TouchéGet the appNature & Animals trivia questions
Ten questions to try. Pick an answer to see why.
01How many arms does an octopus have?Try itHide
Answer: Eight
WhyTwo-thirds of an octopus's neurons are in its eight arms, not its brain. Each arm can make some decisions on its own, and a severed arm can still move and react.
02What is a baby kangaroo called?Try itHide
Answer: Joey
WhyA newborn joey is about the size of a lima bean and has to climb into its mother's pouch by itself. It stays inside for months, drinking milk. Baby koalas, wallabies and wombats are called joeys too.
03What type of animal is a dolphin?Try itHide
Answer: A mammal
WhyDolphins breathe air through a blowhole on top of the head and nurse their young with milk. That makes them mammals, not fish. Their ancestors were land animals with hooves.
04Which mammal is best known for moving slowly?Try itHide
Answer: Sloth
WhyA sloth is faster in the water than in the trees. It swims about 44 feet a minute, more than three times its usual pace, and by slowing its heart it can hold its breath for up to 40 minutes.
05What is a tomato, botanically speaking?Try itHide
Answer: A fruit
WhyIn 1893 the US Supreme Court ruled that the tomato is a vegetable. A tariff taxed vegetables but not fruit, and the court went by how people eat it: with dinner, not as dessert. Botanically it is still a berry.
06Which of these animals is a rodent?Try itHide
Answer: Beaver
WhyBeavers are rodents, and among the biggest in North America. Rabbits look like rodents but belong to a separate group called lagomorphs. Hedgehogs and shrews are neither and are closer to moles.
07What is a female pig called?Try itHide
Answer: Sow
WhyAn adult female pig is a sow, and a male is a boar. Baby pigs are piglets. Sows build a nest of twigs and leaves before giving birth.
08Which of these is an ape?Try itHide
Answer: Orangutan
WhyApes do not have tails, and monkeys mostly do. The orangutan is a great ape, like gorillas and chimpanzees. Its name comes from Malay words meaning person of the forest.
09What type of plant is aloe vera?Try itHide
Answer: Succulent
WhyThe plant in so many burn gels can get sunburned itself: too much direct sun turns aloe vera's thick, water-storing leaves red. And the evidence that aloe helps burns or wounds heal is conflicting.
10What is a narwhal's tusk?Try itHide
Answer: A tooth
WhyThe tusk is a spiraled canine tooth that grows out through the upper lip. Most tusks belong to males and can grow nearly 10 feet long. Scientists think it may help the whale sense the saltiness of the water.
That was 10 of 201.
The rest are in the app, each with the story behind the answer.