About This Quiz
Get ready to acknowledge national pride with some animal trivia. Name the nations where the creatures you see depicted dwell. Learn why some sovereignties claim a particular species. Country cultures collide with the animal kingdom in this quiz feat!
There are specific reasons why a nation might honor a particular animal. Creatures that serve as an economic resource are usually regarded as national symbols. Giant pandas of China are a huge tourist draw; moose in Sweden provide food for many homes; and the Chukar partridge is the basis for Iraq's bird-fighting industry. Animals that are exclusive to a particular territory are usually promoted as symbols for the region, as is the case for Arabian oryx of Oman. Some creatures demand special recognition. Canada has no choice but to revere the North American beaver; on the one hand, the creature is really good at what it does, but on the other hand, the little critter has been the cause of major chaos in rural Canada. Still, other animals occupy the realm of folkloric myth in certain regions. The Fjord horse of Norway and white storks in Lithuania are linked to historical legends in their respective zones.
Countries of the world will continue their unique relationships with their national brutes no matter what! It's time you prove that you know what animal-area pairs are exact!
Opened in January 2017 as a pilot project, the Giant Panda National Park of China spans 27,100 square kilometers and is intended to protect the country's endangered species, such as giant pandas, clouded leopards and Chinese yew. The project includes the Sichuan Giant Panda habitat.
In India, the king cobra represents rebirth. At birth, the snake is loaded with lethal neurotoxins, an amount which increases as the snake grows longer. The deadly snake can reach up to 18 feet in length.
Tree plantations have wiped out much of the blue crane's distinctive grassland habitat in South Africa. Wild dog predators are another reason the species faces extinction in the area. The bird is South Africa's national animal.
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The bison is the largest dry land animal of North America. The American Expansion nearly wiped out bison populations in America. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt shipped 15 bison from New York to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma to aid conservancy measures.
There are roughly 2,000 wild lynx in Romania. The Romanian government accepted environmental measures that were drafted by the World Wildlife Fund to deter habitat fragmentation caused by transport infrastructures that affect lynx and other native Romanian wildlife.
So rare is the striped okapi (Okapia johnstoni) of the Congo, that the borderline-mythical creature was not known to the Western world until the start of the 20th century. These days only 10,000 okapi exist in the region.
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Conservationists at the Phoenix, London and San Diego Zoos facilitated successful breeding projects starting in the 1970s to preserve Oman's Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) population. However, poachers continue to decrease numbers of oryx that have since been reintroduced into the Oman wild.
The markhor can weigh as much as 300 pounds and stand as tall as four feet. The elaborately-horned creature is Pakistan's national animal. In February 2019, an American hunter paid $110,000 to hunt one down.
The Cypriot mouflon is a wild sheep with habitats in Greece, Turkey and the island nation of Cyprus. The elusive creatures were on the verge of extinction several decades ago, but their numbers have surged in recent years.
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A black panther named Samba, which means "hello" and "welcome" in the Bantu language, was the 2017 African Cup of Nations mascot. The animal is also the national symbol of Gabon in Central Africa, where the games were held.
Mexico showcases its national bird, the Golden eagle, on its flag. Aguila Real (or royal eagle) is the Spanish name for the bird, which faces extinction in Mexico while global populations of the creature remain steady.
Harvesting moose is big business in Sweden. Since the 1960s moose have been one of the most hunted animals in Scandinavia. The animal is a source of recreational sport, income and meat for hunters.
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The Chukar partridge is the national bird of Iraq and exists throughout the Middle East region. The bird is hugely popular among bird-fighting fans in Iraq's Kurdistan region. Fighting Chukar partridges range in price from $50 to $300.
The St. Vincent macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is the largest parrot in the world. The bird is in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat and illegal trade. You're most likely to witness a wild parrot of this type in the island of St. Vincent or Brazil.
Open-pit coal mines in New Zealand threaten the habitat of the kiwi bird. Ironically, the New Zealand government, well-informed of the threat, continues to fund both kiwi restoration projects and coal-mining endeavors in the country.
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The extinct wild aurochs is the ancestor of modern breeds of cattle. The animal used to roam extensively across north Africa and Eurasia. The last aurochs, a female, was observed in 1627 in Poland.
East African migrants brought zebu cattle to Madagascar by boat over 1,000 years ago. Today, it's the island country's national animal, as well as a delicacy. The national dish of Madagascar consists of zebu meat, coconut, ground cassava leaves and rice.
The kouprey, a large wild ox, is Cambodia's national animal. The beast has not been seen in the region since the early 1960s. In spite of its size and wide horns, the kouprey possessed deer-like grace and speed.
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Bulls have always been the center of Spain's national imagery. For years bull sympathizers have called for an end to bullfighting in the country. Espana Abierta, a cultural heritage group in Spain, petitioned to include the nation's "sacred cow" in the "national artistic patrimony."
The elusive ox-like takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is Bhutan's national animal. The bovine herbivores are social creatures that also inhabit Northeastern India, Southeastern China and Myanmar.
There are roughly 200 wolves in Estonia. In February 2019, one of the creatures almost drowned after sinking through thin ice on top of southwest Estonia's Parnu River. Construction workers managed to save the animal that they had assumed was a dog.
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The Pharaoh hound, formerly the canine of choice of ancient Egyptian kings, escaped the fall of Egypt because Phoenician merchants transported the breed to Malta, where they were used as guard dogs and to hunt rabbits. The first U.S. hound was brought over from England to America in 1967.
Beavers are master dam engineers. Beavers build dams so well in Canada that they can last for decades. However, when dams do break, they stand to wreak havoc. When a beaver dam burst in 1992 in rural Ontario, the flood waters destroyed a freight train.
White stork nests positioned atop telephone poles and chimneys are common sights in Lithuania. The people of the nation believe that it's good luck for a stork to construct its nest on their homes.
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Bangladesh's national bird is the magpie robin, otherwise known as the doel. In May 2016, a Bangladeshi mayor unveiled a renovated sculpture of a doel bathing in rain water at the campus of Dhaka University.
In Finland, the whooper swan is known as the laulujoutsen. The bird was on the verge of extinction in the country due to extensive hunting. There were roughly 800 nesting pairs in 1988; today, there are more than 4,000 pairs.
Mute swans mate for life but can adjust to new partners if the first one dies. The bird is named for the fact that they make virtually no noticeable sound. The mute swan can weigh as much as 30 pounds.
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The seemingly harmless common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and other marine omnivores have triggered large-scale damage to freshwater systems in Australia and North America. The Japan-native creatures have disrupted the ecological balance of the waters due to predation of necessary marine life.
Guiana Island, Antigua's fourth largest island, sits just off the northeast coast of Antigua and is a refuge for the nation's fallow deer population. The country is also home to the vulnerable West Indian whistling duck.
The three-toed flightless emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is Australia's largest bird. Oil from the bird's fat has been known to heal skin issues, such as sunburns, inflammation and irritation from insect bites.
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Nearly 200 people inhabit Torres Strait's Mabuiag Island, which is a major hub for harvesting dugong. The mammal is an important source of food for the island, and the animal's commercial value helps to sustain the island's economy.
Every March 13 is National Elephant Day in Thailand, where national zoos and elephant parks hold events to promote elephant conservancy. At some events, elephants are washed down before Buddhist priests pray over them.
The Karabakh horse is native to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. So revered is the thoroughbred in the republic that the horse is featured on statues and postage stamps. The country's Karabakh Foundation estimates that there are less than 1,000 Karabakh horses in existence.
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For more than 4,000 years, the Fjord horse has been connected with Norwegian culture. The Fjord horse is one of the few breeds in the world with ancient origins. The adult Fjord can weigh as much as 1,2000 pounds and stand as high as 15 hands tall.
Experts suggested using peregrine falcons to take out troublesome drone devices at London's Gatwick Airport. In the wild, the birds catch their prey by crashing into them at high speeds with extreme accuracy.
The gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the world's largest falcon species. The ideal nesting environment for the creature is the arctic region; however, the bird will migrate as far south as Oklahoma if food is scarce.
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The France-based National Institute for Agronomic Research attempted to collect and deep-freeze the sperm of Gallic roosters, France's national symbol. The project was meant to ensure the survival of the dwindling rooster population in case of a disaster.
Killing a giraffe in Tanzania is illegal. The long-necked creature is the national animal, but poachers continue to hunt and kill it for its meat. An underground poaching network exists in and around Tarangire, Tanzania.
Populations of sable antelope throughout Zimbabwe have diminished in the past few decades with slight rebound occurrences. Scientists have determined that the heightened vulnerability of the adult female sable antelope is driving the decline.
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The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is classified as a Palearctic-Afrotropical migrant. The birds breed in Europe, then travel to sub-Saharan regions between South Africa and West Africa, where the creature develops most of its feathers.