Great Expectorations Trivia Quiz

Answer: Camel

There are two species of camel: the dromedary (one hump) camel that lives in the Middle East and Northeast Africa; and the Bactrian (two hump) camel of Central Asia.

So, what's up with camels spitting? It's actually more like vomit than spittle. A camel will mix its saliva with the contents of its stomach and launch it as a warning at another creature that is aggravating it, such as a predator or bothersome people. It can actually be considered something like a cat hissing or a dog growling to warn others away.

Answer: Spittlebug

Spittlebugs (superfamily Cercopoidea) are also known as froghoppers, due to their frog-like facial features. They are typically 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch long and are generally considered a minor garden pest.

They form their bubble cocoons for three primary reasons: as a protection from predators; as an insulation against extreme temperatures; and to keep them from dehydrating.

Answer: Venom

Pictured in this question is the Equatorial spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana), which is endemic to several countries in Southeast Asia. It is also known as the black spitting cobra, the golden spitting cobra, the Malayan spitting cobra, or the Sumatran spitting cobra, depending on who you're talking to and where they're from.

This particular species of spitting cobra can eject its venom from its fangs to a distance of three to four feet when cornered, and it does so quite accurately. Spitting cobra venom can cause permanent blindness (if it gets you in the eye) if not treated immediately.

Answer: Guanaco

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is the parent species of the domesticated llama, although the wild guanaco is less variegated in colouring than their llama relatives. While the species is still considered wild, there are roughly 500 specimens in domesticated herds and in zoos around the world.

The range of the guanaco is the altiplano of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The other wild camelid species, the vicuņa, has a range that is somewhat more northerly, in the central Andes.

Answer: Archerfish

There are seven species of archerfish within the genus Toxotes found primarily in the warm waters of Southeast Asia, extending from India to Australia. They are typically comfortable in brackish estuaries that mark the boundaries of fresh and salt water bodies, but can also be found in the open ocean, and sometimes upstream in fresh water.

The different species of archerfish (or spinner fish) are generally on the small side (5-10 cm in length), but Toxotes chatareus can grow as large as 40 cm long.

Archerfish are extremely accurate shots, almost always hitting their prey on the first attempt, and accurate up to a distance of three metres!

Answer: Alpaca

Alpacas (Vicugna pacos) are a domesticated breed of camelids, akin to llamas, but alpacas have been bred primarily for their fiber, and not as beasts of burden. They are kept in herds in the countries of the Andes mountains at elevations of 3,500 to 5,000 metres throughout the year.

There are no known wild alpacas, but their parent species, the vicuņa, is still wild.

As with their camelid cousins, alpacas are known to spit when agitated or threatened.

Answer: Walrus

The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is an Arctic marine mammal that has three subspecies, depending on the location in which it lives: the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens); the Atlantic walrus (O. r. rosmarus); and the Laptev walrus (O. r. laptevi).

Walruses have a history of being hunted for their blubber and tusk ivory over the centuries. The large creatures are typically between 800 and 1,700 kg in weight, but can reach up to 2,000 kg in weight.

Answer: Scorpionfly

Scorpionflies are the common name of the insect order Mecoptera, which is comprised of about 550 species. The appendage that looks like a scorpion's stinger is actually a male scorpionfly's genitals. After attracting a female scorpionfly with their nutritious offering, the male will take advantage of the female while she is eating the substance.

Answer: False

Bombardier beetles (of the Carabidae family) actually eject their noxious compound (hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide) from the tip of their abdomen. The two compounds are stored separately in the abdomen and are combined when ejected.

Answer: Llama

Llamas (Lama glama) are a domesticated camelid and are raised for their fiber as well as for their meat. They are also used as pack animals, and because of this great variety of use to which the llama is put, it is a very popular herd stock in South America, numbering in the millions.

Llamas vary in size and colour, being most often white, brown, or piebald, and to a lesser extent grey or black. They usually live to between 15 and 25 years old.