Everything UnAustralian Trivia Quiz

Answer: Prickly Pear

At the time, the cochineal dye industry was controlled by Spain and Portugal, and as the dye was used in the manufacture of British soldier's red coats, it made sense for the British to grab a piece of the action. Unfortunately the dye producing insects in the plants imported from Brazil soon died off, but the Prickly Pears thrived ruining about about 100,000 square miles of agricultural land.

The prickly pear population was finally brought under control in the 1920s through the introduction of a South American moth which feeds on the plant.

Answer: Common Myna

The common myna is one of only three birds listed on 2000 IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Species Survival Commission report on the top 100 species that pose an impact to biodiversity, agriculture and human interests, the other two being the red-vented bulbul and the European starling.

The common myna is highly territorial and will drive native species out of wildlife areas as well as causing huge damage to agricultural crops such as grain and fruit. Furthermore they are highly vocal, so the noise and smell from droppings of large colonies can be intensely annoying and while a typical Australian colony numbers around 100 birds, roosts of 5,000 have been known to occur in other countries.

Answer: Mosquitofish

The populations of beetle species, several fish species and at least ten species of frog have all declined since the introduction of the mosquitofish, who consume so much zooplankton that algae is able to survive leading to much reduced water quality. Scientific debate also continues as to whether these fish actually contribute towards a reduction of mosquitoes and mosquito borne disease as they eat mainly small insects and insect larvae, along with detritus material, with mosquitoes making up only a small part of their diet.

In fact, studies have also shown that at least 5,000 fish per hectare are required for effective mosquito control and to be of maximum benefit, these fish would need to follow the migratory breeding patterns of the mosquito.

Answer: Feral Horse

Horses were taken over to Australia to assist in farm work and the brumbies of today are the descendants of horses that were lost or abandoned. They have no known predators and although many die each year from the effects of drought, parasitic disease and consuming poisonous plants, their numbers are so great that regular culls are required to control the population, as is fertility control.

While not as great a pest as some in this quiz, they do cause soil loss and erosion, tree death due to continual chewing on the bark and damage to waterholes as well as spreading invasive species of flora.

Answer: Mimosa

The mimosa forms dense clumps that replace native vegetation, leading to reduced numbers of birds and lizards and less herbaceous vegetation, which in turn affects both tourism, as it makes destinations harder to reach, and the lifestyles of aboriginal peoples due to the decline in traditional food such as turtles, fish, birds normally found in the wetlands.

The mimosa problem is so bad that is listed as the tenth most problematic weed in Australia.

Answer: Camel

Camels were hugely useful in the construction industry in 19th century Australia as well as being used for transport. The advent of motorised transport in the early 20th century though meant that the camel was no longer cost effective so they were released. Following the realisation that the population of one million was set to double every decade, a camel management programme was launched in 2009 and by 2013, the population was down to a much more manageable 300,000. Camels are known to severely overgraze sensitive lands and given the numbers reported in 2008, it is no surprise to find that this was happening. Camels have found a new use in the late 20th century as once feral camels are now used for camel racing and tourism excursions as well as being bred for both their meat and milk.

Answer: Northern Pacific Seastar

The Northern Pacific Seastar is a star fish capable of reaching a size measuring 50cm (20 inches) from arm tip to arm tip and is having a huge impact on mariculture as it will devour any shellfish that it encounters, using its arms to pry open the shell before devouring the meat.

In Tasmania in 1993, an attempt was made to drastically reduce the population by using a volunteer force to remove as many as possible. This resulted in over 30,000 being collected, but unfortunately the majority were cut up and thrown back into the sea, where as long as the star fish has part of their central disc remaining, they will regenerate. Suddenly one Northern Pacific Seastar becomes five, and the problem just got a whole lot worse.

Answer: Red Fox

The red fox was taken to Australia to allow settlers to indulge in the once popular British pastime of fox hunting, and is now prevalent across the whole country apart from Tasmania where it is presumed it lost out in feeding and territory to the Tasmanian Devil.

Apart from the desert rat-kangaroo, the red fox has had significant impact on several other native species including bettongs, numbats, wallabies and quokkas, many of which can now only be found in areas without a red fox population.

Answer: Crazy Ant

Land crabs are vitally important to the forest ecology of Christmas Island as, while digging their burrows, they turn over the soil, and fertilise it with their droppings but the super colony of crazy ants have killed huge numbers of many species, to the extent that robber crabs, red crabs, and blue crabs have been completely wiped out in areas of high crazy ant populations.

This has meant that, in turn, seedlings which would have been eaten by these crabs are flourishing, changing the whole structure of the forests. It is estimated that up to 20 million crabs have been killed by this super colony and, worryingly, the ants have also been found in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Answer: Cane Toad

Sugar cane is one of Australia's major agricultural crops, so when the plants were being destroyed by the native cane beetle, it seemed like a good idea to bring the beetle's natural enemy, the cane toad over from Hawaii. With their incredible breeding rates,these toads were soon everywhere, but their toxic skin caused the death of many native species and severe declines in the populations of goanna and many species of snakes.

Since the realisation that the cane toad was causing immense harm there have been several attempts to control the population but none have had any great success, although the popularity of cane toad racing does seem to be rising.