Question

numerous, and it is said that they are inhabited by gryphon birds, which make their appearance here at certain seasons of the year. but you must know that they are by no means such as men in our country suppose, or as we portray them—half bird and half lion. according to the report of those who have seen them, it is not true that they are a blend of bird and lion; but i assure you that these men, the actual eye - witnesses, report that in build they are just like eagles but of the most colossal size. let me tell you first what these eye - witnesses report and then what i have seen myself. they report that they are so huge and bulky that one of them can pounce on an elephant and carry it up to a great height in the air. then it lets go, so that the elephant drops to earth and is smashed to pulp, whereupon the gryphon bird perches on the carcass and feeds at its ease. they add that they have a wing - span of thirty paces and their wing - feathers are twelve paces long and of a thickness proportionate to their length. what i have seen myself i will tell you elsewhere, since that fits in better with the plan of the book.
what impresses marco polo most about the island of zanzibar?
the availability of golden cloththe number of rulers of sheikhsthe variety of animalsthe difficulty in sailing south of the island

Explanation:

The text focuses on describing gryphon birds, their size (huge, bulky), wing - span, and hunting behavior (pouncing on elephants). This indicates that the main subject is about animals. The other options (golden cloth, number of rulers, sailing difficulty) are not mentioned in the text.

Answer:

C. the variety of animals