Melange of 'D' Animals Trivia Quiz

Answer: aerial

The drongo is a tropical perching bird with a forked tail, mostly found in the Old World. There are 28 species in this family of carnivorous black or dark grey birds. They eat mostly insects and small birds with just under a quarter of their food coming from using alarm calls to cause others to abandon their food.

The bird is indirectly the source of the Australian insult (meaning fool or idiot), which was directed at an unsuccessful 1920s race horse said to be named after the spangled drongo, the only species found in Australia.

Answer: aerial

Dunlins are small migratory waders found in a band across the Arctic and sub-arctic northern hemisphere. They migrate to over-winter in warmer climes. Those breeding in western Europe migrate a relatively short distance, perhaps only as far as north-west Africa, compared to those in other breeding areas.

Answer: aerial

The dickcissel is another migratory bird, ranging between mid-western US and northern Colombia and Venezuela. It is a small seed-eating bird and the only member of the Spiza genus. One problematic specimen, known as Townsend's dickcissel, was shot in 1833 and appears to be a colour variant perhaps caused by a genetic mutation (in a similar way to albinism) rather than a hybrid or sub-species.

Answer: aerial

Found in Europe and eastwards into Russia, this small temperate perching bird is from the accentor genus. It was introduced into New Zealand in the 19th century and is now well established there. The species uses various mixes of sexes when raising families; it turns out the most successful broods are those where the female leaves it to two males to bring up the brood.

Answer: aquatic

Popular as an aquarium fish, the Symphysodon genus is an Amazonian native known as discus or discus fish, a type of cichlid. Their colouring, calm nature and parental care are part of their appeal as aquarium fish. They are a social species but separate from the group when raising a brood with both adults involved in the care. Adults feed their young with a skin secretion ('discus milk') for the first few weeks.

Answer: aquatic

Dragonets are small colourful patterned marine fish mostly found in the tropics. Similar in shape to members of the goby family, they distinguish themselves by having longer dorsal fins and the female sex having protruding lower jaws. Males have a higher mortality rate due to male-on-male aggression, particularly during the breeding season.

Answer: aquatic

The Sciaenidae family of ray-finned fish runs to about 300 species and they are commonly called drums or croakers. The croaking sound is caused by specialised muscles, known as sonic muscle fibres, which vibrate against the swim bladder. In some species these are only present in the male, being strengthened for courting and allowed to wither outside the mating season. In other species, both sexes have them all year around, seemingly used for communication.

Answer: aquatic

The dugong is a marine mammal found in the Indo-West Pacific region, as far north as the Red Sea. It subsists on seagrass and so is dependent on conditions which support seagrass meadows, mainly shallow coastal protected areas. It has been hunted for thousands of years and continues to lose population to hunting, fishing-related issues and habitat loss. It is the only surviving member of its species with manatees being close relatives. Its dolphin-like tail helps to distinguish it from manatees.

Answer: terrestrial

The dhole, or mountain wolf, (Cuon alpinus) is a member of the canid family native to Asia. Genetic investigation suggests that it is a hybrid involving a relative of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). It is a hunter of ungulates and, in tropical forests, competes with the tiger and leopard for some of its prey. Living in clans with no rigid hierarchy, for hunting purposes these break down into groups of three to five animals, unlike pack hunters where the pack all hunt together.

Answer: terrestrial

Related to mandrills and baboons, the drill is a short-tailed monkey found in a small region of west Africa and, as such, is one of the most endangered mammals. Living in mixed groups of up to 30 individuals, they are led by a dominant male who fathers most of the young. They are mostly fruit eaters but will eat herbs, eggs, insects and small mammals on occasion.

Answer: terrestrial

With four species in the Madoqua genus, the dik-dik is a small antelope from east and south Africa. They live in shrublands and savannas surviving on a diet of foliage, shoots, fruit and berries. They have dryland adaptations, including fewer sweat glands and an ability to concentrate their urine, saving body water as a result.

They also have a lower metabolic rate than their body size would suggest.

Answer: terrestrial

Also known as the bakaga or bondegezou, this animal is found in mountainous regions of New Guinea. The endangered dingiso is a species of tree-kangaroo. It is a long-tailed marsupial, carrying its young in a pouch. Black and white in colour, it spends little time in trees despite its classification.