Wildlife Without Borders 2012-2013 Planner
Download the planner in PDF
(note: large file, 7MB)
For answers to the trivia questions, click on the month below!
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December 2011
Q: Why are white rhinos called 'white'?
A: It is a mis-translation from the word wyd meaning wide in Afrikaans, for their wide square lip, which is used for grazing on grass. Black rhinos, which are not a different color, have a prehensile extension on their lip for browsing (plucking leaves).
January 2012
Q: What are three factors which threaten the continued survival of the tiger?
A: Poaching, habitat loss and human tiger conflict
February 2012
Q: What are some important, ecosystem-services that wetlands provide?
A: Wetlands provide a vast array of important benefits and ecosystem services. In addition to moderating local climate and recharging and purifying groundwater, wetlands slow floodwaters and help prevent upland and coastal erosion. Occurring from the tundra to the tropics, wetlands are among the world’s most productive ecosystems. They are cradles of biological diversity, providing the necessary water and resources upon which a myriad of plant and animal species depend for their survival. They also directly benefit humans by producing valuable timber, peat, fish, rice, cranberries, and a variety of other commercial and agricultural products.
March 2012
Q: What percentage of earth’s wildlife can be found in China’s ecosystems?
A: Approximately 10 percent.
April 2012
Q: How many species of African great apes are there?
A: 4 – West African Gorilla, East African Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Bonobo
May 2012
Q: How many scales does a leatherback have?
A: None.
June 2012
Q: Which region of the world has the most amphibian species?
A: The Tropics contain more amphibian species than any other region of the world, with Brazil having the most known species of any single country. Amphibians--including toads, newts, and salamanders--are vertebrates, creatures with a backbone and an internal skeleton. Amphibians live part of their lives in water and part on land. They are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and must warm their bodies by absorbing heat from their surroundings. This makes them particularly susceptible to the effects of global climate change.
July 2012
Q: How many monarch butterflies travel each year from Canada and the U.S. to the forests of Mexico to spend the winter?
A: Approximately 100 million per year.
August 2012
Q: Which ape is known as the “man of the forest” in Malay?
A: Orangutan
September 2012
Q: What are the two biggest threats facing the scarlet macaw today?
A: Illegal Pet Trade and Poaching
October 2012
Q: What is the most obvious difference between Asian and African elephants?
A: The most obvious difference between the African and the Asian elephant is the size of their ears - those of the African are larger and shaped like the outline of Africa while those of the Asian are smaller and shaped like the outline of India.
November 2012
Q: What is the USFWS Wildlife Without Borders' signature initiative in the Africa program and what does it do?
A: The MENTOR program. The Mentoring for ENvironmental Training in Outreach and Resource conservation (MENTOR ) Program builds the capacity of multi-disciplinary teams of African conservationists who can work together to address complex conservation challenges.
December 2012
Q: Of the twenty-five most endangered primates in the world, how many are found in Latin America?
A: According to the IUCN, three of the twenty five most endangered primates in the world are found in Latin America: the Cotton-top Tamarin ( Saguinus Oedipus ), the Variegated or Brown Spider Monkey ( Ateles hybridus ), and the Peruvian Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (Oreonax flavicauda ). Each of these species is facing a number of serious threats to their immediate survival including habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal capture for the local pet trade. The Wildlife Without Borders-Critically Endangered Animals Conservation Fund (WWB-CEACF) currently supports the conservation education efforts of Fundación Proyecto Tití , a nonprofit in Colombia that is working to protect the Cotton-top Tamarin by establishing protected areas, developing sustainable alternatives for local communities to decrease their dependency on forest resources, and decreasing the number of animals sold illegally as pets.
January 2013
Q: How many polar bears are estimated to still exist in the world?
A: Scientists estimate that they are between 20,000 and 25,000 total polar bears. They range across the borders of Alaska to Russia, from Canada to Greenland, and into Norway's Svalbard archipelago.
February 2013
Q: How do elephants communicate with one another?
A: They communicate using ultralow frequency sound, mostly below the range of human hearing.
