Thanks to all who took part in our Nature Trivia Quiz. You’re a savvy bunch; we received quite a few 100% correct responses! The winner was Jim Reisert, who was first to send in all 10 correct answers. Congrats to Jim, who wins a Nat Hab waist pack. [To see this item and more great travel accessories, visit our Nat Hab Gear Store.]
Here below is the quiz once more, with the answers, plus a few additional details to boost your nature knowledge—and links to the adventures we offer in these exciting destinations that were featured in the questions.
Ring-tailed lemurs getting cozy. Photo from Manfred Richter at Pixabay.com
Q #1: Lemurs are native to only one country on earth. Name it.
A: Madagascar, the isolated island nation off the southeast coast of Africa, which has the highest rate of endemism (species found nowhere else) in the world! See lemurs plus a host of other rainforest wildlife on our fascinating expedition to Wild Madagascar.
Q #2: What food comprises 99 percent of a giant panda’s diet?
A: Bamboo. But land clearing and habitat destruction in China, the giant panda’s native home, is causing a big drop in its traditional food supply. See pandas up close in near-wild habitat on our Wild & Ancient China trip!
Q #3. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the world’s longest. The second-longest barrier reef lies off the coast of which country?
A: Belize, in Central America. Explore this tropical undersea realm, as well as fine white sand beaches and rainforest jungle replete with wildlife and brilliantly plumed birds, on our Ultimate Belize Nature Safari.
Q #4. Which insect migrates annually from the northeastern U.S. and southeast Canada to spend the winter in the forested highlands of central Mexico?
A: The monarch butterfly—these gossamer-winged creatures fly by the hundreds of thousands to Mexico each fall, where they rest and breed in oyamel forests before heading northward again in the spring. It’s mesmerizing to stand among them, and you can do it on our Kingdom of the Monarchs adventure!
Q #5. Brazil is home to the world’s largest wetland, sprawling over some 75,000 square miles. Name it.
A: The vast wetland is the Pantanal, less well known than the Amazon, but with an even denser concentration of wildlife! It’s home to 10 million caiman, 700 bird species and the endangered jaguar. Discover it, and much more, on our journey to Brazil: Pantanal, Iguacu & Beyond.
Q #6. Name the archipelago Charles Darwin visited in 1835, whose unique species prompted him to formulate his theory of evolution.
A: The Galapagos Islands, or at that time known as the Archipelago of Colon, which some respondents noted. From Galapagos tortoises to nine species of Darwin’s finch, you’ll find a wild wonderland filled with extraordinary creatures found nowhere else on earth! Check out our slate of grand Galapagos adventures.
Glacier Bay, AK. Photo credit: National Park Service.
Q #7. What continent is home to the largest non-polar ice cap in the world?
A: It’s North America, where the complex of glaciers and icefields that arc around the Gulf of Alaska, spanning the U.S./Canada border, covers 15,664 miles. The region, which incorporates four protected areas (Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See part of it on our Whales & Bears of Alaska’s Southeast adventure, which includes a chance to cruise by small private boat through the icy waters of Glacier Bay.
Q #8. What is the world’s largest fish? (Hint: It’s bigger than a school bus.)
Whale shark swimming in the glimmer of light just below the surface. Photo from pixabay.com.
A: Guess what: it’s a whale shark! But whale sharks aren’t actually sharks at all — they are indeed the planet’s biggest fish, averaging 40 feet long and weighing up to 15 tons. They are gentle giants, and we swim with them off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on our Expedition Whale Sharks trip!
Q #9. Name the world’s largest land carnivore, which is actually classified as a marine mammal.
A: It’s Ursus arctos, better known as the polar bear. They spend so much hunting on the sea ice that biologists have decided they are marine mammals. There’s no better place to observe them than on the shores of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, where they gather each fall waiting for the ice to freeze. You’re sure to get some amazing views on any of our exciting Polar Bear Tours.
Q #10. Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie are all species of which animal?
A: They are all penguins! And you’re likely to spot them on one of our Antarctica expedition cruises — certainly among the planet’s most amazing
Emperor penguins breed in areas that are often inaccessible to humans. ©Colin McNulty
nature adventure prospects!
Thanks again to those of you who took our quiz — and for those who didn’t get to, I hope you were able to learn a few intriguing details by reading the
answers!
Wendy
What plant, when it has four leaves, is considered lucky?
I thought that Ursus Arctos was the Brown Bear and Ursus Miritimus was the Polar Bear