Q 01/05

Hellgrammites are prized by anglers as bait for which river fish in particular?

A) Channel catfish

B) Smallmouth bass

C) Rainbow trout

D) Northern pike

Answer · why

B) Smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass find the wriggling larvae hard to resist. Yet hellgrammites rarely turn up in fish stomachs, probably because they stay hidden where f...

Q 02/05

The white egg masses of the eastern dobsonfly, each about 2 cm across, are often mistaken for what?

A) Lichen patches

B) Snail shells

C) Bird droppings

D) Spider egg sacs

Answer · why

C) Bird droppings

Bird droppings are what the coin-sized masses resemble once their coating dries white. Each one holds about a thousand eggs stacked in three layers.

Q 03/05

Locals along Virginia rivers say which weather event triggers mass 'hellgrammite crawlings'?

A) Heat waves

B) First frosts

C) Spring floods

D) Thunderstorms

Answer · why

D) Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are said to set off the exodus, perhaps because the larvae feel the vibrations. Full-grown hellgrammites along a stretch of river all le...

Q 04/05

In New Zealand, the stream-dwelling larva of the local 'dobsonfly' goes by which alarming nickname?

A) Toe-biter

B) Creek dragon

C) Stone snapper

D) Eel-chaser

Answer · why

A) Toe-biter

Toe-biter is the common name for the larva, which Māori call puene. The insect is really a fishfly, the only one in New Zealand, and its young are amo...

Q 05/05

Why can't a male eastern dobsonfly give a painful bite with tusk-like jaws up to 4 cm long?

A) They are hollow

B) They lack leverage

C) They cannot close fully

D) They are too soft

Answer · why

B) They lack leverage

They lack leverage because they are so long, so the fearsome-looking male is harmless. The female's short, stout jaws are the ones that can draw blood...