The male of one species of fish is the only known creature capable of becoming pregnant. What kind of fish is this?
Swordfish
Seahorse
Wolf eel
Halibut
Seahorse
Male seahorses are the only creatures in which females transfer their eggs to the males, making them the only creature in whom men become pregnant.
Which of the following is NOT a pufferfish defensive mechanism?
Short burst of speed
Electric shock
Pointy spines
Poison
Electric shock
Pufferfish use sharp spines that emerge as they “inflate” themselves to defend themselves. When their quick burst of speed fails to get them to safety, they resort to this technique of defense. They are tough prey because of their tactics and poison.
From infancy to adulthood, nearly all amphibians go through a substantial transformation. What is the name of this change?
Puberty
Mitosis
Metamorphosis
Osmosis
Metamorphosis
Almost all amphibians develop from a larval stage, which is usually a tadpole in the water, to an adult stage, which is usually spent at least partly on land. Metamorphosis is the process of changing from one phase to the next.
What is the main function of a frog’s croak?
To attract a mate
They sing to their young as part of parenting
To scare away predators
To attract insects that they then eat
To attract a mate
A frog’s primary motivation for croaking is to attract a partner. Even if they don’t see or hear a female frog, male frogs croak to attract her attention.
Humans catch which of the following fish by sticking their hands/arms into holes and pulling the fish out after it bites their hand?
Largemouth Bass
Catfish
Rainbow trout
Steelhead
Catfish
Noodling, also known as handfishing, is the process of placing your hand and/or arm into a catfish nest and then pulling it out of the water.
What are the nesting grounds for sea turtles?
On the sandy ocean floor
In kelp forests
Between rocks on the ocean floor
On the beach
On the beach
Summer is when female turtles dig their nests, usually in June or July. Some animals will dig several holes; these “false nests” may function as predator deterrents. The female leaves after laying eggs in the hole and covers them with earth.
At some time in their lives, all animals have hair on their bodies. What is the hair’s principal function?
Provide distinction between male and female
Increase sensitivity of touch
Insulation
Protect against prey
Insulation
Hair on animals retains air and acts as an insulator, similar to the fiberglass insulation found in most modern homes.
What fish has one eye migrate to the opposite side of its head, giving it both eyes on one side of its head, after being born with eyes on both sides of its head?
Yellow tang
Flounder
Sardine
Stingray
Flounder
The flounder, like other flat fish, begins life as a somewhat normal-looking fish, but when one eye moves to the opposite side, it transforms into a flat fish that is excellent at concealing on the ocean floor.
In their hearts, all mammals have the same number of chambers. What is the total number of chambers?
Four
Three
Two
Six
Four
All mammals and birds have four chamber hearts, which regulate the flow of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood throughout the body.
Many fish can generate light, which they employ in a variety of ways. What is it that allows them to create light in the majority of cases?
Infrared scales
Static electricity
Bioluminescence
Thermal radiation
Bioluminescence
A chemical process known as bioluminescence is used by many fish to produce light. Bioluminescence is used for a number of functions, including hunting and evading predators.
The resting metabolism of reptiles is substantially lower than that of mammals. What are the advantages of having a low resting metabolism?
They are able to more easily survive in cold climates
The animal is able to go long periods of time without breathing
The body requires less fuel (food)
Eye sight is improved
The body requires less fuel (food)
Reptiles have lower metabolisms because they are cold-blooded animals that do not create enough heat to keep their bodies warm and functional. Because they have a slower metabolism, they use less energy and so require less fuel (food).
Flamingos are distinguished by their brilliant pink hue. What makes them so pink?
They roll around in pink foliage.
Their diet
Blood vessels run through their feathers
There are pink parasites that live on their feathers.
Their diet
Flamingos get their vivid pink hue from beta-carotene, a red-orange pigment found in large amounts in the algae, brine fly larvae, and brine shrimp that they feed in their wetland habitat.
Because of the number of deaths caused by malaria, the mosquito is Africa’s deadliest critter. What is Africa’s deadliest mammal?
Elephant
Water buffalo
Hippopotamus
Lion
Hippopotamus
The strong and territorial hippopotamus are some of the deadliest animals in Africa, killing at least 500 people a year.
Coral polyps are invertebrate critters that make up coral reefs. These are essentially jellyfish-like translucent creatures. What gives coral reefs their color?
Fish scales
The algae they feed on
The rocks underneath
Fish droppings
The algae they feed on
Coral reefs get their vibrant hues from algae that lives on them and that they eat. A symbiotic link exists between the algae and the coral.
Flutings are fringed feathers that owls have at the tips of their wings. What are these feathers used for?
To pick up potential prey
To keep their young warm
To allow the owl to fly silently
To attract females
What is this unique organ found just beneath the skin of several vipers, pythons, and boas?
Movement of the air
X-rays (to see through objects)
Thermal radiation (heat)
Magnetic fields
Thermal radiation (heat)
Various snakes have holes or channels on their faces that are packed with thermoreceptors, allowing them to sense heat. They can sense both prey and predators’ thermal radiation.
What is the most common insect in the planet?
Roaches
Mosquitoes
Flies
Ants
Ants
Ants are the most common insects on the planet, with an estimated population of 10-10,000 trillion individuals.
What do you call the hard outer body that all insects have?
Abdominal shell
Insect Armor
Exoskeleton
Skin
Exoskeleton
Insects lack the internal skeletal framework and bones of vertebrate creatures. Instead, their body provides the necessary structure, thus the term exoskeleton (exo- meaning exterior).
Which of the following is an invertebrate’s defining characteristic?
They are warm blooded
They are herbivores
They have no backbone
They are symmetrical
They have no backbone
Invertebrates by definition have no backbone. In addition to lacking a spine, the majority of invertebrates lack an endoskeleton as well.
Which of the following insect species is most likely to be seen engaging in sexual cannibalism, with the female eating the male after the male has reproduced?
Dung Beetle
Walking Stick
Praying Mantis
Bullet Ant
Praying Mantis
It is not rare for a female praying mantis to swallow a male after mating, though this does not happen every time.
Which of the following fish is not usually seen in and around coral reefs?
Parrotfish
Piranha
Yellow tang
Clownfish
Piranha
On coral reefs, yellow tangs, parrotfish, and clownfish are widespread, but piranhas can be found in South American rivers.
Ants are incredible organisms that dwell in large colonies. What is the mechanism through which all of these adult ants communicate with one another?
Magnetic fields
Clicking sounds
Air vibrations
Chemical pheromones
Chemical pheromones
Pheromones are used by ants in a variety of ways, including releasing ‘danger’ pheromones when they die to notify adjacent ants, or creating chemical trails from their colony to prospective food sources.
The red-tailed hawk is renowned for its keen vision. Consider a person who has 20/20 vision, which means they can see small print from a distance of 20 feet. How far away might the red-tailed hawk (if it could read) read the same sign?
40 feet
80 feet
160 feet
20 feet
160 feet
The vision of a red-tailed hawk is eight times greater than that of humans, or 20/2.5 vision. They can see what a regular human can see at 2.5 feet from a distance of 20 feet.
Which fish is the most popularly consumed in the United States?
Salmon
Trout
Tuna
Cod
Tuna
Tuna is the most popular seafood in the United States, mostly in the form of canned tuna. Herring is the most popular fish in the world. Keep in mind that this does not include shellfish like shrimp, which aren’t really fish.
Hermaphrodites include slugs, worms, and a variety of other invertebrates. What does it mean to be a hermaphrodite animal?
They mate year round
They have both male and female organs
They move without the use of any limbs
They eat plants and bugs only
They have both male and female organs
Animals with both male and female reproductive organs are known as hermaphrodites. Worms, bryozoans (moss animals), trematodes (flukes), snails, slugs, and barnacles are examples of hermaphroditic creatures that are parasitic, slow-moving, or permanently connected to another animal or plant.
Which invertebrate has a stomach that may leave the body while eating and then return after the meal is finished?
Octopus
Jellyfish
Starfish
Sea Urchin
Starfish
By possessing a stomach that can escape the body, starfish have the unusual capacity to devour prey that is completely outside of their body.
What factors influence the temperature of most fish?
The amount and speed of their swimming
Thermoregulation (like humans)
The temperature of the water
What they eat
The temperature of the water
Fish’s body temperature is determined by their surroundings because they are cold-blooded creatures, hence it is determined by the temperature of the water they are in for practically all fish.
What amphibians have wart-like lumps on their skin?
Caecilians
Toads
Salamanders
Newts
Toads
Many toads have warts on their skin, however, these warts are not contagious, despite common assumptions. Many toads have warts on their skin, however, these warts are not contagious, despite common assumptions.
All insects have three sections to their bodies. What is the name of the intermediate part between the head and the abdomen?
Thyroid
Trunk
Thorax
Stomach
Thorax
The thorax is the insect’s midsection. It is where the head, legs, wings, and abdomen are held.
Mammals are extremely social creatures, and many predators hunt in packs. Which of the following is not a pack hunter?
Orca
Polar bear
Coyote
Lion
Polar bear
Coyotes, lions, and orcas are all highly social creatures that hunt in packs. Polar bears are not a pack animal, and they are most often observed alone, with the exception of a mother with her cubs.
Ectothermic means that reptiles use which of the following to regulate their body temperature:
Absorbing heat from the environment
Shivering or sweating to control temperature
None of these, the body automatically regulates temperature like in humans
Moving around more to generate heat
Absorbing heat from the environment
Reptiles are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, which means their bodies are unable to control their core temperature and must instead absorb heat from their surroundings.
Food is detected in a unique way by flies. How do they usually recognize edible food?
Having the most powerful sense of smell in the animal kingdom
Detecting unique radiation with their antennae
Tasting things with their feet
Receptors in their wings can taste food while flying
Tasting things with their feet
Flies’ feet have chemoreceptors, which function similarly to taste buds and allow them to “taste” food with their feet.
While there aren’t many reptiles that migrate, one did so for a total of 12,774 miles in 647 days! What reptile holds the world record for longest reptile migration?
Alligator
Giant tortoise
Water Moccasin (snake)
Leatherback Turtle
Leatherback Turtle
The leatherback turtle, the world’s biggest turtle, travels great distances between breeding and feeding grounds. One was discovered to have traveled 12,774 miles!
Which of the following statements regarding fleas is false?
Fleas can jump a distance of 100 times their body length
Fleas are parasites
Fleas have wings
Fleas transmit diseases
Fleas have wings
All of this is correct, except that fleas lack wings, necessitating such a long jump.
Which crustacean is known to live in abandoned animal shells?
Hermit crab
Crawfish
Spider crab
Softshell crab
Hermit crab
Hermit crabs are little crustaceans that may be found in shallow water all around the world. The mollusk shells that these crustaceans carry on their backs and must change shells as they grow.
How do tree frogs manage to scale tall trees?
Extreme gripping strength
Small claws
Molecular bonds
Sticky mucus on their feet
Sticky mucus on their feet
Tree frogs have pads on their bodies that create mucus that sticks to trees and other surfaces.
The capacity to lose and regenerate one’s tail is common among lizards. What’s the most prevalent explanation for this behavior?
As food for their young
To attract a mate
To distract a predator
As part of shedding their skin during growth
To distract a predator
For many lizards, releasing their tail is a costly protection strategy. When they are afraid, they droop their tail in the hopes of diverting or subduing the predator.
What invertebrate was (and still is) used as part of medical therapy for disease?
Sea anemone
Snails
Leeches
Hook worms
Leeches
During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, physicians frequently utilized leeches as part of bloodletting treatments. They are still used to increase blood flow following plastic surgery, such as the reattachment of a missing finger.
Which of the following characteristics of a bird’s bodily structure is required for it to fly?
Having zero body fat
Having hollow bones
Having no bones, only cartilage
Having no liver or kidneys
Having hollow bones
Birds have a skeleton that is largely made up of thin, hollow bones.
How do most amphibians reproduce?
By live birth
By spreading spores
By laying eggs
By self-cloning
By laying eggs
Many amphibians that breed in ponds and streams reproduce by depositing a large number of eggs in water.
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