Melange of 'E' Animals Trivia Quiz

Answer: aerial

A short-billed smaller species of the nightjar family, this nocturnal insect-eating bird is endemic to west Mexico. It tends to frequent brushy oak woodland. It has the ability to enter a state of torpor during hot weather, potentially surviving weeks without food or water.

Answer: aerial

As you would expect, the emerald tanager has a bright green plumage. It also has some distinctive black streak markings, particularly on the wings. It is a member of the Thraupidae family of birds and is Neotropical in distribution, being found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. The bird is omnivorous, mainly eating fruit supplemented by arthropods, flowers and flower buds.

Answer: aerial

Being found at the western extremities of the Amazon basin and into Peru, the elusive antpitta bird lives up to its name. Being so rarely seen, not a lot is known about it. Comparing it with other members of the antpitta family, it likely feeds near or at the ground and may specialise in eating ants.

Answer: aerial

The Eurasian hobby (Falco Subbuteo) is a type of bird of prey. It is a migrating bird, wintering in Africa and breeding in the Palearctic strip which takes in north Africa, most of Europe and the breadth of Russia. Its scientific name is derived from the Latin for a sickle (falx, falcis), named for the shape of its wings. The subbuteo part means 'less than buzzard'. It prefers open land for its hunting, normally in early morning and evening, and using old bird nests for breeding.

Answer: aquatic

Not surprisingly, the Zoarcidae family of fish are a bit eel-like in appearance. The family consists of 300 species of marine fish, mostly bottom-dwelling and at great depth. Found around the globe, they are mostly northern hemisphere fish. The temperature and availability of food in the water they inhabit seems to have contributed to the evolution of the various species. Shallower dwelling fish tend to be larger.

Answer: aquatic

The Lethrinidae family of fish are known as emperors, emperor breams or pigface breams. They tend to be bottom feeding carnivores in sub-tropical and tropical waters. Ray-finned fish, they have strong jaws and some species have various types of teeth to help eat foods with shells such as crabs and molluscs.

These can include canine, molar and bristle-like teeth with the mix and configuration depending on the type of food they normally target. They spawn in shallow waters with some species showing protandrous hermaphroditism, changing sex from male to female as they age.

Answer: aquatic

The escolar or the snake mackerel is found around the world in tropical and temperate waters of some depth, growing to more than 2 metres (7 ft) in length. It is unable to digest the wax esters found in its food and so can have an oil content of as much as 25% in its flesh. In restaurants this can cause gempylid fish poisoning (it is in the Gempylidae family of fish). Its sale has been banned in Italy and Japan due to its toxic effects although it can be found mislabelled in some fish markets and sold as 'white tuna'.

Answer: aquatic

The eulachon is one of those fish that migrates up rivers to spawn. In this case the rivers are on the Pacific coast of North America from California northwards. Its alternative name of candlefish is due to the high fat content (15%) when spawning. The spawning fish were a valuable food source for indigenous communities with fish oil production important as well. Grease trails were the name given to the trading routes into the interior of the Pacific Northwest, mainly because of the eulachon oil trade.

Answer: terrestrial

Sometimes known as the spiny anteater, the echidnas are egg-laying mammals found in Australia and New Guinea. There are four species descended from a platypus-like ancestor but which have adapted to living on land. The short-beaked echidna (the one found in Australia) eats ants and termites. The other species typically eat worms and insect larvae. The short-beaked echidna can also go into a deep torpor, reducing its body temperature as a survival strategy during times of extreme heat or food shortage such as after a fire.

Answer: terrestrial

Found in much of the United States and into Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, the eastern racer is a non-venomous snake. Despite its 'eastern' label, its range extends to the Californian west coast. Its scientific name (Coluber constrictor) is a bit misleading as it overcomes its larger prey by pinning it down with one or two coils rather than constricting it. As its common name suggests, it moves fast. Its diet consists mostly of rodents, although it also takes small mammals, amphibians, lizards and other snakes.

Answer: terrestrial

A species of squirrel-sized New World monkey, the emperor tamarin sports a long white moustache with beard which contrasts with its dark fur. It supposedly takes its name from the German emperor Wilhelm II. It inhabits the far southwestern reaches of the Amazon basin which takes in parts of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. Mainly eating fruit and flowers, they are omnivorous. Their social structure is based on extended family groups headed by a dominant female with her mate. Cooperative breeding, where older relatives help with raising young, is another feature.

Answer: terrestrial

The European mouflon is a feral primitive sheep originally from the Eastern Mediterranean around 11,000 years ago. About 3,000 years ago it was restricted to Corsica and Sardinia, possibly due to over-hunting. It has been reintroduced into central Europe where the largest populations now are. Reintroduction of grey wolves has changed the population dynamics. Where pigs and deer exist for the wolves, the mouflon are barely affected. The reintroduced Eurasian lynx also targets the mouflon.