Hidden Creatures Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hare

Hares are related to rabbits but unlike the bunnies they don't burrow underground. The male is called a jack and the female a jill, while the young are leverets.

In spring, they can be seen 'boxing' in fields, hitting each other with their front paws, as part of the courtship process. This sort of behaviour has earned them a skittish reputation giving rise to the saying 'As mad as a March hare', and the March Hare in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' is a well-known fictional character who hosted the 'Mad Tea Party'.

Answer: Owl

There are 216 species of owls in the world and throughout history they have been surrounded by much superstition with connections to witches and warlocks and as harbingers of doom. But there have also been many positive associations - they have often been equated with wisdom, hence the nursery rhyme 'A Wise Old Owl'.

In Greek myth, the owl was associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. It appeared on Greek coins and can still be seen today on modern Greek coinage. The species represented is thought to be the little owl, also known as the Minerva owl, which is still common in Europe.

Answer: Nag

Nag is an old term for a horse, usually an old horse. An earlier use of the word could also mean simply a small horse or one which was inferior in some way. It is unclear when the racing fraternity adopted it as a slang term which may now be applied to any racing horse of any condition.

Many animals rights groups campaign for an end to commercial horse racing especially certain races such as the Grand National which is run at Aintree near Liverpool in the UK each April. In spite of tinkering with the course and the rules over the years, since its inception in 1839, many horses have died during the race or had to be euthanized afterwards.

One horse who managed to win this infamous race three times and then go on to a peaceful retirement was Red Rum. He died in 1995 aged thirty years and is buried next to the winning post at Aintree.

Answer: Eel

Eels are long fish which can get very long; the moray eel can reach 13 feet (4m) in length. Their blood is toxic to mammals but cooking and digestive juices neutralize it, and they are a popular food in China and Japan.

Electric eels are not true eels, but air-breathing fish related to catfish. Their bodies contain cells called electrocytes which store electrical charge and can produce 600 volts or more to stun and kill prey. This charge can also be used minimally like a sort of radar to find food or interact with other eels.

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, an eel called Miguel Wattson has his own Twitter account. Sensors in his tank pick up discharges and are linked to a computer which then sends out his Tweets!

Answer: Yak

The yak was domesticated in Tibet over two thousand years ago and today, in Central Asia, Tibet and Mongolia there are millions of them. But it's a different story for the larger wild yaks who have decreased to the point of extinction in Bhutan and Nepal. One problem is the loss of their grassy plains which are used to maintain domestic stocks and, in the past, hunting.

Tibetan nomads depend on domesticated yaks to maintain life in their barren environment. For centuries, they have been used as beasts of burden, for riding and for providing wool with which to make clothing, tents and so on. The popular butter tea is made using yak butter.

The animals are well adapted to the harsh highland environment with a soft dense undercoat and long shaggy overcoat. In recent times, yak wool has become high fashion and offers opportunities for Tibetans to craft goods such as shawls and scarves for sale in the West.

Answer: Bat

Bats are found everywhere except extreme environments. They are mammals and the only one which can fly. With nearly 1000 species, they account for a quarter of all the mammals on Earth. They give birth to only one offspring called a pup, and the mothers and babies gather in special colonies until the young are weaned.

Vampire bats live in South America and are observed to be highly social. For example, if a mother dies then another will adopt the young. Also, if one has failed to find food then another will regurgitate blood for it.

Now scientists are studying their saliva after finding that it contains an anticoagulant which can destroy blood clots in human brains. So their negative associations with haunted houses and Dracula seem likely to need some revision.

Many bat species are endangered due to the ubiquitous threats of habitat loss and pesticides. In the UK, bats are protected by law and it is a crime to interfere with them, or their roost, even an empty one, with penalties ranging from very large fines to prison. So if you have bats in your belfry there's not a lot you can do about it!

Answer: Egret

Egrets are part of the heron family and are found all over the Americas. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, their population was falling due to being hunted by hat makers for their beautiful plumes, especially the snowy egret, but they achieved legal protection and numbers have happily risen again.

One species which has flourished and spread from their usual wet and marshy habitats is the cattle egret which has developed a symbiotic relationship with cattle and other large mammals all over the world. The birds benefit from the prey the movements of the large beasts stir up and the beasts benefit from the removal of ticks and fleas which the birds take from them, sometimes while perching on their backs.

Answer: Ape

The group of primates known as the great apes contains humans and also chimpanzees. The percentage of DNA we share with them has been argued over, but the percentage is certainly greater than the 50% we share with a banana!

One big difference between us is the capacity for language, but scientific projects have long been afoot to teach them sign language. Other studies have concentrated on the natural noises they make and whether it varies between groups in different environments.

One of the latest studies concerned a group of monkeys from Holland who had joined a troop in Edinburgh Zoo. A team from York university claimed that the incomers eventually changed their calls and grunts to match those of the residents. In effect, the Dutch monkeys acquired a Scots accent. Hoots Mon!

Answer: Rat

Rats found in the UK are mainly the brown rat, aka the common rat, though there are still a small number of black rats. The latter are the type which frequent shipping ports and which are credited with bringing the Black Death to Britain in the 14th century. Originating in Asia, the rats spread across Europe bringing their fleas with them, and the fleas carried the Y. pestis bacterium.

It could be claimed they have atoned for this by the numbers of them used in research laboratories and educational institutions. Animal rights campaigners make a strong case against the use of rats or other animals in laboratories claiming that there are now better ways to model disease and the effects of treatments. Many medical students do become qualified now without the need for dissecting animals.

Answer: Honey Bear

Honey bear is a nickname applied to various bears but especially the sun bear of Southeast Asia because it likes honey so much.

The kinkajou (which isn't a bear at all) will answer to it as well. This little mammal lives in the rainforests of South and Central America. Soft and cute they are popular as exotic pets although they are unsuited to captivity, being nocturnal and disliking noise.