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366 Nature Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated For 2024)
- If you stumble over a Hydnellum peckii in the woods, you might worry you've come across a murder scene. Which bodily fluid does the mushroom’s bright-red sap resemble?
Answer: Blood
- Iguazú Falls, one of the world's most spectacular waterfall systems, is located on the Iguazú River that forms a border between Argentina and what Portuguese-speaking country?
Answer: Brazil
- Walter Isaacson is known for his biographies of thinkers such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and what tech mogul who appears on the cover of his biography in his signature black turtleneck?
Answer: Steve Jobs
- Brackish describes water that is a mix of salty sea water and which other kind of water (like from a stream)?
Answer: Fresh
- Formally adopted by the state government in 1911, what animal is prominently featured on the state flag of California?
Answer: Bear
- The largest species in the Felidae family has many varieties, most of which are named after their native lands such as Suamtran, Javan, Siberian, and Bengal. By what name do you and I know this species?
Answer: Tiger
- No lie: Burger Kings in Russia briefly launched a cryptocurrency named after what signature burger?
Answer: Whopper
- Despite its reputation as a manual on intercourse positions, it is in fact an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on the "art-of-living" including the nature of love, finding a partner, and more. What is the name of this old tome?
Answer: Kama Sutra
- Many animals estivate for portions of the year. What is the more common American English term for this behavior?
Answer: Hibernation
- Generally defined as drought-resistant plants because of parts with thickened flesh for retaining water, what class of plants has had huge growth driven by Millennial purchasers?
Answer: Succulents
- In contrast to waning, what term is used for an apparent increase in the size of the moon? This term is also the name of a method of hair removal.
Answer: Waxing
- Taken straight from Wikipedia, "naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one billion joules of energy" is the definition of what natural phenomenon?
Answer: Lightning
- Strangely enough, the Guinness Book of World Records has an entry for the "fastest wing beat of a bird" and the record holder has an astonishing 200 beats/flaps per SECOND. This record-holder is the ruby-throated variety of what type of bird?
Answer: Hummingbird
- What creature with an equine name has no teeth or stomach, mates for life, and is the only species on Earth where the male carries the unborn offpsring?
Answer: Seahorse
- Rhinoceros horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and what other oft-trimmed mammalian body part?
Answer: Fingernails and toenails
- Despite its name, the world's largest living lizard can't fly or breathe fire, however it does have a venomous bite. What is it?
Answer: Komodo Dragon
- What "T" word is technically a wave generated by an undersea earthquake?
Answer: Tsunami
- What bird, extinct by 1681, was named for the Portuguese word for "stupid"?
Answer: Dodo
- Which type of snake, most commonly found in tropical South America, is known as the largest snake in the world by weight? Its stocky, muscular build allows them to constrict prey.
Answer: Anaconda
- The largest species in the Felidae family has many varieties, most of which are named after their native lands such as Sumatran, Javan, Siberian, and Bengal. By what name do you and I know this species?
Answer: Tiger
- What athlete famously declared his strategy to be the following nature-full phrase? "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Answer: Muhammad Ali
- What larger variant of the "sweet" banana is frequently used for cooking?
Answer: Plantains
- Name the species of bird that has a tongue so long it wraps around the back of their skull when not in use, protecting their brains while they tap into trees.
Answer: Woodpecker
- The Nike San Francisco Women's Half Marathon features a hilly course ending with tuxedoed firefighters awarding finishers their medals in the signature blue box of what jewelers?
Answer: Tiffany & Co.
- The kangaroo is the physically largest animal in what order known for its young-carrying pouches?
Answer: Marsupials
- What four-letter word is often used as the common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs? Typically, this word is only used when the mollusc is edible.
Answer: Clam
- "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" is Michael Caine’s signature line from a 1969 British heist film, remade with Mini Coopers and all in 2003, titled “The Italian ______”?
Answer: Job
- What is the name for the non-mutual relationship between species, where one species benefits at the expense of the other?
Answer: Parasitism
- A sandwich of meat, provolone cheese, cole slaw, tomatoes, and the key ingredient of French fries, served on Italian bread, is the signature offering of what "fraternal" Pittsburgh restaurant?
Answer: Primanti Brothers
- The largest species of shark is named after another large sea-dweller, and the species can reach lengths as large as 60 feet. What is this species?
Answer: Whale shark
- What plant is frequently associated with the Asian continent, can grow up to 12 inches in a single day, and is technically a "giant grass" rather than a tree?
Answer: Bamboo
- What wireless telecom company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T and shares its name with the insects in the Gryllidae family?
Answer: Cricket
- EV and hybrid car drivers in Rhode Island get a license plate with the signature blue waves turned what color?
Answer: Green
- Sometimes called "rainforests of the sea," what is the name for the type of underwater ecosystem that occupies less than 0.1% of the world's ocean area but provides a home for more than 25% of marine species?
Answer: Coral reefs
- Three miles west of downtown Las Vegas is a 180 acres of nature walks and natural displays, known as Springs ______. Fill in the one word blank, another word for land protected for conservation, or the singular of fruit that is kept fresh in a jar.
Answer: Springs Preserve
- What biome shares its name with a Toyota truck and appears in the moniker for a famous Wisconsin football stadium?
Answer: Tundra
- What is the common term for the nut from the oak tree?
Answer: Acorn
- Diatoms, protozoans, and tiny crustaceans make up the collection of sea life on which many fish and whales feed, known as what P-word?
Answer: Plankton
- What flightless Australian bird, a relative of the ostrich, is notable for the striking dark emerald-green color of its eggs?
Answer: Emu
- Due to its underdeveloped sense of smell, the Great Horned Owl is one of the few birds of prey known to attack what North American mammal within the Mephitidae family?
Answer: Skunk
- In which mountain chain would you find Mount Everest?
Answer: Himalayas
- Australian crocodile hunter Steve Irwin was famously killed by what type of animal?
Answer: Stingray
- Big hairy and greater fairy are larger species of what mammals whose name means "little armored ones"?
Answer: Armadillos
- Turtles, toads, and tarantulas are all ectothermic animals, which is typically referred to by what more common term?
Answer: Cold blooded
- The largest living lizard can't breathe fire but it does have a venomous bite that inhibits blood clotting. What creature is this?
Answer: Komodo dragon
- Speleology is the scientific study of which type of natural feature, the world's largest system of which, by total length, is located in Kentucky?
Answer: Caves
- In taxonomic hierarchy, what level, whose name might also be used to describe your parents and siblings, comes between order and genus in specificity?
Answer: Family
- Some scientists believe that the spiral tusk on which type of Arctic whale helps it attract mates?
Answer: Narwhal
- The acclaimed Peabody Museum of Natural History is part of the campus of what Connecticut university?
Answer: Yale
- What is the order of insects with over 2,400 species that is most closely related to termites and cockroaches? These insects have elongated bodies and large forelegs adapted for catching and gripping prey. Their signature, upright posture with folded forearms has led to their common nickname.
Answer: Mantis
- What colloquial term for an area of the United States with a relatively high rate of a specific type of severe weather includes Arkansas along with 10-12 other states? The term was first used in 1952 and is considered by climatologists to largely be an imprecise, media-driven term.
Answer: Tornado Alley
- What mountain located in South Africa's Cape Town shares its name with a piece of household furniture and is home to at least as many species of plant as the entirety of the United Kingdom?
Answer: Table Mountain
- What's an example of a mammal that lays eggs?
Answer: Duck-billed platypus or echidna (spiny anteater)
- A regional park, located near Sacramento in Elverta, CA with nature trails and outdoor concerts, is ______ Ranch Regional Park. Fill in the one word “G” blank, also the last name of “Lethal Weapon” star Mel.
Answer: Gibson Ranch Regional Park
- Which mammal has the longest gestation period?
Answer: Elephant
- What forest area north of San Francisco is officially a National Monument named for a famous Scottish-American naturalist and conservation advocate?
Answer: Muir Woods
- A person who studies dendrology is very interested in which woody plants that make up a forest? (For example, oak, poplar, pine, and willow)
Answer: Trees
- During the fall, leaves typically turn red (or, at least, stop being green) because they start to run out of what pigment which requires ample sunlight for production?
Answer: Chlorophyll
- To lead others to a food source, an ant will lay down a scent trail of what type of chemicals?
Answer: pheromones
- Kirkland Signature may make its way to houses faster in 2021, now that what retail giant started chartering its own ships?
Answer: Costco
- Because the bedrock of central Florida is mostly composed of very porous limestone, the area around Orland is considered very susceptible to what 8-letter geological phenomenon? The most famous of these in the past century was one that occurred in Winter Park in 1981.
Answer: Sinkhole
- Lemurs are native to only one country on earth. Name it.
Answer: Madagascar
- What common food with the scientific name Malus domestica is also the first name of Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter?
Answer: Apple
- What critter with an equine-esque name can move its dorsal fin back and forth as quickly as 35 times per second in order to propel through water?
Answer: Seahorse
- The ______fish shares its name with a striped land animal and is studied for the amazing properties of its heart, which is regenerative and can mend itself quickly. What word fills in the blank?
Answer: Zebrafish
- Sharing their name with a common cleaning tool, what is the more common name of the worlds most simple animals from the phylum Porifera?
Answer: Sponges
- Officially recognized as its state berry in 1991, Maine is one the world’s top producers of the wild variety of what fruit that is actually deep purple due to its anthocyanin antioxidants?
Answer: Blueberry
- What’s the name for the cover on the center of a car’s wheel (Hint: It’s technically the smaller part of the larger wheel cover, which is usually decorative in nature)
Answer: Hubcap
- Flamingos, which are born white or light gray, get their color from what reddish-orange nutrient in their diet, which humans can obtain from carrots and sweet potatoes?
Answer: Beta-carotene
- Contrary to what its name might suggest, this animal is not actually a swine but is rather a rodent. This animal may be a pet, a lab research subjects, or food. What is this animal?
Answer: Guinea Pig
- North Michigan Avenue in Chicago is home to what “central” 100-floor skyscraper, funded by a life insurance company which got its name from a president of the Continental Progress with an alleged big signature?
Answer: John Hancock Center
- What fruit sometimes known as the alligator pear is likely to have originated in South Central Mexico? Botanically speaking, this fruit is a large berry with a single seed and it is now grown in dozens of countries in both hemispheres.
Answer: Avocado. avocadoes
- In taxonomic classification, what "P" word means a group that is smaller than a kingdom but larger than a class, such as arthropods and chordates?
Answer: Phylum
- What 1929 Nella Larsen, whose title refers to how the main characters are black women pretending to be white, is also a groundbreaking portrayal of LGBT lifestyle in the Harlem Renaissance, as the nature of Irene and Clare’s friendship is questioned? It was adapted into a 2021 film with Ruth Negga.
Answer: Passing
- What is the "terran" name of the 2006 BBC 11-part miniseries, the most expensive nature documentary ever commissioned by the network, that was narrated by Sigourney Weaver in its American version?
Answer: Planet Earth
- In Herman Melville's famous "Moby-Dick," what species of whale is the "white whale?" The name comes from the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale's head.
Answer: Sperm whale
- Although the color differs drastically from its animalian namesake, the whitespot giant arum plant is nicknamed as the foot of what large animal?
Answer: Elephant
- Forget Earth and Fire, if a plant gets pollinated via anemophily, what is doing the pollination?
Answer: The wind
- Ask Nicki Minaj: The green species of a certain water boa is found in South America's rivers. What type of water boa would this be?
Answer: Anaconda
- The conservation-focused National Audubon Society (Audubon) is a non-profit environmental organization with a primary focus on what type of animal?
Answer: Birds
- The koa tree is endemic to what U.S. state? The very sturdy wood from this true is resistant to saltwater and has been used for boat building and surfboards.
Answer: Hawaii
- The Sumatran species of what famously horned mammal officially went extinct in Malaysia in November 2019? The animal is not yet extinct globally as a few dozen live in Indonesia.
Answer: Rhino
- What “A” marine animal is a predator of order Actinaria, who gets its name from the Earth flower it resembles with its brightly colored sticky exterior? It sits on the sea floor and captures unassuming prey.
Answer: Anemone
- Which single-word term is used for ground that continuously remains below zero degrees Celsius for two or more years?
Answer: Permafrost
- Symbiosis describes any type of long-term biological interaction between two different organisms. Mutualism is the term for when the relationship benefits both organisms. What is the term for when one organism benefits and the other is harmed?
Answer: Parasitism
- What isolated African nation has the highest rate of endemism (species found nowhere else) in the world? Tomato frogs and Giraffe weevils are two examples of animals endemic to the nation.
Answer: Madagascar
- Sea-dwelling creatures in the genus Mobula frequently feature what Biblical, diabolical word in their name? They were once the name of an American baseball franchise as well.
Answer: Devil Rays
- The Culicidae family within the order Diptera is widely regarded as one of (if not) the most dangerous animals on earth, directly causing at least one million human deaths per year. By what common name is this family known?
Answer: Mosquitoes
- The plant pest Phylloxera vitifoliae nearly wiped out which intoxicating industry in France, Italy & Germany in the 19th Century?
Answer: Wine
- Often confused with a similar-sounding but gravity-inverted relation, what is the term for icicle-shaped protrusions dangling from subterranean passages that are formed by dripping groundwater?
Answer: stalagmites are the ones that miiiight just reach the ceiling so stalagtites are the ones that grow toward the ground
- The most abundant sulfide mineral is pyrite. But this mineral's lustrous appearance is more commonly known by what two-word phrase?
Answer: Fool's gold
- Tree nut allergies and peanut allergies are largely separate because peanuts fall into what group of plants that belong to the family Fabaceae and includes mesquite, alfalfa and lentils?
Answer: Legumes
- Take a country's name. Drop one letter. You're left with a young, ursine animal. Name the country or the animal.
Answer: Cuba or Cub
- Will Smith lent his signature leading man talent to what 2008 blockbuster about a drunken superhero with a PR problem?
Answer: Hancock
- Because it's "nature's engineer," a beaver named Tim serves as the mascot for the sports teams at what East Coast private research university?
Answer: MIT
- In ecology, what “u” is the vegetative layer between the forest canopy and the forest floor through which only a small percentage of light penetrates?
Answer: Understory
- How many fingers does a raccoon have on each front paw? The raccoon’s scavenging nature might get them this type of discount on your trash.
Answer: Five
- Which P-word refers to the mindful creation of stable, sustainable ecosystems—for example, trying to “work with nature” rather than go against it when you’re designing buildings? (Hint: Think rooftop gardens)
Answer: Permaculture
- Moraine Lake is a lake in Alberta fed by glaciers and located more than a mile above sea level. Famous for its bright blue shade, in what national park will you find Moraine Lake?
Answer: Banff
- Australia built a 3,000-mile-long fence during the 1880s just to block the movement of what baby-snatching species?
Answer: Dingo
- What 5-letter "A" word is the title of the American reality TV show which puts 10 isolated individuals in the wilderness for 100 days and awards up to $1 million to the person who outlasts the others? The show began in 2015 with contestants competing in British Columbia but other locations such as Norway and Mongolia have been featured as well. It airs in the U.S. on the History channel.
Answer: Alone
- Found mostly in Asia, the macaque is a type of what animal?
Answer: Monkey
- A December 2019 volcanic eruption on White Island left at least 5 people dead, with others still missing at time of writing. White Island is part of what archipelago nation?
Answer: New Zealand
- What "B" berry was grown by and named after a California horticulturist who crossed the European raspberry, European blackberry, American dewberry, and loganberry?
Answer: Boysenberry
- What is the more common name for the Castor genus of mammals? It includes two species of a large, primarily nocturnal, semiaquatic rodent with enamel that contains iron and is more resistant to acid than the teeth of other mammals.
Answer: Beavers
- What is the name for the carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae that have slim bodies, relatively short limbs, powerful webbed feet, and seal-like abilities to hold breath underwater? They also have soft, insulated underfur and an outer layer of long guard hairs.
Answer: Otters
- Veld or veldt is a type of open, uncultivated country or grassland in the southern subregion of which continent?
Answer: Africa
- What animal appears on the national coat of arms of the West African nation Cote D’ lvoire (Ivory Coast)?
Answer: Elephant
- What is the alliterative name for the shark that has a distinctly circular bite mark? Technically it is the species Isistius brasiliensis but its more common name comes from a kitchen utensil which is also used to create distinctly-cut shapes.
Answer: Cookiecutter shark
- Biology is the field of science concerned with life and living organisms, but what is the name for the scientific field focused the relationships between organisms and their environments?
Answer: Ecology
- What is the branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds? This branch attracted public attention following the 2018 Netflix true-crime docu-series "The Staircase" in which a suspected murderer could have been exonerated for the death of his wife through a speculated "Owl Theory."
Answer: Ornithology
- There is a certain biome with trees sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. This biome shares its name with the fifth-most populous city in the state of Georgia. What is this biome?
Answer: Savannah
- What do epiphytic and parasitic plants grow on?
Answer: Plants
- Which E-term refers to the place where a body of freshwater (like a stream) meets the ocean?
Answer: Estuary
- Imagine a squid. Add together the number of arms and tentacles. What is the sum? Hint: squids are cephalopods in the superorder Decapodiformes.
Answer: 10
- According to a popular theory, dinosaurs got wiped out by the Chicxulub crater impact in what back-half-of-the-alphabet Mexican peninsula?
Answer: Yucatán
- What snack, made with the Thompsons seedless variety of a natural organism, has been associated with the tagline "Nature's Candy"?
Answer: Raisins
- Sausiluta Dr in Richmond is home to a park and nature center with wetlands and an aquarium, known as ______ Lakes Park. Fill in the one word blank, the number of lakes that the park contains.
Answer: Three Lakes Park
- Featuring 36 silk-screen paintings and 13 drawings in the artist's signature colorful pop style, "Cars" is a series of artworks commissioned by Mercedes-Benz in the 1980s from what artist?
Answer: Andy Warhol
- “Peasants cabbage” was an early term used for what cruciferous plant that spiked in popularity in the 2000s?
Answer: Kale
- About the same size as a domestic cat, the red panda goes by what other name? Hint: this compound word could also help you surf the web.
Answer: Firefox
- Joe Manchin's vote recently killed Biden's signature infrastructure act, in its shortest form, known by what letter repeated three times?
Answer: B / BBB
- A Canadian province is the namesake for a breed of dog that was once commonly used as a rescue animal for saving drowning sailors. What is this breed?
Answer: Newfoundland
- What is required in aerobic respiration that is not required in anaerobic respiration?
Answer: Oxygen
- Mycologists often spend a lot of time digging through dirt as they study what type of natural organism?
Answer: Fungi
- What small, energetic animal native to India can kill snakes as large as a cobra? Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a famous fictional instance of this animal.
Answer: Mongoose
- The Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas is named after what business magnate who ran for president as an independent or third-party candidate in 1992 and 1996?
Answer: H. Ross Perot
- The species Socratea exorrhiza exhibits some of the most unusual behavior for a plant in the world and draws comparisons to some of Tolkien's creations. What distinctive ability does this tree have?
Answer: Walking
- In a specific genus of large cats, one of the four species is the Canadian variety, and the animal's name references a Latin word for light because of the creature's bright, luminescent eyes. What is this wild cat that feeds almost exclusively on snowshoe hares?
Answer: Lynx
- What huge, endangered vulture is the national bird of Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, and Ecuador?
Answer: (Andean) Condor
- The species Ramphastos sulfuratus is also known as the keel-billed, sulfur-breasted, or rainbow-billed species of what colorful Latin American bird?
Answer: Toucan
- In the 1960s, scientists discovered the defense system used by horseshoe crabs. Since then, what bright blue bodily fluid has been harvested from the crabs and used in medical research, including vaccine testing?
Answer: Blood
- Buzzard, John crow, and carrion crow are all alternate names for what bird with a two-word name? Each of the two words is a bird in its own right, one of which is popularly associated with an autumnal holiday. This bird lacks the vocal organ of birds so its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses.
Answer: Turkey vulture
- By some measurements, the oldest and largest organism in the world is a colony of trees in Utah's Fishlake Forest nicknamed "Pando." The trees of Pando, which are clones of each other and share a single massive root system, are the "quaking" species of what type of tree?
Answer: Aspen
- Speaking of neutral: Cowa is a nature-friendly Bitcoin mining company, based out of what Alpine country that William Tell called home?
Answer: Switzerland
- What wrestling legend, the “Nature Boy”, active in some capacity from the 1970s to the present, has won a record number of championships across the NWA, WCW, and WWE? Known for his loud and energetic personality, he is also the father of current WWE star Charlotte.
Answer: Ric Flair
- Although they are often described as jellyfish, these poisonous creatures named after an 18th century armed sailing ship from Spain's neighbor are in fact a "colonial organism" which is made up of specialized individual animals (of the same species). What is this creature?
Answer: Portuguese man-of-war
- Owls are split into two families: The "true" owls and a group named for what man-made structure?
Answer: Barn
- What “S” owl species lives in western North America, inside tree hollows? Scientific name Strix occidentalis, it looks like its covered in little dots of color.
Answer: Spotted Owl
- As of 2019, over half of the wild tigers on Earth are believed to reside in what country's borders?
Answer: India
- Cucurbita pepo is the scientific name for a specific fruit that is popularly associated with two different American holidays which occur ~4 weeks apart each year. What is this fruit?
Answer: Pumpkin
- Butter bean, sieva bean, or Madagascar bean are all alternative names for what green legume that is often mixed with sweet corn to create a dish named "succotash?"
Answer: Lima beans
- Who co-invented the Aqua-Lung, the first open-circuit scuba (now known as a diving regulator) to achieve worldwide popularity, with Émile Gagnan? The two went on to use the Aqua-Lung to film underwater.
Answer: Jacques Cousteau
- What is the name of this dark igneous rock, nicknamed 'nature's glass,' that forms when molten lava cools at a rapid speed?
Answer: Obsidian
- President Ulysses S. Grant signed the first National Park Protection Act into law and created what national park?
Answer: Yellowstone National Park
- It is likely that the first of these animals was the "Stellar" variety in which the male has a pronounced mane and is a fairly aggressive carnivore. This likely led to the misnomer for the creature. What is the name of these pinnipeds long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and a big chest and belly? They range from subarctic to tropical waters in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Answer: Sea lion
- There is a horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge with a glass walkway in the U.S. that opened to the general public in 2007. It is popularly deemed a "Skywalk." Where will you find this engineering marvel? We're looking for a specific place, not just a state.
Answer: Grand Canyon
- What reptillian suborder of animals, often associated with the Australian outback, has no species living in New Zealand?
Answer: crocodile
- What 2000s sci-fi series starred Jennifer Garner as CIA agent Sydney Bristow, who had to hide the nature of her job from her friends and family?
Answer: Alias
- What luxury goods brand drew fire in 2020 for making a $2,390 yoga mat with its signature two-letter emblem on cowhide leather -- a material antithetical to many yogis who don't use animal products?
Answer: Louis Vuitton
- There are almost 200 species of which coniferous evergreen that's the state tree of Maine and makes a great Christmas tree?
Answer: Pine
- Ungulates are a group of diverse large mammals that share what common characteristic? The Latin translation of this characteristic is also the root of the term "ungulate." Examples include horses, rhinoceroses, cattle, pigs, giraffes, and hippopotamuses.
Answer: Hooves
- Within one foot, about how tall is a baby giraffe upon birth?
Answer: 6 feet
- What word, which is shared with a part of the human body, is the name for the edible fruit produced by rose plants?
Answer: Hips
- There are three conventional groups of mammals. The monotremes (including the platypus and echidna) are the oldest and the placentals (including humans) are the most recent to evolve. What third group evolved in between these two other groups?
Answer: Marsupials
- A Mormon cricket is a long-horned type of what kind of insect? These insects would be able to jump up to 120 ft if they were human-sized and their proportional leaping ability increased with their size.
Answer: Grasshopper
- What was the name of the first known intentional live capture of a healthy orca? Although she was the fourth live capture overall, the previous three (Wanda, Moby Doll and Namu) had been deemed "opportunistic" captures. This famous mammal was caught near Penn Cove, Puget Sound.
Answer: Shamu
- Only female deer of which species have antlers? The name by which this deer species is commonly known in North America comes from Canadian French for “snow-shoveler.”
Answer: Caribou
- Also found in Central and South America, what is the name of the only marsupial in North America?
Answer: Possum
- With his signature appearing on the derriere of each doll, Xavier Roberts is well-known as the creator of which line of individually-named, soft-bodied dolls?
Answer: Cabbage Patch Kids
- Vermicast is the end result of processes including vermifiltration and vermicomposting, which are used in the breakdown of vegetation, foods, wastewater, and even sewage sludge. European nightcrawlers are a species of what type of animal used in these processes?
Answer: worm
- What is the five-letter "T" animal with a name similar to the final training period before a long running race? These creatures are large, herbivorous mammals with a short, prehensile nose trunk. They are found in jungles and forests throughout South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
Answer: Tapir
- What term is used for the reproductive part of a plant that produces pollen?
Answer: Stamen
- A leveret is a small type of what animal? Buster Baxter from the children's TV show "Arthur" is also this type of animal
Answer: Rabbit
- Technically speaking, the term "peacock" only refers to a male peafowl. What is the proper term for a female?
Answer: Peahen
- A nature center inside Ancil Hoffman Park in the Sacramento suburb Carmichael, CA, is ______ Yeaw Nature Center. Fill in the one word “E” first name blank, also the first name of Trinket, the escort of the Hunger Games tributes in that book/movie series.
Answer: Effie Yeaw Nature Center
- What five-letter word is both the name of a Microsoft graphics editor and a breed of horse whose coat has a spotted pattern of dark and light colors?
Answer: Paint
- Which of the five tastes that humans are accustomed to can cats not taste?
Answer: Sweetness
- Related to the lemur, what rare mammal of Madagascar has a hyphenated name that sounds like it could be enthusiastic agreement given to a ship captain?
Answer: Aye-Aye
- Tom Selleck showed off his Detroit heritage with the signature Tigers cap sported donned during his Oahu investigations on what '80s detective show?
Answer: Magnum, P.I.
- It’s not a spring snowstorm! The fluffy white seeds of which tree can stay “in flight” for a long time and travel for miles if they catch a strong wind?
Answer: Cottonwood
- n 2018, BBC nature producer Jonathan Drori explored a certain plant’s importance in the world in his book “Around The World In 80 ______s”. Fill in the blank, also the subject of Joyce Kilmer’s most famous poem.
Answer: Trees
- What winged insect has the longest migration trajectory of any insect, eventually settling in Mexico to hibernate?
Answer: Butterfly
- What is the common name for the group of flatfish species well-known for their camouflage abilities and for the peculiar positioning of both eyes on one side of the body? Interestingly, at hatching, one eye is on either side of the body but an eye moves over to join the other before reaching adulthood.
Answer: Flounder
- The three most common tree varieties from which maple syrup is made? Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, and Acer nigrum. Give the English name for at least one of these tree varieties.
Answer: Sugar maple and red maple and black maple
- The common daisy-like garden flower Rudbeckia hirta, with its dark center and yellow petals, is commonly known by what name that includes a woman's first name?
Answer: Black-Eyed Susan
- What is the name of the British narrator of the original Planet Earth?
Answer: David Attenborough
- What word can describe both the aboveground portion of a plant or crop along with a decorative bed which typically features posts at each corner that extend 4+ feet above the mattress?
Answer: Canopy bed
- Which country whose capital city, Baku, is the largest on the Caspian Sea has more mud volcanoes than any other country?
Answer: Azerbaijan
- The "electric organ," unsurprisingly, creates an electric field that is used for navigation, communication, defense, mating and more. It's a very multifaceted organ. In what type of animal will you find this organ? We're looking for a common four-letter word that technically is a group of four classes of animals.
Answer: Fish
- What “M” term describes a grassy area, typically found near a river?
Answer: Meadow
- What iconic black-and-orange species, an important North American pollinator, was added to the IUCN's "red list" of endangered species in July 2022?
Answer: Monarch butterfly
- The California ______ is the official state bird of the country's most populous state. What word should replace the blank?
Answer: Quail
- What type of chemical will an ant will lay down to lead others to a food source?
Answer: pheromones
- What “l” is a complex life form, which is sometimes moss-like in appearance, consisting of a fungus and an alga?
Answer: Lichen
- What is the common name for the species 'Drosophila melanogaster?' For over a century, the species has been used as a model organism for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution.
Answer: Fruit fly
- In 1967, Roderick ______ published the book “Wilderness and the American Mind,” which is considered a foundational text towards analyzing environmental history. Fill in the one word “N” last name blank, also the last name of the humorous 20th century poet Ogden.
Answer: Nash
- At 75 miles long, Hubbard is the largest of what moraine-producing things in the United States?
Answer: Glaciers
- South America’s second largest rainforest after the Amazon, the Gran Chaco is divided between Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and which landlocked country?
Answer: Paraguay
- Lake Hillier in Australia and Dusty Rose Lake in Canada are notable examples of lakes that have what color water?
Answer: Pink
- The smallest known owl is only 5-6 inches tall and weighs less than two ounces. It has a name reminiscent of Middle Earth or Will Ferrell. What is this owl?
Answer: Elf Owl
- In finding Nemo, what kind of fish is Dory
Answer: Surgeonfish
- What energy company describes its logo on its own website as follows? "The colours of the Helios – named after the Greek god of the sun – suggest heat, light and nature. It is also a pattern of interlocking shapes."
Answer: BP
- Aside from marine mammals, what is the only kind of mammal native to New Zealand?
Answer: Bats
- Known for its signature pink-and-green packaging, what Maybelline mascara brand is so popular that it's said one is sold every two seconds?
Answer: Great Lash
- What American chain localizes its fare with offerings such as Turkish coffee in the Republic of Georgia and versions of its signature product stuffed with kimchi in South Korea and topped with fish flakes in China?
Answer: Dunkin' Donuts
- Signature Brands owns what egg dye kit company with a name from the Dutch for "Easter?"
Answer: Paas
- What “L” drug testing company, founded in 1978 in North Carolina, offers 36 processing locations across the country? Its name implies the clinical nature of its business.
Answer: Labcorp
- The La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego is home to a coastal nature reserve called the Torrey ______s State Reserve. Fill in the one word blank, the plural of a coniferous tree with needle leaves.
Answer: Torrey Pines State Reserve
- Whittier Street in Columbus is home to a public park and nature preserve, part of the Scioto Mile network, called the Scioto ______ Metro Park. Fill in the one word blank, a nature society known for its connection to birds.
Answer: Scioto Audubon Metro Park
- With its signature Prussian blue color that represents hopefulness for the future, what purple-blue flower is the national flower of Germany as of the 19th century? Legend has it that Queen Louise of Prussia used a field of these flowers to hide her children while escaping Berlin.
Answer: Cornflower
- A historic nature preserve and park in west Austin off of 35th St, overlooking Lake Austin, is ______field Park. Fill in the one word blank, also the name of a spring month.
Answer: Mayfield Park
- What “G” mountain range in West Texas includes the highest peak in Texas, as well as the “signature peak” of El Capitan?
Answer: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Complete the name of the 250-acre nature park in Singapore that is home to the Flower Dome, the world’s largest glass greenhouse: Gardens By The ______.
Answer: Bay
- What “R” Nature Center in Richmond, VA is located at Maymont and offers conversation to animals, fish, and reptiles? Its name is also the plural for multiple sidekicks of Batman.
Answer: Robins Nature Center
- What is the name of Costco's in-house brand, which offers food products including olive oil, maple syrup, chocolate-covered almonds, frozen shrimp, and many others?
Answer: Kirkland
- As of 2007 and after originally being denied, Nike officially won the trademark for what signature shade of neon green?
Answer: Volt
- A woodland preserve in Lexington, KY with trails, streams, and wildlife is ______ Run Nature Sanctuary. Fill in the one word blank, a bird that Edgar Allan Poe imagined saying “Nevermore.”
Answer: Raven Run Nature Sanctuary
- What “L” parasitic worms are in the phylum annelida? These blood suckers are related to an English word meaning someone who parasitically takes away from others.
Answer: Leeches
- A nature reserve in Santa Fe, Costa Rica is the Reserva Natural Cabo ______. Fill in the one word “B” blank, the spanish word for “white.”
Answer: Reserva Natural Cabo Blanco
- Since he wrote his name extra big when he signed the Declaration of Independence, which Founding Father’s name is also slang for your signature?
Answer: John Hancock
- The beans you use for your morning brew are various shades of brown depending on the roast—but that’s not what they look like in nature. What color are raw coffee beans?
Answer: Green
- What hamburger joint, a Pittsburgh favorite in the 1960s and 1970s, was originally founded in Sewickley, PA in 1962? It's mascot was a hairy, pinkish puppet, and one of its signature burgers was the Ground Rounder.
Answer: Winky's
- Which grocery chain founded by two German brothers in 1946 is known for selling typical supermarket fare at low prices, plus its own custom brands like Grandessa, Millville, Happy Farms, and Simply Nature?
Answer: Aldi
- Which adjective that starts with C refers to fish that live in freshwater except when it’s time to breed, at which point they’ll migrate to saltwater?
Answer: Catadromous
- The ______ Museum of Nature and Science in Victory Park was designed by Thomas Mayne and named after a billionaire named Ross who was the CEO of Electronic Data Systems and later became an (unsuccessful) third-party presidential candidate. (Hint: In 2016, the museum announced it had named a new species of dinosaur after his family—Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum)
Answer: Perot
- What comedian, singer, and Cleveland native sang a special rendition of his signature tune, "Thanks for the Memory," at the final game at Cleveland Stadium in 1993?
Answer: Bob Hope
- Which city in Wayne County is home to the Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center, the Mike Modano Ice Arena, and the Nankin Mills Nature Center?
Answer: Westland
- Which body of water along the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in Hyde County is the largest natural freshwater lake in NC? (Hint: It’s also part of a nature refuge that’s a very popular spot for geese and swans).
Answer: Lake Mattamuskeet
- Known for their pale skin, buck teeth, and near hairlessness, what strange-looking rodents can live for up to 18 minutes without oxygen?
Answer: Naked mole rats
- A "drove" is the collective noun for what class of long-eared mammals?
Answer: Hares
- The natural light display named Aurora Australis is also known by what more common name?
Answer: Southern Lights
- When speaking in English, the name of this animal shares its name with a country. In French and Russian, the animal has a name meaning "from India" or "bird of India." And in Portuguese the animal is named "peru" deriving from the eponymous country. What is this confusingly named animal?
Answer: Turkey
- Lepidopterology is the branch of biology dedicated to the study of what winged creatures?
Answer: Moths and butterflies
- There are four species of monkey native to Costa Rica: the Central American squirrel monkey, the Panamanian white-faced capuchin, the mantled howler and Geoffroy's ______ monkey. What word fills in the blank? This word is actually a name for a different animal entirely.
Answer: Spider
- As of 2020, the United States has 62 protected areas known as national parks operated by the National Park Service. California is the state with the most of these parks (nine), but what state has the second-most (eight), including Katmai and Lake Clark?
Answer: Alaska
- Queen Alexandra's birdwing of Papua New Guinea is, somewhat surprisingly, not a bird. Instead, this creature is the world's largest variety of what colorful winged animal?
Answer: Butterfly
- Erta Ale in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia was featured in the second episode of Planet Earth. This episode was titled "Mountains" and was first broadcast in 2006. Erta Ale is what type of geologic structure?
Answer: Volcano
- The largest eyes of any animal on Earth are nearly 11 inches across, with lenses the size of oranges. That means the eyes are approximately the size of soccer balls. These eyes give "binocular-like" vision to the "colossal" variety of what sea-dweller?
Answer: Squid
- What fruit do the Portuguese call abacaxi? The English term for this fruit was first used to describe the reproductive organs of conifer trees. (Hint: Costa Rica, Brazil, and the Philippines collectively account for nearly one third of the fruit's global production.)
Answer: Pineapple
- With signature tunes like "The Entertainer," turn-of-the-century African-American composer Scott Joplin was known as "The King of" what style of music?
Answer: Ragtime
- What “A” medium-sized nocturnal burrowing mammal from Africa, of the order Tubulidentata, is probably best known for its pronounced snout?
Answer: Aardvark
- Contrary to its consolatory name, what species of lethargic shark is responsible for the fourth most human bites on record?
Answer: Nurse Shark
- Native to the American Midwest, the tree species Aesculus glabra is unsurprisingly more commonly known by what name which inspired the mascot of a large state school?
Answer: Ohio Buckeye
- What is the seven-letter compound word which is considered the dominant root for a plant from which other roots typically grow horizontally?
Answer: Taproot
- The United Fruit Company was an American corporation that flourished in the early and mid-20th century. What fruit did United Fruit Company primarily cultivate and sell?
Answer: Bananas
- After newly clear canals in Italy were spotted with fish "returning" as tourists departed, there was a meme in 2020 that "nature is healing, we are the ______." What word fills the blank?
Answer: Virus
- A leveret is a small type of what animal? Buster Baxter from the children's TV show "Arthur" is also this type of animal
Answer: Rabbit
- Which landlocked South American country features many natural wonders including the world's largest salt flat (Salar de Uyuni) and part of the Andean Mountains?
Answer: Bolivia
- What “K” word is a nature reserve in Australia’s Northern territory, containing aboriginal sites such as Nourlangie and Ubirr? Its name is a tribute the Aboriginal language Gagudju.
Answer: Kakadu
- The US has hundreds of species of cactus, but the physically largest of these species is arguably the best known of the many varieties. What is the name of this largest species?
Answer: Saguaro
- What colorful word is used to describe a special ratio (approximately equal to 1.618) that appears frequently in architecture, nature, and geometry? The number was the subject of Mario Livio's book, subtitled "The World's Most Astonishing Number."
Answer: Golden
- Secretary birds are a type of bird with long legs that kickbox reptiles and small rodents to stun and kill prey before eating them. The "secretary" name comes from the feathers at the back of their heads that look like quill pens. On what continent will you find these birds naturally?
Answer: Africa
- Although it looks like an innocent flower, it's incredibly dangerous. What's the name of the toxic herb that killed Socrates?
Answer: Hemlock
- According to the Farmer's Almanac, which flower may "vary in shape from...cups, bowls & goblets to more complex forms?"
Answer: Tulips
- Native to Turkey and Iran, the mouflon is a wild form of which domesticated animal?
Answer: Sheep
- Roquefort is a French blue cheese made from the milk of what animal?
Answer: Sheep
- What is the loudest animal on earth? Talking about the loudest noise it can generate, not its proportion of time spend making noise.
Answer: Sperm Whale
- What “G” National Park in Victoria, Australia is a nature preserve home to sandstone mountains, as well as echnidas and wallabies? It also has trails leading to MacKenzie Falls, as well as views of the Victoria Range.
Answer: Grampians National Park
- In a feat of inter-species biotechnology, researchers at the University of Wyoming were able to insert the silk-producing gene from spiders into what mammal which enabled them to harvest long strands of spider milk from the animal's milk?
Answer: Goats
- Cashmere is made from the hair of what animal?
Answer: Goat
- Digitaria is a genus of grass plants most often known by what animal-sounding name? These plants spread very easily, are typically considered lawn pests in North America, and come in the "hairy" or "smooth" variety.
Answer: Crabgrass
- A dual use ______ includes both a digital signature for verification and encryption.
Answer: Certificate
- The peer-reviewed journal "Nature Ecology & Evolution" has reported that the earliest use of cacao was likely approximately 5,3000 years ago based on archaeological findings in Santa Ana in what South American nation? This nation is one of two on the continent that does not border Brazil.
Answer: Ecuador
- A commonly-sought fish in Minnesota is the "Muskellunge" which is often deemed the "ugly" variety of what family of fish? This family is distinguished by its torpedo-like form and sharp teeth.
Answer: Pike
- What "P" bird had populations severely diminished in the 20th century due to DDT in their food supply before they made a surprising comeback in dense urban areas? In particular, NYC is home to dozens of these rare birds in part because the city's towering bridges are reminiscent of their traditional cliffside roosts.
Answer: Peregrine Falcon
- Commonly found on live oaks and bald-cypresses, what is the name of the flowering plant with a doubly-inaccurate name that is referred to as "grandpas beard" in French Polynesia and is generally considered to be in a commensalistic relationship with the trees on which it lives?
Answer: Spanish moss
- What is the English name of the animals in the order Anura? The animal is deemed a "groda" in Swedish, "rana" in Italian, and "grenouille" in French.
Answer: Frog
- Not to be confused with a quaint fictional town, what type of tree produces a berry (commonly black, white, or red) that is often made into wine, fruit juice, tea, or jam? The tree's leaves are the food of choice for silkworms.
Answer: Mulberry
- The word "loggerhead" is applied due to the animal's prominent, large head. What type of animal is this?
Answer: Turtle
- Functioning extremely differently than mammalian eyesight, two different groups of snakes developed "pits" that function as eyes by allowing them to see objects nearby based on what wavelength-based phenomenon?
Answer: Infrared thermal radiation
- What is the English name of the animals in the order Anura? The animal is deemed a "groda" in Swedish, "rana" in Italian, and "grenouille" in French?
Answer: Frog
- What “i” Metro Gardens, part of the Columbus Metro Parks system and located in nearby Westerville, OH, is a botanical garden and nature preserve?
Answer: Inniswood Metro Gardens
- In a popular example of Batesian mimicry, the black, red, and yellow coloring of the harmless milk snake look strikingly similar to what "underwater" type of snake?
Answer: Coral snake
- What family of some of the largest flying birds includes "mute" and "trumpeter" species and weirdly has "teeth" which are actually jagged parts of their bill used for catching and eating fish?
Answer: Swans
- Often considered the world's largest living thing, a 2,200 acre creature living in eastern Oregon is in what kingdom, taxonomically speaking?
Answer: Fungi
- There is a Panthera tigris tigris population in the Russian Far East and Northeast China (and possibly North Korea) that had a total wild population of ~560 as of 2014. By what name is this specific type of large cat better known? We're looking for a two-word answer.
Answer: Siberian tiger
- What is the name of the tubular sucking organ that butterflies use to extract nectar from flowers and elephants have in the form of a trunk?
Answer: Proboscis
- What marine invertebrate typically lives in a compact colony composed of many identical, individual polyps?
Answer: Coral
- Drosophila is a genus of what type of winged animal which lives in rural and urban environments all around the world? One of the more than 1,000 species plays an ongoing critical role as a common model organism in reproduction and genetics research.
Answer: Fly
- In horticulture, what is the name for a plant that requires two years to complete its biological life cycle, such as Brussels sprouts and hollyhocks?
Answer: Biennial
- The name of what animal is placed in front of the word 'Chestnut' when referring to the toxic variant of this tree nut that you definitely don't want to be roasting on an open fire?
Answer: Horse
- Cavendish, Pisang Raja, Red, Lady Finger, and Blue Java are five of the most common types of what fruit?
Answer: Banana
- There are over 30,000 of what subspecies of bear in Alaska, over half of the population in North America?
Answer: Grizzly Bear
- What state recently passed California for having the second most earthquakes per year, allegedly due to fracking?
Answer: Oklahoma
- Extinct in the wild since the late 19th century, what pigeon, whose scientific name is Ectopistes migratorius, has a name that comes from the French "passager," or "to pass by?"
Answer: Passenger pigeon
- When is an organism really two organisms? When it's a composite organism, of course. What name is given to the moss-like organism formed by algae or cyanobacteria living within the filaments of a fungus?
Answer: Lichen
- Types of which natural phenomenon include: intracloud, sheet and cloud-to-ground?
Answer: Lightning
- A halophyte is a plant that is able to tolerate conditions in which there is a relatively high concentration of which substance?
Answer: Salt
- In horticulture, the word ‘ananthous’ is used to describe plants with no... WHAT?
Answer: Flowers
- At only one-half of one millimeter long, tardigrades are considered a microanimal found in marine environments that also happen to be one of the most resilient animals known. What is the more common two-word name for these animals based on their resemblance to a certain land-bound animal?
Answer: Water bear (or moss piglet)
- Silver iodide is a favorite "seeding agent" that is used in meteorological professions largely because it has a crystalline structure very similar to a natural ice crystal. What are the everyday objects that silver iodide is used to "seed"?
Answer: Clouds
- What company is the world's leading producer of 'access equipment', known for their signature orange construction lifts?
Answer: JLG Industries
- Adansonia digitata is the scientific name for what "B" tree, which is native to Africa and notable for the extreme thickness of its trunk relative to the spread of its branches?
Answer: Baobab
- In what show's second season was there an episode titled "Jungles" which traveled from Costa Rica to Brazil while documenting "the most competitive place on earth"?
Answer: Planet Earth
- What distinct feature do Dromedary camels have that is not shared by Bactrian camels?
Answer: One hump
- What "U" word is the more-famous name for Ayers Rock in Australia? The large standalone rock formation is sacred to the area's Aboriginal people.
Answer: Uluru
- What fruit is a vine species native to southern Brazil through Paraguay and northern Argentina, cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas, and known for its sweet, seedy fruit? The juice is often added to other fruit juices to enhance aroma, and the fruit is known by a unique name in the Dominican Republic: chinola.
Answer: Passion fruit
- If bovine describes a cow and equine describes a horse, what adjective describes a pig?
Answer: Porcine
- What two two-syllable rhyming words summarize the following phrase? The out-of-control laughter of a hyena-like canine.
Answer: Jackal Cackle
- Mexican flame flower is an old-school name for what red-and-green flowering plant named for the first U.S. Minister to Mexico?
Answer: Poinsettia
- The smallest bird native to North America is the ___ hummingbird. What "C" word, also the name of a Greek Muse and an organ-like musical instrument, goes in the blank?
Answer: Calliope
- What live-streaming app quickly gained popularity in 2015 before its access to Twitter was axed due to the social media giant's acquisition of rival app Periscope? This short-lived app (it was retired in 2016) is named for a small African mammal.
Answer: Meerkat
- Macrophyte is a fancy word for what type of water creature?
Answer: Plants
- Rotational symmetry is the property in which a shape looks the same after a partial rotation or turn. When applied to biology such as in sea anemones, what other "R" term is used to describe this characteristic?
Answer: Radial symmetry
- The dwarf version of a certain tropical evergreen tree produces both a fruit and seed that are edible. The seed is much more popular than the fruit, especially as a dairy milk alternative and as a key ingredient in many Pakistani and Indian dishes, including the dessert Kaju barfi. What is this tree?
Answer: Cashew
- What continent is home to the largest non-polar ice cap in the world?
Answer: North America
- Group names for animals are a common trivia fact since they can be so. . . peculiar. There's a cackle of hyenas, a pandemonium of parrots, and a conspiracy of lemurs. What is the legislative name for a group of owls?
Answer: Parliament
- As of February 3, 2020 there has been one earthquake of at least 7.0 on the Richter scale in the 2020s decade. This earthquake struck on January 28th on the north side of the Cayman Trough, which was just north of what Caribbean nation?
Answer: Jamaica
- The two main species of the coffee tree are Arabica and which other one that is more resistant to disease and yields more coffee?
Answer: Robusta
- What Star Wars actor, known for his environmental conservation work, has both a spider species and an ant species named after him?
Answer: Harrison Ford
- Established in 1980, the largest National Park in the U.S. is Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska (over 8 million acres!). Numbers two, three, and four are also in Alaska. What is number five on this list? This park was established in 1994, contains over three million acres, and spans California and Nevada.
Answer: Death Valley
- Also known as the spiny anteater, what animal native to Australia and New Guinea is highly unusual in that it is a mammal that lays eggs?
Answer: Echidna
- What anatomical term features in a name used to describe the Namib coast in Southern Africa? This name derives from bones that once prevalent on the shore resulting from the whaling industry.
Answer: Skeleton
- What single-word term of Greek origin is used to refer to the combined mass of water found on, under and above the surface of a planet?
Answer: Hydrosphere
- What is the "catch-all" term for ocean life that includes photosynthetic, single-celled eukaryotes like diatoms but also multicellular organisms like nori seaweed and kelp?
Answer: Algae
- Despite the name, poison dart frogs never develop toxicity when raised in captivation. What is the presumed reason for this non-toxic development process?
Answer: Changed diet
- What type of meteorological phenomenon are the Mistral and Khamsin, which respectively occur in the Mediterranean and North Africa?
Answer: Wind
- Straddling two southeastern states and the first national park to be paid for in part with Federal funds, what is the name of the most visited National Park that was the most-visited in 2016?
Answer: Great Smoky Mountains
- Units called ommatidia are the individual pieces that combine to create the type of eye often found in insects, crustaceans, and millipedes. What is this scientific-sounding name for an eye?
Answer: Compound eye
- Aside from the giraffe, what odd-looking "O" creature is the only living member of the giraffe family, or “Giraffids”?
Answer: Okapi
- The Delaware Bay is home to more of these "living fossils" than anywhere else in the world and they are currently used in biomedical research to study the human eye. What are these animals?
Answer: Horseshoe Crabs
- What slender-bodied shark is harmless to humans and named for the striking pattern of black saddle-like markings and large spots over its back?
Answer: Leopard shark
- What slow-growing tree with reddish bark and three letter name, commonly used to make longbows, is also often found in church graveyards as a symbol of sadness?
Answer: Yew
- In the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Michael Jordan wore the signature shoes of another player for the only time in his career. However, these non-Air Jordan Nikes removed the signature “1 Cent” graphic. What player's shoes was MJ wearing?
Answer: Penny Hardaway
- "Give me such shows — give me the streets of Manhattan!" is a quote from what famous American poet who, despite his association with nature, was a New York City resident and editor of the Brooklyn Eagle for a few years in the mid 19th century?
Answer: Walt Whitman
- What biome is also known as the boreal forest or snow forest? The biome is identifiable through its coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. Although sparsely populated compared to other biomes, it is the world's largest apart from the oceans. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska.
Answer: Taiga
- What is the name for any of the three bird species in the genus Fratercula? These birds all feature black and white plumage, hunt most of their food by diving into the water, and have beaks that turn a colorful bright orange in preparation for breeding season.
Answer: Puffin
- What is the "T" name given to fossils that consist not of animal body parts but rather their footprints, nests, poop, and other associated objects?
Answer: Trace fossils
- A "pandemonium" is the name for a group of what noisy bird?
Answer: Parrots
- Digitalis is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials. The flowers are tube-shaped, produced on a tall spike, and are usually seen in purple, pink, white, and yellow. What's the more common term for this group of plants? (It sounds like something you might see if Jamie boxed Redd).
Answer: Foxgloves
- Which brand of “Real” mayonnaise got its start in an NYC deli in 1920 and became known for its signature blue ribbon on the label (since, y’know, the inventor believed it was truly the best mayo ever made)?
Answer: Hellmann's
- The world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall, Angel Falls, is located in which country that has coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea?
Answer: Venezuela
- What "E" word describes the highest layer of a rainforest's growth, rising above the canopy and including trees that grow up to 50 meters in height?
Answer: Emergent
- What round, green food is one of Brazil's most common pizza toppings? Though considered a vegetable nutritionally, this plant is botanically a fruit and it makes occasional appearances in carbonara sauces.
Answer: Green Peas
- Beginning nearly 12,000 years ago (after the last glacial period), what is the name of the current geological epoch? It's also the name of a song on Bon Iver's self-titled 2011 album.
Answer: Holocene
- The Guarianthe skinneri variety of what family of diverse flowering plants is the official national flower of Costa Rica? The plant has a pink bloom and is native to every country in Central America
Answer: Orchid
- With a name resembling a funeral-attending jacket, what butterfly is the state insect of Montana?
Answer: Mourning cloak
- Also known as the Hawaiian goose, what repetitively named creature is the state bird of Hawaii?
Answer: Nene
- The kakapo is a species of large, ground-dwelling birds endemic to New Zealand. These birds are also commonly referred to by what two-word name which includes another bird's name?
Answer: Owl parrot
- There's a "spooky" sea creature found only in extreme deep sea conditions that, despite its name, is more closely related to octopi than squids. It features rows of fleshy spines in its inner black "cloak." What is the name of this creature?
Answer: Vampire squid
- Neovison and Mustela are the two genuses of what territorial mammal lives near water and is rarely found more than 200 meters from a riverbank, lake, or marsh? The animal's fur is considered especially durable and valuable with its short, thick, soft hairs.
Answer: Minks
- What “P” type of glacier occurs when a fan-shaped section of ice forms in front a mountain range? It shares its name with a region at the foothills of the Italian Alps.
Answer: Piedmont Glacier
- Which species of bear, sometimes called the honey bear, that is found in Southeast Asia is the smallest of the eight extant species of bear?
Answer: Sun bear
- The American red, the Eastern gray, the Fox, and the Western gray are all specific species of what common family of mammals?
Answer: Squirrel
- Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati is also home to what kind of natural landmark, a botanical garden with a particular devotion to trees?
Answer: Arboretum
- "Boston Hymn" is a 19th-century poem by what American thinker also known for his essays like "Nature" and "Self-Reliance?"
Answer: Ralph Waldo Emerson
- In 2019, what NBA team's home court changed its name from Quicken Loans Arena to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, in recognition of Quicken's signature online product?
Answer: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Divers, photographers and scientists set out on an ocean adventure to discover why the world's reefs are disappearing, in what alliteratively named 2017 documentary film?
Answer: Chasing Coral
- Olericulture is one of the major areas of horticulture and focuses on the production and marketing of what type of plants?
Answer: Vegetables
- Trepanging is the harvesting of what elongated, leathery Pacific creature you probably don't want in your gyro?
Answer: Sea cucumber
- What is the name of the 145-foot sculpture of a baobab tree that opened to the public in 1998 in the U.S.?
Answer: The Tree of Life
- What mineral, which is most concentrated in keratin, is known as "nature's beauty mineral" and helps the body produce collagen to keep skin looking young and fresh?
Answer: Sulphur
- Aside from marine mammals, what is the only kind of mammal native to New Zealand?
Answer: Bats
- What type of tree was widely planted in Australia as an erosion-control measure but is now regarded as an invasive weed across extensive ares of the country and is considered a 'Weed of National Significance'? Hint: the tree is often referred to by an alliterative nickname.
Answer: Willow
- What frequently-misnomered mammal has fingerprints so indistinguishable from humans that they have occasionally been wrongfully collected as evidence at crime scenes?
Answer: Koalas
- The northernmost island of the Bahamas is also the fourth-largest out of the hundreds in the nation's archipelago. The island was in the news during September 2019 due to Hurricane Dorian's destructive path. What is the name of this island?
Answer: Grand Bahama
- The transition space between two habitats (for example, a marshland or grassland) is called an ______?
Answer: Ecotone
- The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet. What species of whale, named after a part of its body, is the second largest?
Answer: Fin Whale
- What “A” type of penguin is one of the most prominent penguin species on the Antarctic continent? It comes from a French word meaning “noble in nature.”
Answer: Adelie
- Although plentiful when European settlers first arrived, the white-faced owl or whekau that was native to New Zealand was largely extinct by 1914. Because of its "mischievous-sounding" calls, the owl had what a common, comic name?
Answer: Laughing owl
- What “R” word refers to the basics of music that people need to understand in order to understand notation, such as key and time signatures? It is derived from an adjective generally applied to the basic learning principles of a subject.
Answer: rudiments
- From the Greek words for "face" and "lack of knowledge," what 13-letter "P" word means inability to recognize familiar faces, including one's own? The condition is also known as "face blindness."
Answer: Prosopagnosia
- What is the collective name for any eukaryotic organism that is not a plant, animal, or fungus? These are found both on land and in marine environments.
Answer: Protist
- What ecoregion of Brazil is considered to be the biologically richest savanna in the world, and has seen a recent agricultural boom resulting in it being responsible for 70 percent of Brazil's beef production and major grain production (especially soybeans)?
Answer: Cerrado
- Passing over Shek O Peak and affording stunning views of the peninsular coastline, one of Hong Kong's most popular nature hikes has what two-word name, after a mythical creature?
Answer: Dragon's Back
- What is the common name for the perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern North America with the scientific name Dicentra cucullaria? The plant's admittedly funny name comes from the appearance resembling a person's pants from Holland.
Answer: Dutchman's breeches
- Although the study of animal sex is still being actively researched, there's currently only one known demonstration of nasal sex in the animal kingdom, found in what type of Amazonian animal?
Answer: Dolphin
- A 60-foot-long marine invertebrate made up of thousands of individual clones that together form a long, free-floating cylinder wide enough for a person to enter has what name that comes from the Greek words for fire and body?
Answer: Giant Pyrosome
- What type of tree has name derived from the Greek word for "fig" and is often identified by its peeling, flaky white bark?
Answer: Sycamore
- Sunbursts are a popular (and scrumptious) candy. They're also a variety of what small-ish bright fruit?
Answer: Tangerine
- Formed of leaflike parts called sepals, what five-letter word means the bottom part of a flower, which provides support for the petals?
Answer: Calyx
- What BBC wildlife documentary series, the longest-running of its kind, began in 1984 as a spinoff from "The World About Us" and features Sir David Attenborough as narrator on more than 50 episodes?
Answer: Natural World
- The clown frogfish that lives in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean is also known by what other name related to the small dermal spinules or protuberances that cover the critter's skin?
Answer: Warty frogfish
- What is the name for a "flower" that is actually composed of thousands of flowers grouped together to form a single flower-like structure? The botanical term for this is a pseudanthium.
Answer: Composite flower
- Mucorales is a fungus better known by colorful name, and can cause a serious fungal infection in humans, especially those with repressed immune systems? It thrives in unsanitary conditions, such as on moldy bread.
Answer: Black fungus
What makes nature trivia so engaging?
For starters, it helps us learn about the world around us.
Nature is fascinating, and there's always something new to learn.
In addition, nature trivia can be a great icebreaker or conversation starter.
Whether you're looking to impress your friends with your knowledge or just have some fun, nature trivia is a great way to do it.
Where can you find nature trivia questions?
At Water Cooler Trivia, we've got a huge selection of nature trivia questions and answers.
With our weekly quizzes, you can explore a different topic each week.
Nature is just one of the many topics we cover.
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If you want to create the perfect nature trivia quiz, there are a few things you'll need.
First, you'll need a good selection of questions.
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Finally, you'll need to come up with a fun and creative way to deliver the quiz.
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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