Animal Diaries Pt.1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: a lion

The spots (or rosettes) which lion cubs are born with serve to break up the form of the young animals. This means that they are less easily detected by predators - something which lions do not have to worry about when they reach adulthood. Being inconspicuous may also benefit a lion cub if a new male chases away the previous leader of a pride, as this new male will kill any cubs he finds, with the intention of starting a new pride made up of his cubs only.

This is a huge concern for lionesses, which therefore are quite selective when choosing a new pride to join.

They must find the most dominant male, as he will be more likely to face off any challenges, thus protecting the cubs of the pride. Studies have shown that the colour of a lion's mane is an indication of dominance - darker manes suggest more testosterone and so greater dominance.

Answer: The Japanese red bug

Though most insects simply lay their eggs and go on their merry way, some species have been known to care for their young after they hatch. Few are more devoted than the Japanese red bug, which often works itself to death, having to search for suitable fruit which has fallen in the surrounding forest (their nymphs are particularly fussy eaters). When fully grown, the Japanese red bug resembles a small red leaf, with large black spots on its back.

Another bug known to care for its young is the sawfly, which guards its young for weeks, deterring predators with their large jaws and aggressive-sounding wing buzz.

Answer: The axolotl

The axolotl, whose name means "water god", fails to metamorphose and so keeps its feathery external gills. Unlike other amphibians, which develop lungs upon reaching adulthood, the axolotls will remain entirely aquatic, though they will metamorphose if they are exposed to the right kinds of hormones, or are injected with iodine.

Answer: The northern royal albatross

The trait of a chick weighing more than its parents is surprisingly common in sea birds such as the albatross. The chick of an albatross can take over 200 days to fledge.

Albatrosses, along with petrels and shearwaters are characterized by tubular nostrils, and they spend most of their time by the sea. Some species of albatross have been observed spending as much as seven years at sea before returning to breed. When these birds do return to land to breed, it is often done in large numbers, thus lowering the chances of losing their eggs to predators.

Albatrosses are monogamous and will stay together throughout their long lives, even when their chick becomes independent. Polygamy has been observed in each bird species mentioned in the incorrect answer options.

Answer: The cicada

The periodical cicadas of North America have baffled scientists for years with their odd life cycles. They hatch and remain underneath the soil for many years (3 species emerge every 17 years and a further 4 species operate on 13 year cycles). The insects will emerge fully grown.

Once out in the open, these swarms of cicadas are said to drive the Americans mad, producing incredibly loud noises by using organs known as tymbals. These tymbals are flat and disk-like, and are forced in and out by muscles in their abdomens. The sound is made unbearably loud by air sacs below the tymbals, which act as amplifiers.

Answer: The cheetah

The cheetah lacks the deep and threatening roar of its cousins (the lion and the leopard), but instead lets out high-pitched chirps. This trait, unfortunately for the young cheetah, is one which is carried into adulthood. The fluffy, spiked-up fur on top of their heads, however, is only present for the first part of a cheetah's life.

What a cheetah can do that no other land animal can do is reach speeds over 70 mph. However, only around half of a cheetah's chases end in success, as the gazelles of the African savannah are more nimble than the big cat.

Answer: The sergeant major damselfish

The usual colouring of the sergeant major damselfish is yellow/blue, with thick black stripes, though it may become totally black when exhibiting aggression. This aggression is often shown, sometimes to protect the damselfish's eggs, and sometimes just to show who's boss. After the female of the species lays several thousand eggs, the male guards them vigilantly, chasing off any potential threats.

The taxonomic name for the sergeant major damselfish is Abudefduf saxatilis, which translates as "father amongst the rocks", in light of their parental behaviour.

Answer: The green turtle

The mating habits of the green turtle are quite extraordinary. As well as having to wait up to 50 years before becoming sexually mature, females will breed every two or six years, laying around 200 eggs in a clutch (some have been observed laying up to nine clutches on a single beach).

The beach where a female lays her eggs will often be the same beach where she was born. The number of eggs layed by a green turtle is so large because many do not survive their first few weeks. If the nest is not infiltrated by dogs, birds, or other predators, most which do hatch will not reach the sea. Those which do reach the sea, however, can live for up to 100 years.

Answer: A shark

The bonnethead is from the hammerhead family, and so possesses the characteristic flattened and widened head.

The birth at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska in 2001 appeared odd as the female shark gave birth to a single pup (they usually give birth to 10 or so). Keepers at the zoo were even more puzzled when they considered the fact that this shark had not even come into contact with a male. Tests in later years proved that this pup possessed no paternal DNA, showing for the first time that parthenogenesis was possible in cartilaginous fish.

Answer: The monitor lizard

Several monitor lizards have been known to show this trait of abandoning their eggs in termite mounds, such as a number of Australian monitors (or goannas), the Malayan water monitor, and the Nile water monitor.

The reason for this action seems to be to protect the eggs from the intense heat of the sun. The fact that termites within the mound will protect the eggs from ants and other predators seems to be a happy bonus.