Do Animals Get Insomnia? Trivia Quiz

Answer: owl

Owls usually hunt small mammals such as mice, but some also hunt insects, fish and other birds. Their big eyes are located on the front of their head, which helps them locate their prey in dim light.

Answer: spectacled bear

While all these animals are found in Peru, it was the Andean spectacled bear that was the reason Paddington was said to come from Peru. He was originally going to be from Africa, but it was pointed out that there are no bears in Africa! The spectacled bear gets its name from the light-colored fur on its face and chest that sometimes makes it look as if the animal is wearing glasses.

Answer: moths

Nobody knows for sure why moths seem to be drawn towards light sources. One theory is that the way they find their way at night relies on keeping the moon in a fixed position as they fly. When they do the same thing using the brighter artificial lights provided by humans, they end up traveling in circles and spiraling inwards toward the light.

Answer: bat

Only bats can truly fly - the other animals glide through the air, but do not fly. Most bats sleep during the day, and become active at twilight. Over two-thirds of bat species eat insects, and find their prey using echolocation (a bit like animal radar). Most of the rest eat fruits, but there are a few which eat vertebrates. The ghost bat of Australia actually eats other bats, along with frogs and lizards!

Answer: kiwi

All of these are flightless birds, but the kiwi is New Zealand's national symbol. New Zealanders are often nicknamed 'Kiwis'. It is thought that kiwis are more active at night than during the day because their major predators are active in daylight. When they are safe from predators, they can be seen during the day.

Answer: Cockroaches can live for up to 50 years.

Like most insects, cockroaches do breathe using body parts called tracheae, not lungs as is the case for mammals. While most people consider them to be pests, there are some who keep them as pets. Cockroaches can live for up to 1 year, not 50.

The world's heaviest cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach, which can grow to be 9 cm (3.5 in) long and weigh more than 30 grams (1.1 ounces). Most cockroaches will run away when exposed to light. The Asian cockroach, however, is attracted to light.

Answer: cat

Cats have been valued pets for their companionship and their ability to control vermin such as mice and rats for nearly 10,000 years. They are very efficient hunters, and cause much damage to small native species in countries where they have been introduced, especially to animals that are active at night. Responsible cat owners keep their pets indoors overnight!

Answer: skunk

All these animals are active in the evening or at night, but it is the skunk that has earned a reputation for the odor it produces in its anal scent glands, and squirts defensively at predators. It is highly effective! Most skunks are black and white, but some are brown, grey or cream. They are all striped, and may have a single thick stripe, or two thin stripes, or a mixture of spots and stripes.

Answer: extremely long middle fingers

The aye-aye has all these features, but the unusual one is the long, bony middle finger on each forepaw that it uses to find grubs. An aye-aye first uses a finger to tap on the trunk or branch where it is hunting, listening to the echo in order to locate hollow spots. It then chews a hole in the wood, and uses its long fingers to reach in and grab the grub it has located. Aye-ayes are currently considered primates, but were once classed as rodents because of their constantly-growing teeth.

Answer: kangaroo

All of these are nocturnal Australian marsupials (animals whose young develop in pouches). Kangaroos, however, are the only macropods listed. The word 'macropod' means 'big foot', and their hind feet are really big! Male kangaroos are called bucks or boomers, while females are called does or flyers, and baby kangaroos are referred to as joeys.

Australia's national symbols are the kangaroo and the emu, both of which appear on its coat of arms and on some currency.