Aussie Fauna Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hop

The kangaroo is, arguably, Australia's best known native creature. It represents the country by being, alongside the emu, on its Coat of Arms. These two were chosen because they cannot go backwards, indicating that Australia is, forever, moving forward.

The kangaroo can hop at a speed of 35 miles (56 kilometres) per hour and it uses its long tail as a means to balance itself while moving. Because it generally lives in areas that can be short on water, it has evolved its hopping ability as an efficient way of travel without a great loss of fluid. What is generally not known is that it is also a good swimmer, and it will happily jump into water in an effort to get away from predators.

This question was introduced by a hopping mad pollucci19 for Phoenix Rising.

Answer: Run

Emus are very large birds which are incapable of flight, so they have to rely on running around instead. Luckily, they have a lot of stamina and are also capable of running extremely quickly - they can make it up to around 30 miles per hour (which is nearly 50 kilometres per hour). They are also capable of swimming but it's definitely not their main means of getting from place to place.

These birds can be found in the wild across most of mainland Australia as well as on one side of the country's coat of arms. Other subspecies of emu that lived on some of Australia's islands sadly became extinct during the 19th century.

This question was walked into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Fly

The platypus is one of the world's strangest mammals. It has a bill (but not wings) like a duck, a tail like a beaver, and feet and fur like an otter. It's so odd-looking that many European scientists upon first examining a preserved specimen in the 19th century thought it a hoax. The platypus is one of two egg-laying mammals called monotremes (the other being the echidna). It's a bottom-feeder, using its duckbill to forage for aquatic invertebrates. As it lacks a stomach, food is initially broken down with grinding plates and gravel in the beak, and then passed through the esophagus to the intestines. The platypus is endemic to (or only found naturally in) the wetter parts of eastern Australia (including Tasmania).

This question was muddled together by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Slide

A taipan is one of the most dangerous snakes found in Australia. There are three main species: the coastal taipan, the inland taipan and the Central Ranges taipan, the last of which was only discovered in 2007. They are all highly venomous and capable of killing humans with a single bite, so it is definitely best to avoid them if you ever spot one slithering around. In fact, the inland taipan is believed to be the most venomous snake in the world.

Hopefully this question by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 didn't bite you!

Answer: Leaf

One of Australia's most iconic animals, the koala is often labelled as "cute", but beware, they have sharp claws, are not social animals and will defend their territory.

Their diet consists, predominantly, of gum leaves (eucalypts) and they also get their water from the moisture within the leaves. This is the reason why they are most comfortable living in trees and will come to ground only to change trees or during times of drought when there is insufficient water in the leaves. Habitat loss is their biggest danger. As Australia's population continues to grow and invade their territories, they are losing those trees that are vital for their survival.

This question was brought to you by Phoenix Rising's own dancing bear, pollucci19.

Answer: Bird

Kookaburras are little birds with large heads and pointed beaks ranging from Australia to New Guinea. The largest species, called the laughing kookaburra, is native to the eucalyptus forests of Eastern Australia. You may have been introduced to it in the song, "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" (eucalypts have gummy sap). Kookaburras are members of the kingfisher family, but they aren't particularly good fishers, and in fact they rarely eat fish. Their diet is mostly carnivorous though, and they commonly eat small rodents and reptiles, insects, and the young of other birds. The word 'kookaburra' is an onomatopoeia (a word imitating the sound it describes) based on the bird's call.

This question was given flight by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Dog

The dingo is a type of dog native to Australia. Another name for a dingo is warrigal which comes from a native Australian language. Most dingoes are wild. They are carnivores and, before European settlers introduced animals such as sheep, cattle and chickens, primarily fed on kangaroos and wallabies. In order to reduce the numbers of dingoes preying on farm animals, the Australian government erected a dingo fence 5,614 km (3,488 miles) across the states of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia to attempt to keep as many as possible in the outback. The differences between dingoes and domestic dogs of similar size are that the dingoes have a longer muzzle, larger ears and molars and longer and thinner canine teeth.

Phoenix Rising's lg549 worked doggedly on this question.

Answer: Lizard

The thorny devil is a spiny-armored lizard native to the Australian desert interior. Its spines are used for defense against predators and to aid in water absorption. Between its shoulders is a knob referred to as a false head. When threatened, the thorny devil will drop its real head between its forelegs leaving the false head in its place. It may also puff up to make itself harder to swallow. The thorny devil eats only ants. It will find a spot trafficked by the insects and lay in wait to feast on passers-by.

Phoenix Rising's JCSon pointed this question into the quiz.

Answer: Ants

The echidna is also called the Spiny Ant-eater and, true to its name, its diet is mainly ants and termites. It has a number of features that make it stand out among Australia's unusual creatures. First, its body is covered in quills, similar to a porcupine, but the two animals are not related. It has a beak like a bird, it has a pouch similar to a quoll and it is one of the two mammals on Earth that lays eggs. The egg-laying bit is similar to how reptiles generally reproduce which led to the echidna's name - Echidna is a character from Greek mythology that is half human (mammal) and half snake (reptile).

This spiky question was created by Phoenix Rising's own thorny bear, pollucci19.

Answer: Bird

Cockatoos are a type of parrot and are found in the wild across Australia and various smaller island nations of Oceania, as well as being popular as pets or aviary birds around the world. Cockatoos tend to be large birds with less colourful plumage than other parrot species and can generally be identified by their distinctive crests - a plume of feathers on their head that they can raise up when startled or as a means of communication.

There are over 20 known living species of cockatoo, including the sulphur-crested cockatoo (a large white bird with bright yellow crest feathers) and Major Mitchell's cockatoo (which has pale pink feathers with a bright pink crest). The much smaller cockatiel, commonly called a weiro in Australia, is also a type of cockatoo - it has generally grey plumage but the males have distinctive yellow face feathers.

The information in this question was parroted at you by Fifiona81 of team Phoenix Rising.