Rodents or Not? You Decide! Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The word 'rodent', comes from Latin and means 'to gnaw'. The order of rodentia makes up about 40% of all mammal species, totalling 2050 individual species. They can be found on all major land masses with the exception of Antarctica. What separates rodents from other mammalian species, is their distinctive dentition. All rodents have one pair of continuously growing incisors in both the upper and lower jaws. They can be herbivorous or omnivorous depending on the species.

Many rodents have sturdy bodies with long tails and short limbs. Because they are found all over the world, in various habitats, each species has adapted to the environment resulting in big differences in size and appearance. For example, the smallest rodent is the 7 gram quarter of an ounce) pygmy mouse and the largest is the 70 kilo (over 150 pounds) capybara.

Originally rabbits, hares and picas were considered to be rodents because of their continuously growing incisors. However given that they have two pairs of upper incisors they were reclassified into a separate order, Lagomorpha.