Interesting Animal Facts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elephant

Alexander Bismarck, Ph.D., from the University of Vienna in Austria, along with three students, decided to carry out experiments on making paper from animal dung because of the excellent source of cellulose this end product contains. Initially their experiments were on goat manure before moving on to try that produced from other animals such as cows and horses - and elephants. It was concluded that "less energy and fewer chemicals" were needed to convert this readily available cellulose source into paper than that from harvested wood. In countries with few trees, this would be particularly economical.

The manure is initially treated with sodium hydroxide to remove organic polymers in the tissues of the grass and other crops consumed by the animals. This in turn is re-used as fuel or fertiliser. The remaining purified cellulose is then ground down to make the minute fibres needed to create paper, a much easier process than grinding wood. This paper can also be used to clean wastewater before it is recycled back into use. Biogas can be produced from the manure as well. Gas from gas, you could say.

Answer: Treat bad backs

The Ursari people from Romania are traditional nomads, often referred to as "bear handlers". They earn their living by delivering busking type performances in various places, using trained dancing brown bears, and sometimes trained monkeys as well. Once roaming widely throughout Romania, the Ursari tend to live in more permanent settlements in the 21st century, but their cultural beliefs and practices continue on in various parts of Romania.

Still practiced in the 21st century Romania even today, not only do the Ursari sell bear fat to cure rheumatism and arthritic disorders, and bear hair as good luck charms, they continue the practice of training their brown bears to walk up and down on the back of any customer with pain in that area of his or her body in a form of chiropractor treatment. An additional bonus to this treatment, so it is believed in the areas where the Ursari live, is that it will also chase evil spirits away and ensure fertility. It's quite possible, don't you think, that many a chap with a bad back, who saw a large hairy growly creature longing to step on his spine, found he was miraculously cured beforehand?

Answer: The beak begins to turn green

Usually just referred to as a magpie, this bird is a British domesticated duck, and nothing like the European or American magpie, or even the stately and melodious Australian magpie, all of which belong to the crow family. Then you have the English magpie pigeon, which is not a member of the crow family at all, but is a peculiar looking member of the pigeon family - with a very long neck like that of a swan. Being a bird watcher in the United Kingdom, it seems, could be a confusing hobby. But getting back to the British magpie duck, and although it usually has the distinctive black and white colour associated with magpies, it's a waddler, swims on water, has webbed feet and has the distinctive duck shaped bill. It is thought to have descended from the Indian Runner duck, which, believe it or not, stands bolt upright like penguins, and runs instead of waddling. Oh, it's enough to send one quackers.

Bred after World War One in England, the magpie duck is a rather lovely looking bird. Males are only slightly bigger than the females, and the easiest way to tell the difference is that the males have curled tail feathers, the rakish fellows, while the females keep their tail feathers straight and no nonsense. As the birds age, the normally black patch on the top of their heads turns white (sadly, this happens to all of us, ducky) and, surprisingly, their beaks turn green.

Answer: The First Dog

Barney Bush (2000-2013) was a little Scottish Terrier owed by US President George W. Bush and his family. This much loved dog was so popular that he even had his own website attached to that of the White House. He and his niece, Miss Beazely, another little Scottie, appeared in several films courtesy of the White House, and of course, Barney was the main attraction of the Bush's annual Christmas video. Pooh-pooh to paying attention to the First Family. The First Dog - a name by which Barney was also known on official occasions - was fond of playing volleyball and golf (trying to munch into the balls), and watching the game of horseshoes (too tough to chomp), accompanying President Bush during fishing excursions, and chasing armadillos. That's when he wasn't guarding his owners of course. President Bush remarked that "Barney guarded the South Lawn entrance of the White House as if he were a Secret Service agent".

The First Dog wasn't appreciated by all, however. One white house official, Karl Rove, referred to him as a lump. The nerve! That was after Rove's resignation of course. Barney disgraced himself on one or two occasions when he bit visitors to the White House, but every fellow is entitled to a bad day now and then. The Bush family was grief-stricken when the little dog had to be euthanized in 2013 because he was suffering from lymphona. President Bush wrote on his Facebook page, among other tributes to his pet, that "Barney was by my side during our eight years in the White House. He never discussed politics and was always a faithful friend. Laura and I will miss our little pal".

Answer: He sneezes periodically

Native to ancient Mexico, female turkeys are called hens, while the males are either referred to as toms or stags. Their cute little offspring are known as chicks or poults. When the adult males are seeking a mate, they strut about slowly, fanning out their beautiful feathers to their finest, periodically give their characteristic gobbling sound, and also, rather comically, sneezing from time to time. Fortunately the hen doesn't have to kiss him while this is occurring.

Answer: Every answer is correct

Almost four billion pounds of feathers are produced each year from sacrificed turkeys. Most of these are ground down into cattle feed (they contain protein), but in more recent times, scientists have developed ways to remove the quill from the feathers and then blending the remaining fibre with nylon to make knitting yarn. Along with feathers, turkey droppings are utilised and have been used as fuel for a power producing plant in Minnesota since 2007. So next time you're cooking turkey in your electric oven in that American State, remember - it's all thanks to poo that you chew.

It should be noted of course that these feathers are obtained after the poor old turkeys have met their maker - and then the baker. It would be extremely difficult, and remarkably dangerous, trying to remove them from the irate birds if they were still alive.

Answer: Bow

Trained to perfection, Trigger, whose real name was Golden Cloud, had an impressive number of tricks in his repertoire. Just a very few of these include the following: not only could he bow on cue - and sometimes when he wasn't supposed to - Trigger could sit down in a chair (hilarious!); hold a pencil in his mouth and sign an X for his name, and - this is amazing - could lie down as if tired, then pull a blanket over himself, and pretend to go to sleep. Roy Rogers, who loved Trigger, had even trained him to relieve himself at specific times whenever they went on tour, so as not to embarrass himself in public. The lovely old horse once had a kilt gifted to him at one stage, which he dutifully wore whenever the occasion demanded. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that he could play the bagpipes as well - or at least neigh in a Scottish accent.

Trigger lived from 1934 until 1965. On his death, a heartbroken Rogers had the horse's hide stretched over his moulded shape, so as to preserve his memory. And of course, Trigger's hoofprints can be seen forever imprinted on the sidewalk outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. What a ham. Trigger of course was a stallion, but was never bred over his long life. Perhaps he just wasn't interested in any flirtatious little filly. The artistic temperament and all, don't you know.

Answer: To retain mud and water for cooling

There are two different species of elephants in Africa - the bush and the forest animals - and this divergence is thought to have occurred some five million years ago. Their skulls are a different shape, for example, the bush elephant is larger in overall size, and there is a notable difference in the shape of the spines between the two species. Cracks in the skin are present in both, however, and this allows for the retention of mud and water after bathing, to keep cool. Elephants unfortunately cannot sweat, so nature has helped out instead with the development of these skin cracks to compensate.

African elephants are also very intelligent, with brains similar to our own. They can display a wide range of emotions, have a sense of humour, are compassionate, possess the ability to learn, display self-awareness, can use tools and even have a form of language. Amazing, isn't it? They have adapted to extreme heat in other impressive forms as well, by flapping their ears to create a breeze, and by occasionally submerging completely under water and using their trunks as snorkels. Perhaps we descended from elephants instead of apes. What do you think? My waistline definitely has, that's for sure.

Answer: During and after rain

Although the female green tree frog will only generally breed once a year (producing batches of up to 400 eggs), the male green tree frog will breed whenever he can, but this is usually after rain - and only if he can lure a demure little lady to his side with his croaking. Those croaks are a form of advertising that he is available. So if you think the sound of a frog croaking while the rain is producing its rhythmical beat on your roof is a lovely magical sound, it is indeed, but it also means that froggy-woggy is up to hanky-panky while "singin' in the rain".

Answer: Cats

On 27th February, 2018, news was released of recent research carried out by scientists at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, that finds a strong correlation between the personality of cats and the personality of their owners. This research was carried out on more than 3,000 cat owners, a high enough number for the results to be considered significant. Self-conscious, anxious, aggressive, or impulsive owners, for example, produce cats that also have these character traits - and so on.

This undoubtedly explains why my neighbour, who owns several cats, can sometimes be seen tearing up and down his hallway for no known reason at all. It's most disconcerting. And to think I was blaming the Vegemite.