55 cm (20-22 in) tall. Japanese macaques have short stumps (8 cm, 3 in) for tails. This macaque has a pink face and posterior but its body is covered in sandy brown or greyish hair. This coat helps the macaque adapt to the cold as its thickness increases with decreasing temperatures, being able to withstand temperatures as low as -20 °C (-4 °F), though they do like to visit onsen (hot springs) in winter. They are omnivorous and live in large matrilineal societies.

Macaques feature prominently in religious references, folklore, and art of Japan, also in proverbs and idioms of the Japanese language. The "three wise monkeys", who warn people to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil" were originally Japanese macaques. Their conservation status is "Least Concern" (International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN 3.1).

Question submitted to this quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.
Difficulty: Average.

 

Discovered and named by Dr John Snow, Color of their fur, Resides in high altitudes

The name 'orangutan' comes from the Malay language meaning 'person of the forest'. Orangutans spend a large proportion of their day above the ground in the forest canopy. Like many great apes, they make nests and platforms in the treetops to sleep on. As well as long arms, orangutans have long fingers that they use to climb through the treetops. Their feet also resemble hands with opposable toes.

All of the other primate options were native to Africa. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, Western gorilla, Olive baboon

The common leopard, also known as the Indian leopard, hunts at night and usually preys on smaller herbivorous mammals. Many of them live in rainforest habitats like those in Kerala. Leopards that are native to forests have adapted to their environment: they usually have darker fur than those that live in deserts. Melanism in the species is pretty common, too. Leopards that are entirely black are often called black panthers. Despite the different name, they are still members of the same species. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Desert warthog, Indian grey mongoose, Spectacled bear

This yellow bird is small and both sexes look alike. It has white circles around its eyes and has a white stomach. It lives mainly in the forest regions and is usually insectivorous. Both parents take part in rearing the young. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Deer, Pig, Lizard

The Chinese White Dolphin is a spectacular mammal. To the untrained eye, they look like an albino dolphin as they are naturally white or pink in color. They migrate to shores thousands of miles away, but they still manage to come back and spend the majority of their lives along the cool and brackish river mouths of Hong Kong. They rarely stay underwater for more than four minutes at any one time.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

Juveniles leave their mothers at one month, They commit cannibalism regularly, Baby dolphins nurse 20 hours a day

The dromedary is the one-humped camel that is found all over Arabia. The Bactrian is the two-humped camel is found in China and other areas of east Asia. The guanaco and vicuna are scientifically related to both camels and llamas and are found in South America. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Bactrian, Guanaco, Vicuna

The corsac foxes are medium-sized relatives of the Canidae family and usually live in the semi-deserts of Asia. Corsac foxes are omnivores, grayish-red in color and have unique traits which allow them to climb trees.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

Southwestern China, Northwestern China, Southeastern China

Prior to 1995, the national bird of the Philippines was Passer montanus, the Eurasian tree sparrow. In 1995, then-President Fidel Ramos declared the endemic (and highly endangered) Pithecophaga jefferyi as the country's national bird. The Philippine eagle, as it is commonly called, is one of the largest birds in the world, second only to the harpy eagle of South America. It is also known as the monkey-eating eagle for its penchant for eating primate flesh. Difficulty: Average.

 

Passer montanus (Eurasian tree sparrow), Gallicolumba luzonica (Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon), Anas luzonica (Philippine mallard duck)

Like the sable (Martes zibellina), the Japanese marten (Martes melampus), belongs to the marten genus of the family Mustelidae. This slender-bodied, long-tailed mammal, with dark brown to yellowish-brown fur and a cream-colored throat, is a denizen of Japan's evergreen forests, where it plays an essential role in seed dispersal. In fact, the Japanese marten - like most of its close relatives - is omnivorous, and eats fruits and seeds as well as smaller animals and insects. The nominate subspecies is found on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku, while another subspecies (Martes melampus tsuensis) lives on the island of Tsushima, in the Korea Strait. In the late 1940s, the Japanese marten was also introduced in the south of Hokkaido.

Though the Japanese marten is classified by IUCN as Least Concern (2015), and the population trend appears to be stable, the logging industry threatens its preferred forest habitat. In order to draw attention to this animal's vulnerability, the Tsushima subspecies of the Japanese marten was named a Natural Monument Species in 1971, and is now legally protected. In 1972, a law was also passed to protect Japanese marten females from being trapped for their fur.

The ferret and the badger are also members of the family Mustelidae, while the mongoose belongs to the family Herpestidae, which is only very distantly related in spite of a superficial physical resemblance.

This question sneaked softly into the quiz while LadyNym was not looking.
Difficulty: Easy.

 

Ferret, Badger, Mongoose

The banded linsang looks like a cat crossed with a otter. It is carnivorous and solitary. It is found in the trees of Thailand's forests. The usual coloring is yellow with bands of black. They are nocturnal creatures who hide their babies in hollow trees. Not much is known about these secretive creatures. Difficulty: Hard.

 

After a storm, Wintertime, In the heat of the day

Known as danphe in Nepal, the Himalayan monal belongs to the pheasant family. The male monal has an iridescent plumage in shades of blue and green. The birds were earlier under threat as they were hunted for their colourful feathers that were used by the people living in the Kulu Valley of India to decorate their headdresses. However, this practice has since been outlawed and the bird is no longer considered threatened. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Falcon, Hawk, Nightingale

The Chinese crocodile lizard looks very similar to a crocodile, but shouldn't be mistaken for one. Crocodile lizards live mainly in shallow waters and are well adapted to their territory. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Extinct, Endangered, Least concern

The green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor) is also called the Japanese green pheasant. This omnivore is endemic to the Japanese archipelago and was designated kokucho (the national bird) in 1947. The birds are sexually dimorphic: males (cocks) have red faces and dark green bodies with long tails. Females (hens) are smaller, light brown with black spots and have shorter tails. Green pheasants are found on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and some of Japan's smaller islands, where its habitat is woodlands, forest edges, brush and grassland. Their diet includes worms, insects, grains and plants.

These animals have long been seen as a food source. The conservation status of green pheasants in Japan is "least concern" on the IUCN red list (2016). Numbers are decreasing, but populations are not fragmented. Birds can be hunted under license and kept in captivity.

Green pheasants have found their way into Japanese literature, where they are held in high esteem. The sorrowful cries of male and female birds for one another are a metaphor for love in classical poetry. There is also a belief in some quarters that green pheasants react to earthquakes and scream during seismic events.

Phoenix Rising's resident Kiwi, psnz, nestled this question into the quiz.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

Blue duck, Grey goose, White ibis

The Indian elephant is a subspecies of the Asian elephant. They live in grasslands and forests, eating around 150kg of plant matter every day. They work through so much food that elephants are ecosystem engineers: they clear enormous areas, which allows new plants to grow and new habitats to form. Unfortunately, the extensive area they need to cover in order to survive often pits them against humans. Indian elephants have been known to encroach on farmland, and much of their natural territory has been destroyed to make way for human developments.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed the population of Asian elephants in 2008 and categorised them as endangered with a decreasing population. Kerala is one of the few places in India where Indian elephants live in the wild. They are an important cultural symbol in the state. Many temples have a captive or domesticated elephant and some of the larger ones also run elephant sanctuaries. Difficulty: Average.

 

Pygmy three-toed sloth, Rainbow Lorikeet, Common ostrich

The banteng is a type of cattle that is found wild and domesticated all over Thailand. They feast on grass, fruit and bamboo. They exhibit sexual dimorphism with the male being quite a bit larger. Wild banteng live in groups that have one dominate male and several females with their babies. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Termites, Snakes, Lichens

The Chinese desert cat is a smaller species of the feline family which inhabits Western China. The Chinese desert cat has well developed feet, allowing them to walk on the hot desert sand. Like most cats, they hunt at night.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

Chinese fishing cat, Chinese leopard, Housecat

The tamaraw is a small, forest-dwelling relative of the common Asian water buffalo. It can only be found in the jungles on the island of Mindoro, several hundred kilometers south of Manila.

This island is home to many endemic Philippine species, including a sizeable communist rebel faction. In 2005, a pitched firefight between government and rebel forces resulted in the death of around 30 tamaraws.

As of 2005, IUCN has estimated the number of tamaraws in the wild to be less than 200. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Bubalus bubalis (Asian water buffalo), Bos taurus (auroch), Axis calamianensis (Calamian deer)

The rhinoceros hornbill has a stunning golden-yellow casque on top of its beak. The casque is similar to a horn. It is made of keratin, similar to what your fingernails are made from, and it is hollow. The bill acts like a form of echo-chamber and it serves to amplify the bird's call.

The bird is held in high regard by the Dayak people of Malaysia and it is the state bird of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The sad part is that the horn, which gives the bird some uniqueness, also makes it a prize for hunting and this, coupled with the growing loss of habitat, is making it vulnerable to extinction.

The question flew in from Phoenix Rising's pollucci19. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Mammal, Reptile, Invertebrate

Borneo bloodsuckers live in forests and parks on the island of Borneo and throughout southeast Asia. The lizard has an incredibly long tail which forms 75% of their total body length. They're usually green, but when they feel threatened, they can turn dark brown. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Frankenstein's monster, Watery newt, Fanged chameleon

The lion-tailed macaque is a type of monkey that is endemic to south-east India. Their name derives from the tassel of fur on their tails, which is similar to a lion's tail. This species of macaque has a pretty impressive mane of silvery fur around its face, too. They also have pouches in their cheeks where they can store food and keep it safe from other animals. Difficulty: Easy.

 

A rodent, A seabird, A bat

The colugo is a small mammal that is capable of gliding between trees. It looks a lot like a Madagascan lemur from which it derives its name. It is nocturnal and solitary in nature. The colugo is threatened by habitat destruction and hunting but it still boasts a healthy population. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Rasmisu, Boontang, Tremman

These tiny deer are shy and secretive. They are omnivorous, eating mostly berries, grasses and nuts. Occasionally, they eat eggs and carrion when available. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Insectivorous, Carnivorous, Herbivorous

The red panda, also called the lesser panda, is native to the eastern part of the Himalayas. Apart from its bamboo diet, the red panda doesn't have much in common with giant panda and is only distantly related to it. The tail of the red panda is considered to be a good luck charm and is still used in wedding celebrations in parts of China. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Himalayan tahr, Central Chinese goral, Wild ibex

Crocodylus mindorensis, the Philippine freshwater crocodile, is the smaller of two crocodilian species that are native to the Philippines. The other, C. porosus, is primarily found in saltwater swamps and estuaries, and is the largest living crocodilian in the world. C. mindorensis not only has a more limited range (it can be found on the island of Mindoro) but is extremely endangered. As of 2005, there are less than 200 individuals living in the wild. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Crocodylus porosus (estuarine crocodile), Varanus salvator (water monitor lizard), Python reticulatus (reticulated python)

The Sunda pangolin (also known as a Javan or Malayan pangolin) is an arboreal mammal whose upper body is covered from head to tail by tough scales. Their go-to defensive action is to curl themselves up into a tight ball, so their less-well protected face and underbelly is also safely behind a wall of scales. Additionally, the scales on their tails are quite sharp, so can be deployed as a defensive weapon, and they are able to emit a foul-smelling acid to put off potential predators. The name pangolin is actually derived from the Malay word 'pengguling', which means 'to roll up'.

Unfortunately, the Sunda pangolin's defense against the predators it naturally encounters in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia is part of the reason why it, along with other pangolin species, became critically endangered. Pangolin scales are sought-after for their use in traditional medicines and while rolling up into a ball might stymie a tiger, it simply makes it easier for a human to pick it up and carry it away. Other threats to the species include being hunted for its skin and meat and the loss of its natural habitat.

This question was rolled into the quiz head-first by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Running up a tree, Camouflaging into the background, Flying away

Koi is a Japanese term for 'carp' but these fish are more correctly called nishikigoi or 'brocaded carp'. 'Koi' is a homophone for a different word that means 'affection' or 'love'. As such, koi are symbols of love and/or friendship in Japan. There are colored varieties of Cyprinus rubrofuscus which are kept by the Japanese and other cultures for decorative purposes in outdoor ponds or water features. They can be white, black, red, orange, yellow, blue, brown, cream, gold or silver-white.

Originally from China, with documents stating they were known in the fifth century BC, they were domesticated as a food fish. Their ability to adapt to a variety of conditions means they could tolerate the cooler temperatures of Japan where they have been known at least as far back as 720 AD. The color development occurred in Japan as the rest of world had not seen a colored variety when Niigata koi were exhibited at an annual exposition in Tokyo.

They are often thought of as goldfish but these are a separate species, Carassius auratus, which originated in China over a thousand years ago. The conservation status of koi is domesticated.

Question submitted to this quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.
Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Bird, Snake, Mammal

Like many primates, the Mueller's gibbon swings through the trees from branch to branch using its arms. They like to eat fruit and forage in the trees for most of the day. Like so many other animals, the gibbons' habitat is under threat from deforestation. When it was assessed in 2008, the Mueller's gibbon was identified as endangered by the IUCN. Difficulty: Easy.

 

They breathe under water through their mouth., Their webbed arms allow them to fly., They sleep while hanging from tree branches.

King cobras use their venom to kill prey and any other creature that poses a threat. Their venom is incredibly strong and one bite can kill an elephant within hours. The neurotoxin causes paralysis and affects the respiratory system in particular. Given the chance, however, king cobras usually try to flee from danger and will only attack if they have no other option. In addition to their powerful venom, they are unique in the way that they move: a king cobra is able to lift up to one third of its body off the ground, and can move around in that position. Difficulty: Easy.

 

They wrap around the prey's neck and squeeze, They dig deep holes to trap small animals, They catch flies on their tongues

The noctules are common hibernating bats that are found all over Hong Kong. They are found in locations which have a high human population. They dine on ants and beetles. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Small mouse, Deer, Wild dog

"One of Taiwan's most common poisonous snakes", they live in bamboo groves and usually strike their prey from trees and tall grasses. The Chinese bamboo vipers are usually green with red tails which indicate they are venomous.
As with all poisonous or venomous animals, you should seek medical help immediately if bitten.


http://www.formosanfattire.com/feature/snakes_in_taiwan/poisonous_snakes.htm Difficulty: Hard.

 

Antaresia, Loxocemus, Acutophlops

A long time ago, the Sumatran rhinoceros roamed across Asia. Over time, populations decreased until they could only be found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In 2019, the species was declared extinct in Malaysia when the last female, Iman, died of natural causes. At the time, a small population (thought to be less than 100) of rhinos still lived in the wild in the Indonesian portion of the island.

Loss of habitat means that the population is disparate and the individuals can't meet up to breed. Also, if a female Sumatran rhinoceros doesn't become pregnant for a while, they develop tumours and can become infertile.

Although the other three options have also been under threat, jaguars, golden lion tamarins and Galapagos giant tortoises are native to South America, not Asia. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Golden lion tamarin, Jaguar, Galapagos giant tortoise

The goral is an antelope that looks more like a wild goat. It prefers mountainous regions at high elevations. It is herbivorous in nature and lives in small family groups. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Desert, Mangrove swamps, Plains

The bharal are also called the Himalayan blue sheep due to the bluish tint of their fur which helps camouflage them against the rocks of the mountainous terrain. Bharals stick to the edges of the rocky cliffs so that they can escape their predators by running on the steep slopes. They also stop moving when spotted which helps them blend further among the rocks. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Green, Red, Yellow

Two of the three larger hyenas (brown and spotted) are only found wild in Africa, as is the smaller member of the Hyaenidae family, the aardwolf.

Unlike the spotted hyena, the striped species does not possess the characteristic laugh. The striped hyena does, however, share the quality of primarily being a scavenger, only occasionally actively hunting prey. It is also omnivorous.

The striped hyena has adaptations for both the cold - growing long fluffy fur in the winter, and the heat - with large ears from which heat is easily lost via radiation. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The albino hyena, The black hyena, The brown hyena

The Chinese sparrowhawk or Chinese goshawk is a species which belongs to the Accipitridae family. The Chinese sparrowhawks are usually found "inhabiting forests near wetlands." The female is slightly bigger then the male.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Goshawk Difficulty: Hard.

 

Northern goshawk, Crested goshawk, Japanese goshawk

Traditionally, the term "maya" has been applied to many different small birds from the Order Passeriformes. The actual maya that was the Philippines' national bird though, was the Eurasian tree sparrow. This was considered odd, since the bird was not endemic or even native to the archipelago. In 1995, the monkey-eating eagle, an endemic species, was rechristened as the country's national bird.

Passer montanus itself is a common pest throughout the world, where its distribution is more-or-less worldwide. It is associated with urban habitats and can often be found nesting in holes in buildings, within ceilings and even the insides of airconditioning units. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Pithecophaga jefferyi (monkey-eating eagle), Gallicolumba luzonica (Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon), Tanygnathus lucionensis (blue-naped Amazon parrot)

Typically around the same size as a domesticated house cat (height of 25 cm or 10 in with a length of 50-60 cm or 20-24 in), the Iriomote cat is actually a 'leopard cat' based on its coloring and taxonomic name (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis). This wild cat has a typical lifespan of 7-8 years and is found solely on the mountainous Iriomote, which is in the Yaeyema Islands, part of the Ryukyu Archipelago, largely in the Okinawa Prefecture. This solitary predator will occasionally pair up during breeding season. Nocturnal hunters, they live near water courses in the subtropical rainforest covering much of the island and typically feed on frogs, birds, lizards, snakes and sometimes fish. The IUCN Conservation Status of the Iriomote cat is "Critically Endangered". The major threats include habitat loss, interbreeding amongst the very small extant population (estimated at only 100 individuals in 2021) and feral domestic cats.

This question was inserted into this quiz by Phoenix Rising member and ailurophile, MikeMaster99, who does not want to see any species disappear into extinction.
Difficulty: Average.

 

Dog, Mouse, Horse

When it was first discovered, the Mulu flying frog was thought to be highly endemic - it was only found near a single stream in the Gunung Mulu National Park. The tiny frog grows to just 3.5cm and appears to be brown during the day. At night however, its skin becomes bright green.

The species was found when conservationists were able to protect and research 220,000 km sq of rainforest in Borneo. In 2007, the nations of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia came together to conserve a vast area of the island. Between 2007 and 2010, over 120 new species were discovered as a result of the project. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Their skin became darker when they were embarrassed., The females changed colour when they became pregnant., The colour of their blood changed when the temperature was below freezing.

Indian peacocks are sometimes called blue peacocks due to the colour of their body feathers. These peacocks are native to India and Sri Lanka. Peacocks that are native to southeast Asia have green and bronze-coloured body feathers. Both species have huge iridescent tail feathers that they use in mating displays. Female peahens have more brown feathers on both their bodies and tails. When mating, they often choose the male with the largest, most flamboyant tail.

Africa's Congo peacock is mostly blue and green, whereas the peahen is mainly red and green. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Red, Yellow, Green