Of Mice and Mange Trivia Quiz

Answer: Saint Lucia pilorie

The Megalomys luciae, also known as the Saint Lucia pilorie, was a rodent that lived on the island of Saint Lucia in the eastern Caribbean. It had slender claws and was as big as a house cat. It died out in 1881.

Answer: Martinique

This rat, that was as big as house cat, was one of the first animals to go extinct in the 20th century. Between the introduction of the mongoose and volcanic eruptions this animal was extinct by 1902. It was a major pest in the island's coconut plantations.

Answer: Black rat

The black rat was introduced to Christmas Island in the mid 1800s and by 1903 the Maclear's rat was extinct. It was thought that the black rat spread diseases to the Maclear's rat. It was unafraid of humans and would run all over their camps.

Answer: Underground

The Gould's mouse lived in eastern Australia. It made an underground burrow that it lined with grass. This is where they had their babies and raised their young. Introduced species of rats and mice brought diseases to which the Gould's mouse was not immune and they died out.

Answer: It made large nests made of sticks

Declared extinct in 2016, the lesser stick-nest rat made large nests made of sticks. It probably died out from competition with sheep and cattle. It was sometimes kept as a pet.

Answer: Hurricane Janet

Hurricane Janet, in 1955, helped cause the demise of this rodent. This hurricane hit Swan Island and the country of Honduras in the Caribbean. The final reason these rodents died out was house cats who hunted them for food.

Answer: False

The Christmas Island bulldog rat was a large rat that lived inland. A combination of factors lead to the demise of this rodent. Probably diseases brought in by the black rat caused the most deaths. These were sluggish animals that did not climb trees.

Answer: Rabbit-biscuit

This native Australian mouse was a major problem for the first European settlers of this land. Its populations were damaged by the introduction of the black rat, farming and cats. It was one of the largest rodents in Australia and was nocturnal and arboreal.

Answer: Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat

The Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat was the first animal thought to have died out due to Global Warming. It was a burrowing rodent which lived in the fields of Australia.

Answer: False

Castoroides were a large beaver species that lived in the Pleistocene. These extra large beavers lived in North America. They could be as much as six feet long.