Bikini Bottom Fauna Files Trivia Quiz

Answer: phylum Porifera; class Demospongia

While there are four classes of the phylum Porifera, all of them sponges, over 90% of sponge species are of the class Demospongia. Natural sea sponges are not square, and SpongeBob looks more like a kitchen sponge, which would be made of cellulose wood fiber or synthetic polyfiber these days.

There is a real organism named "Spongiforma squarepantsii" (genus and species): it is a mushroom named for SpongeBob SquarePants, because it looks a bit like the sponges seen as we zoom in on the ocean floor in Stephen Hillenburg's television cartoon series. Cnidaria is the phylum and Anthozoa the class for sea anemones. Bikini Bottom is the fictional part of the sea floor where SpongeBob and his cohorts live.

Answer: Gastropoda

Snails and slugs are molluscs classified as gastropods, a huge class of invertebrate animals, including species that live in the sea, in fresh water, on land, and even in trees. Cephalopods (squid and octopi) and bivalves (clams, oysters, etc.) are also members of the phylum Mollusca. Felidae is the scientific name for the cat family. Gary purrs and meows, but (sorry to tell you this, kids) he's not a cat.

Answer: phylum Echinoderma; class Asteroidea

Starfish (more accurately called sea stars, since they are not fish) are classified in the phylum Echinoderma and the class Asteroidea, words that aptly describe their forms: "echinoderm" means "spiny skin" and "asteroid" means "star-like" in Greek. Patrick Star isn't a cephalopod mollusc, since he isn't a squid or octopus; nor is he of the phylum Chordata, since he has no backbone, or the family (not class) Cyprinidae, since he isn't a goldfish.

He IS silly and lazy, but these don't strictly count as scientific classifications.

Answer: phylum Arthropoda; subphylum Crustacea

Arthropods are a very large class that also includes insects. Both crabs and lobsters are members of the phylum Arthropoda (which means "jointed feet") and the subphylum Crustacea (which means "having a shell or rind"). Crabs and lobsters, as well as shrimp and krill, also share the class Malacostraca, while another relative, the barnacle, is in the class Maxillopoda. Birds are classified in the phylum Chordata and class Aves; members of the phylum Chordata and the superclass Tetrapoda are the many animals who have four limbs (including birds).

Answer: Cetacea

In the cartoon world of "SpongeBob SquarePants", a sperm whale can have a crab for a father. Go figure. But in the scientific world, a crab is an invertebrate of the phylum Arthropoda, subphylum Crustacea, and order Decapoda; a whale is a vertebrate, a mammal, and a cetacean: quite a difference. Plus, a sperm whale is a whole lot bigger than the biggest crab on the menu. So when you place your order, order crab or lobster or calamari; please don't order Cetacea.

Answer: Cephalopoda

Both squids and octopi are members of the phylum Mollusca and the class Cephalopoda (which means head footed); squids are of the order Teuthida, while octopi are of the order Octopoda. An octopus has a larger, rounder head than a squid; a squid has two extra tentacles, ten to the octopus's eight appendages; a squid has a stiff, flexible structure that acts as a backbone, whereas an octopus does not; some species of squid can grow to enormous lengths, while octopi do not, and there are other differences. Perhaps, the ambiguity about his identity is what makes Squidward so grouchy.

Answer: Tetraodontidae

The pufferfish is related to the porcupine fish, a spined fish that also expands as a defensive mechanism. Fish of the Tetraodontidae ("four teeth") family are very poisonous but are eaten in some cultures (e.g. Japanese "fugu" is a fish from this family); only one species of frog is known to be a more poisonous vertebrate than the pufferfish. Odontaspididae is the family name of tiger sharks; Crustacea is a subphylum classifying crabs, lobsters, and other aquatic invertebrates with hard exoskeletons, and Echinoderma is the phylum of starfish and related animals.

Answer: Sciuridae

Squirrels actually can swim, but it's unlikely that we would spot one in the wild wearing diving gear. The family name Sciuridae sounds like scurrying, but it is derived from Latin "shadow tail" - the fluffy part of the squirrel's body that probably allows most humans to see them as cuter than other rodents. Leporidae is the family name of rabbits; Canidae refers to the dog family, and Delphinidae is the only family name here that includes an animal we would expect to see in the open sea, the dolphin.

Answer: Rotifera

Plankton includes a multitude of tiny organisms, including everything from single cells to algae and protozoa to krill and jellies to immature members of more complex phyla. Phytoplankton consist of organisms in the plant kingdom that produce food through photosynthesis and zooplankton are organisms in the animal kingdom. Protists, bacteria, and other life forms also float in the sea as part of plankton. Tiny rotifers (0.1 to 3 mm in length) are one of the many types of zooplankton to be found in the world's oceans, as well as in fresh water and even in damp moss or soil; the rotating cilia at one end of the rotifer looks like the rotating head of an electric shaver (or a wheel). Amphibia is not a phylum but the class that includes frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders; Coniferophyta is the plant division including conifers, and Anthophyta is the plant division including flowering plants.

Answer: Chordata

The phylum Chordata (meaning "with a cord") includes all vertebrates and several other groups that share certain anatomical characteristics with vertebrates at some stage in their development. The class Mammalia, the order Primates, the family Hominidae, the genus "Homo" and the species "sapiens": that's us. Porifera is the phylum that includes sponges; Mollusca is the phylum that includes snails, clams, squids, etc., and Annelida includes earthworms, leeches, and clamworms.