In Today's Tribune
A Word From The Commish
- I am having a meeting regarding the Picnic on Aug. 24th. Next
Sunday June 30th @ 2:00pm at my house 1680 E. Farland St. If anyone wants to be a part of the committee and can't come to the meeting
just let me know what you want to do.
Animal
IQ
-Do you know
your animals?
Are you as smart as an owl, dumb as an
.... ox, or just plain silly as a goose? We often assert our knowledge of the animal kingdom, but do we really know what we are talking about? Take our Animal IQ quiz and see how good you are at keeping your animal facts straight.
1. Who has bigger ears: an African elephant or an Asian elephant?
a) African elephant
b) Asian elephant
c) Neither, they have same-sized ears
2. How do scientists distinguish between the black panther and the leopard?
a) Leopards climb trees, black panthers don't
b) Scientists don't distinguish between these two animals--leopards and black panthers are the same species
c) Black panthers live in North America; leopards live in Africa
3. Who typically has a longer snout: alligators or crocodiles?
a) Alligator
b) Crocodile
c) They both have about the same size snout
4. A platypus is a
a) Bird
b) Mammal
c) Fish
5. Is a spider an insect?
a) No
b) Yes
c) Maybe
6. Honey bees communicate by
a) Buzzing
b) Dancing
c) Leaving trails of honey
7. Which of the following is true about toads?
a) They never go in the water
b) You can get warts from touching them
c) They have no teeth
8. The sting of a killer bee is fatal
a) To all humans
b) Only to highly allergic people
c) To no one
9. Which of the following are differences between apes and monkeys?
a) Monkeys have tails; apes don’t
b) Apes’ arms are usually longer than their legs
c) Both
10. Which of the following makes the reindeer unique from other types of deer?
a) They can fly
b) Both male and female reindeer grow antlers
c) They have a white hindquarters
11. Anteaters vs. aardvarks: which of the following statements is true?
a) Anteaters have teeth; aardvarks do not
b) Aardvarks are native to South America; anteaters are not
c) Anteaters have long bushy tails; aardvarks do not
12. Another name for cougar is
a) Puma
b) Lynx
c) Bobcat
13. Consider two aquatic mammals: the porpoise and the dolphin. What is the difference?
a) Nothing
b) Porpoises are related to whales; dolphins are not
c) A porpoise is smaller
14. Do flying squirrels really fly?
a) No, they soar from tree branches
b) Yes, they have wings just like a bird
c) No, they don’t fly or soar at all
15. The bite of a tarantula is
a) Painful
b) Painful and fatal
c) Painless and fatal
Answers
To Animal Quiz
1. The correct answer: A African elephant
The African elephant has larger ears. The ears of the African elephant average 1.5 m (5 ft) in length and 1.2 m (4 ft) in width, while the Asian elephant’s ears average 0.75 m (2.5 ft) long and 0.6 m (2 ft) wide.
2. The correct answer: B Scientists don't distinguish between these two animals--leopards and black panthers are the same species.
Scientists classify leopards and black panthers as the same species, Panthera pardus. Typically leopards are born with a pale tan coat, with black spots; some, however, are born completely black, and are known as black panthers.
The so-called Florida panther, which lives in the United States, is actually a cougar (Felis concolor)! See question 12 for more information about cougars.
3. The correct answer: B Crocodile
Crocodiles typically have longer, sharper snouts than alligators. Also, when an alligator has its mouth closed, its teeth cannot be seen. Crocodiles’ teeth stick out.
4. The correct answer: B Mammal
A platypus is a mammal. These animals do have certain characteristics that make them seem otherwise: they have a bill like a duck, lay eggs, and are highly aquatic.
5. The correct answer: A No
A spider is not an insect. It is an arachnid. Spiders have 8 legs and 2 body segments; insects have 6 legs and 3 body parts.
6. The correct answer: B Dancing
Honey bees use specific dances to tell other members of the hive where a new food source is.
7. The correct answer: C They have no teeth
Most toads do not have teeth, unlike their fellow amphibian, the frog. Toads do tend to live in drier climates than frogs, but they will go in water. Although their skin is wart-like, you won’t get warts from touching them.
8. The correct answer: B Only to highly allergic people
In general, unless the person is highly allergic, the sting of a single killer bee (also known as the Africanized honey bee) is not fatal. Africanized honey bees are more aggressive and quicker to attack than other bees, which is why they are popularly known as killer bees.
9. The correct answer: C Both
Apes do not have tails and their arms are generally longer than their legs. They are also larger than monkeys. There are 13 species of apes, while there are approximately 160 species of monkeys in the world.
10. The correct answer: B Both male and female reindeer grow antlers
Reindeer are the only species of deer where both male and female grow antlers.
11. The correct answer: C Anteaters have long bushy tails; aardvarks do not
Anteaters have long bushy tails--aardvarks do not.
Although often associated with one another, anteaters and aardvarks are not related. Anteaters are native to South America, Mexico, and Central America, while aardvarks are native to Africa. Aardvarks also have teeth, while anteaters do not.
12. The correct answer: A Puma
Cougars are also known as pumas, mountain lions, catamounts, and painters.
13. The correct answer: C A porpoise is smaller
Porpoises are smaller than dolphins. Both porpoises and dolphins are closely related to whales. Another distinguishing characteristic of the dolphin is its beak-like snout.
14. The correct answer: A No, they soar from tree branches. No, flying squirrels don’t really fly—they glide from branch to branch.
A blanket-like furry skin stretches between the flying squirrel’s front and hind legs, and acts as a parachute, enabling the squirrel to soar like a kite.
15. The correct answer: A Painful
The bite of a tarantula is painful, but not fatal. Contrary to popular belief, tarantulas are not terribly dangerous creatures.
