Night Shift Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aye-aye

It is not clear where the name came from, although it is not Scottish in origin. The common name may be onomatopoeic or it may be down to the locals saying 'heh heh' (meaning 'I don't know') because of their reluctance to mention the name of an animal considered by them to be evil.

The aye-aye was first classified as a rodent because of its continually growing incisors. In times past it was not easy to classify as it also has some cat-like and squirrel-type features. Genetically, it has now been shown to be part of the lemur family. It has developed a specialist foraging technique where it taps tree trunks and listens to the sound as a way of finding hollows created by grubs. It will then gnaw a hole at that point and insert its unusually narrow middle finger to retrieve a grub or insect. It is an omnivore and so enjoys fruit and nuts as well.

Answer: Badger

The sett is a badger's underground den and is a bit like a communal cave village with up to fifteen animals accommodated in tunnels and chambers that can run to several hundred metres. Most varieties of badger are European although North America has its own and there is the honey badger of Africa.

The African honey badger eats honey, of course, but is also carnivorous. Its distribution reaches India. Human consumption of badgers was fairly widespread at one time, with the dachshund dog bred for the purpose of hunting badgers. Badgers are still hunted in China for their hair which is prized for making shaving brushes.

Answer: Catfish

It is actually their skull features and swim bladder which helps to classify a fish as a catfish, rather its 'whiskers'. Not all catfish have whiskers although the whiskers give rise to the name. They are generally bottom feeders and appear on all continents except Antarctica, although they used to be there as well. There are over 2,000 species ranging in size from a centimetre with some specimens over two metres in length. Most are harmless although the striped eel catfish has poisonous spines. Catfish are one of the more important aquaculture fish farmed for human consumption.

Answer: Opossum

Thanatosis is the name given to the animal behaviour of pretending to be dead, typically in order to avoid the unwelcome attention of a predator. The Virginia opossum (often called a possum) is well-known for this behaviour and gave rise to the term 'playing possum'. It may remain rigid and motionless for as much as four hours. Dribbling saliva and a foul smell help to put off potential predators.

The true possum is actually a different animal found in Australasia. Opossums and possums are both nocturnal.

Answer: Scorpion

Scientifically scorpions are part of the same class as spiders, namely Arachnids, although they are in a different order. They both feature eight legs unlike insects which have six. They can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Most have poisonous stings but perhaps 25 out of over 1,700 species have venom powerful enough to kill people. The venom is used to kill or paralyse its prey. Scorpions are nocturnal.

Answer: Sugar glider

Being squirrel-sized is more of a feature than a habit so the hint for the name is directed towards its flying and eating preferences. All four of these animals exist and are types of possum apart from the flying squirrel which is a squirrel. The flying mouse is an alternate name for the feathertail glider. All glide using flaps of skin to support themselves. The possums all eat nectar and sweet sap however it is the sugar glider that gets 'sugar' in its name.

The sugar glider was introduced into Tasmania and is found up the east and northern coasts of Australia as well as Papua New Guinea and some nearby islands.

Answer: Spotted hyena

Hyenas are mainly nocturnal although they can found out and about in early morning. Although dog-like in appearance and behaviour, they are more closely related to the cat family.

A spotted (or laughing) hyena will use its 'laugh' to attract other hyenas to recently caught prey. The number of hyenas in a hunt varies according to what is being hunted. They are also scavengers and may compete with lions for their kills. Living in groups of up to eighty animals, the female hyenas dominate the social hierarchy.

Answer: Cockroach

If they have water, some types of cockroach can survive for up to six weeks without food. Without water, they die after a week or two. If they are headless then they cannot drink and so die of thirst.

Cockroaches have been around for hundreds of millions of years so they are survivors. Only thirty or so of the 4,000 or so species are in the pest category with most living outside the home environment. They have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria which manufacture all the vitamin needs of the cockroach in exchange for a safe haven. Unfortunately the bacteria they shed as the walk or leave droppings or regurgitate food can cause a number of different diseases in people.

Answer: Tarantula

Tarantulas are interesting creatures. When attacked, the tarantula will throw barbed hairs at the attacker and this is what is likely to have discouraged the cat mentioned above. They do not spin webs to catch prey, preferring to hunt instead. They do spin silk but not for trapping purposes. They have retractable claws for grip and are able to regenerate lost legs. Some female tarantulas can live as long as thirty years. There are some 900 species of tarantula distributed across most of the Southern Hemisphere as well as parts of Europe and southern parts of North American. All have venom but are unlikely to cause human fatalities through the venom alone.

Wolf spiders are also hunters rather than web-makers but only have a 3-30 mm body length, compared to a 25-100 mm body length and 80-300 mm span for a tarantula. Wolf spiders do not throw barbed hairs although they do have a venomous bite.

Answer: Wombat

Growing up to a metre long and with its incisor teeth and claws, this herbivore is good at burrowing. It lives in tunnels up to thirty metres long. The female has a backwards-facing pouch for its young which lessens the chance of collecting dirt from its digging. Dingos and foxes are the main predators. When a predator follows it down a tunnel, its toughened backside (made mostly of cartilage) is difficult to get a grip on. It may also crush the predator's skull against the tunnel roof if the predator's head gets past the animal's rump. The koala is its nearest relative.