Plant or Animal? Trivia Quiz

Answer: neither

The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle, olivine is a mafic (magnesium-iron) silicate mineral named for its olive-green colour. It is found mainly in igneous and metamorphic rocks, while it is much rarer in sedimentary rocks due to its rapid weathering when exposed to the elements.

The translucent, gem-quality variety of olivine is referred to as peridot or chrysolite, and is mined in various parts of the world, such as Arizona, Hawaii, Myanmar, and Egypt (in particular the island of Zabargad in the Red Sea). Olivine is also widely used in metalworking processes: more than half of the world's olivine for industrial use is mined in Norway.

Answer: plant

Wolfsbane is one of the common English names for plants of the genus Aconitum (aconite), which belongs to the family Ranunculaceae (the buttercup or crowfoot family). The genus comprises over 250 species of flowering plants native to the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most of these plants are extremely poisonous: the name wolfsbane is a literal translation of the Latinized Greek "lycoctonum", which may have referred to the use of aconite juice to poison baits or arrows used to kill wolves. The generic name Aconitum, on the other hand, is believed to be derived from "akón", the Greek word for dart or javelin.

Other names, such as monkshood (Aconitum napellus, the type species) or devil's helmet, refer to the distinctive shape of aconite flowers, which are typically a purplish-blue colour - though other colours also occur in nature. Because of their striking appearance, a number of aconite species are cultivated for ornamental purposes. The alkaloid aconitine, a powerful neurotoxin, is contained mainly in the roots and tubers of these plants; its ingestion can cause death from heart failure or respiratory paralysis.

Answer: animal

Treecreepers are small birds in the family Certhiidae of the order Passeriformes. The family consists of two subfamilies, corresponding to the genera Certhia and Salpornis, for a total of 11 species. The genus Salpornis includes only two species - one from India, and the other from sub-Saharan Africa - while the species in the genus Certhia are found primarily in Asia, with two species found also in Europe and North Africa, and one in North America. Australian treecreepers and Philippine creepers, while also passerines, are not closely related to the true treecreepers.

As suggested by their common name, treecreepers climb in a spiral pattern over the surface of trees, where they forage for food (mainly insects and other small invertebrates) with their thin, down-curved bills; their strong claws allow them a firm grip on the bark of the trees. Due to their small size and dull colouring, these woodland birds are unobtrusive, and rarely interact with humans.

Answer: plant

White or common horehound (Marrubium vulgare) is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae (the mint family). A native of Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern and central Asia, it is also naturalized in other temperate parts of the world, where it has also become an invasive species. This plant's common English name - from the Old English "hārhūne", meaning simply "downy plant" - stems from the fine down covering its crinkled greyish-green leaves, and has no connection whatsoever with dogs or hounds.

Unlike many of its relatives in the mint family, white horehound is hardly ever used as a cooking herb because of its bitter taste (its generic name, Marrubium, comes from the Hebrew for "bitter juice"). However, it has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal herb, in particular as a remedy for coughs and sore throats. Horehound hard candies are similar to cough drops; the herb is also used to make herbal teas, syrups, and other beverages. Black horehound (Ballota nigra) is a related plant, characterized by an unpleasant, mouldy smell.

Answer: neither

Serpentine is the name given to a group of minerals commonly found in serpentinite, a metamorphic rock formed from mafic (magnesium-iron) igneous rock. This transformation, which involves the absorption of large amounts of water, is known as serpentinization. Serpentine minerals owe their name (from Latin "serpentinus", meaning serpent-like) to their distinctive greenish, spotted appearance and texture reminiscent of the skin of a snake.

The three main polymorphs of serpentine are antigorite, lizardite (the most common), and chrysotile. The latter, also known as white asbestos, is widely used for its insulating properties - though also a health hazard if released into the air. On the other hand, most varieties of antigorite are prized as materials for jewelry and other decorative purposes because of their durability and attractive appearance.

Answer: animal

Reedbuck is the common name of three species of African antelopes in the genus Redunca (family Bovidae). The type species, the bohor reedbuck (Redunca redunca), is native to western, central and eastern sub-Saharan Africa, while the southern reedbuck (Redunca arundinum) - the largest of the three species - is found in much of southern Africa. The endangered mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula) lives in mountainous areas of eastern and southern Africa.

Reedbucks are medium-sized antelopes with a reddish- or greyish-brown coat; the males have short, forward-bending horns. They favour moist grasslands and swamplands, and owe their common English name to their habit of lying down on reed beds in the heat of the day, as well as their preference for tender reed shoots (along with grasses) as food. The specific name of the southern reedbuck, "arundinum", means "pertaining to reeds" in Latin.

Answer: animal

Sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates that belong to the class Holothuroidea of the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes starfish, sea urchins and sand dollars. This class comprises over 1,700 species divided into eight orders, characterized in most cases by a tubular body covered in leathery skin. Like other echinoderms, sea cucumbers have an endoskeleton made of ossicles, tiny calcified elements embedded just below the skin. In terms of size, they range from a few millimetres to the massive 3 m (9.8 ft) of the snake sea cucumber (Synapta maculata).

Many sea cucumber species are found in the warm waters of the Asia-Pacific region, where they form large herds that move across the deep sea floor, scavenging for food. In that part of the world, sea cucumbers are harvested for human consumption or to be used in traditional medicine. Called "trepang" in Indonesia, "hoisam" in China, and "namako" in Japan, they are regarded as a delicacy, and prepared in a variety of ways. Because of their popularity as food, many species of sea cucumber are vulnerable to overfishing, and a few are already endangered.

Answer: plant

A strikingly beautiful plant with vivid purple-pink flowers, the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) belongs to the family Plantaginaceae. The genus Digitalis, named for the flowers' tubular, thimble-like shape, comprises about 20 species of flowering plants native to Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa. The common foxglove has also naturalized in parts of North America and other temperate regions of the world. The name foxglove ("foxes glofa") is of Anglo-Saxon origin, though the connection between the plant and foxes remains obscure to this day.

Often cultivated as an ornamental plant, the foxglove has also been used for centuries for its medicinal properties, as it contains cardiac glycosides - organic compounds used to treat various heart conditions. These substances, however, are also very toxic to humans and animals, and can cause death by cardiac arrest.

Answer: animal

Nuthatches are birds of the genus Sitta, which alone constitutes the family Sittidae of the order Passeriformes; they are closely related to treecreepers and wrens. Found mainly in temperate or mountain areas of the Northern Hemisphere, these birds are characterized by their large heads, compact bodies and powerful, pointed bills; most species have bluish-grey upper parts and a black eye stripe. They are mostly non-migratory, favouring woodland habitats.

Nuthatches are omnivorous, and eat insects and other arthropods as well as nuts and seeds. Their common English name comes from these birds' habit of wedging large food items - such as nuts, acorns, or insects - in a crevice in the bark of a tree, and hacking at them with their bills. They are also very vocal, using a wide range of calls, whistles and trills to communicate.

Answer: plant

Cranesbills are more usually referred to as geraniums - a genus in the family Geraniaceae comprising about 422 species of flowering plants widely cultivated for their ornamental and medicinal properties. Found in the temperate regions of the world - as well in tropical mountain areas - most geranium species are winter-hardy. The name geranium, however, is also frequently used for the plants of the genus Pelargonium, which do not tolerate colder temperatures.

Geraniums are prized for their attractive, five-petaled flowers, in shades of white, pink, purple and blue, and palmate leaves divided into pointed segments. The genus's name comes from the Greek "géranos" (crane); the common English name "cranesbill" comes from the shape of the fruit capsule of some species, which is said to resemble a crane's head and bill. On the other hand, the name Pelargonium comes from the Greek word for stork, and the members of the genus are often referred to as storkbills.

Answer: neither

Also known in German as Meerschaum ("sea foam"), sepiolite is a soft clay mineral (magnesium silicate) with an opaque, off-white, pale grey or cream colour and porous texture. Its name comes from "sepia", the scientific name of cuttlefish, because of the perceived resemblance of the mineral with the internal shell (cuttlebone) of these cephalopods. The German name Meerschaum, on the other hand, comes from both the mineral's appearance and its high porosity, which allows it to float on water.

Sepiolite is highly prized as a material for smoking pipes, as it draws moisture and tobacco tar into the stone, leaving the smoke dry, cool and free from unpleasant aftertastes. The tradition of carving meerschaum pipes began in the early 18th century, and continues to this day. Sepiolite is also widely employed as an ingredient of cat litter.

Answer: animal

A denizen of the seas off the western and southern coasts of Australia, the leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) is one of the most bizarre of marine creatures - and one of the most effective at camouflaging against predators. This fish is the only member of the family Syngnathidae, to which seahorses, pipefish and other seadragons also belong. While its elongated, sinuous body is reminiscent of mythical dragons, the "leafy" part of its common English name is due to the distinctive, leaf-like protrusions that cover its body, used exclusively for camouflage.

When moving through water, propelled by its small pectoral and dorsal fins, this fish looks very much like a clump of floating seaweed. In fact, its generic name Phycodurus comes from "phűkos", the Greek word for seaweed. The leafy seadragon is the marine emblem of South Australia; though protected by law in Australia, leafy seadragons are endangered by marine pollution, and often captured for the aquarium trade.

Answer: plant

Also known as snake grass or puzzlegrass, horsetails are plants in the genus Equisetum, the only living genus in the family Equisetaceae. Unlike the majority of vascular plants, horsetails reproduce by spores rather than seeds, and are thus often referred to - along with other similar plants - as "fern allies". Mostly native to the wet areas of non-tropical Northern Hemisphere, though now found in most parts of the world except Antarctica, horsetails are "living fossils": they were ubiquitous in the forests of the Palaeozoic era, and are believed to have been one of the main components of the diet of herbivorous dinosaurs.

Horsetails have been used for centuries as traditional herbal remedies, though their effectiveness has not been proved. They are, however, cooked and eaten in various parts of the world, such as Japan and the Pacific Northwest - while they can be toxic to grazing animals (including horses). As their stems are coated with abrasive silicates, horsetails are often employed for scouring drinking or cooking vessels made of tin or pewter. The generic name Equisetum means "horse bristle" in Latin.