Animals
American Wildlife
Examine the extraordinary array of wild animals native to North, Central, and South America.
This is a free, 10-question multiple-choice quiz. Answer each question to see whether you got it right, with an explanation for every answer. There is no sign-up and no time limit — take it as many times as you like, and scroll down for the full answer key once you are done.
Question 1 of 10
0 correct
Which large spotted cat is the apex terrestrial ambush predator native to the rainforests of the Americas?
Press A–D to choose · Enter to submit
Answer key & explanations
Every question in this quiz, with the correct answer marked and an explanation of why it is right. Use it to revise before or after taking the quiz above.
1.Which large spotted cat is the apex terrestrial ambush predator native to the rainforests of the Americas?
- ACougar
- BOcelot
- CJaguar✓ Correct
- DJaguarundi
Correct answer: Jaguar
The jaguar boasts the strongest relative bite force among big cats, capable of piercing armored turtle carapaces and caiman skulls.
2.Which North American ungulate is capable of maintaining speeds over fifty miles per hour, second only to the cheetah?
- ABighorn sheep
- BPronghorn✓ Correct
- CElk
- DWhite-tailed deer
Correct answer: Pronghorn
The pronghorn evolved exceptional running stamina and speed on the American prairie to evade the now-extinct American cheetah.
3.What slow-moving Neotropical mammal spends virtually its whole life hanging upside down in the rainforest canopy?
- AThree-toed sloth✓ Correct
- BKinkajou
- CTamandua
- DWoolly monkey
Correct answer: Three-toed sloth
Three-toed sloths possess curved claws that act as hooks, maintaining an extremely slow metabolic rate powered by digesting leaves.
4.Which marsupial is the only native representative of its taxonomic infraclass found wild in the United States and Canada?
- AVirginia opossum✓ Correct
- BMonito del monte
- CWoolly opossum
- DShrew opossum
Correct answer: Virginia opossum
The Virginia opossum is the northernmost marsupial in the world, carrying developing joeys in an abdominal pouch.
5.Which large rodent native to South America represents the heaviest and largest living rodent on Earth?
- ACapybara✓ Correct
- BNutria
- CPaca
- DAgouti
Correct answer: Capybara
The capybara can weigh over one hundred and forty pounds, grazing on aquatic vegetation along South American marshes and rivers.
6.What large marine mammal, often called a sea cow, browses peacefully on shallow seagrass beds in Florida and the Caribbean?
- ADugong
- BWest Indian manatee✓ Correct
- CSteller's sea cow
- DAmazonian manatee
Correct answer: West Indian manatee
The West Indian manatee grazes in warm coastal lagoons and estuarine waterways, propelled gently by a paddle-shaped tail.
7.Which bird of prey found in Central and South American rainforests possesses talons larger than those of a grizzly bear?
- AHarpy eagle✓ Correct
- BBald eagle
- CCrown hawk-eagle
- DCrested caracara
Correct answer: Harpy eagle
The harpy eagle hunts arboreal mammals such as sloths and monkeys, snatching them from canopy branches with massive rear talons.
8.Which venomous lizard is native to the Sonoran and Mojave desert regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico?
- AGila monster✓ Correct
- BChuckwalla
- CDesert iguana
- DCollared lizard
Correct answer: Gila monster
The Gila monster delivers neurotoxic venom through grooved teeth in its lower jaw while chewing tenaciously on attackers.
9.What wild camelid wanders the harsh, arid grasslands of Patagonia and the high elevations of the Andes?
- AGuanaco✓ Correct
- BAlpaca
- CLlama
- DVicugna pacos
Correct answer: Guanaco
The guanaco is a wild ancestral camelid adapted to low oxygen and sparse vegetation throughout the southern tip of South America.
10.Which crocodilian species with broad rounded snouts is endemic to rivers, swamps, and bayous of the southeastern United States?
- AAmerican crocodile
- BSpectacled caiman
- CAmerican alligator✓ Correct
- DBlack caiman
Correct answer: American alligator
The American alligator inhabits freshwater marshes across Florida, Louisiana, and adjacent states, surviving winter freezes by icing in.
More free quizzes
- AnimalsWildlife Across the ContinentsTest your global wildlife expertise with questions on unique species from diverse ecosystems around the world.10 questions
- AnimalsEuropean WildlifeDiscover how well you know the varied mammal, reptile, and bird species residing across the European continent.10 questions
- AnimalsAsian WildlifeAssess your understanding of the diverse mammalian, avian, and reptilian fauna native to Asian biomes.10 questions