Q 01/05

Which reef animals, many bristling with glass-like needles, make up most of a hawksbill sea turtle's diet?

A) Jellyfish

B) Sea sponges

C) Sea urchins

D) Hermit crabs

Answer · why

B) Sea sponges

Sea sponges make up 70 to 95 percent of a Caribbean hawksbill's meals, and no other reptile is known to live mainly on them. It is picky, eating certa...

Q 02/05

A hawksbill sea turtle filmed on a 2015 night dive was the first reptile known to show which trait?

A) Echolocation

B) Electroreception

C) Biofluorescence

D) Infrared vision

Answer · why

C) Biofluorescence

Biofluorescence, a red and green glow under blue light, was first reported in a reptile after a marine biologist filming corals in the Solomon Islands...

Q 03/05

What decides whether a hawksbill sea turtle egg, buried in beach sand, hatches as a male or a female?

A) The mother's age

B) Phase of the moon

C) Size of the egg

D) Nest temperature

Answer · why

D) Nest temperature

Nest temperature settles it: warmer sand produces females and cooler sand produces males. Hotter beaches could leave a population short of males.

Q 04/05

Which country, where hawksbill shell is called bekko, imported tons of it yearly until a 1990s halt?

A) China

B) Japan

C) India

D) Italy

Answer · why

B) Japan

Japan imported about 30 tonnes of raw hawksbill shell a year, carving it into eyeglass frames and picks for the three-stringed shamisen.

Q 05/05

Hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings crawl toward which visual cue to find the sea, a habit beachfront lighting can hijack?

A) The setting sun

B) The tallest dune

C) The brightest horizon

D) The darkest silhouette

Answer · why

C) The brightest horizon

The brightest horizon on a wild beach is the open sky over the water, so hatchlings head for it. Artificial lights behind the beach can pull them inla...