This animal trivia quiz is packed with the strange and wonderful side of nature, from record-breaking giants and speedy hunters to egg-laying mammals and creatures with more than one heart. Expect a few Australian oddballs, odd collective nouns and at least one question about poop. Each answer comes with a quick fact that's perfect for impressing friends at your next cookout.
Scientists have described more than a million animal species, and new ones turn up every year. To keep track of them all, biologists still use the two-part naming system that Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus applied to animals in 1758. Every species gets a genus and a species name, like Homo sapiens for us, so researchers around the world can be sure they are talking about the same creature.
Animal trivia is fun because nature rarely follows our assumptions. Familiar animals can hide strange details you'd never notice at the zoo, and many of the quirkiest facts come from how a species has adapted to one very specific home.
A useful approach is to think like an evolutionary biologist. Ask what problem a feature solves: staying warm, escaping predators, raising young or finding food. Odd body parts and strange habits usually make sense once you picture the environment the animal lives in. And when an answer sounds too weird to be true, remember that in the animal kingdom, the weird option is often the right one.