Am I a Fish or Not? Trivia Quiz

Answer: starfish

Because they are not fish, biologists don't use the word "starfish" - they prefer "sea star". Sea stars are related to sea urchins and sand dollars. If they lose an arm, they can usually grow another one (but it takes a long time). If under attack by a predator, they can even deliberately "lose" an arm to distract the predator so they can get away.

Did you know a group of starfish is called a "galaxy"?

Answer: silverfish

Silverfish are small wingless insects that are usually a light silvery grey colour and covered in tiny scales. They like to eat carbohydrates (sugars, cellulose and starchy foods), which can include things such as paper, photos, carpet, clothing, wallpaper, glue, and even hair, so they can cause a lot of damage in people's houses.

They can live for a year or more without food, as long as water is available.

Answer: goldfish

Goldfish belong to a group of fish known as carp. They live in freshwater. As you would expect from their name, most goldfish are orange-gold in colour but they don't have to be - they can be black, white, yellow, red or brown, or multi-coloured. Goldfish can be tricky to look after but with proper care they can live for many years. Some have been known to live for over 40 years.

Answer: crayfish

Crayfish are known by different names in different parts of the world. For example, sometimes they are called lobsters, crawfish, crawdads, mudbugs or yabbies. They belong to a group of animals called crustaceans, which refers to their "crust" or shell.

They are related to crabs and prawns (shrimp). In order to grow in size, they have to shed their shell and grow a new one. They eat their old shell in order to recycle the chemicals (calcium and phosphates) contained in it.

Answer: cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are so named because they have an internal oval-shaped "shell" called a cuttlebone. Cuttlebones are often found washed up on the beach. If you have pet birds, such as parakeets or parrots, you can collect cuttlebones and give them to your birds because cuttlebones are a good source of calcium and helps keep their beaks trimmed.

When a cuttlefish is threatened, it can squirt an ink called sepia to cloud the water, which gives it a chance to escape. Cuttlefish can be eaten and the ink can be used as a food colouring - for example, black pasta and black rice are coloured with cuttlefish or squid ink. In the past, people used sepia as a dye, as well as for ink in pens.

Answer: whale

Whales are mammals, just like humans. This means they have glands, called mammary glands, that produce milk to feed their young. Young whales are called calves. The mother whale squirts her milk into the mouth of her calf.

Because they are mammals, whales have lungs and must breathe air. They cannot breathe underwater like a fish. They have to come to the surface of the water to take in air through the blowhole on the top on their heads. Their lungs can hold an enormous quantity of air and they can hold their breath for as long as one to two hours (depending on the type of whale).

Answer: jellyfish

Jellyfish are very simple animals. They do not have any sort of skeleton, nor do they have major organs such as a brain, heart or eyes. However, they have a simple nervous system that can detect light, temperature, vibrations and chemicals in the water. This helps them to move around and catch their food.

Almost all jellyfish have tentacles but there are some that don't. The tentacles have stinging cells that are used to paralyse their prey, which consists of very small animals such as prawns (shrimp), fish and even other jellyfish. Human beings can be stung by jellyfish tentacles if they accidentally come into contact with them. Jellyfish stings can be extremely painful and sometimes they can be deadly.

Some jellyfish can glow in the dark. They have organs that can emit blue or green light. It is thought that this light may attract their prey or warn off possible predators.

Answer: shark

Sharks belong to a group of fish known as cartilaginous fish. This means that their skeleton is made of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is the tissue under the skin that gives your ear its shape. Try bending your ear -- if your ear was made of bone, you could not bend it. Cartilage is tough, flexible and lighter than bone. Having a lighter skeleton saves energy for the shark.

There are more than 470 types of sharks and only a few have been known to attack and kill humans. You are more likely to die from a bee sting, fireworks, lightning, or falling out of bed than a shark attack! The largest fish in the world is the whale shark.

Did you know that a group of sharks is called a "shiver"?

Answer: seahorse

Seahorses got their name because their head resembles that of a horse. Seahorses have a long tail which is able to grasp objects. They use their tail to wrap around objects like seaweed, to anchor them in place. Seahorses can change their colour within minutes, which helps protect them from predators.

The male sea horse has a pouch on his belly. The female seahorse lays her eggs in the pouch and the male cares for the young until they are ready to hatch.

Answer: sea dragon

Sea dragons are related to seahorses. They look like a cross between a seahorse, a dragon and leafy seaweed. Having a leafy appearance is good camouflage and allows them to hide amongst seaweed and sea grasses for protection. Sea dragons can also change colour to help them blend into their surroundings.

Like the seahorses, the male sea dragon takes care of the eggs until they are ready to hatch.

Sea dragons are an endangered species so it is illegal for people to catch them or keep them as pets.