The Natural World: 10 questions

1. What is the only animal whose full Latin name (genus and species) is the same as its common English name?
2. Which dog, of the Spitz type, is named after a historic region of North-West Poland and North-East Germany?
3. Which bat, one of the largest in the world, has the name of a different animal entirely in its common English name?
4. What is the name of the fish which preys on land based insects and other small insects by shooting a jet of water at them from below the surface of the water?
5. Why are flamingos pink?
6. What is the largest species of penguin?
7. Which is the only part of the UK where red squirrels are endemic, rather than grey squirrels?
8. The name of which shark may originate either from an old word for cat, or the sucking sound they make when searching for prey in the sand on the seabed?
9. What is the name given to the excessive growth of algae in rivers due to high levels of nutrients, leading to a lack of oxygen and the death of marine life?
10. Which Australian cat-like marsupial, whose name begins with Q, is well known for what looks like a wide smile?

Answers below (scroll down)

1. What is the only animal whose full Latin name (genus and species) is the same as its common English name?
   A: Boa Constrictor
2. Which dog, of the Spitz type, is named after a historic region of North-West Poland and North-East Germany?
   A: Pomeranian
3. Which bat, one of the largest in the world, has the name of a different animal entirely in its common English name?
   A: Flying Fox
4. What is the name of the fish which preys on land based insects and other small insects by shooting a jet of water at them from below the surface of the water?
   A: Archer fish
5. Why are flamingos pink?
   A: Their diet of pink hued brine shrimp
6. What is the largest species of penguin?
   A: Emperor
7. Which is the only part of the UK where red squirrels are endemic, rather than grey squirrels?
   A: The Isle of Wight
8. The name of which shark may originate either from an old word for cat, or the sucking sound they make when searching for prey in the sand on the seabed?
   A: Nurse Shark
9. What is the name given to the excessive growth of algae in rivers due to high levels of nutrients, leading to a lack of oxygen and the death of marine life?
   A: Eutrophication
10. Which Australian cat-like marsupial, whose name begins with Q, is well known for what looks like a wide smile?
    A: Quokka

If you liked this quiz, and want more, my first quiz book is available here – 1,000 challenging questions on a huge range of topics not available on this website.