Kiss of the Stinky Kind Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sloth

The sloth does not emit any type of musk or other smelly liquids. What it does have is algae and mold growing all over its fur. It is not unusual for a single animal to be home to hundreds of sloth beetles and over 100 moths. There are also three species of mites that make their home in the sloth's rectum. These three things work together to make the sloth a very stinky animal.

Answer: To protect caches of food

The wolverine, also called a glutton, is known for its big appetite, fearless disposition, and its nasty odor. They hide caches of food to eat at later times and spray the food so that no other animal will attempt to eat it. While other animals will not go near these hordes of food, the smell does not appear to bother the wolverine.

The frequent use of this glandular secretion leaves the animal smelling horrible and has led to nicknames such as "skunk bear" and "nasty cat".

Answer: Muskox

The muskox is known for the extremely strong musk which they use to mark their territories and to establish their masculinity and fitness to breed. Their bodies are not really that smelly, it is the musk that is released in their urine that makes them smell so very bad. This liquid soaks into their fur and the skin of their bellies which can make them stink year around.

Answer: True

Millipedes are animals that are best left alone. They use a variety of foul smelling, caustic substances in order to protect themselves. Some of these smelly substances can burn through the exoskeletons of their enemies and burn or temporarily blind larger animals, like you.

Although they are known for curling into a ball in order to protect themselves, their use of odoriferous glands is equally as effective. Humans should avoid picking up millipedes and should wash their hands immediately after accidental contact to get rid of the smell and the hydrogen cyanide that some of them secrete.

Answer: They poop and pee on their feet to keep cool.

Like most birds, vultures are not naturally smelly. You might be surprised to learn that vultures smell really bad because they poop on their feet. This is done in an effort to remain cool, especially during the summer. Vultures will also urinate on their legs in order to kill any bacteria or parasites that they picked up while feeding on carcasses. Between their diet and these two practices, the vulture can have a very strong odor.

Answer: Sea lion

Sea lions themselves are not terribly smelly, but they are often cited as having the worst breath in the animal kingdom. A combination of things works together to cause this. Carnivores usually have bacteria inside their mouths to help with the breakdown of food. Bacteria, a diet of fish, and lack of using a toothbrush work together to produce some really horrible bad breath.

The food matter (fish) gets caught inside their mouths and around their teeth while fetid bacteria grow all over these remnants, sometimes for months at a time.

Answer: To keep from being eaten.

In spite of being rather cute, the smell of the tamandua can be very nasty. It is often said to be 4-7 times stronger than that of any other animal. This South American animal uses its spray to keep from being eaten. They do not use their noxious fumes to kill or attract another animal of any kind. The wild cats of South America, such as the jaguar and the margay, stay completely away from the tamandua even though otherwise it would make a tasty meal.

Answer: They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

The bombardier beetle, which is found on all the continents except Antarctica, is itself not stinky at all. They earned their name for their ability to fire boiling-hot, very smelly, toxic chemicals at their enemies. They make use of a chemical reaction to spray this very toxic liquid with a lot of force.

This action is accompanied by a loud popping noise which, when combined with the stinky spray, proves to be a very effective deterrent against any predator.

Answer: Musth

During a periodic cycle known as musth, male elephants experience a sharp rise in testosterone, smelly ketones, and aldehydes. They become extremely smelly from these secretions. This is not a defensive action but possibly related to a reorganization of male dominance within the herd.

Answer: Defense

The skunk is often thought to be the smelliest animal on the planet, but that is probably a matter of opinion. The shy skunk only uses its sulfuric spray as a defense mechanism. They are able to project their spray over 10 ft.(3m.) and depending on the environment and weather, this odor can be smelled well over a mile and a half away. Skunk spray does not really cause much damage to predators unwise or unlucky enough to run into them.

It does make the predator uncomfortable and the fragrance can last over two weeks.

The black and white coloring of the skunk is thought to be a warning, and their spray appears to be very effective as most animals give the skunk a wide berth.