African Journey Scavenger Hunt
answer key (Answers are in red)
Directions for Teachers/Educational Leaders: Please guide your team through the scavenger hunt and record your
team’s responses. Be sure to use the exhibit signs to help you answer the questions. Good luck!
1. Eeeeew! When threatened, I vomit before flying away and my head contains no feathers. Who am I?
a. Lappet-faced vulture
b. Demoiselle crane
c. West African black crowned crane
d. White stork
2. I am an antelope (deer-like animal) that lives in marshes. Who am I? ___________sitatunga__________
How do you think I hide from predators? _________by using camouflage (fur color and patterns)________
3. I weigh between 4,000-6,000 pounds and my head accounts for approximately 1/3 of my body weight. I
could also be mistaken for a large rock. Who am I? ___________________rhino_____________________
4. Zebra stripes are black and white and have the same pattern?
True
False
5. Why do zebras have stripes?
a. To cool down their body temperature
b. To make them unique from other species
c. To confuse predators by disruptive coloration, creating blurred vision as zebra run
d. To warn predators that they are poisonous
6. Why can rhinos, ostrich, and zebras live together?
a. They are genetically related.
b. They are herbivores and coexist in the African savanna.
c. They are all mammals.
d. They are from the same continent.
7. We’re sloooow, but we live a loooong time (between 60-80 years). We love vegetables, we love our wooden
cave, and we’re not on display during the winter because we are cold-blooded. Who are we? ___tortoise____
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore • 1876 Mansion House Drive Druid Hill Park • Baltimore, MD 21217 • www.marylandzoo.org
8. We are next door neighbors at the zoo. We both have spots, long tails, short ears, and long, sharp canine teeth.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that we’re not as similar as we seem at first glance. Who are we and how many
differences can you spot?
leopard
cheetah
spot shape
cannot climb
can climb
claws do not retract
retractable claws
runs fast
9. My eyes are on the side of my head, I only have two toes, and I am the biggest of the bird family. Who am I?
_______ostrich__________________________________________________________________________
10. Like my barnyard relatives, I like to wallow in mud. When I run, my tail sticks straight up. Who am I?
_______warthog_________________________________________________________________________
11. I am a bird that can swim 15 miles per hour and can hold my breath under water for 3 minutes. Who am I?
_______African penguin___________________________________________________________________
12. How do you determine the difference between a juvenile (young) and an adult penguin?
a. Feather color
b.Height
c.Weight
d. White face-masking
13. My sense of smell is several hundred times stronger than that of a dog and I can eat up to 300 pounds of
food in one day. Who am I? _____________________African elephant_______________________________
14. What are the four ways that elephants maintain constant contact with each other?
1) _______sight______
2) _______touch______
3) _______smell______
4) _chemical processing_
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore • 1876 Mansion House Drive Druid Hill Park • Baltimore, MD 21217 • www.marylandzoo.org
15. Poachers kill elephants to use their tusks for ivory. Ivory can be sold as jewelry or art. Use the graph below to
answer the following questions.
a. How does the amount of ivory seized changed from 2008-2011? ____________It increased_____________
b. Grades K-3: How many kilograms of ivory were seized in 2011? _____________30,000 kg_____________
__
c. Grades 4-8: Use the conversion factor to answer the following question. 1kg = 2.2 pounds
How many pounds of ivory were seized in 2011? ___________________66,000 lb_____________________
d. What is the difference between the amount of ivory seized in 2011 and 2010?
i.5,000kg
ii.15,000kg
iii.10,000kg
iv.20,000kg
16. An African Elephant can outrun Ray Rice in the 100 yard dash.
True
False
17. I look as if I have many more bones in my neck than you do, but actually, like you, I only have 7. Who am I?
___________giraffe__________________________________________________________________________
18. What kind of insect pattern do giraffes have on their chests?
a. Lady bug
b.Beetle
c.Butterfly
d.Grasshopper
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore • 1876 Mansion House Drive Druid Hill Park • Baltimore, MD 21217 • www.marylandzoo.org
19. My tongue is one-foot long and I vaguely resemble my 2,500 pound closest living relative. (Hint: My relatives
and I live in the same house at the zoo.) Who am I? _____________________okapi________________________
Who is my relative? _____________________________________________giraffe________________________
20. Why do you think giraffes and okapi have black tongues?
a. To prevent sunburn
b. To camouflage
c. To grip leaves
d. To extend its reach
21. I receive more respect from my pride based on the length of my mane. Who am I? ______African lion_______
22. Which animal is on the verge of extinction due to the amphibian chytrid (KIT-trid) fungus?
a. colobus monkey
b.sifaka
c.crocodile
d. Panamanian golden frog
23. Who is the oldest chimpanzee in the troop?
a.Joice
b.Carole
c.Raven
d.Jambo
24. To a chimpanzee, a grin means they are happy?
True
False
25. Chimpanzees have a hierarchy of dominance within their community. Who is the “alpha” male chimpanzee
(leader)? (Hint: Read exhibit sign with chimpanzee names.) _________________Kasoje_____________________
26. What body part does the colobus, which is a monkey, have that a chimpanzee, which is an ape, does not? _____
_____tail__________________________________________________________________________________
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore • 1876 Mansion House Drive Druid Hill Park • Baltimore, MD 21217 • www.marylandzoo.org
27. Observe the chimpanzees in the Chimpanzee Forest closely for at least ten minutes and record their behaviors on
the Chimpanzee Ethogram. (Answers will vary).
Chimpanzee Ethogram
Date:________________
Time:________________
Weather:__________________
Behavior
Tallies of Occurrence
Additional Observation
Descriptions
Resting
Bathing/Grooming
Moving
Using Tools/Toys
Eating
Social Interactions
Displaying Dominance
28. How do alligators differ from crocodiles? Observe the animals and use the sign as you complete the Venn Diagram.
(Answers will be shared after the Venn Diagram is fixed).
Thank you for visiting the African Wilderness!
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore • 1876 Mansion House Drive Druid Hill Park • Baltimore, MD 21217 • www.marylandzoo.org