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Endangered Cetaceans Trivia Quiz

A quiz about the rarer and lesser known whales, dolphins and porpoises.

A multiple-choice quiz by GreenGal. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
GreenGal

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
302,600

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
418

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. There is a functionally extinct dolphin species named after a river. What is the dolphin species called? Hint

Thames river dolphin

Mississippi river dolphin

Rhine river dolphin

Yangtze river dolphin

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Question 2 of 10

2. The name of the rarest porpoise means 'little cow' in Spanish. Which is it? Hint

Vaquita

Beluga

Harbour porpoise

Finless porpoise

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the early 20th century, this large whale was hunted almost to extinction. In fact, 99% of its species was wiped out. What type of whale is this? Hint

Pilot whale

Orca

Blue whale

Fin whale

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Question 4 of 10

4. Maui's dolphin is considered to be critically endangered. But because it is a subspecies of another dolphin, it is not well known. Of which dolphin is it a subspecies? Hint

Irrawaddy dolphin

Dusky dolphin

Hector's dolphin

Bottlenose dolphin

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Question 5 of 10

5. In the oceans off which continent would you find a finless porpoise (also endangered)? Hint

Australasia

Europe

Asia

The Americas

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Question 6 of 10

6. About a fifth of its pre-whaling population are left, with 238,000 wiped out. What is this much-hunted, third-largest whale called? Hint

Minke whale

Fin whale

Sei whale

North Atlantic right whale

7. There is a very rare whale species out there that has only been seen a few times. Scientists have gotten nearly all of the information they have from bodies washed up. This strange whale is called the ___ bottlenose whale. What is the word in the gap? Hint

Arctic

Atlantic

Dark

Tropical

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Question 8 of 10

8. You can find Haviside's ___ only around the south-west coast of Africa. But what species is it? Can you fill in the gap? Hint

Whale

Beaked Whale

Porpoise

Dolphin

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Question 9 of 10

9. Hector's dolphin is another endangered species. Where can it be found? Hint

Around Canada

Around India

Around Russia

Around New Zealand

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Question 10 of 10

10. In which ocean would you find a bowhead whale? Hint

In the Pacific

In the Arctic

In the Antarctic

In the Atlantic

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. There is a functionally extinct dolphin species named after a river. What is the dolphin species called?

Answer: Yangtze river dolphin

This species is declared to be 'functionally extinct' because in 2006, a group of marine biologists went on an expedition along the Yangtze River to try and find one. They couldn't find any, and four years earlier, the last one in captivity had died. It isn't likely that there are any left wild.

2. The name of the rarest porpoise means 'little cow' in Spanish. Which is it?

Answer: Vaquita

The vaquita has been called the 'most endangered cetacean', and will most likely be the next to become extinct. There are supposed to be 100 to 300 left.

3. In the early 20th century, this large whale was hunted almost to extinction. In fact, 99% of its species was wiped out. What type of whale is this?

Answer: Blue whale

In one year a fleet of ships killed 29,400 blue whales in the Antarctic. By the end of the whaling era, 330,000 blue whales had been killed. And that's just in the Antarctic. The whales had been reduced to 0.15% of their original number (still in the Antarctic).

4. Maui's dolphin is considered to be critically endangered. But because it is a subspecies of another dolphin, it is not well known. Of which dolphin is it a subspecies?

Answer: Hector's dolphin

Maui's dolphin is actually more endangered than Hector's dolphin. There are estimated to be only about 110 left, which means that it is the rarest marine dolphin.

5. In the oceans off which continent would you find a finless porpoise (also endangered)?

Answer: Asia

The finless porpoise stays mostly in the Indonesian, Japanese and Indian waters. However, there is a fresh-water population which lives in the Yangtze River (which is in China).

6. About a fifth of its pre-whaling population are left, with 238,000 wiped out. What is this much-hunted, third-largest whale called?

Answer: Sei whale

The sei whale, largest after the blue and fin whales, can be found anywhere in the world, making it an easy target. There are only about 54,000 still around.

Answer: Tropical

The tropical bottlenose whale has been sighted across the world, in a line that traces the equator, strangely. The skulls found show that the whales only have two teeth, both on the lower jaw. Another name for this species is Longman's beaked whale. Until recently, it was considered to be the rarest cetacean.

8. You can find Haviside's ___ only around the south-west coast of Africa. But what species is it? Can you fill in the gap?

Answer: Dolphin

Heaviside's dolphins are getting rarer because they are often illegally shot or harpooned for their meat. They also like gliding next to boats, which makes them an easy target.

9. Hector's dolphin is another endangered species. Where can it be found?

Answer: Around New Zealand

Hector's dolphin was named after its discoverer, Sir James Hector. It is about 1.4 metres long, which makes it one of the smallest cetaceans.

10. In which ocean would you find a bowhead whale?

Answer: In the Arctic

Bowhead whales spend their entire lives in that one ocean, which is unusual, because most whales migrate (travel for different seasons). It is the second heaviest creature, behind the blue whale, and the fourth longest.

Source: Author GreenGal

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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