Who Did It First? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Termites

Termite mounds are very well constructed (by blind insects) and range from 6 feet (2 metres) to 36 feet (10.9 metres) or even more. The tunnels are so deep that most of them reach ground water, providing a constant water supply for the termites. The mounds have many chimneys, ventilating shafts and air ducts. Hot air inside the mound rises through the topmost air ducts with cool air being drawn through the ducts below by convection.

This also helps to maintain a definite temperature inside no matter the temperature outside.

These termite mounds are known to last for decades or even centuries.

Answer: Diving beetles

Diving beetles carry along a bubble of air when they dive beneath the pond surface. The bubble covers its spiracles allowing it to take in oxygen from the bubble. The bubble also collects molecules of oxygen from the water through passive diffusion, renewing the air supply.

The air bubble shrinks with time and has to be renewed. Some mosquito larva have hollow tubes (siphons) that work in the same way as a diver's snorkel, the tube sticks out of the water surface to get atmospheric oxygen. Some insects have plastrons, a compact mass of hairlike structures that trap air beneath them.

They work like the air bubbles of a diver beetle, but are more effective since they do not shrink in size. Mayflies and damselflies have biological gills: an organ which allows oxygen to diffuse into their body.

The gills are projections from the insect's tracheal system covered by thin cuticles that allow oxygen and carbon (iv) oxide to permeate.

Answer: Electric eels

The electric produces current using special nerves that control the disc-like electricity generating biological cells, packed together to form the electric organ. When the eel activates, a complicated arrangement of nerves makes sure that many thousands of cells become active. Each cell produces about 100 millivolts.

The nerves also release acetylcholine which acts as a neurotransmitter by creating a path of low resistance to connect the inside and outside of the cells. The cells then behave like batteries -- the activated side has a negative charge while the opposite side is left with a positive charge.

These synchronized activations set up electrc current in the eels.

Answer: Ants

Harvester ants pick seeds or cut them from weeds. They remove the husks from the kernels and throw them outside, then store the seeds for the cold season. When the stored kernels get damp, they are brought outside to dry.

Some kinds of ants eat honeydew produced by insects like aphids, leafhoppers and some caterpillars. They do not store the honeydew, instead, they keep the insects. They get the honeydew from the insects by stroking the insects back with their antennae. The honeydew is then released from the insect's abdomen. The brown cornfield ants keep aphids in its nest and place them near roots of corn plants so they can feed on the roots.

Parasol ants cut pieces of leaves and flowers, chew them into a damp paste and keep it in some parts of their nests. Fungi grows on the decaying leaves. The ants enjoy eating these fungi.

Answer: Mallee birds

The male mallee bird digs a large hole in the ground, lays plant material on it and closes it up with sand. The decaying plant material heats up this mound. The female lays her eggs inside the mounds. Using his beak and other non-fleshy body parts, the male checks the temperature in the mound.

He can "tune" it by adding or removing sand. This keeps the mound at a constant temperature of 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Some other birds in volcanic islands prefer to lay their eggs in the warm volcanic ashes. Sea turtles lay their eggs in the sand and cover them for incubation.

Answer: Cephalopods

Squids and octopuses travel by jet propulsion. They fill their mantle cavities with water, then push it out suddenly. This propels them forward (in the opposite direction as the water pushed out). Many modern jets work like this. These animals can control their speed and direction through the amount of water they take in and the force used to push it out.

While octopuses use jet propulsion to escape from predators, squids use it mostly to sneak up on prey. A distant cousin of octopuses and squids, the chambered nautilus also uses jet propulsion for movement and flotation in the water.

Answer: Fireflies

Bioluminescence is the production of light by living things. Seas, oceans and other marine habitats are famous for the bioluminescent creatures they support: bacteria, jellyfish, coral and some fish.

Bioluminescent organisms on land are mostly fungi and some insects, most notably the firefly. The male firefly normally use its light to attract females, especially in the warm summer months.

The light is produced when luciferin, an organic compound, combines with oxygen. The reaction is speeded up by an enzyme called luciferase and usually takes place in the presence calcium and energy (in the form of ATP).

Answer: Wasps and hornets

Wasps, hornets and yellow jackets have biting and chewing mouthparts which they use to masticate their food and also for pulping wood to manufacture paper for building their nests. The wasps get decaying wood, mostly from logs, old fences and porches, chew the wood fiber into a paste, mix it up with their saliva, then make the pulp into hexagonal paper cells.

The paper also acts as an insulator from heat and cold effect. Some wasps suspend their nests from trees, eaves of roofs, anywhere that can provide support especially if the place is concealed.

Answer: Bats

With the help of echolocation an animal can determine the position of an object by using echoes produced by sounds made by the animal. Echolocation in animals is an adaptation to poorly lit environment or bad eyesight. Bats are famous for their keen ability of echolocation. They can determine the distance, direction, size and texture of an object through echoes. The sound made by bats are high in frequency (100 dB). Though they are high, they are out of human range of hearing, we hear them as clicks or tiny chirps. Fruit bats do not use echolocation since they are diurnal.

Marine mammals use echolocation (which works better in water, a better medium for sound waves than air) to navigate the deep seas. Just like bats, they make high frequency sounds and use the echoes to judge the size, shape and texture of the object. They have an organ, called melon, on their head to help interpret the echoes.

Answer: Most fish

Many fish can float in water. This is through the help of swim bladders. The swim bladder is a sac-like organ filled with air and located above the digestive tract. This regulates the buoyancy of the fish. Air enters or leaves the swim bladder through a pneumatic duct or through capillaries.

The specific gravity of the fish therefore matches the depth of the water. This makes the fish somewhat weightless. Similarly, the chambered nautilus has chambers or flotation tanks and can regulate its depth by changing the amount of air and water in these chambers. Just like the tanks of submarines, the cuttlebone pumps water out of the cavities, then allows air to fill the cavity making it float, or vice versa.