Hard Furry, Feathery, Scaly, or Not? Quiz / Test | Animals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A Carolina anole, also called the American anole or ruby-throated anole, is a small insectivore that lives in the southeastern parts of the United States. Which of these describes the anole?

Answer: Scaly

An anole is a type of lizard, and the Carolina anole is sometimes called the American chameleon due to its ability to change its hue. In the wild, this lizard eats insects such as crickets and grasshoppers, and occasionally some grasses. When kept as pets, they are often give grubs, maggots, or baby crickets.

2. The tanuki is an animal native to Japan, popular in the country's folklore. They are considered jolly and shapeshifting, but gullible. Tanuki statues are common. Which of these best describes what kind of animal the tanuki is?

Answer: Furry

The tanuki is also called the Japanese raccoon dog. Though the name "tanuki" is often believed to mean "badger" or "raccoon", the tanuki is actually a canine, and "dog" fits the description the best. In Japan, "tanuki" can also refer to a badger. The term "tanuki" is officially linked to the raccoon dog due to prevalence in Japanese folklore as such.

3. The Zenaida aurita is a small animal which is a national symbol of Anguilla. It typically lays two eggs at a time, which take about two weeks to hatch. With this in mind, what type of animal describes a Zenaida?

Answer: Feathery

The Zenaida dove (which is a member of the Zenaida genus) is sometimes referred to as a turtle dove in Anguilla, where it is the national bird (though it is not, technically, a turtledove). It resembles its cousin, the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), but it is smaller, darker, and has a rounder tail.

It is common throughout the Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula, and some have reported seeing the dove in Florida as well.

4. The marabou is a wading animal that lives south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. It is often called the "undertaker" due to its appearance from behind. What sort of animal is the marabou?

Answer: Feathery

The marabou stork is a wading bird that breeds in Africa, south of the Sahara. It is called the undertaker stork because, from the back, its wings and back looks like a cloak. It also has skinny white legs, and on its head it has what looks like a bunch of white hair. The stork can grow to five feet in height and weigh twenty pounds.

5. The bharal is an animal featured in a book by Peter Matthiessen, "The Snow Leopard", written after a 1973 expedition to study the animal. The bharal is a main food source of the snow leopard in Nepal. With that in mind, do you know which of these describes the bharal?

Answer: Furry

The bharal is a goat that is also called the Himalayan blue sheep or naur. In 1973, George Schaller and Peter Matthiessen traveled to Nepal and studied the bharal (though not their primary focus). The travels of Schaller and Matthiessen was documented in Matthiessen's novel "The Snow Leopard" (1978), which focused on the snow leopard but also referenced the bharal numerous times.

6. The mudpuppy, which is also called the waterdog, is an aquatic animal that lives in lakes, rivers, and ponds of eastern North America. It is similar to the hellbender as well as the axolotl. Which of these describes the animal?

Answer: Other

The mudpuppy, or waterdog, is an aquatic salamander that got its name due to the belief that they make a dog-like barking sound (which is a common misconception).

As a salamander, the animal is not furry nor feathery, and though one may be tempted to say it was scaly, it is actually not scaly either (as it is not a reptile). A salamander has smooth, slimy skin, characteristic of amphibians such as the mudpuppy.

7. The halfbeak is a type of animal that is named so due to its long, beak-like snout. It is often kept in homes as ornamental pets. Which of these describes the halfbeak?

Answer: Scaly

Halfbeaks are a family of fish that inhabits both fresh water and salt water. The reproduction of halfbeaks is very diverse; some are viviparous, some ovoviviparous, and some are egg-laying. It is also a common fish to have in aquariums. Halfbeaks live near the surface, however, and deep tanks are not really helpful, and flatter tanks with more surface is best.

8. The quelea is a common animal found in some parts of Africa. There are only a few species of quelea, including the cardinal quelea. What sort of animal is the quelea?

Answer: Feathery

The quelea is a very common bird found in various locations across Africa. The red-billed quelea is even considered to be the most abundant species of wild bird in the world. The species has an average of one and a half billion pairs of mates; and somewhere near ten billion total birds!

9. The schraetzer is a species of ruffe that can be found in the Danube basin. Ruffe are Eurasian, though they have been introduced to North America as well. Which of these describes the schraetzer, or striped ruffe?

Answer: Scaly

The schraetzer is a species of fish that is also called a striped ruffe. It is native to the Danube basin. The term "ruffe" can also be used to describe Eurasian fish from the Gymnocephalus genus, which is mainly found in Eurasia, though it has also been introduced to the Great Lakes as well.

10. The oribi is a small animal that can be found on the continent of Africa, primarily south of the Saharan desert. Which of these best describes the oribi?

Answer: Furry

The oribi is a type of small antelope native to Africa. It lives in the grasslands, and many subspecies have been discovered all over the African savannah. It has many predators, including the lion, leopard, jackals, and pythons, as well as even smaller animals such as eagles (as the oribi is very small when young and can easily be caught by relatively small carnivores).

Their diet mainly consists of grasses, though leaves and foliage are also commonly eaten.

Source: Author salami_swami

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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Furry, Feathery, Scaly, or Not? Quiz

Armed with a Scrabble dictionary, I give you ten obscure animals that are either furry (mammals with fur), feathery (birds), or scaly (fish and reptiles). I may throw in a few that are none of the above, so watch out.

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