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1. Centipedes do have a curious name. Just like many other animals, the name is derived from Latin words which have something to do with the animal's characteristics. What is the meaning of the said Latin words that form a centipede's name?


Answer: Hundred legged

Interesting Information:
Centipedes are invertebrates, belonging to the phylum Arthropoda which consists of all invertebrates with jointed legs (arthr = joint and pedis = feet). The name comes from the Latin words centi and pedis which serve as the root words for many English words such as centimetre, centilitre, centurion, cent, pedestrian, expedition, impede etc. Despite the name, centipedes have varying number of legs, the common house centipede has about 30 while a specie found in the Amazon has up over a hundred. Centipedes are metamerically segmented (have well divided segments) and normally have an odd number of legs on each of its sides making it difficult to find one that actually has 100 legs. Difficulty: Very Easy.

From Quiz: The Incredible Centipedes
 
Some incorrect choices:
Ten legged, Many legged, A Thousand legged

2. Which phylum includes sponges? (There probably are few wealthy sponges.)


Answer: Porifera

Interesting Information:
Porifera means "pore bearing". Cnidaria includes jellyfish. Mollusca includes clams, snails, and octopi. Chordata includes all animals that are vertebrates--including humans. Difficulty: Easy.

From Quiz: Sponging off of the Animal Kingdom
 
Some incorrect choices:
Cnidaria, Mollusca, Chordata

3. Water bear is only the common name for the remarkable little creature. What is the proper scientific name for this amazing little animal?


Answer: Tardigrade

Interesting Information:
Tardigrade means "slow walker" and is taken from Tardigrada, this animals phylum.
Urisdae is the proper scientific name for bears.
Ecdysoza is the water bear's superphylum group.
Protozoa is a subkingdom of single celled organisms.
Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Remarkable Water Bear!
 
Some incorrect choices:
Ursidae, Ecdysoza, Protozoa

4. All animal species are classified into phyla, so let's get right to it. Sponges are classified in what phylum?


Answer: Porifera

Interesting Information:
The word "Porifera" comes from the Latin words "porus" (meaning "pore") and "ferre" (meaning "to bear"). All species within Porifera are considered sponges. The sponges are generally regarded as the least evolutionary advanced animals on Earth today.

Cnidaria is the phylum containing the jellyfishes. Ctenophora is the phylum containing the comb jellies. Arthropoda is the phylum containing the arachnids, insects, crustaceans, etc. Difficulty: Average.

From Quiz: Throw in the Sponge!
 
Some incorrect choices:
Cnidaria, Arthropoda, Ctenophora

5. Most people are aware that inchworms can be pests, but do you know what scientific family inchworms belong to?


Answer: Geometridae

Interesting Information:
Geometrid means "earth-measurer" in Greek and inchworms are called this because it looks like they are measuring the ground, an inch at a time.
Drosophilidae is the fruit fly family. Fabaceae is the black locust. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Inchworms International
 
Some incorrect choices:
Fabaceae, Partridge, Drosophilidae

6. What does the phylum Porifera consist of?


Answer: sponges

Interesting Information:
The phylum Porifera consists of sponges. Sponges have pores called ostia, holes through which water enters, and osculi, holes through which water exits. The phylum name is "por-ifera," the "por" part meaning that sponges have pores. Difficulty: Easy.

From Quiz: Porifera
 
Some incorrect choices:
ants, grasshoppers, jellyfish

7. Tardigrades are also called waterbears. Why?


Answer: Under a microscope they resemble gummi bears with eight legs

Interesting Information:
Tardigrades eat plant cells. They have eight legs with four to eight claws on each "hand". Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Tardigrades: The Living Gummy Bears
 
Some incorrect choices:
They are omnivorous and eat salmon & berries, They live in water and hunt for fish, They maul people if provoked

8. Which range best states the number of species of sponges?


Answer: Thousands (1,000 or more)

Interesting Information:
The websites I consulted gave numbers between 5,000 and 10,000 species. I would never have guessed there were so many kinds. Difficulty: Easy.

From Quiz: Sponging off of the Animal Kingdom
 
Some incorrect choices:
Hundreds (100-999), Tens (10-99), Not many (1-9)

9. The majority of water bears use what method of reproduction?


Answer: External Fertilization

Interesting Information:
The vast majority of water bears use external fertilization as a method of reproduction. However, there are a few species that are known to use internal fertilization instead. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Remarkable Water Bear!
 
Some incorrect choices:
Internal Fertilization, Budding, Binary Fission

10. All organisms must consume nutrients in order to live, and sponges are certainly no exception. Which type of food source do sponges NOT consume?


Answer: sea slugs

Interesting Information:
Sponges eat by filtering the water flowing through them for small bacteria, crustaceans, plankton, and other organic particles. Sponges also breathe and excrete waste in the same way. However, they typically prefer relatively still water, so as to avoid too much silt clogging their pores. The sponges have many small flagella with which they propel water through their porous bodies. Food particles are trapped by the sponges' choanocytes, commonly called "collar cells".

Sponges do not eat sea slugs. In fact, it's quite the other way around; nudibranch sea slugs are one of the main predators of many sponges. Difficulty: Average.

From Quiz: Throw in the Sponge!
 
Some incorrect choices:
bacteria, plankton, organic particles

11. Inchworms move by "looping" their bodies from back to front. What causes them to move this way?


Answer: They have no legs or prolegs on their abdomen

Interesting Information:
Inchworms have three pairs of true legs at the front end, but only two or three pairs of prolegs at the rear. Prolegs are abdominal appendages, but not true legs. The inchworm moves by drawing its hind end forward while holding on with the front, then moves the front section forward while holding on with the back. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Inchworms International
 
Some incorrect choices:
They have no real legs, only prolegs, They don't have legs at all, Their middle legs are small and rudimentary

12. Collembola are perhaps better known by their common name. What is it?


Answer: Springtails

Interesting Information:
Springtails have morphological features that give them the ability to jump (spring) into the air, many times their own height. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Collembola - What the heck are they?
 
Some incorrect choices:
Silverfish, Slugbugs, Slingbacks

13. Sponges are made of spongin and spicules. What are spongin?


Answer: tough protein fibers

Interesting Information:
Some sponges are made of spongin, tough protein fibers, which is the supporting structure of sponges. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Porifera
 
Some incorrect choices:
calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, a group of small sponges

14. Tardigrades are among the ________est animals.


Answer: hardiest

Interesting Information:
Tardigrades can survive more than a century without water in a sort of self-cryogenic suspension. They can also survive -253 degrees Celsius and up to 151 degrees Celsius. They can also withstand vacuums, 57,000 Roentgens of ionized radiation (only 500 are needed to kill a human), and about 6000 atmospheric pressure units. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Tardigrades: The Living Gummy Bears
 
Some incorrect choices:
largest, meanest, nicest

15. What does "centipede" mean?


Answer: hundred feet

Interesting Information:
Throughout history, man has been impressed by the legginess of these animals! Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Centipedes and Millipedes

16. Centipedes may seem scary to some people, while others are not bothered by them. Someone who has a chronic fear of centipedes is said to be what?


Answer: Chilopodophobic

Interesting Information:
Chilopodophobia comes from the order to which centipedes belong (chilopoda) and the Greek word phobos which means fear. It is no wonder that many fear this myriapod. If you have seen one before, you will agree with me that it looks really scary with its legs splaying out from the side and a really big pair of tentacles on its head. If you have spotted it running, you will be of the opinion that it scurries really fast for an invertebrate so small and long. It may interest you that centipedes do not go through direct copulation when mating. Instead, the male produces spermatophore which the female takes up. They lay their eggs in the ground, or when that is not an option, anywhere they will be very well sheltered. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Incredible Centipedes
 
Some incorrect choices:
Centipedophobic, Centophobic, Millpophobic

17. When Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linne) classified sponges, where did he place them?


Answer: He thought they were plants.

Interesting Information:
Linnaeus actually placed them with algae. Over the next several decades, other scientists found that they shared characteristics with other kinds of animals. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Sponging off of the Animal Kingdom
 
Some incorrect choices:
He thought they were animals., He thought they were fungi., He thought they were non-living.

18. Where does the water bear get its nickname?


Answer: How it Walks

Interesting Information:
Water bears get there nickname from the way they walk which greatly resembles the way an actual bear does. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Remarkable Water Bear!
 
Some incorrect choices:
How it Looks, How it Eats, How it Kills its Prey

19. Sponges are some of the most primitive animals still around today. What characteristic of sponges is often cited as evidence that they should NOT be classified as animals?


Answer: lack of true tissues

Interesting Information:
The cells of sponges are not organized into specialized tissues, which are found in all other animals. This lacking feature is commonly referenced by those who argue that the sponges should not be classified as animals. However, they continue to be considered animals mostly because they are multicellular, eukaryotic, have specialized individual cells, show some motility, and are heterotrophic (they rely on other organisms for food). In addition, ribosomal and genetic evidence shows that they are indeed more closely related to the other animals than plants, fungi, or the other kingdoms.

Many other animals are also filter feeders, including krill, clams, some fish, and even baleen whales and flamingos!

A few other animals are also sessile (not able to move) for some or even all of their lifetime. These include barnacles, corals, and some hydra.

Some other animals also lack circulatory systems, such as hydra and planaria. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Throw in the Sponge!
 
Some incorrect choices:
lack of a circulatory system, sessile (non-moving) adults, filter feeding

20. Actually, inchworms are not really worms at all; they're caterpillars. They will make a pupa and metamorphose into their adult form. What do they change into?


Answer: Moths

Interesting Information:
Adult moths are usually a patterned grey or brown and have a slender abdomen. They have broad wings, which are held flat away from the body with the hind wings visible. The wingspan of Geometrid moths varies from one to two inches. Their colouring and patterns afford them excellent camouflage against the tree bark and foliage. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Inchworms International
 
Some incorrect choices:
Butterflies, Dragonflies, Something more comfortable

21. Collembola contain a few morphological structures that are unique in the animal kingdom. These structures are the:


Answer: furcula, retinaculum, collophore

Interesting Information:
The furcula folds beneath the body, secured by the tenaculum. When released, the Collembola "springs" (jumps), hence the common name. The collophore is a peg-like structure of poorly understood function. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Collembola - What the heck are they?
 
Some incorrect choices:
mandible, ocelli, ytterbium, galea, cardo, staves, cuticle, palpiger, mushroom body

22. How do sponges feed?


Answer: filter feeding

Interesting Information:
Sponges feed by a method known as filter feeding. That is, sponges pick out small pieces of food as the water is drawn in. Difficulty: Easy.

From Quiz: Porifera
 
Some incorrect choices:
they do not need anything but water, chasing prey, using gemules

23. Among the metazoa (multicellular organisms) in the Kingdom Animalia, above which group do coelenterates rank in complexity?


Answer: sponges

Interesting Information:
Sponges (of the Phylum Porifera) are simpler than coelenterates. Leaving out sponges, coelenterates are the simplest multicellular animals (remember, protozoa are unicellular, i.e. single-celled). The cells of coelenterates are organised into tissues, a few of which make up simple organs. There is no body cavity (coelom) or organ-system. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Coelenterates
 
Some incorrect choices:
round or thread worms, protozoa, echinoderms

24. Which common animal systems are lacking in a sponge? (It is a pretty primitive animal)


Answer: It lacks nervous, digestive, and circulatory systems. It doesn't have any of them.

Interesting Information:
I told you the sponge is primitive. It depends, in most cases, on water flowing through its body to bring in nutrients and oxygen and to take out waste matter. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Sponging off of the Animal Kingdom
 
Some incorrect choices:
It lacks digestive and nervous systems. It has a circulatory system., It lacks nervous and circulatory systems. It has a digestive system., It lacks circulatory and digestive systems. It has a nervous system.

25. In order to survive in extreme situations and environments, water bears go into a dry state that is almost like hibernation. What is this state called?


Answer: Cryptobiosis

Interesting Information:
During a state of cryptobiosis, the water bear is actually capable of completely reversing its metabolism.
Gluconeogenesis is the process by which a hibernating animal gets energy.
A haemocoel is a type of body cavity. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Remarkable Water Bear!
 
Some incorrect choices:
Nonmotile State, Gluconeogenesis, Haemocoel

26. Inchworms have a voracious appetite and spend their entire life feeding. Although the majority are herbivorous, there is a species that is carnivorous. Carnivorous inchworms are indigenous to which area?


Answer: Hawaii

Interesting Information:
The Eupithecia genus of inchworms has over 1000 members worldwide, but only a few are carnivorous. All of these, however, are indigenous to Hawaii. Physically, they differ from their herbivore relatives in that they have of claw-like legs, which they use to grab hold of their prey. They eat small insects such as the fruit fly. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Inchworms International
 
Some incorrect choices:
Florida, Rhode Island, Alcatraz

27. One species of springtail is a documented agricultural pest. What is it?


Answer: Lucerne Flea

Interesting Information:
The Lucerne flea, Sminthuris viridis has been shown to cause severe damage to agricultural crops and is considered as a pest in Australia. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Collembola - What the heck are they?
 
Some incorrect choices:
Snow Flea, Oriental Rat Flea, Poppy Skeletonizer

28. What takes the nutrients from choanocytes and delivers them to the rest of the cells in a sponge?


Answer: amoebocyte

Interesting Information:
Amoebocytes take nutrients and deliver them to all the cells in a sponge. They crawl like amoeba, which has earned them their name. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Porifera
 
Some incorrect choices:
nematocyst, spicules, hemolymph

29. Coelenterates are very simple organisms, made up of different tissues and a few simple organs. What is the name given to the system of chambers or tubes within a coelenterate?


Answer: coelenteron

Interesting Information:
A coelenteron is what defines coelenterates. It is used both as a mouth, through which the coelenterate ingests the food, and as an anus. It is a 'gastrovascular cavity'. Cnidoblasts, cnidocytes and nematocysts are the special stinging cells on the tentacles of many coelenterates. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Coelenterates
 
Some incorrect choices:
cnidoblast, cnidocyte, nematocyst

30. Really big centipedes can be found all over the world, although the largest species are found in certain parts of South America which include Colombia and Venezuela. The large centipedes normally belong to a certain group known as what?


Answer: Scolopendra

Interesting Information:
The Amazonian giant centipede (Scolopendra gigantea), also known as the Peruvian yellow legged centipede, is the largest member of the scolopendras and thus, the largest centipede in the world. A full grown one can measure up to a foot (twelve inches or 30cm) and has about 23 segments (therefore 46 legs). They are large enough to deviate from the normal centipede diet of insects or worms and prey on tiny birds or rodents. Some species were even discovered to cling to the roof of caves in order to catch and feed on unsuspecting bats. Difficulty: Easy.

From Quiz: The Incredible Centipedes
 
Some incorrect choices:
Stone centipedes, Soil centipedes, Common house centipedes

31. What is the most common type of reproduction in sponges? (I wonder if sponges go on dates?)


Answer: Sexual reproduction.

Interesting Information:
Sponges are actually hermaphrodites--that is they are both male and female. The other types of reproduction do also occur with some sponge species. I found the idea of a gemmule to be the most interesting. In lean times, the sponge separates a bit of itself that essentially goes into hibernation until conditions for survival have improved. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Sponging off of the Animal Kingdom
 
Some incorrect choices:
Fragments break off and form new sponges., Budding., Producing gemmules.

32. Who was the first person to describe the water bear and is therefore called its discoverer?


Answer: Johann August Ephraim Goeze

Interesting Information:
Johann August Ephraim Goeze was the first person to describe the water bear and is therefore called its discoverer.
Lazzaro Spallanzani actually gave the water bear its name years after Goeze first described it.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was an evolutionist who had the right concept but the wrong ideas.
Ian Wilmut was actually one of the men who helped clone Dolly the sheep. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Remarkable Water Bear!
 
Some incorrect choices:
Lazzaro Spallanzani, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Ian Wilmut

33. Collembola are unlike other insect-like animals in the number of abdominal segment they possess. How many do they have?


Answer: 6

Interesting Information:
Most insects have 9 or 10. The condition of having only 6 is highly unusual; most other non-insect arthropods (millipedes, for example) have many more than 9 or 10 body segments. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Collembola - What the heck are they?
 
Some incorrect choices:
5, 4, 3

34. What types of reproducton do sponges go through?


Answer: both asexual and sexual

Interesting Information:
Sponges go through both asexual and sexual reproduction. They can reproduce sexually or use budding by forming gemmules. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Porifera
 
Some incorrect choices:
asexual, neither asexual or sexual, sexual

35. Here is the name of a coelenterate that has been scrambled: EENAASNMEO. Using these letters, construct the coelenterate!


Answer: sea anemone

Interesting Information:
Sea anemones are examples of coelenterates that exist in polyp form. One end of them is attached to either rocks or corals on the sea bed and on the other end they are armed with numerous tentacles armed with nematocytes, which are stinging cells that paralyze and capture their pray which they can later ingest. A type of sea anemone found off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada engages in a symbiotic relationship with hermit crabs under the water. The sea anemones increase the hermit crab's defensive capabilities (remember, they've got those special stinging cells), while the crab supplies the sea anemone with food. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Coelenterates

36. Tardigrades were first discovered in which century?


Answer: Eighteenth

Interesting Information:
Johann Goeze, a German zoologist, published the first description of them in 1773. His name for them, in German, meant little water bears. In 1776, the species was named tardigrada, 'slow steppers', by an Italian scientist, Lazzaro Spallanzani. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Tardigrades: The Living Gummy Bears
 
Some incorrect choices:
Twelfth, Fifteenth, Twentieth

37. Really small centipedes are even more diversely spread than large ones. The smallest species of centipedes is called Hoffman's dwarf centipede. Where were these tiny critters discovered?


Answer: New York

Interesting Information:
Hoffman's dwarf centipede (Nannarrup hoffmani) is the world's smallest centipede and was discovered in 2002 by some researchers, most notably Liz Johnson. This species of centipedes measures about 10.3mm (1.03cm) for full grown adults (about 0.4 inches). The adults have 41 segments (82 legs), more than Scolopendra gigantea. They were, surprisingly, discovered in the bustling city of New York. Scientists reckon that they did not originate in New York and might have been brought by planes from Asia. They were named after Dr. Richard L. Hoffman of the Virginia Museum of Natural History for his role in identifying these centipedes. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: The Incredible Centipedes
 
Some incorrect choices:
Indonesia, The Amazon, Polynesia

38. Sponges live in the water. In which type of water environment will you find the greatest number of sponges?


Answer: Most sponges live in saltwater.

Interesting Information:
Only about 150 species of sponges are found in freshwater areas. The rest are found in saltwater areas. All sponge species live in the water. Difficulty: Average.

From Quiz: Sponging off of the Animal Kingdom
 
Some incorrect choices:
Most sponges live in freshwater., Equal numbers of sponge species are found in saltwater and freshwater., I lied. About half of sponge species are actually found on land.

39. Humans have long used sponges for a variety of tasks, including cleaning, water filtration, drinking vessels, painting, and padding. Which other species has also been observed using sponges as tools?


Answer: bottlenose dolphin

Interesting Information:
Incredibly, a small group of bottlenose dolphins (genus Turslops) has been observed using sponges as tools. The dolphin attaches a sponge to its rostrum (its beak), most likely to protect it while stirring up the ocean floor in search of food. This behavior is almost always exhibited by female dolphins, and is taught from mother to daughter. This has only been observed in Shark Bay, a body of water in Western Australia, and only within a small group of closely related individuals.

While not sponge-related, I feel that the veined octopus is worth mentioning in a bit more detail here. This species is also called the coconut octopus, as it is commonly observed gathering coconut shells and forming a shelter with them. This octopus is the first known invertebrate to use tools. Who knows, maybe it will someday find a use for sponges! Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Throw in the Sponge!
 
Some incorrect choices:
blue whale, veined octopus, hawksbill turtle

40. Inchworms are quite defenceless when threatened by predators. What is the main form of protection used by the many inchworms?


Answer: They mimic twigs or foliage

Interesting Information:
If an inchworm is disturbed, it will stand motionless on it's back legs and this makes it look like a small projection on the tree. The species Nemoria has mottled brown projections along their bodies to resemble bits of dead leaves and bark. Difficulty: Hard.

From Quiz: Inchworms International
 
Some incorrect choices:
They group together to confuse predators, They hide on the underside of leaves, They have no defence system
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