The Dark Side of the Animal World Quiz

Answer: Leaves it to fend for itself

At eight weeks old the female seal leaves the pup and joins her mate, leaving the pup to fend for itself. The Weddell Seal needs to eat large amounts of food to maintain a large layer of blubber. They mainly eat fish but will also dine on krill, squid and penguins.

Answer: When the young hatch, they eat each other

The female lays three to four sacs, each with around 250 eggs, which she protects aggressively. From about 1,000 eggs usually only a dozen survive after incubation as the young eat each other.

Answer: Panthera pardus

The black panther is either a black jaguar or a black leopard. It is not a separate species but a melanistic (i.e. black colouring) form of the same animal. Given that "The Jungle Book" was set in India, Bagheera would be a leopard as jaguars are a South American animal whereas leopards are African and found in the hotter parts of Asia.

Answer: Whilst in the womb, the first embryo to emerge eats the other embryos

The female sand tiger shark has two uteri and within each there are many embryos formed. The stronger embryo eats the other embryos and then eats the unfertilised eggs whilst inside the womb. The female will then give birth two infant sharks, each one metre long.

Answer: Eat their own eggs if they are lacking in calcium

When chickens do not receive enough calcium they will peck and eat their own eggs to gain the required amount of calcium. Ensuring your chickens are given appropriate food groups will ensure this trait does not happen.

The pecking order is to be the boss of the flock.

Male chickens will fight each other for dominance.

Answer: They do not. Lemming mass suicide is a myth

Lemmings are a group of heterogeneous rodents that span four genera. Two of their species, Norway lemming (Lemmus lemmus) and brown lemming (L.sibirius) breed so rapidly that they do have to control or regulate their population. They do this by dispersing, and occasionally one may fall off a cliff or drown because of unfamiliarity of location.

However, according to the urban legend site (www.snopes.com), the perception can be traced back to a 1958 Disney documentary, "White Wilderness" where the mass suicide was staged using a few dozen lemming caught by Inuit children.

Answer: They can shoot an aimed stream of blood 1.5 m towards their attacker

Horned lizards shoot a stream of blood out of their eyes by restricting blood flow back to the heart. This builds up blood pressure and increases pressure in the sinuses which eventually collapse the sinuses so the blood stream (literally) can be aimed and released. The "shot" blood tastes foul to dogs, cats, thereby warning these species against proceeding any further.

Answer: It has an alkaloid poison it secretes from skin glands

Before all the Aussies start jumping up and down about how we have 9/10 of the most venomous creatures on earth AND the most venomous - the inland taipan, there is a difference between poisonous and venomous. Phyllobates terribilis is found on the Pacific coast of Colombia. Unlike venomous animals which have a delivery mechanism such as spines or fangs (Ahh!) poisonous animals passively transfer their poison to the attacker. One mg of poison will kill 15-20 adult humans.

Answer: Spraying from stink glands

Zorilla, or striped polecat, is able to spray its enemies via an anal spray much like a skunk. The spray temporarily blinds the enemy and leaves it with an intense burning sensation.

Answer: Fugu

Pufferfish are generally considered to be the second most poisonous vertebrate after the golden poison frog. The poison is concentrated in the liver, ovaries and eyes. The poison paralyses the muscles, and therefore the diner cannot breathe and will die from asphyxiation. There is no antidote. The Japanese call pufferfish fugu (literally "river pig"). Only chefs who have had rigorous training and have been certified are allowed to prepare pufferfish. Domestic preparation has led to occasional deaths.

Fugu can be prepared in numerous ways, but you would not catch me eating it!