It's Not Irrelevant, It's a Hippopotamus! Quiz

Answer: Bees

The mystery substance from which slumgum derives is beeswax.
"Mind your beeswax" is an old expression meaning "Mind your own business".
If you don't want to use an animal product, Japan wax can be used as a substitute for beeswax. Japan wax is made from the berries of certain varieties of sumac native to Japan and China.
The Patron of Beekeepers is St. Valentine - what a pity the gardener didn't feel any love for us, there could well have been a hippo in those hydrangeas...

Answer: Whale

Schrödinger's Cat was used to "illustrate perceived problems of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics when it is applied beyond just atomic or subatomic systems", and if that sentence made sense to you, you're a 'better brain than I am Gunga Din!'
The Manga "Ah! My Goddess" features Schrödinger's Whale. This is "a rare species with the ability to travel through space-time in a five-dimensional quantum state".
Admit it, you so wanted it to be Schrödinger's Hippo didn't you? I know I did. Hippos and whales are actually pretty closely related, taxonomically speaking. They shared a common ancestor around 54 million years ago.

A little 'factoid' I found - did you know that whale milk consists of 50% fat - some baby whales can put on up to 200lbs in weight a day!

Answer: Fish

In the 17th Century, the Catholic church ruled that the beaver was a fish - thus beaver meat could be eaten on Fridays, during Lent.
The basis for the 'beaver is fish' decision by the Catholic church was based on the "Summa Theologica" written by Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century.
Barnacle geese were also classed as fish by the Catholic church, on the basis that they "hatched out of barnacles on ships", and could also be eaten during Lent.
Giardiasis is a gastric disease caused by the microscopic protozoan Giardia lamblia.
Also known as "beaver fever" and lambliasis, it affects up to 2.5 million people in the US every year, and is often endemic in developing countries.

Answer: Narwhal

Narwhal means "corpse fish" in Old Norse, from the colour of the narwhal's skin.
Every single narwhal's tusk ever examined so far has been a left handed helical twist. It is thought that no such thing as a "right handed narwhal" exists.
Hippos have long tusklike canine teeth, and in the past they were used for many of the same things as elephant ivory - up to and including the manufacture of false teeth for humans! Nowadays the trade in hippo ivory is strictly controlled under the terms of CITES as they are an endangered species in the wild.

Answer: Animal entrails

Could this be why we have not yet found our elusive hippo? Are they his entrails? Mmmm hippo steaks...Haruspicy is the prediction of future events from studying the entrails of animals. When human entrails are used it is called splanchomancy or anthropomancy.

Answer: Historically it was used as currency

The Native Americans made wampum 'coins' from the shells of the mercenary clam, with purple ones being especially valuable. The name mercenaria comes from the Latin word for money, as does 'mercenary'. Still no hippos, but at least we know the fortune teller's animal didn't donate his entrails in vain as she is proved correct in her prediction.

Answer: All of these answers are correct

In view of the fact that it is said that the gaze of the Catoblepas is fatal, its tendency to hang its head is very fortunate.
There are two species of wildebeest - Black wildebeest and Blue wildebeest - Connochaetes gnou and Connochaetes taurinus respectively.
They are immortalised in the "Gnu Song", written by Flanders and Swan, who also wrote the "Hippopotamus Song".

All together now "So follow me follow, Down to the hollow, And there let us wallow, In glorious mudddddddddddddddd".

Answer: Elephant

Greek academic and philosopher Aristotle, who lived in the 4th century BC, has been called the "Father of biology". Under the patronage of his former pupil Alexander the Great, he documented many species of plants and animals and wrote as many as 400 theses about his observations. Some of his writings survive to this day.

Answer: Cockroach

Macropanesthia rhinoceros can grow up to 80mm long, and weigh 35g! They are the largest known species of cockroach, and are commonly known as the giant burrowing cockroach and the rhinoceros cockroach. They are native to Australia, and mainly live in the tropical areas in Queensland. Some people even keep them as pets!

Answer: Orang-Utangoed

Orang-Utangs are indigenous to Borneo and Sumatra, and are critically endangered in the wild. Their numbers are falling further as their habitat in the rainforests is cleared to make way for oil palm plantations.
Tango brand orange soda pop is perhaps more famous for the "You KNOW when you've been Tangoed" advertising campaign than for the actual product, and the 'big orange Tango-man' has passed into popular culture in the UK and Ireland. The original 'face slap' advert was withdrawn after complaints that it encouraged violence among children, and in later commercials was replaced by 'big smacking kisses'.
Tango was first launched in 1950, and the brand is now manufactured by the Britvic company.