My Dream Animals: 9 for 10 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aye-aye

Leaving the aye-aye alone is probably all it ever wanted: it's a solitary creature after all and is usually found high up in trees. Whether one thinks the long middle finger is creepy or characterful, it's used to tap branches to echolocate grubs. The unusual appearance of the creature has led some locals to believe that the creature actually predicts death. Alas, that prediction is probably correct, but rather for the aye-aye itself, which has been killed by some people because of the superstition.

It was added to the IUCN Endangered list in 2014, with both habitat and hunting serving as significant factors.

Answer: Red-lipped batfish

As the name suggests, the red-lipped batfish is a grey-brown fish known for its luminous natural red lips. It is often - but not always - found deep underwater near the Galapagos Islands and Peru as a bottom feeder fish that enjoys crunching on small crustaceans. Marine biologists believe the brightness of the lips can help red-lipped batfish to identify each other when breeding, so perhaps those lips are just an acquired taste.

Answer: Mexican mole lizard

Amphisbaenia are often called worm lizards, but the Mexican mole lizard is one of four amphisbaenian species to actually have legs. It can reasonably be mistaken for an earthworm because of its length and width proportions: about 8 inches long and 0.3 inches wide.

The mole lizards spend much of their time underground, and if I were to really have seen one it'd most likely to have been either after heavy rain or at night when it might have come up to feed or mate.

Answer: Axolotl

The most striking axolotl colouring might be the leucistic type with pale pinky white skin and dark eyes, one of four mutant colourings. Researchers have been very interested in the axolotl's regeneration abilities; the axolotls have been able to regenerate damaged or lost limbs without scarring.

The quaint creature had a large population in Lake Xochimilco, underlying Mexico City. The urbanisation and development of that city has challenged the natural habitat of the creatures - between 1998 and 2008 it experienced an alarming 60-fold reduction in recorded numbers.

Answer: Dumbo octopus

The 'dumbo octopus' epithet does come from the creature's resemblance to Disney's similarly named character. In real life, it's highly unlikely I'd ever meet one of these as they tend to live over 1,000 meters underwater and are perhaps the deepest-swimming known octopodes of all. Though the fins might be assumed to help the creature paddle, they actually propel water behind it and help to steer and stabilise the creature.

Some have described it as the 'cutest octopus' due to its small size (around eight inches), bell-shaped body and short arms.

Answer: Irrawaddy dolphin

Myanmar's Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River is where the name comes from, and it is one of the places the dolphins can be found. The Irrawaddy dolphins are more broadly associated with the coastal regions of south-east Asia, while belugas would normally be in Arctic or sub-Arctic regions.

They do have a similarly expressive 'face', however, on a head that they can move in all directions. They're not terribly fussy eaters and will eat a range of fish, squid and octopus.

Answer: Long-wattled umbrellabird

The hair crest sort of resembles an overexaggerated pompadour - or at least a prominent fringe - and this feature is common to umbrellabirds. There is significant sexual dimorphism as the females are generally much smaller and have either a small or non-existent wattle. Umbrellabirds in general come from the rainforests of Central and South America, and the long-wattled umbrellabird, in particular, can be found in Colombia and Ecuador in the Pacific coastal regions.

The scaly feathered wattle helps augment the umbrellabird's call as well as acting as a display for mates, and can be inflated such that it resembles a pinecone.

Answer: Leafy seadragon

The Syngnathidae family includes seahorses, seadragons and pipefishes. The leafy seadragons tend to live in warm saltwater regions on the south coast of Australia, and move around as little as they can, though they have to feed very regularly due to not having a digestive system that can 'hold' the food. Like seahorses, the leafy seadragon will also be carrying the young until it's birthed.

The camouflage is so effective that, in general, they run a bigger risk of fish eating them thinking they're eating a leaf than a predator actually discovering the camouflage.

However, the young take time to grow this camouflage, contributing to their childhood being a dangerous experience.

Answer: Oilbird

The oilbird, known locally as guácharo (wailer), can be found in northern areas of the southern Americas such as Trinidad. In addition to its piercing calls, it uses audible clicks to echolocate in caves. It quite plausibly never sees daylight, as it only comes out of the caves once the sun has set.

The bird's name derives from the colourless oil the squabs produce, used as a source of light and for cooking with.

Answer: Armadillo

Armadillos are mammals, with a carapace, that can be found in the Americas. The pink fairy armadillo is the smallest species of armadillo and has a distinctive pink flexible dorsal shell with white fur. The screaming hairy armadillos are the smallest of the three hairy species and, aptly, have a greater amount of hair than other types of armadillo. Armadillos can sleep for over 18 hours in a day, so let's hope this armadillo - if it can do so at all - has sweet dreams.