All Things Blue Trivia Quiz

Answer: Crested blue chatterer

'Cyanocitta' comes from two Greek words: 'kyaneos', which means 'blue'; and 'kitta', which means 'chattering bird' or 'jay'.

'Cristata' is from Latin, and translates as 'crested' or 'tufted'.

Blue jays are known to be territorial birds, being loud and aggressive when others (especially humans) come near their nests. They make loud calls when predators are near, which often help to warn smaller birds as well. Unfortunately, due to their moderately slow flight speed, they are favourite targets for predatory birds.

While they have garnered a bad reputation for preying on other birds' nests, studies have shown this to be a very rare habit (1% of blue jays' diet), and they largely prefer nuts and insects.

Answer: False

The blue morpho butterfly (Morpho peleides) is found in the Americas from the Colombian Amazon basin north as far as Mexico. Its size and colouring make it one of the most recognizable and beautiful butterflies in the world.

Morphos are so called due to their undersides being camouflaged, typically brown with spots, so that when they flutter their wings, they intermittently blend into the background. And when they sit still with their wings together, they are much harder to see than when their iridescent blue wing tops are opened.

Answer: Ernest E. Williams

A number of different reptiles and amphibians carry the honourific 'williamsi' in their binomial names, but Lygodactylus williamsi was the first, bestowed upon this vibrant gecko in 1952 by colleague Arthur Loveridge.

While it might be called an 'electric blue gecko', or even a 'turquoise dwarf gecko', it is only the males of the species that have the distinctive blue tinge. The females range from a bronze colour to bright green. They are both (of course) diurnal and live exclusively on large screwpine trees.

As mentioned in the question, Williams' dwarf gecko is critically endangered, with multiple threats to its small habitat. The largest threat, however, comes from the international pet trade. It is estimated that between 2004 and 2009, around 15% of the wild population were illegally captured for resale.

Answer: Mandrill

As mammals go, mandrills are quite uncommon in terms of their colouration, which includes more than just the blue bits mentioned in the question. In his book "The Descent of Man", Charles Darwin noted that, "no other member in the whole class of mammals is colored in so extraordinary a manner as the adult male mandrill's".

Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) are Old World monkeys found in the tropical rainforest regions of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Congo. They are omnivores who live in large families, and are also known for their extreme sexual dimorphism, with the females roughly half the size of the males.

Answer: False

Commonly found in shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific region, the blue sea star enjoys coral reefs and beds of sea grass, typically staying below the tide line, but sometimes getting caught above. And not only are they NOT the fastest sea stars out there, they move relatively slowly at an average speed of about eight centimeters per minute.

The fastest sea star is (believed to be) the sunflower sea star, which is the largest of the sea stars and has the most arms (15 to 24 of them).

Answer: Peachicks

There are three species of peafowl, two of which are found in Asia: Indian peafowl (blue) and the green peafowl. The third can be found in the Congo basin and is appropriately named the Congo peafowl.

The feathery display by peacocks attracts peahens for mating, and the peahens are very picky, typically choosing peacocks with the most eyespots, which are usually the largest and strongest males.

Peahens mature at about two years of age, and typically have a clutch of four to eight eggs during their breeding season.

Answer: Suriname

The blue poison dart frog is considered one of the most at risk of the various poison dart frogs, mostly due to its limited range. While it carries the name, though, only the frogs of the genus Phyllobates (found from Nicaragua to Colombia) have actually been used as such.

The toxins in the skin of the blue poison dart frog are quite potent, with the potential to kill a human, but the toxins come through ingestion of poisonous insects in their habitat, and in captivity the frogs lose their toxicity.

In the wild, these frogs can live from four to six years, while in captivity, they have been known to reach ten years of age in captivity. They are a medium-sized frog at about three to four and a half centimeters in length.

The indigenous Tirio people call them 'okopipi'.

Answer: Neon blue goby

Paracanthurus hepatus is found in the Indo-Pacific region and is one of the most popular aquarium fish available. It has a large and wide-spread population, and is considered of 'least concern' by the World Conservation Union.

They are known by many names - palette surgeonfish, flagtail surgeonfish, blue surgeonfish, blue tang, royal blue tang, regal tang, Pacific regal blue tang, hippo tang, and blue hippo tang, according to Wikipedia.

Their diet consists primarily of plankton, but they will also eat algae. And while they look like a small fish, they can grow to 30 cm (12 inches) long.

Answer: True

*Most* species of crayfish are freshwater crustaceans, and the electric blue crayfish, or Florida crayfish (Procambarus alleni), is no exception. As mentioned, it is endemic to Florida, found throughout the state and even on the Florida Keys.

In the wild, they grow up to seven centimeters (three inches) and range in colour from brown-tan to blue. The ones bred for aquariums, however, are intentionally bred for the vibrant blue colour.

Answer: Lithuania

Bielzia coerulans was named for malacologist Michael Bielz, who first discovered it in 1847. Countries included in the Carpathian mountain range are the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic and Ukraine.

As juveniles, these slugs are a yellowish brown colour with dark lateral bands, and they only turn blue when they become adults. They grow to approximately 10 to 14 cm (four to five and a half inches).