Michigan Mammals Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz about the furry fauna of the Great Lakes State.

A multiple-choice quiz by ArtieChoke. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
ArtieChoke

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
87,797

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2583

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 97 (0/10), Guest 73 (9/10), BRusty85 (10/10).

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. This true omnivore with a prehensile tail and opposable big toes is the only marsupial in Michigan. Hint

Meadow Vole

Spotted Skunk

Deer Mouse

Virginia Opossum

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2. One of the following mammals was once prevalent but is no longer found in Michigan. Which one? Hint

Coyote

American Badger

Red Fox

Wolverine

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3. Which of the following is true of the Northern Myotis, which can be found all over the Great Lakes region? Hint

It is totally hairless.

It can fly.

It always gives birth to a litter of eight young.

It remains active year round.

4. You are wandering a large hardwood forest in the lower peninsula of Michigan and you come across a lone, spotted feline that is about two or three times larger than an average house cat. What cat have you almost definitely found? Hint

Bobcat

Canadian Lynx

Mountain Lion

Ocelot

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5. Which of the following Michigan mammals belongs to the squirrel family? Hint

Eastern Chipmunk

Northern Flying Squirrel

Woodchuck

All three belong

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6. Which of the following current or former Michigan mammals belongs to the same family as the weasels? Hint

American Badger

All three belong

Wolverine

Northern River Otter

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7. Which of the following is not true of the Beaver, which is found all over Michigan? Hint

Its lodge, while it protects against predators quite well, does not protect well against freezing temperatures.

It practices monogamy.

It is the largest rodent that lives in the temperate zone.

It applies oil to its fur coat with a split claw on its hindfoot.

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8. True or False: The Star-nosed Mole is so named because of the 22 fleshy tentacles it has on the tip of its snout.

True

False

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9. There is exactly one Leporid (Rabbit or Hare) that lives in even moderately populated areas in the state of Michigan. Which is it? Hint

Eastern Cottontail

European Hare

Snowshoe Hare

White-tailed Jackrabbit

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10. The Arctic, Masked, Pygmy, Water, Least, and Northern Short-tailed are all Michigan varieties of what small mammal? Hint

Mouse

Shrew

Vole

Gopher

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This true omnivore with a prehensile tail and opposable big toes is the only marsupial in Michigan.

Answer: Virginia Opossum

The "Virginia" Opossum actually lives in most of the Eastern half of the United States, the Pacific coast, and much of Mexico.

2. One of the following mammals was once prevalent but is no longer found in Michigan. Which one?

Answer: Wolverine

That's right. The Wolverine State and home of the University of Michigan Wolverines hasn't been home to the large weasel kin for about a century.

3. Which of the following is true of the Northern Myotis, which can be found all over the Great Lakes region?

Answer: It can fly.

The Northern Myotis, also known as the Northern Bat, belongs to the only order of mammals capable of true flight: Chiroptera. The Northern Myotis, as is the case with bats in general, gives birth to one young at a time, just like humans.

Answer: Bobcat

The only wild cat found in the lower peninsula of Michigan is the Bobcat, though once in a while a Canadian Lynx can be spotted in the upper peninsula.

5. Which of the following Michigan mammals belongs to the squirrel family?

Answer: All three belong

It's true. Squirrels vary in habits a lot more than people generally think. Some squirrels scurry along branches of deciduous trees while others glide from tree to tree while others still are busy burrowing on the ground.

6. Which of the following current or former Michigan mammals belongs to the same family as the weasels?

Answer: All three belong

Mustelids (Weasels and kin) are a surprisingly diverse family. They range in size from the ferocious Wolverine to the Least Weasel, which often eats mice and voles that outweigh it.

7. Which of the following is not true of the Beaver, which is found all over Michigan?

Answer: Its lodge, while it protects against predators quite well, does not protect well against freezing temperatures.

A temperature just below freezing is balmy to a Beaver. A beaver lodge can remain above freezing temperature on the inside even when the temperature outside is 40 Celsius degrees below zero! How else could Beavers survive in the rivers of Alaska and Northern Canada?

8. True or False: The Star-nosed Mole is so named because of the 22 fleshy tentacles it has on the tip of its snout.

Answer: True

The Star-nosed Mole has got to be one of the ugliest animals on the face of the earth.

9. There is exactly one Leporid (Rabbit or Hare) that lives in even moderately populated areas in the state of Michigan. Which is it?

Answer: Eastern Cottontail

I see Eastern Cottontail rabbits all the time. They're the cute little guys you might see hopping around your suburban backyard. Snowshoe Hares do live in Michigan, but they prefer heavily wooded areas that are not dominated by humans.

10. The Arctic, Masked, Pygmy, Water, Least, and Northern Short-tailed are all Michigan varieties of what small mammal?

Answer: Shrew

Shrews comprise about three-quarters of the order of insectivores and are among the smallest mammals in the world.

Source: Author ArtieChoke

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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