Animal I Have Become Trivia Quiz

Answer: Infrared

So many creatures, such as bats and rodents, think they are safe hiding in the dark from snakes. However, should that snake be a boa or a python, they'd better think again. These reptiles have developed a series of special receptors located in the pits between their eyes and their nostrils. These receptors contain thousands of nerve endings that are able to detect subtle variations in temperatures over short distances. In short, the snake is virtually able to pick up a thermal image of its prey in a darkened space.

Highlighted in a PubMed article, "Molecular Basis of Infrared Detection by Snakes" (April, 2010), scientists have identified that these receptors work using the same nerve cell proteins as humans use to detect chemical smells such as those given off by chopped onions. Unlike humans though, the snakes have adapted these to detect heat. As a consequence they have been christened "wasabi receptors".

Answer: It will freeze the majority of its body

Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are tree dwellers that can be found in areas from Alabama to Alaska. Most other frogs will bury themselves to escape the harshness of winter or, they will sink themselves to the bottom of a pond or a lake and wait the winter out. Not this little fellow. These frogs have the ability to drastically slow their metabolism down so low that they do not need to eat or breathe. The breathing is conducted for them by their highly absorbent skin.

However, they go much further than this and they're able to freeze up 65% of their own bodies. They virtually go into a state of suspended animation where their hearts stop beating and their blood ceases to flow. Their cells will keep on functioning but, in this state, they do not have the means to communicate with each other. This allows them to live in sub-zero temperatures for a period of up to seven months. Thanks to a build up of anti-freeze within their systems, created by a high concentration of glucose and urea, when spring finally arrives, they begin to thaw... from the inside out. This means that they are conscious of their surroundings and can identify if there is danger about and can react instantly the moment their limbs are thawed out.

Answer: True

We are aware that the owl is one of nature's best nocturnal hunters, thanks to their keen eyesight and their razor sharp talons and beaks. These are so prominent on the owl that we often overlook the fact that they also have the ability to hear quiet sounds over great distances.

The magnificent adaptation that has given rise to this amazing super-power is their faces. The owl's face has evolved into a round feature that is circled by feathers. This turns the face into a sort of satellite dish, collecting sounds and then directing them to its ears, which are hidden on the sides of its face. But that's not all... in a number of owl species you will find that one ear is a little higher and a fraction (more) forward than the other. By being offset it allows the bird to pick up tiny differences in the time it takes the sounds to reach each ear. It then utilizes this data to triangulate the position of its prey with great accuracy.

Answer: Blood

Across Central and North America there are 21 different species of horned lizards. Their flat body shape has meant many observers mistake them for toads despite their living in a semi-arid environment. That said, their playground is littered with many dangers. Aside from climate change, the illegal pet trade (for which they are well sought after) and the pesticides that are used on their favourite meal (ants), they are also confronted by creatures such as dogs, wolves, roadrunners, snakes and hawks.

With all of these dangers lurking in their own yards they will take any adaptation they can grab. For starters, they have excellent camouflage and their bodies are covered with horns (obviously) and sharp scales, however, the most interesting is their ability to shoot blood from their eyes. So, how do they do this? They will start off by shutting down a few blood vessels and increasing the blood pressure in their heads. This will rupture the capillaries near their eyes and the escaping blood is then squirted out.

Answer: 8,000 feet below the surface

The discovery of these worms dispelled the view scientists held that life could not exist in the hydrothermal vents deep within the ocean. What makes the existence of these worms so amazing is that they live their lives in total darkness, and in water that is both acidic and filled with toxic gas.

What the scientists found is that these worms have no stomach, no gut and no eyes. They are, basically, a "bag of bacteria" that has reproductive organs and a structure that looks like a heart. The bacteria within the worm takes onboard the hydrogen sulphide, that is extremely harmful to most animals, from the water and produces carbohydrates that the worm uses as its energy source.

Answer: It almost does not need to drink water

Don't let the name fool you. Despite its small size, the kangaroo rat is neither a rat nor a mouse. Its closest relative is probably the gopher.

It has adapted beautifully to a life in the desert. First, it is nocturnal and, during the heat of the day, it will spend its time in a deep burrow to remain cool. But, its most beautiful adaptation is that it barely needs a sip of water to survive. That's not to say that if the opportunity arises to drink that it won't take it, however, it has adapted so well that it can survive on the moisture that it extracts from the nuts and seeds that it dines on. The star of the show though is Merriam's kangaroo rat, which is claimed to never need water. To facilitate this adaptation, kangaroo rats have fur lined pouches in their cheeks where they can store their foraging.

Answer: They produce antifreeze proteins

Amazingly Antarctic notothenioid fishes produce their own antifreeze proteins (AFPs). These then bind to invading ice crystals and stop their growth. However, there may be a downside that scientists have not yet resolved. Those same proteins that inhibit the freezing also stop the melting process. In other words, it's also an "anti-melt" protein.

Some of these fish have been captured in temperate waters off the coast of Australia and found to still have the frozen capsules within their systems. Scientists fear that these may be a threat to the fish as they could accumulate within the fish's body in much the same way that asbestos builds up in a human's lungs. That said, they have also noted that the frozen particles tend to occur closer to the animal's spleen so there are theories that the crystals may be disposed of by the fish in a similar manner to its waste removal. The issue with that train of thought is that scientists do not have enough data on how notothenioids dispose of their waste.

Answer: Through their legs

I will go a roundabout way to get to the hearing, so please bear with me. Spiders do have eyes but the quality of their sight varies across the species. Some will have visual capabilities two thousand times greater than those of human beings whilst there are others, at the other end of the scale, whose visual acuity is extremely poor. These do have a back-up weapon and it is those series of tiny hairs spread across their legs. These are extremely sensitive to vibrations and, in turn, they give the spider hearing capabilities.

A study by scientist Jay Stafstrom, at Cornell University, had him blindfolding spiders, yet these visually deprived arachnids were still able to capture airborne bugs. His team found that the spiders were not merely sensing sounds, like the noise of a fly's wings, they were responding to the noises in the same manner that a creature with eardrums would. Whilst our first thought is that this serves as a great tool for the spider when it comes to hunting for food, it can also operate as an early warning system when it is likely to be the prey.

Answer: True

The Australian duck-billed platypus feeds in local rivers and streams. It dines out on the bottom dwelling creatures such as insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, and molluscs. Here's the thing... when it dives it closes off its ears, nose and eyes. The question then is... how does it find its food? The answer is "with its bill".

The platypus' bill is a super sensitive organ that is blessed with three receptor cells that help this little monotreme pick up movement and little electrical fields given off by its prey. First up is a push-rod receptor that can identify changes in pressure and motion. This is backed up by two electro receptors that can pick up the electric signals that are created by the muscle contractions of other creatures. It then stalks its prey by using a side-to-side motion with its head to work out the direction and the distance of the next meal.

Answer: Feet

The okapi, which are predominantly found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have a major predator in the leopard. The most vulnerable of these are their young. To protect themselves, the okapi have created a number of defence mechanisms. The obvious one is their striping which is used as camouflage, utilising the light and the shade of the understory of the forest to break up the outline of their bodies. What is not so obvious are the scent glands in their feet, an ultrasonic call that is not perceptible to the ears of both humans and leopards and their extra long tongues, which they use to clean their eyes and ears so that their senses remain alert.

The lifestyle or behaviour of the okapi is built around keeping it safe from the leopard. After the mother has given birth to a calf, the calf is placed in a safe nest. The mother then goes off to find food and ensure that their scent is delivered well away from the nest. The calf, for its part, will remain in the nest for up to two months and will not leave unless it hears the ultrasonic call from its mother, and then, it is usually to feed.