Colourful Animals Trivia Quiz

Answer: amphibian

The brownback salamander occurs in three states in southeastern United States around freshwater springs, usually with abundant watercress present. It is one of about 500 species of lungless or brook salamanders, which are mostly found in the Americas. Missing lungs, they breathe through their skin and the tissues lining their mouths.

Answer: reptile

Only discovered in 2004, the white-bellied skink is found in New Zealand. Living in the high country, this scree-loving skink has a modified scale over its eyelids which helps to keep the sun off. There are some 1,500 species of skink, ranging from those which lay eggs to those having live births.

Answer: reptile

Found in Africa, the black mamba is a highly poisonous snake. It is not actually black in colour, but varies from dark brown to grey and darkens with age. The 'black' refers to the colour of the inside of its mouth when it rears up and makes a threat display.

Answer: reptile

The green sea turtle is a large turtle found in tropical and subtropical seas around the world. The green in its name refers to the colour of the fat found under its shell. This colour is due to its diet of seagrass. It can weigh as much as 315 kg ( 694 lb) and reach 90 years of age in the wild.

Answer: fish

The bluegill is a freshwater fish from North America. Its face and gill covers have a deep blue and purple colour, its belly is a yellow or orange colour and it has olive green bands down its sides so it could have had a number of names. It has a distinctive dark 'ear' (or opercular flap) attached to the rear of its gill covers. Apart from making the fish easier to identify, this may have a role in breeding displays.

Answer: fish

A popular aquarium fish, the golden dojo or pond loach is a freshwater fish from East Asia. They can now be found in the wild in Europe, America and Australia, having been introduced. They have an eel-like body and three barbel whiskers which help them sift through silt and gravel for food.

Answer: bird

The silver teal is a dabbling duck, meaning it feeds mostly at the surface rather than diving down. Living on fresh water, it eats vegetation, mostly seeds and aquatic plants. It is found in the southern half of South America and some islands in the South Atlantic. The southmost birds migrate to south Brazil for the winter.

Answer: bird

The yellowhammer is a passerine bird from Europe and Asia and belongs to the bunting family. More than half of all birds are passerines, meaning that they usually have three toes pointing forward and one back, which helps with perching. The bird's name reflects the yellow-headed plumage of the male bird during breeding season.

Answer: mammal

Dolphins are mammals, part of the group of warm-blooded animals which feed milk to their young. The pink dolphin or Amazon river dolphin is a species of toothed whale from South America. Like all toothed whales, they have an echolocation organ in their forehead called a melon, which helps with working out their surroundings, finding food and for communication.

Answer: mammal

The gray four-eyed opossum doesn't actually have four eyes although it does have a gray back. The extra 'eyes' are two well-defined white spots, one above each eye. They are native to the northeastern regions of South America, such as Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil, as well as to parts of Central America. It aggressively fights off predators in contrast to the Virginia opossum, which plays 'dead'.