Is Anybody Home? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Squirrel

Tree squirrels make their dens inside hollow trees, or nest in "dreys" built in a tall tree. To make sure they have enough food to last through the cold season, squirrels hide their winter supply at different spots in their home territory. So, if you happen upon a stash of nuts and berries in a hollow tree or buried in the ground, you know who's been busy!

Answer: Skunk

North American striped skunks are of the family Mephitis mephitis, a Latin name that gives the English language a word that can describe the spray skunks use to defend themselves. The next time you find a skunk's den or catch a whiff of its smelly scent, you can show off your vocabulary and say, "How mephitic!" (pronounced, muh-FIT-ick).

Answer: Robin

After migrating back home for the spring and summer, North America's red-breasted robins get ready to become parents. A mother robin's "clutch" usually has three or four eggs, and she lays one a day in her nest of twigs, grass, and mud. While the mother incubates the eggs, her mate protects them. Robins are noted for the beautiful coloring of their eggs, which are all "robin's egg blue"!

Answer: Ants

When digging a nest, the workers of an ant colony (who are all female!) remove grains of dirt and sand from the ground and put them on top of the nest, creating an anthill. Beneath the hill, worker ants take care of the home with its many tunnels and "rooms," bring food, and care for their egg-laying queen. Even when it rains, the nest's underground tunnels keep the ants supplied with air and allow them to sit out most storms comfortably.

Answer: Bear

American black bears live in the forests of North America. During a cold winter when food is hard to come by, Kwizzer's cave might become home to a hibernating black bear, maybe a mother bear with her cubs. Did you know that not all black bears are black? Many have coats in different shades of brown, and a few are even white! These special white black bears are called "spirit bears."

Answer: Rabbit

Rabbit colonies find protection from their enemies and the weather by burrowing into the soil and creating a cozy, underground warren. However, cottontail rabbits and their hare relatives prefer to stay aboveground, and live in a nest called a "form." These hollows in the ground, cushioned with grass and fur, give cottontails a safe place to bring their young into the world.

Answer: Bees

Honeybees build a honeycomb of wax cells in their hive, and their queen lays an egg inside each cell. When the eggs become larvae, the brood of future bees is nourished by royal jelly, produced by worker bees. Larvae who will become queens keep eating the royal jelly, but the rest switch to pollen and nectar gathered from flowers, and honey made from nectar.

Then, the larvae become pupae, which transform into full-grown honeybees who can join in the day-to-day activities of the busy hive.

Answer: Beaver

Beavers seeking a new home might make a dam to block the water flow of a river or stream, and create a new, still pond for their lodge. Their large front teeth allow them to chew and cut the trees they need in their construction work, and which provide them with food like bark and leaves. Beavers make such a huge impact on the landscape that they are second only to humans in this way.

Answer: Horse

In the early 16th century, Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez brought horses to North America and used them to fight the native peoples. Some of these horses turned wild, and their descendants, Mustangs, now roam free in the western United States. Most horses today are domesticated (tamed), and live on farms or ranches where their home is a hay-filled stall in a stable or barn, with a corral or field to graze in after a day's work.

Answer: Dog

Did you know that before he became the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and his family had a much-loved dog named Fido? There may not be many dogs who are actually called Fido nowadays, but this Latin name reflects their trust and faithfulness.

These qualities have earned them the nickname, "man's best friend." Most dogs are happy to be family pets, and sleep in an outdoor doghouse. Some, like Lincoln's Fido, are privileged to live inside with their family.