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Paleontology Trivia Quiz

Ten questions about the pre-Holocene world.

A multiple-choice quiz by NathanRobison. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
NathanRobison

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
75,938

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1703

Last 3 plays: Guest 107 (6/10), Guest 209 (3/10), bernie73 (6/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of the following geologic periods is the oldest, chronologically? Hint

Jurassic

Cambrian

Paleocene

Permian

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Question 2 of 10

2. This name describes primitive mammals that still lay eggs. Common throughout the Mesozoic, there are now only two families. Hint

Placental

Multiberculate

Marsupial

Monotreme

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Question 3 of 10

3. This name used to refer to all large carnivorous dinosaurs, now it is only used to describe allosaurs and their close relatives. Hint

Archosaur

Carnosaur

Tyrannosaur

Spinosaur

4. Therapsids were warm blooded reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic periods. They are the ancestors of mammals, but which type of therapsid are mammals directly descended from? Hint

Cynodont

Dicynodont

Theriodont

Pelycosaur

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Question 5 of 10

5. What feature of reptiles make them inherently superior to amphibians as terrestrial animals? Hint

Amniotic Egg

Specialized Teeth

Scaly Skin

Higher Intellegence

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Question 6 of 10

6. This name refers to one of the most ancient and successful of predatory fish. Hint

Barracuda

Pike

Shark

Ghar

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the following genera is NOT a dinosaur? Hint

Pterodactylus

Suchomimus

Ornithosuchus

Diplodocus

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Question 8 of 10

8. After the mass extinction that took place sixty five million years ago, the descendants of dinosaurs never again dominated any important terrestrial predator niche.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. In most respects the extinct marsupial thylacine of Tasmania closely resembles mamalian carnivores elswhere, but they are not closely related. This is an example of what kind of evolution? Hint

Convergent

Rapid

Divergent

Coincidental

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Question 10 of 10

10. Ammonites used to abound in the oceans until the great Cretaceous extinction belonged to which family? Hint

Hippocampus

Arthropod

Cephalopod

Gastropod

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 19 2024 : Guest 107: 6/10
Oct 12 2024 : Guest 209: 3/10
Sep 12 2024 : bernie73: 6/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following geologic periods is the oldest, chronologically?

Answer: Cambrian

The Cambrian is the oldest geological time period from which good multicellular eukaryotic fossils are known. Periods before the Cambrian have names but are usually just referred to as 'Precambrian'.

2. This name describes primitive mammals that still lay eggs. Common throughout the Mesozoic, there are now only two families.

Answer: Monotreme

Monotremes are found only in Australia and nearby islands. The platypus and the species of echidna are the only surviving monotremes.

3. This name used to refer to all large carnivorous dinosaurs, now it is only used to describe allosaurs and their close relatives.

Answer: Carnosaur

Theropod dinosaurs used to be divided into only two groups: small coelurosaurs and gigantic carnosaurs. This notion has since been proved inaccurate.

4. Therapsids were warm blooded reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic periods. They are the ancestors of mammals, but which type of therapsid are mammals directly descended from?

Answer: Cynodont

Cynodont means 'dog tooth' and they are the direct ancestors of mammals. Theriodonts were giant predators and dicynodonts were bulky herbivores, both of which went extinct by the end of the Triassic. Pelycosaurs are not therapsids, but are their ectothermic ancestors.

5. What feature of reptiles make them inherently superior to amphibians as terrestrial animals?

Answer: Amniotic Egg

Reptiles are superior to amphibians as land animals in numerous ways, but the primary feature that made them so was the waterproof amniotic egg. These shelled eggs made them independent of aquatic reproduction.

6. This name refers to one of the most ancient and successful of predatory fish.

Answer: Shark

Pikes, gharfish, and barracudas are all ray-finned fishes, and are relatively recent additions to the planet's aquatic fauna. Sharks on the other hand have been stalking the seas pretty much unchanged since their origins in the Devonian period.

7. Which of the following genera is NOT a dinosaur?

Answer: Pterodactylus

Pterodactylus is a pterodactyloid pterosaur. While closely related, pterosaurs are not dinosaurs.

8. After the mass extinction that took place sixty five million years ago, the descendants of dinosaurs never again dominated any important terrestrial predator niche.

Answer: False

Numerous times during the epochs of the Tertiary period and the Pleistocene period, flightless birds (closely related to modern cranes and moorhens) evolved into giant superpredators on the American continents. Examples include phorusrahcus, diatryma, gastornis and titanis.

9. In most respects the extinct marsupial thylacine of Tasmania closely resembles mamalian carnivores elswhere, but they are not closely related. This is an example of what kind of evolution?

Answer: Convergent

10. Ammonites used to abound in the oceans until the great Cretaceous extinction belonged to which family?

Answer: Cephalopod

Ammonites were named for their spiral shape, which was similar to the horns of the Greek, ramlike, god Ammon. Living members of the cephalopod family include squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.

Source: Author NathanRobison

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
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