If Animals Had Hobbies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Blowing Bubbles

Beluga whales grow to be about 18 feet (5 m) tall and can weigh 3500 lbs. (1600 kg). They eat smaller fish that live in the cold waters near the Arctic Circle. Beluga whales are cousins to dolphins and are very social animals. Beluga families or "pods" can have 10-20 members who communicate using a high-pitched chatter that reminds some people of birds. That is why another name for the beluga is the "sea canary".

Beluga whales create their bubble rings in a unique way. The whale breathes in air from the surface then dives under water. The whale exhales a small amount of air from its mouth to create a current in the water. Then the beluga pushes another gust of air from the blowhole on top of its melon-shaped head. The result is a beautiful round bubble ring that makes humans and whales smile in delight.

Answer: Sleeping

To be fair, the average cuddly cute koala's day includes only 18-20 hours of sleeping. However, as amazing as it sounds, some koalas do sleep as much as 22 hours a day. The other hours are spent mostly finding and munching on their favorite food of eucalyptus leaves. Since the eucalyptus leaves do not have much nutritional value, the koala does not have a lot of energy to socialize or be active.

Koalas are not actually bears; but, rather they are marsupials and are related to wombats and kangaroos. Like other marsupials, the koala mothers carry their babies (also called joeys) in a pouch until they are six or so months old. Koalas live almost all their lives in the trees where they eat and sleep.

Answer: Hot springs

Japanese macaques (pronounced "makak") are also called the "snow monkey" because they live in the cold, snowy areas of Japan. The macaques are small primates weighing from 20-25 pounds. The little monkeys live in large family groups that can reach up to 100 members.

Most macaques will keep warm during the cold winter months by huddling together to share their body heat or by finding some source of heat. People started to build houses with hot tubs near the monkey's winter homes. In 1963, to keep the clever monkeys out of their own spas, the Japanese expanded a small pool of warm water near the city of Nagano into a special park for the monkeys. Each winter, hundreds of snow monkeys come to relax and enjoy the hot water!

Answer: Finding animals or people

Bloodhounds are the dog world's champion sniffers. In addition to having the most scent receptors of any dog breed, the bloodhound has a large, long head, long ears that sweep the scents towards their nose upward from the ground; and a lot of loose skin around their neck to hold in the smells. Because their sense of smell is so good, bloodhounds are sometimes called "the nose with the dog attached".

Think you can hide from a bloodhound? I doubt it. Bloodhounds are so good at tracking people by scent that their results are accepted as evidence in a court of law. My favorite bloodhound was a dog named Nick Carter. This police dog helped track down and put over 600 criminals in jail.

Answer: Swimming

Beavers are the world's second largest rodents and are famous for their engineering skill at building dams along rivers. The beavers use their powerful front teeth to cut through trees and plants, gathering the material to block the flow of water along a river or stream. The beavers work in small family groups called colonies to build a dam. The gentle pool created by the dam allows the beaver to build its home or lodge. The entrance to the lodge is underwater making the beavers inside hard to get to by any predators that travel near the water.

Beavers are excellent swimmers who spend a good part of their life in the water. The beavers' thick fur and strong tail allow them to move either swiftly through the water or float gently along.

Answer: Weightlifting

Elephants are gigantic animals that can weigh 6000 kg (12,500 lbs) and can carry immense weights on their backs. The elephant trunk also acts as an extra limb and can pick up and carry up to 350 kg (770 lbs). Elephants eat almost all the time and can spend as much as 16 hours a day searching for and digesting the plants and trees that they find delicious. One adult elephant can eat as much as 200 kg (500 lbs) of food a day and drink 40 liters (11 gallons) of water.

In addition to being strong, elephants can move very quickly, reaching speeds as fast as 25-30 mph (40-48kph). However, the one thing an elephant cannot do is jump. To support their tremendous weight the elephant's leg muscles are densely packed with very little flexibility to produce lift.

Answer: Telling a Story

The African grey parrot is often considered amongst the most intelligent of birds. The birds can mimic a variety of human words and sounds. However, the birds can also be taught to understand the meaning of the words and to use words to communicate. Bird experts (special scientists called ornithologists) say that African grey parrots have the same language and comprehension ability as an average five-year-old human.

One famous African grey parrot named Alex was taught to use and recognize colors, numbers and hundreds of words. For example, Alex could tell the difference between different objects. If shown two objects that had no difference, he would answer "none" showing he both understood the question and could reason the correct answer.

Answer: 100 m sprint

Cheetahs are hunters who use their great speed to run down antelope and other animals for food. The beautiful tan and dark spotted cats roam the grassy plains of Africa and small parts of Asia. The cheetah hides in the grass until spotting its target. Using its long leg muscles, the cheetah can reach a speed of 62 mph (100 kph) in as little as three seconds. That rate of acceleration is faster than any standard Porsche or Ferrari automobile. In comparison to the cheetah, humans are slow. The fastest humans have run for a short distance at no more than 28 mph (45 kph).

While cheetahs are champion sprinters, the American pronghorn antelope is the best distance runner. The pronghorn can run at speeds of 55 mph (89 kph) for five miles (8 km). Amazingly, the funny-looking ostrich can run at speeds of 30 mph (49 kph) for distances of over 20 miles.

Answer: Hide and seek

Chameleons are a type of reptile (snakes and lizards are reptiles) that are known for the ability to change its body color to blend into the colors of the background. This ability helps to hide the animal from predators. Another ability that most chameleons have is that it can look in two different directions at the same time. This extra vision also helps to alert the lizard to danger.

Almost all chameleons can change their coloring from brown to green in as little as 20 seconds. Some chameleon species can turn any color they want and use the ability for communication with other reptiles. In contrast to their wonderful eyesight, the chameleon does not have very good hearing. Chameleons love to hunt for insects in trees using specially adapted feet to run along the branches and a long powerful tongue to snatch a tasty treat. About half of the different chameleon species live only on the island of Madagascar.

Answer: Rock climbing

The mountain goat or the Rocky Mountain goat is the animal kingdom's champion rock climber. The mountain goat is actually a mix of goat and antelope and is unique in the animal world. The mountain goat can climb hills and over rocks at angles over 60 degrees, making it appear as if they are walking up a wall. The design of their feet with wide cloven hooves and soft, flexible inner pads give the animal this climbing skill.

Mountain goats are also careful climbers moving with a slower deliberate speed over rough terrain. The goats are white, sporting beards and thick fur to hide the goat in the snow as well as keep them warm during the cold mountain winters.