Tarsiers, Pandas, and Other Confusing Animals Quiz

Answer: The inability to walk

Tarsiers, found in Indonesia and outlying islands, are odd primates whose eyes not only encompass a great amount of face space, but can see in the dark. Not only that, but their leaping abilities are amazing-- they can jump more than a dozen feet in a single bound.

They're also carnivores, which makes for an odd relationship with their ecosystem. The catch? They can't walk. At all. The tarsier can climb like no other, but as soon as they touch the ground they have a severe problem with movement and it's an immense struggle to regain the higher ground.

They are endangered.

Answer: Their diet doesn't allow for it

Pandas are one of the only bears around the world which do not hibernate, and it's all because their diet doesn't allow for it. Since pandas already sleep and lug themselves around for most of the day and they only eat bamboo, there's not really any way for their bodies to handle prolonged hibernation since they don't get the energy and nutrients required to stay the course.

In fact, bamboo is devoid of most essential nutrients-- it doesn't break down in the right way. In other words, pandas get big...and sleepy...and hungry for more bamboo, but they don't hibernate.

Answer: Glass sponge

The glass sponge is an odd animal known for growing in solitary units, unlike most other sponges, and for being able to trap small creatures inside where, creepily, they're forced to live until time does them in. Funnily enough they'll be waiting a while-- the glass sponge can be known to live for thousands of years. Try between twelve and twenty-four thousand years. To find them in their natural habitats, however, you'll need to sink half a kilometer down into the Pacific coastal waters of North America.

Answer: Nothing special; it'll return to full functionality

While most creatures around the world likely would not survive true cryogenics, being frozen and unthawed like the Austin Powers of nature, the wood frog is an oddball in the sense that you can freeze it, unthaw it, and it will be none the wiser. This is what happens in nature-- when winter strikes, the frog freezes with the soil and goes into a dormant state in which the brain actually stops functioning.

It's only able to do this by replacing its blood with glucose and protecting its body with a thin layer of water under the skin.

It's found throughout North America.

Answer: Live snakes

Roadrunners (meep meep) are typically found in the deserts of the Southwestern United States and are, as their name suggests (and as "Looney Tunes" cartoons would lead you to believe) speedy, little birds. Like tarsiers before them, however, they like their meat at any cost. To hunt down prey they simply speed after it, pecking away and catching it, then spinning it and thrashing it about until it's dead or 'ready'.

This meal can include rattlesnakes, small birds, horned lizards, and small rodents.

It's consumed whole, as if you needed another reason to worry. The coyote never stood a chance.

Answer: Centipede

Yes-- creepy crawlies are responsible for this almost-too-frightening feat. Some centipedes (ugh) can reach up to a foot and a half long, which is positively nightmarish for some of us who can't stand things with more than five legs. Some species in Brazil are so clever (that's what we need) that they string themselves from the ceilings of caves to snag flying bats to poison and eat them.

The poison of some centipedes can be so strong that it can have significant reactions in humans. So you can worry about that too.

In caves.

Answer: It will throw up all over you

Fulmars are coastal birds found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic and they have a very unique defense mechanism: their bile. When attacked by a larger creature the fulmar will vomit on them. That's about it. This won't do much against humans (we are bigger and higher on the food chain) but it will make a sticky mess with other birds and cause issues with flight.

This is also a multi-functional vomit-- they feed it to their chicks. Fulmar is an Old Norse term for 'Foul Gull'; I wonder why.

Answer: The sea

Vampyroteuthis infernalis literally translates to 'vampire squid from Hell', which should give you a pretty clear image of the creature. Found in tropical waters, this creature usually skirts the sea floor changing colours depending on the environment-- though since it's so far down it's usually black.

When it opens its tentacles it actually contains the scariest teeth of any animal. Think a torn-open vacuum bag lined with teeth at the seams. Like with octopi, cutting off one of the tentacles will cause it to regenerate, making it very difficult to kill...like a vampire.

It also has red eyes, so start worrying.

Answer: False

No no, the barreleye fish does have eyes...it just has a see-through head. Say what?
Yeah...I can see how you got these confused. The barreleye fish is another fish found deep underwater...where the too-creepy-to-be-considered animals seem to flock. This serves the barreleye quite well-- the eyes in the center of its head actually look straight up to seek out prey swimming above. These fish can, allegedly, look ahead, but the default orientation of their eyes is upward. They can be found all around the globe (except the polar seas).

Answer: Moth

Presumably named to instill confusion amongst quiz players, the hummingbird hawk-moth is an insect...but it looks like a hummingbird. Found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, this insect actually feeds off flowers with a long proboscis (like a hummingbird's beak) and makes the typical buzzing sound.

Many believe it to be an example of convergent evolution, which is what happens when certain animals grow to take on the traits of others over time. The hummingbird hawk-moth does not share any traits with the hawk other than flight, otherwise we would be bowing down to these hybrid overlords by now.