I Love the Nightlife! Trivia Quiz

Answer: From the indigenous word "squunck"

The word "squunck" was used by the Algonquin people in what became the northeastern United States. The word is from the Massachusett language of the Algic language family, formerly spoken by several peoples of eastern coastal and south-eastern Massachusetts where the first European settlers landed.

It seems that they needed a name for this nocturnal animal to be avoided in the land that they were colonizing, so adapted the word that was already in existence.

Answer: Because of its preference for sugary foods

The sugar glider is a marsupial from Australia, New Guinea, and some islands of Indonesia. It is attracted to sweet sap and nectar for its food, but is also capable of gliding between trees much like a flying squirrel. It is awfully cute with its large eyes that have adapted for night vision, but that has nothing to do with how it got its common name.

Answer: About 1/3 of its body weight

The barn owl is the most widely distributed nocturnal owl, being found on all continents except Antarctica. Each night, the barn owl uses its acute sense of hearing to hunt its prey. When prey is readily available, barn owl populations will quickly increase. For this reason, some communities around the world now install nesting boxes for barn owls rather than use rodenticide which can be poisonous to humans as well as to rodents (not to mention owls and other birds of prey that capture the poisoned rodents for their food).

They are beautiful birds, so keep your eyes peeled while you are out cavorting and enjoying the nightlife.

Answer: Hermit crabs

Hermit crabs have soft, curved abdomens, that are not protected by shells seen in other crustaceans. The hermit crab protects its abdomen by finding an empty seashell and twisting its body into it. New, larger shells must be found as the crab grows. If seashells are not available, hermit crabs will use hollow pieces of wood, hollow stones, or pieces of garbage to protect their bodies from predators.

They are nocturnal, so don't be surprised if you spot something scurrying across the sand if you are cavorting on the beach as you enjoy the nightlife!

Answer: Loss of habitat and collection for the pet trade

This beautiful tree-dwelling frog is bright green with red eyes that have narrow vertical pupils. Its webbed feet and toes are also bright orange or red. During the day, it tucks its coloured body parts beneath its body and closes its eyes in order to camouflage itself from predators against the leaves upon which it sits.

In the early 2000s, there are plenty of these frogs in the rainforests, but it is not known what the future will bring if the potential threats of loss of habitat and collection for pet trades are not managed in the future.

In the meantime, if you are cavorting in the rainforests after dark with a green hat on that resembles a leaf, don't be surprised if the red eyed tree frog lands on your head as it enjoys the nightlife too!

Answer: Aye-aye

The aye-aye lives in Madagascar and is the world's largest nocturnal primate. The aye-aye uses a unique way of finding food, similar to a woodpecker. It taps on a tree to find grubs and insects beneath the bark, then chews small holes into the tree using its sharp, forward slanting teeth.

It then uses its narrow middle finger to reach in and pull out the tasty snack. If you decide to go out and love the night life in Madagascar, you might bump into this large nocturnal primate as it taps its way to a midnight snack. Popeye might not enjoy the grubs, but might use the sailor's sign of approval if he met up with one of these creatures: "Aye-aye, captain"!

Answer: Hamster

Hamsters are busy, curious creatures that tend to love exercise wheels. They love the nightlife too since they are nocturnal creatures. If the squeaky wheel is keeping you awake after you've been out cavorting late at night as you love the nightlife, oil it or move the cage to a place where you can't hear it because there will be no stopping the hamster from getting his exercise once he falls in love with running in his wheel!

Answer: Dwarf crocodile

Dwarf crocodiles live in western and central sub-Saharan Africa. They live in streams, small rivers, swamps, pools and mangroves, but tend to avoid large rivers. They also tend to live in forested areas, but may also live in streams that are shaded by trees that grow close to shore.

It is rare to see them during the day. They typically hide during in the day in burrows that they dig at the edge of the water, sometimes with a submerged entrance. At night, they come out to hunt. So, if you are enjoying the nightlife in Africa, watch out - no cavorting near swamps and streams!

Answer: Scorpions

Scorpions are nocturnal arachnids that sting to immobilize and kill their prey. There are over 1700 described species of scorpions, but only about 25 of those have a venom that is deadly to humans. Interestingly, they also glow a bright blue-green in the dark when exposed to black light due to the presence of fluorescent chemicals in their exterior shell. So, if you are cavorting around enjoying the nightlife in areas where scorpions are known to inhabit, you may want to carry a portable UV light so that you can spot them and you don't get stung in the dark!

Answer: Velvet worm

Most velvet worms live south of the equator, but some live in the Caribbean. They typically grow from less than one centimetre to twenty centimetres in length (less than one to eight inches), with the average being about five centimetres (two inches).

They also have between 13 and 43 pairs of legs. Velvet worms squirt slime out onto prey when they come across a tasty bit. The slime dries quickly and forms a network of fine threads, capturing the prey for the velvet worm's next meal. They won't catch you while you cavort and enjoy the nightlife, but they still might give you a case of the creepy-crawlies and spoil your evening if you come across one!