What bird makes a haunting call that sounds a bit like a wolf’s howl?
A. Pelican
B. Wood duck
C. Loon
D. Canadian goose
The correct answer is C: Loon.
You can hear the beautiful loon call, thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library.
Source: The Loon Preservation Committee
What special skill do toothed whales use to help them gather environmental information?
A. Echolocation
B. Talking to other toothed whales
C. Swimming in special patterns
D. Dropping pieces of food to find out where things are around them
The correct answer is A: Echolocation.
Toothed whales use echolocation to help them find out the distance of objects around them, the location of food, and even the depth of the water they’re swimming in!
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
When your cat is hungry, he/she might make a special meow that sounds like __________ to get your attention!
A. A squeaky wheel
B. An upset baby
C. A screeching howler monkey
D. The peep of a baby bird
The correct answer is B: A hungry cat might meow like an upset baby to get your attention.
Source: National Geographic Kids
The male club-winged manakin, a tiny South American bird, is the first bird species discovered that can create singing sounds with its ___________:
A. Wing feathers
B. Feet
C. Tail feathers
D. Nostrils
The correct answer is A: Wing feathers.
Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology believe that they have discovered the first bird species that makes singing sounds with the feathers of its wings. The male club-winged manakin vibrates its wings at more than 100 cycles per second, twice as fast as a hummingbird.
Sharks’ inner ears contain something called an ear stone, which provides them with information about:
A. Whether they are upside down or right side up in the water
B. The size and location of nearby prey
C. Whether it’s day or night
D. The temperature of the water
The correct answer is A: Whether they are upside down or right side up in the water.
Ear stones respond to gravity and help sharks orient themselves in the water.
Source: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Spring peepers are commonly heard in March and April, but they are rarely seen. What are spring peepers?
A. Large toads that blend in well with their surroundings
B. A nickname for the goldfinch (beautiful yellow bird)
C. A kind of hummingbird
D. Tiny frogs
The correct answer is D: Tiny frogs.
They're found in the central and eastern U.S. and Canada.
To keep cool, elephants radiate heat through what body part?
A. Trunk
C. Tail
D. Ears
The correct answer is D: Ears.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, “Elephants can radiate heat from their ears, which they hold out from their bodies. Blood flow into the ears carries heat out of the body, and cooler blood re-enters the bloodstream, reducing the effects of heat.”
Source: National Wildlife Federation
All mammals have hair or fur, are warm-blooded, and make milk for their babies. What is special about mammals’ ears?
A. They are very large compared to mammals’ eyes
B. They contain small bones that help mammals hear better than other classes of animals
C. They work well when a mammal is young, but work poorly when a mammal is old
D. Female mammals’ ears hear better than male mammals’ ears
The correct answer is B: They contain small bones that help mammals hear better than other classes of animals.
The three bones in humans’ ears are the smallest bones in the human body! You can read more about these three tiny bones.
Some of the vocal sounds elephants make are at too low a frequency for human ears to hear. These sounds are called:
A. Extrasound
B. Infrasound
C. Superquiet
D. Minimasound
The correct answer is B: Infrasound.
Infrasound is sound that vibrates at a frequency much lower than the average human ear can detect.
The Elephant Listening Project was started when researcher Katy Payne, working at a zoo, "felt (more than heard) the low-frequency rumbling communication of two Asian elephants, a male and female, who were standing on opposite sides of a concrete wall. Katy and a group of dedicated colleagues demonstrated that elephants often communicate using sounds below the threshold of human hearing, that these sounds carry over vast distances, and that elephants use vocal communication to bind their complex family social system together."
Read more about The Elephant Listening Project in our Have You Heard article.
Source: The Elephant Listening Project
Male cicadas use drum-like structures on their abdomens to create a loud, high-pitched buzz. What are these structures called?
A. Tymbals
B. Tummies
C. Symbols
D. Maracas
The correct answer is A: Tymbals.
The din from cicadas can reach 90 decibels! You can read more about cicadas in our Noise in the News article.
Source: The Washington Post
Where are cicadas’ hearing organs located?
A. Head
B. Stomach
C. Back
D. Wings
The correct answer is B: Stomach.
Male cicadas use drum-like structures on their abdomen called tymbals to create a loud, high-pitched buzz to attract female companions, who respond with a quick flick of their wings together. Read more about cicadas in our Have You Heard article.
Source: Scholastic
Which animals can regrow hair cells in their inner ears?
A. Elephants
B. Dogs
C. Birds
D. Humans
The correct answer is C: Birds. Often noise-induced hearing loss in humans is caused by damage to hair cells. Birds and amphibians can regrow hair cells, but humans can’t. Source: The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Why are a hippopotamus’ small ears on top of its head?
A. To help keep the ears clean
B. To help the hippo see better
C. To keep the ears dry
D. To hear while under water
The correct answer is D: To hear while under water. Source: San Diego Zoo
Learn how sounds make their way from the source to your brain.
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