Image: shutterstock
About This Quiz
The Earth is home to approximately nine million distinct species of animal life that we know of, and new species are discovered all the time. The world's rain forests are home to animals that would seem quite alien to outsiders, and the ocean depths reveal new and fascinating species every year. Even how we see animals has changed. Once upon a time, the giraffe was called the "camel leopard" because it was a bit like a camel and a bit like a leopard, not because it was related to either. Just as our perceptions change, so too does how we classify and name animals.
Are you very interested in animals? Do you grieve the loss of a species, and celebrate the recovery of species on the brink of extinction? Do you consider a trip to the zoo a great day out? Do you go to natural history museums and wonder what it must have been like for early conservationists as they mapped the hinterlands of the world, discovering new and fascinating life? Do you worry that in humanity's industrial ambition, we are making it harder for our animal cousins to thrive as they once did? Well, it's time to put this to the test. See if you can identify which animals listed here are real and which ones we just made up. Take the quiz!
Which deer is not dear?
Marsh deer
Reeves's muntjac
Thorold's deer
Moon deer
Deer exist in so many species it's hard to keep track, but we can say for sure there are no deer on the moon!
Advertisement
Which caracara is not real?
Mountain caracara
Southern crested caracara
Yellow-headed caracara
Yellow-throated caracara
While the white-throated caracara can be found in the barrens of the Andes, there is no yellow-throated caracara.
Advertisement
Which anteater is not real?
Southern tamandua
Eastern tamandua
While northern and southern tamandua species exist in Central and South America, respectively, there is no eastern tamandua.
Northern tamandua
Silky anteater
Advertisement
Which howler monkey should make you cry foul?
Red-fisted howler
While the red-handed howler can be found in the rain forests of Brazil, there is in fact no red-fisted howler, though of course, a red-handed howler should be able to make a fist if they want.
Black-and-gold howler
Ecuadorian mantled howler
Spix's red-handed howler
Advertisement
Which caiman would you leave on the island?
Yacare caiman
Narrow-snouted caiman
The broad-snouted caiman can be found in the sweet water marshlands of South America, but interestingly, there is no narrow-snouted caiman to compare it to.
Spectacled caiman
Broad-snouted caiman
Advertisement
Which capybara isn't the real McCoy?
Lesser capybara
Guinea pigs
New Hampshire capybara
Capybara are the largest extant rodent. They can be found all over the world, but not particularly in New Hampshire.
Rock cavies
Advertisement
Which of these dogs is just not real?
Azawakh
Xoloitzcuintli
Quetzalcoatl
The feathered, serpent deity Quetzalcoatl was an important figure in Aztec mythology, but in the end, he was a god, not a dog.
Treeing Walker Coonhound
Advertisement
Which jaguar isn't a cat at all?
South American jaguar
Melanistic jaguar
Arctic jaguar
While jaguars make their homes in many climates, they do not do this in the arctic. Melanistic jaguars are jaguars with a gene that causes a color variation, but they are not actually a distinct species, as believed by various indigenous peoples. Melanistic jaguars are commonly considered black panthers, but the gene that gives them their coloration exists in many types of big cats and has been passed into lion-jaguar hybrids.
None of the above
Advertisement
Which parrot is just a pale imitation?
Hyacinth macaw
Parrot tiger
The tiger parrot are a species of parrot with several subspecies, native to New Guinea. Parrot tigers, on the other hand, are just made up to sound a bit like them.
Fig parrot
Tiger parrot
Advertisement
Which New World vulture isn't good enough to pick at a carcass?
Lesser yellow-headed vulture
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Chicago condor
The vulture is one of the most adaptable species of bird, able to live in many climates, and capable of eating anywhere. One place they aren't known for doing that is Chicago, as there isn't enough big game to sustain them.
Advertisement
Which of these Labradors isn't real?
Chocolate Labrador
Red Labrador
Silver Labrador
Blue Labrador
While red Labradors are a variation on yellow Labradors, and silver Labradors are a variation on the chocolate variety, there are no blue Labradors.
Advertisement
Which shark doesn't belong, any week?
Dwarf gulper shark
Long-nose pygmy shark
Chainsaw shark
Sharks are one of the most adaptable creatures on Earth, and come in hundreds of species, from the tiny dwarf and pygmy varieties, to the massive whale shark. Some are even named for their strange qualities, like the hammerhead shark. There is no chainsaw shark though.
Cookie-cutter shark
Advertisement
Which whale is just a tall tale?
Bowhead whale
Humpback whale
Gray whale
Bride's whale
Bryde's whale is named for a Norwegian who established a whaling station in South Africa, and is a catch-all for several similar subspecies of whale.
Advertisement
Which dolphin is a fish story?
Long-beaked common dolphin
Irrawotty dolphin
No, the Irrawotty dolphin isn't a real thing, but the Irrawaddy dolphin is a real species, found in parts of southeast Asia. They are shy, and prefer to dive rather than confront or explore surface disturbances, but they are cute and weird and occasionally like to come up to wave a fin.
Arabian common dolphin
Risso's dolphin
Advertisement
Which rat is too gross to be real?
Palm rat
Bulldog rat
Black rat
Finland rat
The Finland rat is fictitious, but the Norway rat, also called a brown rat, is one of the most adaptable species in the world. It has spread on ships, carries diseases, and can fit its whole body through a hole big enough for its head, which it can make with its teeth.
Advertisement
Which falcon doesn't fly?
Sooty Falcon
Bat Falcon
Urban Falcon
The urban falcon may be a story people tell, particularly in places like New York where birders visit nests to see the falcons snatch up rats from the street, but there is no "Urban Falcon" species.
Grey Falcon
Advertisement
Which bear did we make up?
Polar bear
Sloth bear
Black bear
Yellow bear
There are many kinds of bears, and some interesting hybrids, but none are yellow.
Advertisement
Which domestic cat is made up?
Manx
Russian Blue
Computer cat
No, just because your cat walks on your keyboard does not mean they can use a computer. There are no computer cats.
Munchkin cat
Advertisement
Which horse isn't even worth a quarter?
American Quarter Horse
Lipizzan
Manhattan Mustang
Manhattan was once home to many horses, and indeed its sanitation department was formed, largely, to clean up streets full of horse refuse and discarded horses, but there are no distinct mustangs from Manhattan.
Dutch Warmblood
Advertisement
Which lion is just us, lyin'?
Barbary Lion
Scottish Lion
The Scottish Lion is real in that we didn't totally make it up, but it's just an image from heraldry, not a species of animal.
Masai Lion
Sri Lanka Lion
Advertisement
Which deep sea fish did we just make up?
Lanternfish
Angler Fish
Black Swallower
Luminescent Sand Shark
Many deep sea creatures produce light, but the Luminescent Sand Shark is just an idea of ours.
Advertisement
Which eel are we just wiggling into this quiz?
Daggertooth Pike Conger
Giant Moray
Octaphangidipithingiedae
Octaphangidipithingiedae is just a made up word. It sure sound "reel" though, doesn't it?
Conger
Advertisement
Which clam is a sham?
Black Cherry
"Black Cherry Clams" may sound delicious, but we promise they do not exist.
Jackknife
Cockles
Littlenecks
Advertisement
Which lobster is made up?
Spiny Lobster
Maine Lobster
New Zealand Lobster
New Jersey Three-Eyed Lobster
No, there are no New Jersey three-eyed lobsters, but if there were lobsters living in the chemical detritus in the Garden State, they might have three eyes.
Advertisement
Which crab is fiction?
Zombie Crab
While ghost crabs are common in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, zombie crabs still haven't proven that there is life after crab death.
Dungeness crab
Grapsus grapsus
Chinese mitten crab
Advertisement
Which roach don't you need to worry about squashing?
American Cockroach
German Cockroach
Giant building cockroach
While giant burrowing cockroaches are giant, horrifying cockroaches from Australia, the giant building variety are just something we came up with on our own.
Florida Woods Cockroach
Advertisement
Which raven never was?
Brown-necked raven
Forest raven
Common raven
Big raven
The little raven is a species in southeastern Australia, but no, there is no "big" raven.
Advertisement
Which lynx is the missing lynx?
Siberian
Iberian
Canadian
Mexican
The lynx is a beautiful creature seen in many cold environments, but not the deserts or mountains of Mexico.
Advertisement
Which tiger is a stripe we came up with?
Sumatran
Hungarian
Hungary is known for its cafes, its landscape, its hot springs and its history, but not its tigers. Sorry, tourists.
Indochinese
Bengal
Advertisement
Which bat was made up by man?
Little Brown Bat
Megabat
Ultrabat
Megabats, also called fruit bats, or old world fruit bats, are very real. ultrabats may only exist as the name of someone's improv team, if anything.
Hoary Bat
Advertisement
Which kind of squirrel doesn't fly?
Red Squirrel
Fox Squirrel
Skylark Flying Squirrel
The Skylark Flying Squirrel is made up, but there are in fact many kinds of flying squirrel, so don't worry, you will believe a squirrel can fly.
African Ground Squirrel
Advertisement
Which of these game birds is not "over"?
Peasant
Pheasant is a common game bird, with beautiful feathers and slightly dull wits. No one in modern times hunts peasants, as they are not game birds, or birds at all for that matter!
Grouse
Partridge
Quail
Advertisement
Which songbird isn't singing the right tune?
Blue Jay
Black catbird
While the grey catbird can be found in North and Central America, it has no "black" cousin. We just made that one up.
Brown Thrasher
Finch
Advertisement
Which pet fish will never be your pet?
Plasticostomus
Plecostomus is a real kind of fish from South and Central America. They are bottom feeders, and they make good household pets. Plasticostomus on the other hand, is made up.
Danio
Goldfish
Gourami
Advertisement
Which of these tiny mammals is one we made up?
Spiderbaby
While all these animals are tiny, adorable mammals, the spiderbaby is just one we made up. We like to think of it as an eight-legged puppy.
Bumblebee Bat
Bushbaby
Etruscan Shrew
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
shutterstock