Some wildlife questions to test your knowledge
This annual end-of-year quiz to test your nature knowledge is again biased in favour of regular readers as the questions are picked from Nature Trail columns published during the past year. Write the numbers 1-25 down the side of a page and match your answers to those printed at the foot of the column.
1. What kind of animal is a Tuna? 2. Is COVID-19 caused by a virus or a bacterium? 3. What plants cause the green and pink colours seen on damp walls at this time of year? 4. Do frogs hibernate? 5. What was Darwin’s first name?
6. Do Salmon migrate? 7. The Slow-worm is found in the Burren; is it a worm, snake or lizard? 8. What kind of animal is an Osprey? 9. Is Cherry Laurel native to Ireland? 10. What kind of creature is a Holly Blue?
11. How many petals are there on a buttercup flower; 4, 5, or 6?. 12. The Large Red Damselfly is the only red damselfly found in Ireland; true or false? 13. What is Colt’s-foot? 14. Do Barn Owls cough up pellets? 15. Where do mining bees live?
16 Is the Raven a passerine? 17. What is the best size for a bee hotel; big or small?. 18 The Chub is a species of freshwater fish; it native to Ireland?. 19. What kind of animal is a Minke? 20. Do all spiders spin silk?
21. The Coal Tit is a common garden bird; true or false? 22. What is a Gingko?; a frog, a tree or a kind of kangaroo? 23. How many species of seahorse are native to Ireland; 1, 5 or 7? 24. Is the Great Auk extinct? 25. Name the animal in the picture above?
Answers: 1. A large ocean-going fish. 2. A virus. 3. Several different species of algae. 4. Yes; they hide away or bury themselves in damp surroundings. 5. Charles. 6. Yes; they migrate from freshwater to seawater to feed and back again to breed. 7. A legless lizard that is a snake look-alike. 8. A large bird of prey.
9. No; its home range of south-east Europe. 10. A blue butterfly.
11. Five. 12. True. 13. A plant with round leaves about the size of a horse’s hoof. 14. Yes. 15. As their name suggests, they mine into the ground. 16. A passerine is a perching song bird; the Raven is the largest passerine in the world. 17. Small is best. 18. No. 19. A whale. 20. No. 21. True. 22. A Chinese tree. 23. Just one, the Short-Snouted Seahorse. 24. Yes; it has been extinct since the 1844.
25. Chipmunk, an extra pat on the back for Siberian Chipmunk. Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year.