Outdoor Trivia: What do you remember?

I thought a quiz highlighting trivia from my outdoor columns throughout 2012 would be a fun way to end the year. 

1. The foliage of a yew most closely resembles the foliage of a: 
a. Western hemlock
b. Giant coastal redwood
c. Ponderosa pine

2. What is the only substance naturally found on Earth in a liquid, gas and solid state?

a. Carbon dioxide

b. Ammonia

c. Water

3. What animal is the primary predator of porcupines and whose scat may contain porcupine quills? 

a.Fisher

b. Wolf

c. Cougar

4. What animal significantly alters its environment for food and shelter?

a. Snowshoe hare

b. Pileated woodpecker

c. Beaver

5. What animal has more than one thousand times better sense of smell than humans?

a. Dogs

b. Bears

c. Turkey vultures

6. The mountain goat’s extraordinary climbing ability is attributed to?

a. Specialized hoofs

b. Massive shoulder muscles

c. Keen sense of balance

d. All of the above

7. A hummingbird can beat its wings how fast?

a. 40 to 60 times per second

b. 60 to 80 times per second

c. 80 to 100 times per second  

8. Altricial young are born:

a. With eyes open, able to walk and feed themselves

b. Blind, naked and totally reliable on parents

c. Friendly

9. What creature’s favorite food is aphids?

a. Ladybugs

b. Grasshoppers

c. Juncos

10. Which animal has a gizzard?

a. Grouse

b. Earthworm

c. Neither

d. Both

11. Nimbostratus clouds are indicative of what type of weather?

a. Thunderstorms

b. Fair weather

c. Steady precipitation

12. How long does it take a photon of light to travel the 93 million miles from the surface of the sun to Earth?

a. Eight minutes

b. 24 minutes

c. 49 minutes

13. How many pigments create the diversity of colors on bird eggs?

a. Three

b. Four

c. Five

14. Northern pygmy-owls are considered diurnal because they are active: 

a. During early morning and evening

b. During the day

c. At night

15. The western fairy slipper, native to Idaho, is a:

a. Butterfly

b. Noxious weed

c. Orchid

16. A midden is a:

a. Bear cave

b. Squirrel’s cache of cones

c. Cattail root

17. How many eggs can a female mosquito lay?

a. 10 to 30 eggs

b. 100 to 300 eggs

c. 1000 to 3000 eggs

18. A lichen is a:

a. Plant

b. Fungus

c. Fungus and alga

19. Subnivean refers to:

a. Below the snowpack

b. Below the skin

c. Beneath a rock

20. Which tree has ‘puzzle’ bark?

a. Douglas fir

b. White pine

c. Ponderosa pine

What animal created the holes in this birch tree?

Answers to the Outdoor Column trivia: 

Photo question: Sapsuckers chisel the small rectangular holes to lick up the sweet sap that oozes from them. 

1. (b) The main difference is the redwood’s foliage is whitish underneath whereas the yew’s foliage is yellowish-green underneath. 2. (c) 3. (a) Fishers are the main predators of porcupines. 4. (c) Beavers ‘log’ an area for food and shelter and build dams to access more trees and create a deeper pond for a lodge. 5. (a) Dogs have 44 times more olfactory receptors than humans. 6. (d) 7. (c) Hummingbirds can also fly backwards and sideways. 8. (b) Altricial young include bear cubs, coyote pups, squirrels and all perching birds. 9. (a) A single ladybug can eat nearly 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. 

10. (d) Both the grouse and earthworm have gizzards to grind food so nutrients can be absorbed. 11. (c) 12. (a) But the photon may take up to a million years to travel from the center of the sun to the surface of the sun. 13. (a) Protoporphyrin, biliverdin and zinc chelate. 14. (b) Crepuscular animals are active in the early morning and evening while nocturnal animals are active at night. 15. (c) 16. (b) 17. (b) A mosquito egg can develop into an adult in four to seven days. 18. (c) A lichen is a combination of a fungus and alga. 19. (a) Subnivean refers to below the snowpack and above the ground. 20. (c)

How much did you remember? What was your favorite outdoor column? Post a comment! 

Note: Published in the Bonners Ferry Herald on January 3, 2013.