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Uganda & Rwanda Primates Trivia

Can you name the largest great ape? Any idea which primatologist is famous for her gorilla research, or whether the black-and-white colobus is born black or white? Take our primates quiz below to put your knowledge to the test, then share it with your family and friends to see who knows the most about the apes and monkeys of Central Africa! When you're finished, scroll down to reveal the correct answers and explanations.

Answer Explanations:

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Ecotourism has been the driving force in saving this great ape, found only in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virunga Mountains, from certain extinction:

Correct Answer: Mountain Gorilla

Explanation: Mountain gorilla tourism brings revenue and jobs to the surrounding community, providing an incentive to protect this great ape. The income generated by ecotourism funds patrollers, scientists and veterinarians in the area.

In contrast to monkeys, apes:

Correct Answer: Have barrel-shaped chests

Explanation: Apes are distinguished from monkeys by their lack of tails and barrel-shaped chests. Monkeys have tails and flat chests. Apes are found only in Africa and Asia, while monkeys can also be found in South America. Photo Credit—Steven Schonfeld

Many species, including primates such as vervet monkeys, make their home along Lake Victoria in Uganda. The Nile River, which starts its journey at Lake Victoria in Uganda, is the longest river in the world.

Correct Answer: True

Explanation: The Nile River is the longest river on the planet, flowing 4,132 miles from Uganda to the Mediterranean Sea. The second-longest river is the Amazon and the third is the Yangtze.

Which is the largest great ape?

Correct Answer: Gorilla

Explanation: Gorillas are the largest great ape, followed by orangutans then chimpanzees. Mandrills are the biggest monkeys in the world and are found in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo.

Mountain gorillas are found in all of these countries except for the following:

Correct Answer: Burundi

Explanation: Burundi, known as the Switzerland of Africa, is a mountainous country next to Rwanda. Its wildlife has decreased drastically in recent years due to logging, agriculture and human encroachment. Because of deforestation and habitat loss, gorillas and elephants are now extinct in Burundi.

The world’s largest population of mountain gorillas reside in which Ugandan national park?

Correct Answer: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Explanation: About half of the world’s mountain gorillas reside in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in southwest Uganda. On a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can see a variety of standard African wildlife such as hippos, leopards and buffalo, along with the famed tree-climbing lions. Kibale is famous for its large population of chimpanzees, but it also has 10 other primate species including red colobus monkeys, Uganda mangabeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys and blue monkeys. The Rwenzori Mountains are the fabled Mountains of the Moon, home to an abundance of mammals, such as the forest elephant, and birds such as the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird.

Which one of these acclaimed primatologists is famous for working with mountain gorillas?

Correct Answer: Dian Fossey

Explanation: Dian Fossey studied mountain gorilla groups and was a passionate advocate for their conservation. Jane Goodall is the most well-known primatologist, regarded for her work with chimpanzees. Of her many scientific achievements, she discovered that chimpanzees craft and use tools and founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues to work to protect primates today. Birute Galdikas completes the famed “Trimates” and is known for her research on orangutans. She has studied orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park for more than 40 years and has been influential in helping preserve Borneo’s rainforests. Patricia Wright is a lemur expert who discovered the golden bamboo lemur and helped establish Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar.

Dian Fossey was the world’s foremost authority on mountain gorillas. Which national park was used as a base for her research?

Correct Answer: Volcanoes National Park

Explanation: Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Since her death, the center has continued to be at the forefront of gorilla research and conservation. Virunga National Park is in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are in Uganda.

What other primate is found in Volcanoes National Park?

Correct Answer: Golden monkey

Explanation: The gelada, or bleeding heart monkey, lives in the Ethiopian highlands, and gibbons inhabit southern Asia. Celebes crested macaques are found only on the Indonesia islands of Sulawesi and Pulau Bacan.

Photo Credit—Golden Monkey: Charles J. Sharp [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Is the black-and-white colobus born black or white?

Correct Answer: White

Explanation: Found in both Uganda and Rwanda, these monkeys are born covered in pure white hair. Their black markings begin to develop when they are 4 months old.

Photo Credit—Chi King [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

When Winston Churchill visited Uganda, he commented on the country’s magnificent animal and plant life, calling it:

Correct Answer: The Pearl of Africa

Explanation: While Churchill called Uganda the “Pearl of Africa,” Rwanda’s mountainous landscape has earned it the title “The Land of a Thousand Hills.” “The Gift of the Nile” refers to Egypt, and the small nation of Lesotho, which is encircled by South Africa, has been crowned “The Kingdom in the Sky.”

The gorilla is primarily a:

Correct Answer: Leaf-eater

Explanation: Mountain gorillas are vegetarians, and their diet is primarily compromised of the leaves. They supplement their diet with bark, flowers, roots, fruits and shoots. It’s estimated they eat up to 140 different species of plants.Photo Credit—Patrick Endres

Gorillas move to a new nesting site each night to sleep:

Correct Answer: True

Explanation: Each evening, mountain gorillas build a new nest out of leaves and brush, even if it is only a few yards away from the nest they used the night before.Photo Credit—Eric Rock

Gorillas are threatened by:

Correct Answer: All of the above

Explanation: Despite threats of habitat loss, poaching, disease and ongoing civil conflict in some areas, the population of mountain gorillas is slowly increasing thanks to park guards, rangers and conservationists. WWF is helping develop ecotourism, train rangers, monitor gorilla populations, preserve rainforest habitat and equip anti-poaching teams.Photo Credit—Brady Archer

Central Africa’s fertile volcanic soils make it an intensely cultivated region. What plant has acted as a buffer crop between gorillas and communities living by the boundary of the mountainous rainforest?

Correct Answer: Coffee

Explanation: Gorillas turn back into the forest when they come upon coffee plants, as the berries and leaves have an off-putting taste. Growing coffee along the border of gorilla habitat has helped reduce conflicts between local farmers and the great apes. While in Uganda, Nat Hab travelers visit Conservation Coffee, a sustainable co-op of farmers that sells beans at a premium, which in turn benefits gorilla conservation.Photo Credit—Result of Gorilla Infant: Richard de Gouveia

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