Pumpkin Problems
Going Batty!
Potions and Poisons
Creepy Crawlies
Spooky Scary Skeletons
100
Pumpkins are native to which continent?
What is North America?
100
Bats are warm-blooded. What class of animals do bats fall into?
What is Mammalia and/or mammals?
100
Frozen carbon dioxide is commonly used to make artificial fog and make movie sets appear more "spooky." Give me the common name for this material.
What is dry ice?
100
This venomous spider is known for having an hourglass figure on its back.
What is the black widow spider?
100
Name the major mineral found in bones.
What is calcium?
200
Pumpkins are a part of this plant family.
What are squashes or cucurbits?
200
Most bats are only awake and active during the night. Give me the technical term for this lifestyle.
What is nocturnal?
200
Today's image of a witch with a cauldron and a broomstick comes from the fact that historically, women would brew beer in cauldrons. This single-celled organism is what makes beer fermentation possible.
What is yeast?
200
While many animals feed on human blood, in this group of insects only the females are blood-sucking. Name this insect.
What are mosquitoes?
200
Many spooky animals (cats, snakes, bats, etc.) have a spine as a major component of their skeleton. Give me the name for the group of animals that have spines.
What are vertebrates or chordates?
300
This vegetable was traditionally used to make jack-o-lanterns before pumpkins were widely available.
What is a turnip?
300
Name the skill that bats use to hear and find their prey.
What is echolocation?
300
This plant associated more with Christmas than Halloween can be made into a poisonous tea.
What is mistletoe?
300
Some species of tarantulas found in the US migrate every fall. What town in Colorado hosts a Tarantula festival every year?
What is La Junta?
300
The bone pictured below is the bone that humans tend to break the most often. What is this bone called?
What is a clavicle or collar bone?
400
Pumpkins/squashes are one of the "three sisters" triad of native crops grown by Indigenous peoples in the US. Name the other two crops in the three sisters.
What are beans and corn?
400
Vampire bats are native to this geographical area.
Central and South America
400
This material, which we now know is toxic, was once used in makeup to make women's faces appear whiter. Name this element.
What is lead?
400
Cockroaches are nature's survivors. How long can a cockroach survive with its head cut off?
What is up to a week?
400
Name the largest bone in the human body.
What is the femur?
500
Carving pumpkins or other vegetables on Halloween originally came from Irish folklore. Carved pumpkins are based on a story that revolves around this Irish mythical figure.
Who is Jack of the Lantern or Stingy Jack?
500
Bat droppings have sometimes been used to make gunpowder (specifically replacing saltpeter). Give me the technical name for bat droppings.
What is bat guano?
500
This poisonous mushroom kills you by shutting down your liver. Name this mushroom.
What is fly agaric or Amanita muscaria?
500
This parasitic organism lives in the digestive tracts of other animals. What is it called?
What is a tapeworm?
500
Not all animals have internal skeletons. Name the type of skeleton that insects have.
What is an exoskeleton?
600
This native bee evolved to pollinate pumpkins, squashes, and gourds.
What is the squash bee?
600
Bats, birds, and pterodactyls all have (or had) similar-looking wings, but each group of animals evolved wings separately. Name this evolutionary concept.
What is convergent evolution?
600
This poison smells and tastes like bitter almonds.
What is cyanide?
600
Some insects are turned into "zombies" by this fungus.
What is cordyceps?
600
Name the only bone in the human body that is naturally exposed.
What are teeth?
700
Which state in the US grows the most pumpkins?
What is Illinois?
700
This fungal disease is one of the biggest killers of hibernating bats in North America. It often leaves white patches on the bat's fur. Name this disease.
What is white nose syndrome?
700
The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was forced to drink a poison made from this plant.
What is water hemlock?
700
Insects don't have lungs and instead take in air through holes found throughout their body. Name the scientific term for these holes/openings.
What are spiracles?
700
Daily Double!
What is around 206?
800
This professional sports team adopted the "playoff pumpkin" as its unofficial mascot in 2024.
What is the New York Mets?
800
The oldest bat fossils in the US are found in which state?
What is Wyoming (specifically the Green River Formation)?
800
This toxic orange mushroom is native to Europe and North America, and has a green bioluminescent glow. Name this mushroom.
What is the Jack-o-lantern mushroom?
800
The most venomous ant in the world lives in Arizona. What is this ant called?
What is the Maricopa harvester ant?
800
One common skeletal abnormality in animals is having too many fingers or too many toes. Give me the name for this medical condition.
What is polydactyly?
900
Pumpkins are a type of flowering plant. Name the scientific term for the family of flowering plants.
What is an angiosperm?
900
Daily Double!
What is the giant golden-crowned flying fox or the golden capped fruit bat?
900
An old wives tale says that if you soak a loaf of bread in water, wrap it in cobwebs, and put in on a wound, that it would keep the wound from getting infected. This method works because of a particular fungus. Name either the fungus or the antibacterial medicine made from that fungus today.
What is Penicillium or penicillin?
900
This purple and orange butterfly is the state insect of Colorado. What is it called?
What is the Colorado hairstreak butterfly?
900
Bone marrow is just as important as bones themselves. Bone marrow serves this biological function.
What is creating red blood cells?
1000
The chemical compound that makes pumpkins orange is also what gives carrots their orange color. Name this chemical compound.
What are carotenoids (specifically beta carotene)?
1000
Vampire bats exclusively feed on blood. Name the scientific term for this lifestyle.
What is hematophagy?
1000
Name one of the three chemicals that make glowsticks glow.
What is hydrogen peroxide, fluorescent dye, and phenyl oxalate ester?
1000
This protein found in spider silk is what makes the material so strong.
What is spidroin?
1000
Name the only bone in the human body that is not attached to any other bones.
What is the hyoid bone?