Q 01/05

What do sea otters wrap themselves in to keep from drifting out to sea while they rest and eat?

A) Kelp

B) Fishing nets

C) Driftwood

D) Each other's tails

Answer · why

A) Kelp

Kelp works as an anchor: a resting otter rolls itself in the fronds, and a mother wraps her pup in kelp so it can't float away while she dives for foo...

Q 02/05

Which animal is known for being unable to physically vomit?

A) Cats

B) Horses

C) Dogs

D) Pigs

Answer · why

B) Horses

Horses cannot vomit: a powerful lower oesophageal sphincter and the angle at which the oesophagus meets the stomach keep food from coming back up, so ...

Q 03/05

What is a group of flamingos called?

A) A procession

B) A carnival

C) A flamboyance

D) A pageant

Answer · why

C) A flamboyance

A flamboyance is the showy name for a flock of flamingos; the birds owe their pink to carotenoid pigments in the algae and small crustaceans they eat.

Q 04/05

How do wombats mark their territory in an unusual way?

A) They produce cube-shaped droppings

B) They scratch trees in patterns

C) They spray fluorescent urine

D) They leave trails of saliva

Answer · why

A) They produce cube-shaped droppings

Wombats produce cube-shaped droppings, which they stack on rocks and logs to mark territory; the physics of how the cubes form won Patricia Yang and D...

Q 05/05

Which marine creature has three hearts?

A) Jellyfish

B) Starfish

C) Octopus

D) Sea cucumber

Answer · why

C) Octopus

An octopus has three hearts: two pump blood through the gills and one sends it round the body, and that main heart stops beating when the animal swims...