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About This Quiz
Sure, as a kid you were probably asked to name animals that started with "a" (and other letters). How many did you think of back then? Sure, there's the alligator, the armadillo, the ant and the lovable aardvark. Not to mention the ... um, the ... It gets difficult pretty quick, doesn't it?
Don't worry -- we're not going to make you rattle off a list. Instead, we'll give you a clue, and you pick the right "A" animal from a choice of four. Sounds easy, right? Trust us, it might get difficult. For example, do you know the difference between an African penguin and an auk? Or which "a" animal is also known as the Mexican salamander and the Mexican walking fish?ÂÂ
Our quiz encompasses creatures from all seven continents (it helps that we're including several animals whose name begins with "Arctic," like the Arctic fox and Arctic hare) and all kinds of habitats. Some are commonly known, but others are quite rare -- and, sadly, endangered. And just for you dog lovers, we've got a short "man's best friend" round, in which you can show off how well you know the Affenpinscher from the Airedale.ÂÂ
Are you ready, animal lovers? We're crossing our fingers that you'll get an "A" on our quiz!
We love these for their industrious work habits ... and hate them for spoiling picnics.
albatrosses
alligators
ants
Of course, it's the humble ant. The black or "pavement" kind are common, but watch out for the red, biting type.
avocets
It eats mostly ants and termites, but shouldn't be confused with the anteater.
avocet
aardvark
The Dutch-Afrikaans people, who gave the aardvark its name, settled mostly in South Africa, near the Cape. That's why the aardvark is sometimes called the "Cape anteater," though it's not biologically related to the anteater.
agouti
alpaca
This bird was the star, or villain, of Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
avocet
American bald eagle
albatross
If you've ever heard someone refer to a burden as "an albatross around my neck," that's a reference to Coleridge's poem. In it, a sailor shoots an albatross and is forced to wear it around his neck as a punishment.
arctic tern
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In America, these are found mostly in Louisiana and Florida.
American bald eagle
American black bear
alligator
Alligators are freshwater animals, often found in swamps. For this reason, they're found in largest numbers in the swamps of Florida and Louisiana.
angelfish
This is the only kind of snake that lives in England.
alligator gar
adder
England is not known for its snakes. The only type that lives in the wild there is the common adder. In Thomas Hardy's "Return of the Native," the hero's mother dies after being bitten by one, though actual deaths from adder bites are rare.
asp
aye-aye
Nicki Minaj used the name of this animal as a song title.
adder
angelfish
anaconda
The anaconda is a type of South American snake. Minaj's "Anaconda" is a raunchy rap that samples Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" (and shares its, uh, thematic concerns).
armadillo
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This African "ground pig" is the last living member of its order.
aardvark
When we say "order," we mean its taxonomic order, tubulidentata. The aardvark doesn't belong to any "fraternal order" that we know of!
avocet
aye-aye
African palm civet
This endangered species, similar to water buffalo, is found in Indonesia.
aardwolf
asp
anoa
You can be forgiven for not being familiar with this species. Similar to deer, antelope and water buffalo, they are found only in small numbers in Indonesia.
auk
This "poor venomous fool" might have helped Cleopatra in her suicide.
agouti
auk
anoa
asp
"Asp" was a common term in older times for any venomous snake. The phrase "poor venomous fool" is from Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra," though it's not certain that she used snake venom to effect her death.
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This animal is valued for its soft hair.
albatross
alpaca
If you've traveled in South America, you might have bought clothing knitted from alpaca hair. The animals closely resemble llamas, and are mistaken for them.
African penguin
auk
Outside zoos, these only live in the U.S. and China.
avocets
albatrosses
Asian elephants
alligators
China's alligators are found along the Yangtze River. In the U.S., they live throughout the Southeast. Other countries only have them in zoos.
Like the llamas, they spit when threatened.
alpaca
Alpacas are a South American animal, like the llama. They spit when frightened, or sometimes to display dominance.
axolotl
Asian elephant
Arctic tern
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This animal's nose is long and cylindrical, like the nozzle of a canister vacuum.
adder
American black bear
angelfish
anteater
The anteater looks as though it might literally vacuum up the ants and termites it eats. It is biologically related to the sloth, but is often confused with the aardvark, which is not as close a relative.
Its name means "earth wolf" in Afrikaans.
aardwolf
The aardwolf is related to the civet. A small, striped animal, it resembles a hyena.
agouti
African palm civet
antelope
These animals graze in herds, mostly in Africa.
anoa
African penguin
antelope
Though you may immediately get an image of a horned, deer-like creature when you hear the name "antelope," the name is a broad definition. It's any member of the bovidae family that is not a sheep, goat or cow.
auk
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This species is also known as the polar rabbit.
albatross
Arctic fox
Arctic hare
The Arctic hare has thick white fur, like most polar mammals. It can run up to 40 mph, which might also help it keep warm!
auk
Its name means "little armored one."
auk
axolotl
aardwolf
armadillo
"Armadillo" is a Spanish word, pronounced "arm-a-dee-o." The animal's armor is a series of overlapping tough plates called "scutes."
This shore wader is known for its upwardly curved bill.
albatross
asp
adder
avocet
The avocet's bill is curved, which isn't uncommon in birds. But the avocet's bill curves upward, not down. This helps them catch food in shallow water, by moving their bills sideways as though panning for gold.
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Unsurprisingly, this has snow-white fur for camouflage.
auk
aardwolf
Arctic fox
Though valued for its fur, the Arctic fox is protected from hunting in many countries. Its population numbers remain high.
Arctic tern
Like bees, these have a queen, drones and workers.
adders
agoutis
ants
Ant colonies are highly socially evolved, like those of bees and wasps. They have queens, male drones and sterile female workers.
asps
This is the largest land animal.
African elephant
To be specific, it's the African bush elephant which is the largest land animal. The blue whale, in the aquatic world, is larger.
Asian tiger
agouti
aye-aye
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You can find these living in the Himalayas, among other places.
African penguin
asp
Asian black bear
The Asian black bear is also found in eastern Russia, northern India, the Koreas and parts of Japan. It's identifiable by a white V-shaped mark on its chest.
African penguin
These are more widely found in Canada than the United States.
agouti
American black bear
The American black bear is named for North America, not the U.S. They favor the northern latitudes, though they can be found as far south as Mexico.
angelfish
auk
These are strong swimmers, with some similarities to penguins.
arctic tern
agouti
aye-aye
auks
Though arctic terns have similar habitat, they are very unlike the auk. Auks spend most of their lives in the ocean, only going ashore to nest and breed.
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These animals, found chiefly in South America, resemble guinea pigs.
aardwolf
agouti
The agouti has several other names, depending on the part of Latin America it's found in. They are small, furred animals with short tails, resembling ground squirrels as well as guinea pigs.
American black bear
avocet
You're more likely to see these at a pet store than anywhere else.
axolotls
angelfish
Angelfish are popular among aquarium keepers. They're showy fish, with striped silver skin.
arctic hares
arctic terns
These are smaller than their African counterparts, especially the ears.
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant is found in southern parts of the continent. It is an endangered species, partly due to poaching.
anaconda
alligator
albatross
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These are often farmed for their fur.
Asian lion
albatross
American mink
The American mink can and does live in the wild. But like the sable and the fox, many are raised on farms for their fur, used in coats, or just collars and cuffs.
asp
This animal has the colorful nickname "Mexican walking fish."
agouti
asp
auk
axolotl
The axolotl is also called the Mexican salamander. It's an amphibian, as you might guess, and was once a staple food in the Mayan diet.
From its name, you might think this animal quite agreeable!
Arctic hare
Arctic wolf
auk
aye-aye
The aye-aye is a lemur-like animal found on Madagascar. The origin of the name is unknown. Almost literally: One theory is that it comes from the Malagasy words "heh-heh", meaning "I don't know."
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The African cousin to this animal is found in much larger numbers.
armadillo
albatross
Asiatic lion
Asiatic lions are a threatened species, mostly found in India. Iran has tried to restore an Asiatic lion population there, but without success so far.
Arctic tern
Man's best friend round, part 1: Which of these dogs would do best in cold weather?
Argentine dogo
Alaskan malamute
Of course, it's the malamute. This dog is a close cousin to the Siberian husky, which is similarly adapted for cold weather.
Australian shepherd
Airedale
Man's best friend round, part 2: Which of these dogs originated in Australia?
Australian shepherd
Australian cattle dog
Surprise! The Australian shepherd was actually developed in America, though there is Australian cattle dog blood in its heritage. The Austrian shorthaired pointer is, of course, Austrian; the Affenpinscher is German.
Affenpinscher
Austrian shorthaired pointer
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Man's best friend round, part 3: This little black dog is sometimes called the monkey terrier.
Affenpinscher
Affenpinschers have wiry black coats and bright black eyes. In 2013, an Affenpinscher named Banana Joe became the first of the breed to win the Westminster Dog Show.
Airedale
Australian cattle dog
Argentine dogo
You Got:
/35
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