Teeth, Bones, Horns...and other bits. Quiz

Answer: Reindeer

Female reindeer, (Rangifer tarandus), usually have antlers. Deer are the only hoofed mammals to shed their antlers every year, in the autumn. They start to grow again in the spring...(except for Rudolph, Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen...whose antlers ALWAYS stay on until after Christmas).

Answer: Fish

Fish have more than 100 bones that make up their skulls.

Reptiles can have as many as 70.

Human skulls contain only 23 bones.

Mr. Potato Head has to rely on his plastic skin and interchangeable hats to keep his noggin safe from harm.

Answer: Frogs

Frogs have very small teeth, all shaped similarly, on their upper jaw only.

Toads don`t have any teeth, only simple, unpointed tips or bumps on their jaws.

Birds don`t have any teeth..."they`re as rare as hen`s teeth."

Two Toothed Oscar McPhinney`s two remaining teeth are on his bottom jaw.

Answer: A Robin

Birds usually have twice as many bones in their necks as mammals do, giving them a much greater range of movement.

Giraffes and humans are both mammals.

A clam, (Class Bivalvia), doesn`t have a neck to stick out but it usually has a fleshy, extensible foot that it can use to move about with.

Answer: Narwhals

Narwhals, (Monodon monoceros), have only two teeth. In the male, the upper left incisor grows forward, out of a hole in the upper lip, to form a spiral tusk up to nine feet long. The female may sometimes have a short tusk.

Moles, (family Talpidae), have 11 upper and 11 lower teeth on each side of their jaws.

Hedgehogs, (family Erinacidae), have 10 upper and 8 lower teeth on each side of their jaws.

The boxer, Oscar McPhinney, (Stupidus moronicus), lost his two remaining teeth in a fight during question number 4.

Answer: Bison

The Bison, (Bison bonasus) as well as domestic cattle, (Bos taurus), have their horns at the back of their heads.

The alpine ibex, (Capra ibex), musk ox, (Ovibos moschatus) and the mouflon, (Ovis musimon) all have their horns placed closer to their eyes, on top of their heads.

Answer: Keratin

There are five species of rhinoceros, (family Rhinocerotidae), all with one or two horns. Unfortunately, the demand for their horns threatens all rhino species with extinction.

Answer: Rabbits and hares have two sets of front teeth, one behind the other, in their upper jaws.

Rabbits and hares, (family Leporidae), along with the pikas, (family Ochotonidae) all belong to the order, Lagomorpha and are therefore not rodents.

Lagomorphs have two sets of front teeth, one behind the other, in their upper jaws.

Answer: 'Dried up"

The ancient Greeks thought that skeletons resembled a completely dried up person.

Answer: None of these

Anteaters, (family Myrmecophagidae), don`t have any teeth. They have a long, sticky tongue.

Vampire bats, (family Desmodontidae), the only mammals that qualify as a parasite, use their 4 sharp canine teeth to make a small incision on a hairless or featherless part of the victim`s skin. The blood is sucked up using its long tongue, which is folded to make a tube.

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers, (Sphyrapicus varius), are a type of woodpecker and like all birds, don`t have teeth.

Answer: False

The pupils of venomous vipers, (family Viperidae) and pit vipers, (family Crotalidae) are vertically elliptical, like a cat`s, when exposed to light, not round.

Answer: False

True bugs, (Order Hemiptera), with over 40,000 members worldwide, are different from other insects, commonly called bugs. True bugs have sucking mouthparts. Hemiptera means "half wings", referring to their fore wings, which almost always are leathery at the base and membranous at the tips. Some true bugs are, plant bugs, water striders and bed bugs.

Answer: True

Sponges, (phylum Porifera), are essentially a mass of tissue forming water canals...no head, mouth or gut but they do have a skeleton of minute mineral rods,(spicules)or organic fibers,(spongin) or both. Must be a lot of fun being a sponge.

Answer: True

Yup. Only birds have feathers.

Answer: Snakes

Snakes have sharp teeth, all similar in shape and all pointing backwards, which aid in swallowing their prey.

Turtles and terrapins don`t have any teeth. They do have a point at the front of their upper and lower jaws.

Lizard`s teeth are conical shaped (almost peg shaped, less pointed than snakes) and all similar in shape.

Mammal`s teeth differ in shape...incisors, canines, bicuspids and molars...depending on their diet.

Answer: Teeth

Walruses, (Odobenus rosmarus), have tusks which are really overgrown upper incisor teeth, used when hunting for mollusks and when fighting with other walruses.

Answer: no

Only cartoon turtles aren`t attached to their shells.

Answer: False

Penguins, (family Spheniscidae), have short, glossy feathers that form a dense, almost fur-like coat, that is streamlined, insulated and waterproof.

Answer: True

The largest shark, the whale shark, (Rhincodon typus), may grow to be 18m or 20m in length, but its teeth are tiny, approximately 6mm in height. Whale sharks are not a threat to people as they feed on crustaceans, squid and small fish using filtering screens on their gills. The 300 or so rows, (per jaw), of tiny, hooked teeth appear to not play a role in feeding. Rhincodon typus is derived from the Greek words "rhyngchos" and "odous", meaning "rasp" and "tooth".

In contrast, the extinct 50 foot Magalodon's teeth measured over 7 inches in height. Ouch.

Answer: Yes

Although very humiliating, birds can still fly without their tail feathers. They are used chiefly for balance and as a speed brake when landing.

Answer: The internal shell of a cuttlefish.

Your budgie is nibbling on the chalky, internal shell of a cuttlefish,(family Sepidae). The cuttlefish bone comes from the back of the animal.

Answer: Yes

Antlers are solid, calcified connective tissue,(bone), that branch out of the skull from bony pedicles. They are shed and regrown every year. While growing, antlers are covered with skin or "velvet".

Horns are hollow, cornified epidermal tissue that are not shed every year, nor will they regrow if lost or damaged.

Generally speaking, antlers are not used as weapons but for intimidation and display. Horns are definitely used for defence and attack.

Giraffes,(Giraffa camelopardalis), have two or three horns or "ossicles", two on top and sometimes, one in the middle of their forehead which are permanently covered with furred skin and are not shed. Sometimes they have 2 more horns at the back of their heads also.

Pronghorns,(Antilocapra americana), have hollow, thin horns which are shed every year.

There`s always somebody in the animal world that likes to be different.

Answer: True

Some members of the Tragulidae, Moschidae and Cervidae families have tusks, which are really overgrown, upper canine teeth...sorta like a vampire Bambi.

Answer: None of these.

Although their quills are released on contact, none of these 3 species or the 19 other species of porcupines can throw their quills or spines. Their quills are really modified, hollow hairs which vary in length and shape depending on the species and from what part of the porcupine`s body they`re from. They are usually sharp and barbed though.

Answer: Teeth

Elephant's, (family Elepantodae), tusks are really their overgrown upper incisor teeth. Ivory can also come from a walrus tusk.

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