Mammals Starting With "U" and "V" Quiz

Answer: It is not known for sure.

The uakari is a fruit-eating primate that is known to inhabit the rainforest areas of South America. Hunting is not a problem for the uakari as it is rarely hunted, although they are edible. The uakari is a social animal and lives in groups as large as 50 members.

The exact reasons for the bright red pigmentation and bald head are a matter of scientific debate and may never be known for sure.

Answer: Non-maternal infant care.

Allomothering is the practice of having another group member care for an infant. With the vervet monkey, it is usually a younger female monkey who has not yet had an infant. This helps to prepare young females for infant care and gives the mother the chance to gather food for herself, and possibly enjoy a round of grooming by one of the other group members.

The vervet monkey can be found in areas of southern and eastern Africa and is noted for having many human-like characteristics.

Answer: False

The vampire bat makes its home in Mexico and most of Central and South America. This animal gets a bum rap, with many people thinking it is vicious and aggressive. Actually, vampire bats are very caring and social animals. Babies are well cared for by their mothers.

In fact, if the mother dies, the other mothers will take care of any orphaned baby until they are grown. They share food and have been observed bring food to the sick or elderly members of the group. The combination of their liquid diet and the media have given them an undeserved reputation.

Answer: It is very rare

The vaquita is rare porpoise found only in the Gulf of California. First discovered in 1958, by 2015 there were fewer than 100 of them left. The major cause of this possible extinction is the use of gill nets which entangle these aquatic mammals, causing them to drown.

This is a tiny porpoise often weighing less than 100 lbs. (45 kilos) at adulthood. Vaquitas are carnivorous and very shy, avoiding contact at all costs.

Answer: Algeria

All of these countries are home to the Ugandan kob except for Algeria, which is not sub-Saharan. This antelope is most active during morning and evening hours, avoiding the heat of midday. They live near a water and are rarely seen in arid or desert regions. The males have beautiful "S" shaped horns which are used when competing for mating rights.

Answer: Field mouse

Voles are commonly called field mice in North America but are actually more closely related to lemmings and muskrats. Prolific breeders, they can have ten litters a year, producing over 100 offspring per year. This large number of offspring helps offset the fact that the vole is common prey for many types of birds, wolves, foxes, cats, and snakes.

These ground dwelling rodents will eat almost anything including nuts, fruit, garden crops, and carrion.

Answer: Sheep

Found in many parts of central and western Asia, the urial is considered my many zoologists to be the ancestor of most domesticated sheep. Like most sheep, the urial is a grazing herbivore that is comfortable in hilly terrain as well as in grasslands. Adult males sport magnificent horns that spiral around their heads in the shape of a "C" and are used in mating rituals to establish dominance.

Answer: Urson

The urson, despite their size can be a very dangerous animal. They use the quills in their tail to intimidate predators. If needed, they can bury their quills deep into the musculature of an opponent. The more the opponent struggles the deeper these quills bury themselves. Large predators have been known to die after being hit in the face by an urson.

The quills in their face prevent them from eating and they die a slow, very sad death. These herbivores are active during the nighttime and the daytime, and are equally at home on the land and in the trees. If you run into one of these mammals, walk the other way immediately.

Answer: Brazil

In Brazil, the two-toed sloth is known as an unau. The word comes from the Portuguese translation of a local name for the animal. Unaus are arboreal animals that spend most of their life hanging upside down from trees. They have thick fur which usually sports some green algae growing on it, helping protect them from low temperatures.

The nocturnal unau needs this thick fur because it cannot shiver to keep warm, due to having unusually low metabolic rates.

Answer: Their valuable fur

The vicuna is a member of the Camelidae family which includes the llama and the guanaco. The vicuna is found in the high altitudes of Peru, Chile, and Argentina where it has adapted to the freezing rains and cold winds that are the rule. The vicuna is known for its delicate but strong wool which is highly prized around the world.

In Incan culture, it was illegal for anyone to wear vicuna fur other than royalty. By 1974 there were fewer than 7,000 individuals left. Due to careful conservation efforts, the population has risen dramatically.