Colourful Animals (3) Trivia Quiz

Answer: reptile

With a natural range from southern Brazil to Mexico and some parts of the Caribbean, the green iguana is a large lizard with a herbivorous diet. It has been introduced to many places; in the Caribbean island of Anguilla this was by oceanic dispersal as a result of a hurricane in 1995.

The iguana is known for climbing in trees, however it is also a burrower. Its teeth are leaf-shaped with edge serrations, similar to a dinosaur discovered in England which in 1825 was named Iguanodon ('iguana tooth') as a result.

Answer: amphibian

The speckled black salamander is found in California, USA in temperate forests and coastal grasslands. There are several similar species in neighbouring states. Lacking lungs, they breathe through their skin and tissues lining their mouths. Nocturnal and mostly seen on the ground, they have a prehensile tail so could climb trees.

They lay eggs in underground chambers attached by short stalks to the soil.

Answer: fish

The name silver dollar applies to more than one species of fish, however it is normally a tropical freshwater fish species from South America closely related to the piranha. The fish are round-shaped and silver, in keeping with their name. They are popular as aquarium fish.

Answer: bird

The purple-crowned lorikeet is a small parrot found in open woodland in southern and south-west regions of Australia. It eats nectar and pollen from Eucalyptus trees amongst others but will sometimes eat fruit and berries. It tends to be nomadic, following the flowering trees. It has a distinctive buzzing call, "tsit-tsit-tsit".

Answer: mammal

The common brown lemur is a wet-nosed primate native to Madagascar like all other lemurs (around 100 species). It has a long tail, lives mainly in the upper layers of trees usually in groups of 5 to 12 animals and is active during the day, but this can extend into the night.

It mainly eats fruit, young leaves and flowers; however, in some areas it will eat invertebrates such as cicadas and spiders.

Answer: reptile

There are eight species of blue-tongued skink, most of which are found in Australia with some in Indonesia and New Guinea. Skinks are a type of lizard and the blueys are among the larger skinks. As suggested by the name, they have a blue tongue which may be bared as a warning sign.

The tongue reflects ultraviolet (UV) light so it will be more glaring to those animals that see UV. They use spider burrows as safe havens, displacing wolf spiders and tarantulas in the process.

Answer: bird

The grey teal is a dabbling duck, meaning it feeds mostly from the surface rather than by diving. It is found in Australia and New Zealand as well as some Pacific islands. It has a crimson iris in its eye which helps with identification. Males and females share the same colouring.

In 1957 large numbers fled to New Zealand to escape drought in Australia. Prior to that, it had been relatively rare in New Zealand. It is a migratory bird with floods and droughts being the main triggers.

Answer: fish

The white marlin is a predatory fish with a prominent pointed bill found in tropical waters in the Atlantic and the Caribbean in depths greater than 100 m (330 ft). The fish prefers warmer surface waters but will hunt down to depths of 200 m (660 ft).

They have adaptations to cope with the low-light levels and cooler temperatures at depth including a thermogenic organ beneath the brain which keeps the brain and eyes warm.

Answer: amphibian

The yellow-striped caecilian is a worm-like amphibian. It has no limbs, has a couple of sensing tentacles on its head and a distinctive yellow stripe along both sides of its violet-brown coloured body. It lives a hidden life in soil amongst leaf-litter in wet tropical forests of southern India. There are some 220 species of caecilian.

Answer: mammal

The red panda is found in south-west China and the eastern Himalayas. It is not closely related to the giant panda, which is a bear, but is closer to the raccoon, weasel and skink families. Like the giant panda, it mainly eats bamboo although its carnivore-focussed digestive system cannot digest it properly. It eats fruit and blossoms and will also eat eggs, birds and small mammals.