45 animals and nature trivia questions and answers
The bank begins with recognizable animals and life cycles, then reaches into anatomy, behavior, migration, ecology, plant water use, fungi, symbiosis, and survival adaptations.
Updated
Questions 1–20
What is the largest animal alive today?
easy
The blue whale
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_whale?oldid=1364714839#Size
Which mammals can truly fly rather than just glide?
easy
Bats
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat?oldid=1363692147#Wings%2C_skin%2C_and_flight
Which insects are mostly herbivorous as caterpillars and nectar-feeding as adults?
easy
Butterflies and moths
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidoptera?oldid=1365282564
How many legs does a spider have?
easy
Eight
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider?oldid=1364088427#Locomotion
Which birds are flightless, semi-aquatic, and live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere?
easy
Penguins
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguin?oldid=1366050922
What is a baby frog called?
easy
A tadpole
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadpole?oldid=1355101489
What do female kangaroos have so joeys can complete postnatal development?
easy
A pouch
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo?oldid=1359742626
What sweet liquid do flowers produce to attract pollinators?
easy
Nectar
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar?oldid=1354827975#Etymology
What kind of animals are dolphins?
easy
Marine mammals
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin?oldid=1362237439#Impacts_of_climate_change
What nut does an oak tree bear?
easy
An acorn
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak?oldid=1365963308
What is the fastest land animal?
easy
The cheetah
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah?oldid=1365632542
Which black-and-white bear mainly eats bamboo?
easy
Giant panda
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda?oldid=1365397413#Diet
How is an animal that eats both plants and meat classified?
easy
An omnivore
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnivore?oldid=1360714649
Which rainforest layer contains trees that grow above the general canopy?
hard
The emergent layer
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest?oldid=1351535519#Emergent_layer
What are groups of lions called?
easy
Prides
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion?oldid=1362805420
Which came first in a frog’s life cycle: tadpole or froglet?
easy
Tadpole
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog?oldid=1363064175#Metamorphosis
How does an octopus usually move quickly through water?
medium
Water jet propulsion
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus?oldid=1354721353
Which hard body structures are especially useful in preserving organisms?
medium
Exoskeletons
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoskeleton?oldid=1355792955#Paleontological_significance
Which animal builds dams that reshape streams?
easy
Beaver
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver?oldid=1365293999#Infrastructure
Between which grounds is bird migration a seasonal movement?
easy
Breeding and wintering grounds
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_migration?oldid=1365677065
Questions 21–40
What type of animal is a Komodo dragon?
easy
A large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon?oldid=1362735935
How many hearts does an octopus have?
medium
Three
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus?oldid=1354721353#Circulatory_system
A queen, workers, drones, and a hive all point to what kind of bees?
easy
Honey bees
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee?oldid=1364236029#Sexes_and_castes
Which living birds lay the largest eggs?
medium
Common ostriches
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich?oldid=1365340313
Why can a camel survive for long periods with little water?
hard
A series of physiological adaptations
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel?oldid=1365443029#Ecological_and_behavioral_adaptations
What is the only continent without native ants?
medium
Antarctica
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant?oldid=1363713132#Distribution_and_diversity
Which Australian marsupial is the only living representative of the family Phascolarctidae?
hard
The koala
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala?oldid=1365426480
What color is a polar bear’s skin under its fur?
medium
Black
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear?oldid=1360291696
What is one hypothesized cue sea turtles use to find their hatching region?
hard
The Earth's magnetic field
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_turtle_migration?oldid=1344243328
What is the relationship called when both species benefit?
medium
Mutualism
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutualism_(biology)?oldid=1350061349#Intestinal_microbiota
Which salamanders are used in research because they can regenerate body parts including limbs?
medium
Axolotls
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl?oldid=1365469225
What makes a platypus unusual among mammals besides its bill?
easy
Mammals that lay eggs
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus?oldid=1362452793
Which microscopic animals can survive extreme drying by entering a tun state?
medium
Tardigrades
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade?oldid=1365589124#Dehydrated_'tun'_state
How does the Komodo dragon rank among living lizards?
easy
The largest extant species of lizard
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon?oldid=1362735935
What kind of organism is a lichen?
hard
A composite organism
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen?oldid=1365018936#Symbiotic_relation
What is the most conspicuous trait of male narwhals?
easy
A long, spiralled tusk
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhal?oldid=1361625492#Tusk_and_dentition
How does kleptoparasitism work?
hard
A feeding strategy where one animal deliberately steals food from another
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptoparasitism?oldid=1354935344#Strategy
How can wood frogs survive partial freezing in winter?
hard
Urea and glucose act as cryoprotectants
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_frog?oldid=1351167031#Cold_tolerance
Name the process by which plants lose water vapor through their leaves.
medium
Transpiration
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpiration?oldid=1325504463
Which bird has the greatest wingspan among living birds?
hard
The snowy albatross
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_albatross?oldid=1360252723#Size
Questions 41–45
How do mycorrhizal fungi help plants through their roots?
hard
The fungus supplies the plant with water and mineral nutrients
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza?oldid=1362851638#Definition
Where do migratory monarchs originate?
hard
Southern Canada and the northern United States
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly_migration?oldid=1364460333
How is an animal colored in countershading?
hard
Darker on the top or upper side and lighter on the underside of the body
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countershading?oldid=1352876025
How do antlers change each year?
hard
Antlers are shed and regrown
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler?oldid=1365024102
When do plants using CAM open their stomata?
hard
At night, when temperatures are low
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassulacean_acid_metabolism?oldid=1362788518#Biochemistry
How to play
Make clear whether the response should be an animal, a body feature, a behavior, or a biological process. When a common and scientific term both appear in accepted usage, score the concept rather than the pronunciation.
Plan the round and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
These are adjustable house rules. Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team 1: 0
Team 2: 0