Animal Facts
This bird is known for mimicking sounds, including human speech.
Parrot
This invisible force keeps Earth’s atmosphere from drifting into space.
Gravity
Some species of trees can communicate with each other through underground fungal networks.
True — It’s called the mycorrhizal network or “wood wide web.”
What allows trees in a forest to share nutrients and chemical signals underground?
A) Root hairs
B) Water channels
C) Mycorrhizal fungi
D) Soil bacteria
Answer: C) Mycorrhizal fungi
This term describes plants that have both male and female reproductive structures in the same flower.
Hermaphroditic plants
This reptile can detach its tail to escape predators.
Lizard
The tallest type of tree on Earth belongs to this genus found primarily in California.
Sequoia (or Sequoiadendron)
Polar bears’ fur is actually white to help them blend in with snow.
False — Their fur is transparent and reflects visible light; their skin underneath is black.
Some desert plants can “drink” moisture directly from the air through which special leaf adaptation?
A) Waxy coating
B) Trichomes (tiny hairlike structures)
C) Stomata on the underside of leaves
D) Thickened cuticle layers
Answer: B) Trichomes (tiny hairlike structures) — they capture dew or fog and channel it to the plant.
Bumblebees use this special technique to release pollen from flowers with tightly closed anthers.
Buzz pollination (or sonication)
This ocean mammal sleeps with one half of its brain at a time so it can continue breathing.
Dolphin
These microscopic organisms produce over half of the world’s oxygen and form the base of most marine food chains.
Phytoplankton
The Venus flytrap digests insects mainly to get extra nitrogen that it can’t get from the soil.
True — They grow in nutrient-poor, acidic bogs and need insects for nitrogen.
Why do carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap eat insects?
A) For energy
B) For extra nitrogen
C) For hydration
D) To deter pests
Answer: B) For extra nitrogen
These microscopic grains, produced in the anther, contain the male gametes necessary for fertilization in plants.
Pollen
This insect can lift objects over 50 times its own body weight.
Ant
This natural phenomenon occurs when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field, producing brilliant lights near the poles.
Savanna
Some frogs can survive being completely frozen solid through winter and thaw back to life in spring.
True — Wood frogs and a few others produce natural antifreeze compounds that protect their cells during freezing.
Which animal can survive being frozen solid and thawing out alive in spring?
A) Salamander
B) Wood frog
C) Toadfish
D) Snow hare
Answer: B) Wood frog
Some flowers produce nectar only at certain times of day to attract specific pollinators. This timing strategy is called:
Temporal pollination (or diurnal rhythm of nectar production)
This cold-blooded animal can survive being frozen solid during the winter and thaw out in the spring.
Wood Frog
In 2003, scientists discovered this mineral, formed deep within Earth’s mantle, that is now thought to be the most abundant mineral on the planet — but it only exists under extreme pressure and was named after an Australian physicist.
Bridgmanite
If a sunflower faces east in the morning, it will keep turning west by sunset every day.
False — Only young sunflowers track the sun (heliotropism). Mature ones usually stay facing east.
What phenomenon causes some flowers to close at night and reopen in the morning?
A) Phototropism
B) Circadian rhythm
C) Geotropism
D) Photoperiodism
Answer: B) Circadian rhythm — internal biological clocks control their opening and closing cycles.
In grafted plants, this tissue layer must align perfectly for the rootstock and scion to successfully fuse and allow nutrient and water transport.
Cambium