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Quiz about Scientific Names of Animals
Quiz about Scientific Names of Animals

Scientific Names of Animals Trivia Quiz


I'll give you the scientific name, you guess the common name. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by carl2613. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
carl2613
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
177,452
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1954
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Question 1 of 10
1. Tachyglossus aculeatus Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Ceratotherium simum Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Odobenus rosmarus Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Amblyrhynchus cristatus Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Dendroaspis polylepis Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Myrmecophaga tridactyla Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Haliaeetus leucocephalus Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Cercopithecus mitis Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Tomistoma schlegelii Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Rhinopithecus roxellana Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Tachyglossus aculeatus

Answer: short-beaked echidna

"Tachyglossus" means "fast tongue," "aculeatus" means "provided with prickles or spines." The short-beaked echidna is also called the spiny anteater. This is one of three egg-laying mammal species in the world, the other two being the long-beaked echidna and the platypus. Green naped lorikeet = Trichiglossus haemotodus, sperm whale = Physeter catodon, brown hyena = Hyaena brunnea.
2. Ceratotherium simum

Answer: white rhinoceros

"Ceratotherium" means "wild horn," "simum" means "flat-nosed." The white rhino has a wide, flat nose used for grazing. The name "white" is a misnomer, as it is really an adaptation of "weit," the Dutch word for "wide" (referring to the face). Asian elephant = Elephas maximus, dugong = Dugong dugon, greater bamboo lemur = Hapalemur simus.
3. Odobenus rosmarus

Answer: walrus

"Odobenus" comes from the Greek "one that walks with its teeth," and "rosmarus" comes from the Scandinavian "rossmar," which means "walrus." Aquatic tenrec = Limnogale mergulus, red duiker = Cephalophus natalensis, bongo = Tragelaphus euryceros.
4. Amblyrhynchus cristatus

Answer: Galapagos marine iguana

"Amblyrhynchus" is Greek for "blunt snout," "cristatus" is Latin for "crested." The marine iguana has a short blunt face and a spiky crest on the top of the head. The scientific names for the others are: land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus), spiny tailed iguana(Ctenosaura similis), rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta).
5. Dendroaspis polylepis

Answer: black mamba

"Dendroaspis" is Greek for "tree snake," "polylepis" is Greek for "many scales." The black mamba is actually not black, but brown or gray. The other scientific names are: bushmaster (Lachesis muta), bush viper (Atheris squamiger), blood python (Python curtus).
6. Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Answer: giant anteater

"Myrmecophaga" is Greek for "anteater," "tridactyla" is Greek for "3 fingers." The giant anteater has 3 large claws on its front feet to excavate anthills and termite mounds. It actually has to walk on its knuckles in order to prevent self-injury. 2 toed sloth = Choloepus didactylus, giant pangolin = Manis gigantea, aardvark = Orycteropus afer.
7. Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Answer: bald eagle

"Haliaeetus" is Greek for "sea eagle," "leucocephalus" is Greek for "white head." Bateleur eagle = Terathopius ecaudatus, Harris' hawk = Parabuteo unicinctus, harpy eagle = Harpia harpyja.
8. Cercopithecus mitis

Answer: blue monkey

"Cercopithecus" comes from the Greek "kerkos" (tail of a monkey) and "pithekos" (ape). "Mitis" is Latin for "mild or gentle" (blue monkeys are quiet and shy). Dian's tarsier = Tarsius dianae, aye-aye = Daubentonia madagascariensis, red tailed monkey = Cercopithecus ascanius.
9. Tomistoma schlegelii

Answer: false gharial

"Tomistoma" comes from the Greek "tomos"(sharp) and "stoma" (mouth). The species name "schlegelii" comes from H. Schlegel, a dutch zoologist. Cuban crocodile = Crocodylus rhombifer, gharial = Gavialis gangeticus, dwarf caiman = Paleosuchus palpebrosus.
10. Rhinopithecus roxellana

Answer: golden snub-nosed monkey

"Rhinopithecus" comes from Greek "rhinos" (nose) and "pithekos" (ape). "Roxellana" comes from the name of Roxellana, the consort to Sultan Suleiman I of Turkey (1494-1566). Hanuman langur = Semnopithecus entellus, white faced saki = Pithecia pithecia, northern muriqui = Brachyteles hypoxanthus.
Source: Author carl2613

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