Cute, But Misleading Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leopard seals

That's right, not all seals are cuddly creatures. This one can often be seen in David Attenborough documentaries chasing down adorable penguins in the Antarctic and flinging them around violently. The leopard seal is described as a keystone predator, and is considered to fill the same ecological niche as polar bears in the Arctic.

They are agile hunters in the water and they use this agility (along with a fearsome set of teeth!) to hunt penguins and even small seals. They lack the doggish narrow snout of other seals, and instead have a rather wide lower jaw, giving the appearance of a sinister smile.

Answer: Ratsnakes

"Ratsnake" is a general name applied to several constrictors which form part of the Colubridae family. Their name often leads people to think that they are small (animals are usually named for their appearance), but the name "ratsnake" comes from the fact that these snakes usually hunt rodents, though they are also known to eat birds and other small creatures.

They are adaptive creatures - for example, the common ratsnake is a brilliant swimmer and the ridges on its side provide traction whilst climbing trees.

Answer: Spider monkeys

"Spider monkey" is a name given to animals in the genus Ateles. They include species such as long-haired and black. They tend to be social animals in the wild, forming groups of around 20. The long tail of the spider monkey acts as a fifth limb and facilitates the monkeys as they move with agility through the trees of the New World. Just weeks after birth, young spider monkeys can be seen clinging to the back or stomach of its mother, and they are weaned after around 18 months (there is slight variation between species).

Answer: Bullfrog

All of the bullfrogs listed - American, African, and Goliath - are named for their size and aggression. There have even been some accounts of African bullfrogs attacking horses. Despite the shared name and similar behaviour, these three animals are not part of the same species or even the same genus.

The African bullfrog is probably the most recognisable of these amphibians. The African bullfrog lives in sub-Saharan Africa and often faces drought. When spawning, it is possible for the bullfrog's tadpoles to become isolated in puddles which rapidly decrease in size due to the heat. In these instances, the father bullfrog has been observed using his powerful hind legs to construct a canal between this puddle and a nearby lake.

Answer: Raccoon dog

The raccoon dog is part of the Canidae family, but is remarkably similar in appearance to the raccoon, making it easy to see the logic behind their name. In Japan, raccoon dogs are seen as spiritual creatures (as so many animals in Japanese folklore are) and are called Bake-danuki. Statues of these Bake-danuki can be found all over Japan, from city centres to outside cosy restaurants.

These statues bear little likeness to the dog and have curiously large testicles.

Answer: Tiger shark

The tiger shark is one of the most aggressive sharks known. This, as well as its preference for coastal waters, has developed its reputation as a man-eater. With the bull shark and the great white shark, it is thought to be responsible for the majority of shark-related deaths per year, yet this does not exceed two digits.

This is in comparison to the millions of sharks killed each year by humans. The tiger shark is famously unfussy with food and has earned the nickname of "a trash can with fins".

The giant tiger shark is the only species of its family to be ovoviviparous, meaning that its young develop inside eggs, but that these eggs are retained in the mother's body until they are ready to hatch.

Answer: Alligator

The alligator snapping turtle can reach up to 31 inches in length and is unusual in almost all of its anatomical features. Firstly, the worm-like tongue is used to lure fish, which are then trapped when the alligator snapping turtle does what its name suggests and snaps its beak-like jaws shut.

Its carapace tends to be olive-brown in colour and features large conical projections all over. It does not look like an animal you'd like to stroke.

Answer: The camel spider

The camel spider, as alluded to in the question, is not a spider (nor, of course, is it a camel). They are also known as wind scorpions, yet they are not scorpions either! So what are they? Camel spiders are a group of non-venomous arachnids belonging to the order Solifugae which possess large pincers.

These large pincers (and they are huge - almost as long as the rest of the camel spider's body), combined with the creepy arachnid appearance and rapid speed, make these animals the stuff of nightmares. Horrific pictures of these animals circulated the internet and portrayed them as deadly to humans.

There is no truth in this, however. These animals, as mentioned, have no poison glands, and at worst will give you a painful nip.

Answer: The elephant shrew

Elephant shrews are larger than true shrews, but it is because of their long flexible noses that they share their name with the largest land-dwelling animal on the planet. Elephant shrews live in Africa and were a relatively recent discovery. One of the earliest names for these miniscule animals was the jumping shrew, despite the fact that they do not jump.

Answer: The water bear

The water bear is so named because of its "cute" teddy bear-like appearance. To see these supposedly cute features, however, we have to rely on optical instruments other than our own eyes, because water bears are typically only 1 millimetre long. As well as all of the hardships listed in the question, these "microanimals" can survive up to 120 years without food or water.

These amazing creatures also introduce an element of variety into my quiz. The kingdom Animalia is made up of over thirty phyla, only two of which (Chordata and Arthropoda) have been represented so far here.