9 to 5 In the Animal Kingdom Trivia Quiz

Answer: It is formed by leaves, stitched together by spiders' silk

The golden-headed cisticola is a type of warbler and is far too small to be able to chisel through a tree. It is, however, very skilled with its beak, which it uses to stab through live leaves before threading through the spiders' silk which it has collected. The outcome is a nest which is still alive and so blends in with the surrounding vegetation, remaining inconspicuous to predators.

Answer: Tree sap

Some katydids are capable of "tapping" tree sap, and will constantly suck the liquid which emerges. The sap contains fairly little protein (which is desired by the katydid), but lots of sugar (of which only a small amount is required). The result is a large amount of honeydew produced.

This will attracts ants, which can become troublesome, so some katydids are capable of flicking the honeydew away from the tree on which they are sat, using a catapult-like organ located on their abdomens. Hungry moths and geckos will position themselves by the back end of the katydid, waiting for the sweet liquid to be flicked out.

Answer: Rubbery foot pads

Hyraxes can be categorized into three genera - Procavia (rock hyraxes), Heterohyrax (bush hyraxes), and Dendrohyrax (tree hyraxes). These three genera contain the eleven known species of hyrax which, although more similar in appearance to rodents, are actually closely related to elephants.

It is said that the nation of Spain gained its name from a corruption of the word "shaphan", the Hebrew word for hyrax, as Phoenician sailors were said to have mistaken the many rabbits of Spain for the more familiar hyrax.

Answer: A damselfish

The blue damselfish, like all damselfish, will establish its own patch, even when in a fish tank. Because it will be the only fish feeding in this area, the plants which grow will be totally suited to the damselfish's diet. The damselfish also eats large amounts of algae and is believed to prevent this marine plant from overrunning the coral on which it grows.

Answer: A pest controller

Ticks and other parasites on a warthog can provide a meal for an entire group of banded mongooses. Warthogs may try and roll in mud to combat ticks, but this has a limited effect. A mongoose can get to any hard to reach places on the warthog and so can remove almost all parasites.

However, the mongooses must be careful, as the warthog is many times larger than they are and may roll over and crush them.

Answer: A dead rival

Males will occasionally give parts of plants to the female as a gift, but the most common offering is a dead rival dance fly (or other species of fly). If the male is able to woo the female with his dance routine, they will mate, but if he fails, he will be killed. If the male is successful, he will usually steal the gift back from the female and use it to try and mate with another.

Answer: Papua New Guinea

The female Vogelkop bowerbird has no desire in choosing the male which is able to provide most food (food is plentiful on this island), but she will choose the male which can produce the most stunning art. Males will gather different piles of flowers, stones, and shells outside their bower, which acts as an art gallery, and the females will tour the bowers of different males in the area before making their choice.

Answer: A ball and socket wrist joint

Though all of these are qualities of a gibbon, the ball and socket wrist is what distinguishes it from all other primates. As well as allowing it to change direction easily whilst swinging through the branches, it reduces the amount of arm energy required for each swing. As well as speed and agility, gibbons can leap great distances when in the trees.

Answer: By releasing pheromones

The ichneumon wasp enters the ants' nest with the intention of laying a parasitic egg into the larvae within. However, these larvae are not those of the ants themselves, but of the Maculinea rebeli butterfly which are being cared for by the ants. These butterfly larvae also exploit the ants using pheromones, fooling them into thinking they are their own.

The pheromones released by the ichneumon wasp causes the ants to attack one another whilst it lays its egg(s).

Answer: It "moonwalks" along a branch in order to attract a female

The red-capped manakin will perform a number of odd rituals to try and attract a female. One of the most humorous of these is the way it slides backwards along branch, whilst flaunting its bright red head and yellow feathered legs.

The female of this species looks entirely different from the male, with brown/green plumage and dark eyes.