Conflagrant Creatures in Crimson Coats Quiz

Answer: The sea

The Christmas Island red crab can only be found on Christmas Island and Cocos Island. They number in the millions and are usually bright red in colour. However, there are also the occasional orange ones and the much rarer purple-hued crabs. The crabs normally inhabit the rainforest but it is not unusual to find them along the shore or in gardens. During the mating season between October and January, the crabs migrate to the sea to mate and spawn. The males dig mating burrows and the females produce eggs in the three days after mating. After twelve days or so, the females release the eggs into the sea during the high tide. The eggs hatch upon contact with sea water and many larvae are eaten by marine predators.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member purelyqing.

Answer: Tomato frog

Like a lot of red-coloured creatures, the colouring of this frog is meant to deliver a warning to predators. Whilst the tomato frog is not toxic it does produce a sticky white mucus that can upset the mucus membranes of other creatures. Found only in the north-west of Madagascar this frog will burrow into damp ground during the day and become active at night. They do not tend to hunt, preferring to lie in ambush for whatever insect happens to make its way by. Despite being a large frog they will puff up when threatened and it is as much for this action as their colouring that resulted in their name. They are currently an endangered species due to the deforestation of their natural habitat.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: Mainland Australia, mainly in the hotter interior regions

The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is the largest but not most numerous species of kangaroo in Australia; that honor belongs to the eastern grey kangaroo. The red Kangaroo is mainly distributed over central and western Australia with some territories overlapping with its cousin the grey kangaroo. The red Kangaroo is not found in Tasmania or Papua New Guinea.

Because it resides in the hotter regions of Australia, it has adapted magnificently to its environment: its kidneys can concentrate urine much more effectively than say humans, and it has the ability to delay pregnancy when drought conditions are in force. A full grown adult male can reach 2 meters or 6 foot 7 inches height.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member 1nn1.

Answer: Red panda

The common name of the red panda is firefox and it is the only living member of the Ailuridae family. But for some time their classification was the subject of much conjecture. Initially they were placed in the same family as raccoons (Procyonidae) because of their ringed tail and their similarities in respect to their head shape and teeth. Then, after some DNA testing, they were classed alongside the giant panda as bears (Ursidae) however, further research has now placed them into the superfamily Musteloidea, once again bringing them closer to raccoons and skunks but with their own family.

Mozilla, the parent company for Firefox, originally named the project Phoenix as it rose out of the ashes of a previous project. This name was already trademarked so Mozilla then trialled the name Firebird. This name was also in use by another company and the name became Firefox, a case of third time lucky. Whilst the red panda was used for their name, their logo is in the shape of a fox.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member smpdit.

Answer: Coursing

The Scottish deerhound is a sighthound that was specifically bred to hunt red deer by coursing. This means they use sight rather than scent as their main method of tracking prey and then catch them. Unlike scent hounds which can track an animal for long periods of time over great distances, coursing usually involves speed and a quick end to the chase.

The Scottish deerhound's ancestors trace back to before recorded history in Scotland so it is a very ancient breed. Deerhounds are similar to greyhounds but have bigger bones and muscles. Deerhounds can have a variety of coat colors including red fawn and sandy red.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: True

Yes it has eight legs and it is in class Arachnida. Known as Trombidium holosericeum, it is also called the rain bug. It is an earth dwelling mite whose body is covered in very fine hairs and it is from these that it gets its "velvet" moniker. Its colourings, derived from carotenoids, are supposed to serve as a warning to potential predators, virtually saying "Hey, don't eat me, I'm poisonous". In their development stage these mites survive as parasites attaching themselves to insects but they become active predators as they mature.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: Brown, olive-green or grey

Lobsters have a carotenoid pigment in their shells called astaxanthin. This compound absorbs blue light and appears red, red-orange or yellowish. However, this compound is bound to a protein called crustacyanin. This protein flattens the structure of astaxanthin changing its optical properties. When heat is applied (i.e. cooking) the protein is not stable. It "releases" the astaxanthin allowing its redness to be visible.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member 1nn1.

Answer: The Virgin Mary

Tradition has it that lady refers to the Virgin Mary and in fact the beetle is called Marienkafer or Marybeetle in German. One legend holds that crops in Europe during the Middle Ages were plagued by pest infestations so the farmers prayed to Mary and the ladybugs came. Most species of ladybugs eat aphids and other pests and are therefore welcomed by farmers. The seven spotted ladybird is said to represent the seven sorrows and seven joys of Mary.

Ladybugs or ladybird beetles belong to the Coccinellidae family and there are between 5,000 to 6,000 different species throughout the world. Most species are omnivorous meaning they eat both other insects and plants or pollens. Still most favor a carnivorous diet although a few species are mainly herbivorous and pests themselves. Although most people think of ladybugs being red, they can also be orange, yellow, black, dark grey, gray, or brown. They also may or may not have spots or stripes.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: The Red Devil

The Humboldt squid roam the Humboldt Current off Chile and Peru. Their range widens with warmer waters associated with the El Nino phenomenon. The squid have bioluminescent photophores, which enable them to change their colour rapidly. Recent studies of the squid suggest that they may communicate with each other via these colour changes. When the squid are hunting they have been observed to flash between red and white, and have been nicknamed diablo rojo (Spanish for "red devil") by fishermen. Other colour variations may occur. However, the transition between colours is too quick for human eyes to perceive.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member purelyqing.

Answer: Red squirrel

The population of red squirrels throughout the UK has declined dramatically since the 1960s. There are approximately 140,000 red squirrels left, mainly situated in Scotland. The grey squirrel's population is much higher at 2.5 million. The decline is not easily explained and many factors are involved; competition for food and habitat, and diseases that the red squirrels are susceptible to that the grey squirrels carry but are not affected by.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member smpdit.