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A Genius of Genus Trivia Quiz

For those who like order in their science, taxonomy is the way to go. If you admired Carolus Linnaeus in school, you could qualify as an amateur taxonomist. And after taking this quiz, you might be in a class of your own.

A multiple-choice quiz by Desdaimil. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Desdaimil

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
326,194

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
493

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Before you can even consider being a taxonomist, the correct plural form of genus is ... Hint

genus (same for singular and plural).

genuses.

genii.

genera.

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Question 2 of 10

2. Members of genus Procyon are more likely to be hunted by dogs than come before them, as the Greek name suggests. Their fur and tails were particularly prized as headwear on the American frontier. Hint

foxes

raccoons

squirrels

rabbits

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Question 3 of 10

3. Latin only tells you that Squatina is a kind of sea creature. Members of this genus are generally harmless, but some of their cousins have a much more terrifying reputation. Hint

blue marlin

giant squid

angel shark

jellyfish

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Question 4 of 10

4. Linnaeus himself gave these plants their name, Cactus mammillaris. This was later changed to genus Mammillaria to include all these distinctive-looking succulents. What does the genus say about the appearance of these cacti? Hint

They are generally round, suggesting a shape like breasts with nipples.

They have some resemblance to standing women from a distance.

The pattern of their growth makes them resemble mammals.

The projections grow upward and look strikingly like hands.

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Question 5 of 10

5. Harpyhaliaetus, Harpia, Harpyopsis, and Harpagornis all share the common name for types of ... Hint

hawks.

vultures.

owls.

eagles.

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Question 6 of 10

6. This unusual member of genus Equus has the distinction of bearing not one, but two species names from both its parents. If it's male, the scientific name is E. caballus x E. asininus, more commonly known as ... Hint

a wild ass.

a burro.

a mule.

an onager.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Another genus that has produced offspring bearing the species name from both parents is Panthera. Which of the following is NOT an accepted common name for the cross between P. leo and P. tigris? Hint

leoger

tigon

liger

tiglon

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Question 8 of 10

8. It's common knowledge that the Egyptians revered Scarabaeus sacer, also called the scarab beetle. What's not so well known is that the much humbler name for this type of beetle from genus Scarabaeus is the ... Hint

Goliath beetle.

June beetle.

stag beetle.

dung beetle.

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Question 9 of 10

9. This genus is most likely the cause if a hospital patient is afflicted with necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating bacteria. More people might also know this same genus as the cause of a fairly common and treatable ailment. Hint

genus Pseudococcus

genus Staphylococcus

genus Streptococcus

genus Enterococcus

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Question 10 of 10

10. The genus Homo is not the only hominid group considered to be related to modern humans. Of the australopithecine group, Australopithecus afarensis had perhaps the most famous member known as ... Hint

Lucy.

Java man.

Peking man.

the hobbit.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Before you can even consider being a taxonomist, the correct plural form of genus is ...

Answer: genera.

Genii is plural for genius in Roman mythology. The other two are not accepted as plurals for genus. An organism's scientific name comes from its genus and species and is always capitalized as in Homo sapiens or Bellis perennis. The scientific name can also be abbreviated as H. sapiens or B. perennis.

Answer: raccoons

The American frontiersman, Davy Crockett, has often been portrayed wearing a coonskin cap.

3. Latin only tells you that Squatina is a kind of sea creature. Members of this genus are generally harmless, but some of their cousins have a much more terrifying reputation.

Answer: angel shark

An angel shark is a "kind of shark," which is what Squatina means. It resembles stingrays and skates but is not directly related. Of the sixteen species in the genus, only the sand devil does not have "angel shark" in its name.

Answer: They are generally round, suggesting a shape like breasts with nipples.

"Mammilla" is Latin for nipple. All cacti have structures called areoles that produce spines, a feature that is missing in other succulents. Not all cacti have spines though.

5. Harpyhaliaetus, Harpia, Harpyopsis, and Harpagornis all share the common name for types of ...

Answer: eagles.

Linnaeus specifically gave the Harpy Eagle its scientific name, Vultur harpyja, naming it after the half-bird, half-women harpies in Greek mythology. The scientific name was later changed to Harpia harpyja when Harpia was designated as the bird's genus.

Answer: a mule.

Mules are the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Due to the different number of chromosome pairs between horses and donkeys, all males and most female mules are infertile. A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey, and is denoted by E. caballus + E. asininus.

Answer: leoger

Offspring produced between a male lion and a female tiger are ligers. Offspring produced between a male tiger and a female lion are tigons or tiglons. Occasionally, second-generation offspring have been produced, resulting in litigons and titigons. In popular culture, ligers were mentioned in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite."

Answer: dung beetle.

The Egyptians believed that all scarab beetles were male, and the ball of dung they rolled around was symbolic of the sun. While June beetles do belong to the family Scarabaeidae, their genus is Phyllophaga and they are considered New World scarab beetles. They do not consume dung but eat plants instead.

Answer: genus Streptococcus

Strep throat affects millions of people very year, and bacteria from this genus is usually the cause of necrotizing fasciitis. Streptococcus bacteria is also necessary for making Emmentaler cheese. Pseudococcus is the genus for a mealybug and not a strain of bacteria.

Answer: Lucy.

Although the remains of Lucy were not the first or the oldest found, her skeleton has been studied extensively and has provided evidence of bipedalism back to at least 3 million years. The other three are usually categorized in genus Homo, with the hobbit being the most recent discovery in 2003.

Source: Author Desdaimil

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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