Now That's a Beguiling Beastie! Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Hoo-wee! What is that smell? I like to mark my den with an acrid liquid that smells like rotten garlic and onions; this keeps strangers away. I'm kind of a furry little creature with a pig-like nose. I live in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay peninsula. Although I've never heard any music of theirs, an L.A.-based band chose to name themselves after me. What am I named?

Answer: moonrat

The moonrat is a true omnivore. These rat-like creatures have been known to eat fish, frogs, nuts, berries, any invertebrate they can find, and fruit. Although not yet an endangered species, they face a potential threat from de-forestation. Aardvarks have a pig-like nose, but they're native to Africa. Moonrats the band? Fronted by Nathan Thelen, they were started in Seattle in 2007.

2. I get no respect from humans because of my Jimmy Durante-like big nose and my pot belly and all. But in my species, when the chicks see that big nose they come a-runnin.' I live in the swamps of Borneo, and my unusually flat feet make me an excellent wader. What am I?

Answer: Proboscis monkey

Male proboscis monkeys have to push their noses out of the way to eat. Although the female herself has a pretty big nose in relation to her face, it is dwarfed by the male's huge honker, which is believed to be a sexual attractant. Contrary to popular belief, the Latin "Proboscis" does not mean "nose." It means "to feed forward;" therefore, an elephant's trunk qualifies as a "proboscis." Generally speaking, any large appendage at the front of the face qualifies as a proboscis.

3. ARGGGGRRAH! I can't tell you where I'm from, because that might tell you who I am. I'm a creature whose bark is ALMOST as disturbing as my bite. When you hear that shriek, you freeze, pal, and I could snap your arm like you snap a matchstick. Oh, by the way, you'll know when I've been around, because I leave my pungent stink behind me. I somewhat resemble a dog-sized bear, and I'm definitely not as cute as that Looney Tunes character named after me. What am I called?

Answer: Tasmanian devil

The muscular Tasmanian devil, whose powerful head and jaws allow it to deliver the strongest bite of any living mammal, also eats carrion; they have been known to steal food from people's houses, too. It was nicknamed "devil" because of its terrifying high-pitched shriek. "Taz," the WB cartoon character, now draws tourists to Tasmania.

4. I look like a cross between a deer and a zebra, but I'm actually related to the giraffe. Like the giraffe, I use my long sticky tongue to grab onto those yummy leaves and branches. You humans didn't even classify me as a species until 1901. What did you decide to call me?

Answer: okapi

The okapi is a solitary creature, and was unknown to the Western scientific establishment until Henry Stanley, in his African travelogues, mentioned a cloven-hoofed, donkey-like creature with zebra legs. This spurred the curiosity of Harry Johnston, the British governor of Uganda, who did a study on the creature.

When the okapi was officially classified in 1901, it was given the name okapia johnstoni. A kepi is a hat; a koi is a fish. O'Leary? She owned a cow; you know how that turned out.

5. I'm a Southern Hemisphere bird, and range as far south as Antarctica. Watch it, intruders! Come too close to me, and I'll puke! At YOU. And boy, does my vomit stink. It might have something to do with my diet, because unlike many other sea birds, I'm not above eating the occasional dead seal or penguin, as well as fish and crabs. What am I?

Answer: Giant petrel

Giant petrels are both predators and scavengers, and have been known to measure a good six feet across the wings. Their stomachs produce a thick strong-smelling oil, which, oddly enough, they themselves eat on long flights and feed to their chicks. Other birds avoid the giant petrel because the vomited oil makes their feathers less waterproof. Even after decades in a museum, giant petrel eggs still stink.

6. Hello. You humans know me as an orange roughy or a redfish. Since you discovered I'm a tasty creature, I'm now overfished, almost to the point of extinction. Thanks a lot. I wish you knew me by my ORIGINAL name, which sounds anything but appetizing. What was the "orange roughy" originally known as?

Answer: slimehead

The orange roughy used to be known as the slimehead, because of the mucus canals that crisscross its head, which scientists say help fight off infections floating around in their natural element. The mucus also aids in combating toxins secreted by more powerful predators.

However, change the name and - presto - you've increased the demand. Unfortunately, the slimehead/roughy has a slow reproductive rate, so overfishing may lead to future extinction.

7. I'm a very pretty bird, with a colorful orange crest, and I range all over Europe and Asia. I'm also what you humans call a dirty bird; not only do I stink, but I use feces to protect my nest. I'm mentioned in the Bible, and my name comes from the distinct sound I make. What am I called?

Answer: hoopoe

The nesting female hoopoe's preening (or uropygial) gland produces a foul-smelling liquid which she rubs into her feathers; this not only deters intruders, but also aids in fighting bacteria. The young nestlings, if under attack, squirt their feces. (And you thought only chimps flung their poo!) In Leviticus 11 as well as Deuteronomy 14 (KJ,NKJ) the hoopoe is listed as a NON-kosher bird. (Any wonder to that?)

8. You humans would think me very pretty, with my teal color and all, but when cockroaches see me coming, they run. And, with good reason; I sting them, and basically turn those cockroaches into zombies. Then I lay an egg on the cockroach, and my darling little larva gradually devours it. Yum. What am I?

Answer: Jewel wasp

Sensitive lad that I am, I can't read about this gruesome process without wincing. It's truly and horrifyingly brutal. The wasp incapacitates the cockroach's instinct to escape, and after the wasp's egg is laid, the developing wasp larva eats into the cockroach, takes up residence inside its body, and gradually devours the cockroach from the inside out.

When the larva becomes a pupa, the cockroach finally - mercifully! - buys the farm. A fate worse than death! I do hope none of you picked the bankster worm; he devours the American economy from the inside out!

9. You've heard of "pretty in pink?" Well, I'm pink tapering to rosy red, but I ain't pretty. For a fish, I'm pretty unusual, because 1/3 of my body weight is a jelly-like substance. I live in cold water and warm water; in shallows and at really deep (24,000 feet) depths. I'm named after another slimy creature. What is my name?

Answer: snailfish

Go to Wikipedia.com and take a look at this thing! Pretty color but definitely yucky to the touch. According to Wikipedia, it is smooth and lacking scales, and "[t]he extensive dorsal and anal fins may merge or nearly merge with the tail fin." Not many moving parts there. It is a simple creature but apparently highly adaptive.

10. Just when you humans think you have it all figured out, we animals give you something to think about. Take me, for instance. I was supposed to have gone extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period, but then I was "found" off the coast of South Africa in 1938, just a-swimming along. What am I?

Answer: coelacanth

Hey, humans! This is the coelacanth speaking. The joke's on you - twice! First, you thought I was dead and I wasn't; second, my only "use" is my scientific value, because my oil-soaked tissues give my flesh a terrible taste. Annoyingly so, however, I'm not laughing. I can only live in deep water, and deep-sea trawling may mean the REAL end of me.

Source: Author snediger

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Fascinated with animals? Forget those fictional Jabberwocks. Nature has already provided us with some weird, yucky, wacky creatures. Can you identify these real animals from their descriptions?

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