Binomial Nomenclature A to Z Trivia Quiz

Answer: Agkistrodon piscivorous

The cottonmouth's name is deceptive. This snake is not actually a source of cotton. (Agkistrodon contortrix) is the copperhead, (Anolis carolinensis) is the green anole, and (Anolis equestris) is the knight anole

Answer: Bufo marinus

The giant toad is a native of South America that has been introduced to tropical and subtropical agricultural areas around the world. There are now healthy populations of giant toads in Hawaii, the West Indies, South East Asia, and Australia, where they have become pests. (B. americanus) is the American toad, (B. houstonensis) is the Houston toad, and (B. terrestris) is the southern toad.

Answer: Clemmys guttata

In addition to being an endangered species, the spotted turtle is also beautiful and delicious. (Clemmys insculpata) is the wood turtle, (Chameleo jacksoni) is Jackson's chameleon, and (Chameleo calyptratus) is the veiled chameleon

Answer: Draco volan

Like the flying squirrel, flying frog, and flying fish, the flying lizard glides rather than flies. (Dendroaspis polylepis) is the black mamba, (Diadophis punctatus) is the ringneck snake, and (Dermochelys coriacea) is the leatherback turtle.

Answer: Emys orbicularius

The English call turtles terrapins. They also call soccer football. (Emydoidea blandingii) is Blanding's turtle, (Eunectes murinus) is the anaconda, and (Elaphe vulpina) is the fox snake.

Answer: Falco peregrinus

With dives clocked at 217 mph, the peregrine falcon is the fastest living animal. Even faster than the guys at White Castle. (F. columbarious) is the merlin, (F. sparverius) is the American kestrel, and (F. naumanni) is the lesser kestrel.

Answer: Geochelone elephantopus

Tipping the scales at over 500 pounds, Galapagos giant tortoises are, um, big. They are also real lumberjacks, if you know what I mean. When these tortoises make sweet love, the moaning can be heard nearly a mile away. (Geochelone radiata) is the radiated tortoise, (Graptemys versa) is the Texas map turtle, and (Graptemys kohni) is the Mississippi map turtle.

Answer: Hylobates lar

Along with humans, gibbons are the only mammals with a natural bipedal gait on the ground, but they much prefer to travel through the treetops. (H. hoolock) is the hoolock gibbon, (H. muelleri) is the gray gibbon, and (H. syndactylus) is the siamang.

Answer: Isoodon macrourus

Bandicoots are marsupials, which means they carry their young in a pouch and drink Foster's. (Isoodon obesulus) is the small short-nosed bandicoot, (Ictarius galbula) is the Baltimore oriole, and (Ictarius bullockii) is Bullock's oriole.

Answer: Jaculus orientalis

Jerboas look and sound like gerbils, but you know what? They're not. I honestly don't know the common names for the other three jerboas, but if I had to guess, I would say (Jacululus blandfordi) is 'Blandford's jerboa,' (Jaculus turcmenicus) is 'The Turkmenistan jerboa,' and (Jaculus jaculus) is 'the jiggy-jiggy-janky jerboa.'

Answer: Kobus kob

The kob is an African antelope. Yeah, this one was pretty easy unless you thought I was trying to trick you. I wasn't. (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is the waterbuck, (Kobus leche) is the leche, and (Kerivoula picta) is the Asian painted bat. Bet you're feeling dumb if you picked that one.

Answer: Larus argentatus

Despite the name, the herring gull's range is not restricted to Argentina. Maybe they all left after they saw 'Evita.' (L. canus) is the mew gull, (L. heermanni) is Heerman's gull, and (L. philidelphia) is Bonaparte's gull (go figure).

Answer: Myotis lucifugus

True to it's name, the little brown bat is little and brown. (M. californicus) is the California bat, (M. sodalis) is the Indiana bat, and (M. vivesi) is the Mexican fishing bat.

Answer: Nymphicus hollandicus

I believe the cockateil got its scientific name by having a lot of sex and wearing wooden shoes, but I've not yet confirmed that. (Nycticorax nycticorax) is the black-crowned night heron, (Nyctea scandiaca) is the snowy owl, and (Numenius phaeopus) is the whimbrel.

Answer: Ochodonta roylei

Pikas are rodents that live where it is very cold, so it is hard for anyone to care about them. (Ochodonta princeps) is the American pika, (Odocoileus virginianus) is the white-tailed deer, and (Odocoileus hemionus) is the mule deer.

Answer: Pipa pipa

The male Suriname toad imbeds the eggs in the female's back durring mating where they remain until the young hatch and break through their mother's skin. It looks cool. (Pseudis paradoxus) is the paradoxal frog, (Pseudaeris crucifer) is the spring peeper, and (Phylobates terribilis) is the golden poison frog.

Answer: Quiscalus quiscalus

Ok, so I made up the Q-bert thing. (Quelea quelea) is the red-billed quellea and (Quiscalus mexicanus) is the great-tailed grackle Selma Hayeck is also from Mexico and has a great tail.

Answer: Rana catesbeiana

The bullfrog's range is sadly decreasing with the increased availability of firecrackers. (R. rana) is the European common frog, (R. clamitans) is the green frog, and (R. pipiens) is the leopard frog.

Answer: Struthio camelus

The ostrich is the world's largest bird and one of the fastest animals on land. They taste like a mix between beef and mutton. (Spheniscus humboldti) is the Peruvian penguin, (Sula nebouxii) is the blue-footed booby, and (Somateria spectabilis) is the king eider.

Answer: Tachyglossus aculeatus

Being one of the few egg-laying mammals, the echidna raises a serious question: Can you make a mammal omlette? (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is the now extinct Tasmanian wolf or tiger, (Tarsipes rostratus) is the honey possum, and (Tenrec ecaudatus) is the common tenrec.

Answer: Ursus maritimus

5{ is one of the few mammals that sees humans as a meal instead of a threat. They will eat you like a french toast stick. (U. arctos) is the brown bear, (U. americanus) is the American black bear, and (U. thibetanus) is the Asiatic black bear.

Answer: Varanus komodoensis

The 12 foot long, 300 pound Komodo Dragon has enough bacteria in it's festering saliva to kill a water buffalo with one bite. It's no wonder these guys are the life of the party from Flores to Komodo. (V. salvator) is the water moniter, (V. brevicauda) is the short-tailed moniter, and (V. exanthematicus) is the savannah moniter.

Answer: Wilsonia canadensis

The Canada warbler has been a staple in the diet of Canadians since... no, wait, I'm thinking of Labatt's Blue. (Wilsonia citrina) is the hooded warbler, (Wilsonia pusilla) is Wilson's warbler, and (Wallabia bicolor) is the swamp wallaby. Yum.

Answer: Xenopus laevis

The African clawed frog has the misfortune of detecting pheromones in the urine of pregnant women. Countless frogs have been subjected to swimming through pee in laboratory pregnancy tests. (Xema sabini) is Sabine's gull, (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is the yellow-headed blackbird, and (Xenosaurus grandis) is a big weird lizard. I'm serious.

Answer: Zenaida macroura

(Zenaida asiatica) is the white-winged dove, (Zonotrichia albicollis) is the white-throated sparrow, (Zonotrichia leucophrus) is the white-crowned sparrow, and this is the white-man's tool.