Bugging Around Trivia Quiz

Answer: Manure

Dung beetles roll animal manure into balls, then lay their eggs on them. When the eggs hatch, they have something to eat. Sometimes, to get more dung, they patiently follow animals such as elephants waiting for them to poop.

Answer: Ghost ant

Ghost ants, Latin name Tapinoma melanocephalum, are very small, and only 1.3 to 2 millimeters long. However, their queen is about 2 to 3 millimeters long and is the largest ant in the colony. An invasive species, they came from Africa and Asia but can also be found in parts of the US, Canada, Galapagos Islands, and Europe.

Answer: Zombie ant

The fungus grows on the ant's head, and eventually kills the ant. It is called the zombie ant because before it dies it acts like a zombie, having convulsions, biting the middle of a leaf, and other strange actions. Later, the fungus grows a red berry at the top, to lure birds to eat it, along with the ant.

The seeds get pooped out by the bird, fall to the ground, and the life cycle starts again.

Answer: They eat the male

About 83% of males escape being eaten, but if they are caught the female bites off the head first. A study showed that if the females are not hungry, they are less likely to eat the males. Sometimes, the male performs courtship dances to take the female's mind off feeding.

Answer: Safari ant

You pick up the ant while holding the wound closed. The safari ant then bites the wound closed, which is very painful. After that, you pull the rest of the ant's body off, leaving only the head in place. It acts like a stitch, and holds the wound closed. It can stay there for up to one week!

Answer: Less than one day

Mayflies often lay their eggs in moving streams of water. Mayflies spend more of their lives as a youngster than as an adult. One species' females only live for up to five minutes as an adult!

Answer: Mouth

Luna moths are usually seen at nighttime. Adults do not have mouthparts, so they can only live for up to one week. Females can be distinguished from the males by their larger antennae.

Answer: A type of wasp

Velvet ants are covered in hairs. The male velvet ants have wings, but the females do not, and are often confused with ants. One way to tell them apart is that the wasps have straight antennae and ants have bent antennae. You should avoid velvet ants, as they have a very nasty sting.

Answer: Arthropoda

Vertebrates are in CHORDATA. Coral and jellyfish are in CNIDARIA. Squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, and gastropods are in MOLLUSCA.

Answer: Help doctors with operations

Leeches help heal blood clots, and they can be used to suck blood into reattached body parts, such as fingers. And don't be panicky- they are not collected from swamps. They are actually bred in medical labs and are germ-free.