Journey Book

Trivia

 * All rewards are on land.

Coral Canyons
Tarantulas The largest tarantulas can have a leg span of up to 12 inches across! Though tarantulas look scary, they are quite harmless. The bite may be painful, but their venom is typically not lethal to adult humans. The Goliath bird-eating tarantulas can eat frogs, mice, and even young birds!

Saguaro Cacti
Saguaro cactuses, or cacti, can grow up to 50 feet tall, can weigh up to 12,000 pounds, and can live for up to 200 years! Over the course of a lifetime, one saguaro cactus can produce up to 40,000,000 seeds! Saguaro cacti are only found in the Sonoran Desert in the southwest United States.

Honeybees
There are three types of honeybees that live and work in a hive: drones, workers, and the queen. When honeybees find food, they dance to communicate with other bees. Through these dances, other honeybees can tell how far away the food is! Honeybees can be trained to detect explosives!

Scorpions
Scientists aren’t sure why, but scorpions are fluorescent under ultraviolet light! Of the almost 1500 scorpion species, only about 50 have venom strong enough to kill a person. Researchers have frozen scorpions overnight, only to put them in the sun the next and watch them thaw out and walk away!

Cardinals
Cardinals are songbirds, which means they whistle and sing and to communicate. Northern cardinals are some of the most common birds in North America, and they can usually be found in the eastern United States. Unlike most female songbirds in North America, female cardinals sing.

Dandelions

Though most people consider dandelions to be weeds, they are related to daises and sunflowers. The big yellow dandelion flowers that grow on each plant are actually flower heads made of lots of little flowers! Dandelions are used in some herbal medicines, and some people eat dandelion leaves.

Gila Monsters
Gila monsters can grow up to 2 feet long and can weigh up to 3 pounds! Gila monsters are one of only 2 venomous lizards in the world, By storing fat in their oversize tails, Gila monsters are able to go several months between meals!

Rattlesnakes
There are 29 different species of rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes get their name because of the rattle on the end of their tails that they shake as a warning whenever they are threatened or scared. Though rattlesnakes are venomous, they are actually very shy and timid and won’t attack unless they are provoked.

Coyotes
Coyotes are omnivores, which mean they eat plants and meat. Coyotes can weigh up to 50 pounds, and they can live up to 4 years in the wild. When caring for their young coyotes during the first year of their lives, coyotes live in strong family groups called packs.

Woodchucks
Woodchucks are also known as groundhogs. Woodchucks are related to North American squirrels. During the winter months, woodchucks hibernate. While in hibernation, a woodchuck will take one breath every 6 minutes or so, and its heart will beat about 4 times a minute!

Peregrine Falcons
Peregrine falcons are birds of prey, which means they hunt and eat other animals. When they hunt, peregrine falcons can pursue their prey in very fast dives called stoops. Male peregrine falcons are called tiercels, and female peregrines are simply called falcons.

Dragonflies
Dragonflies have long bodies and two pairs of large, see-through wings. Dragonflies are measured by their wingspan, or how wide their wings are. Some dragonflies can have a wingspan of 5 inches! There are about 2500 different dragonfly species!

Hibiscus
There are about 250 species of hibiscus plants, and they range from herbs and shrubs to small trees. Hibiscus plants are known for their large, richly-colored flowers, which can range from white and cream to red and purple! In Latin, the word “hibiscus” means “marshmallow”.

Vine Snakes
Vine snakes get their name because their long, slender bodies look like tree vines. All vine snakes are venomous! Vine snakes have colors that match the areas they live in. Vine snakes that live in the rainforests are green and brown, and vine snakes that live in the savannahs and dry forests are brown or gray.

Needlefish
Needlefish get their name because they have long, slim, slender jaws that look like needles! There are bout 60 species of needlefish, and some can grow up to 4 feet long. Needlefish are silver in color, with blue or green backs. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters all over the world. Turtles

Turtles are reptiles with bony shells that belong to the order Testudines, which also includes toroises abd terrapins. Some turtles live only on land, some live only in the water, and some call both places their home. There about 300 species of turtles, and they lvie on every continent except Antarctica! Pitcher Plants Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants, which means they eat meat to get some of their nutrients! Most pitcher plants catch their prey by producing a sweet nectar. When an insect enters the pitcher to get the nectar, it falls in and gets trapped. The pitcher plant then uses digestive juices called enzymes to digest parts of the insect! Pythons Pythons are constrictors, which means they constrict, or squeeze, themselves around the prey they catch. There are 7 species of pythons, and they can grow anywhere from 6 to over 30 feet! Reticulated pythons are the longest snakes in the world!

Praying Mantises
Praying mantises are one of the only insects that can look over their shoulders! When catching their prey, mantises’ reflexes are so quick they are hard to see. Praying mantises eat moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects. Sometimes they even eat other mantises! Colugos Colugos are also called flying lemurs. Colugos have membranes of skin, much like flying squirrels. This skin helps colugos glide in between the trees they call their homes. Though they cannot actually “fly”, colugos can glide for over 230 feet while only losing a little altitude! Monitor Lizards There are about 50 species of monitor lizards, and they are found in parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the islands of the Pacific. One of the most well-known monitors, the Komodo dragon, is the largest lizard in the world! It can grow up to 10 feet long and can weigh up to 150 pounds! Water Striders By relying on water’s surface tension, water striders are actually able to walk on water! Water striders are covered with thousands of tiny hairs that help keep them dry. Water striders hunt other tiny insects and larvae by detecting vibrations on the surface of the water!

Partridges
Partridges are game birds, which means they are hunted for their meat. There are many different species of partridges, and each species has its own unique colors and appearance. Some partridges are brown and white, some have red faces, and some are even blue-green!

Juniper Trees
Juniper trees and shrubs are evergreens, which means they stay green all year and don’t lose their leaves in the fall. Juniper berries are blue-gray in color, and they have a very strong taste and smell. Some junipers can grow up to 50 feet tall! Himalayan Poppies Himalayan poppies are said to be the color of the blue Tibetan sky.The leaves and stems of Himalayan poppies are covered in sharp spines! The Himalayan poppy is the national flower of Bhutan.

Yaks
Yaks are a type of wild cattle that live in Asia at high elevations, ranging from 10,000 to 18,000 feet! In China, yaks are known as hairy cattle, because they look like cows covered in long, thick hair. Yaks are used in many different ways. Their meat and milk is eaten, their hair is used to make cloth, and their skin is used to make coats and blankets.

Hawk Moths
Hawk moths are powerful fliers and can reach speed of almost 30 miles per hour! Most hawk moths adults sip nectar through a long strawlike longue called a proboscis. One species, however, steals honey from bees! Hawk moths can have wingspans that measure up to 8 inches across.

Lemmings

Lemmings are rodents and are related to mice. Every 2–5 years, some lemming populations will grow so large that thousands of lemmings will migrate in search of food and a better habitat. A common myth claims that during this migration, lemmings will jump off high cliffs and into the ocean! Thankfully, this is not true!

Permafrost
Permafrost is soil that stays frozen for years at a time. Depending on what different materials are in the soil, different patterns can form in the permafrost. Scientists estimate that some permafrost in Siberia has been frozen for more than 1,000,000 years straight!

Slate
Slate is formed when shale is exposed to immense heat and pressure! Among other things, slate has been used in road construction, roofing, and concrete mixes. Slate is found all throughout the world in places where small pieces of rock have been pressed together under pressure for thousands of years!

Himalayan Tahrs
Himalayan tahrs are goatlike animals that live on some of the steepest cliffs and mountains in the world! Himalayan tahrs live in groups of 2 to 30 animals. Female tahrs can weigh up to 80 pounds, and male tahrs can weigh up to 160 pounds!

Gold
Gold has been prized among civilizations since ancient times. Gold is one of the easier metals to form and was often used by ancient civilizations to make jewelry. Since gold is such a soft metal, copper is sometimes added to make it harder.

Red Pandas
Red pandas are also called lesser pandas and firefoxes. In the past, scientists have identified red pandas as relatives of both giant pandas and raccoons! Red pandas weight about 8 pounds and are about 23 inches long. Their bushy, ringed tails are almost as long as their bodies are!

Cocao Trees
The scientific name of cacao trees, also called cocoa trees, means “food of the gods” in Greek. Cocao trees produce long pods filled with fruit called cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are dried, roasted, ground, and made into chocolate!

Sugarcane
Sugarcane is a type of grass that produces a juice that sugar comes from! Because they might receive 80 to 90 inches of rain during the growing season, stalks of sugarcane can grow up to 17 feet high! Sugarcane is grown in tropical and subtropical areas all over the world.

Crabs
Crabs are decapods, which means they have 5 pairs of legs. Their front pair of legs are claws! When a crab grows too big for its shell, the shell will split and low the new shell under it to harden. Some crab species can run forward and backward, and some can only run sideways!

Centipedes
There are almost 3000 species of centipedes! Centipedes have lots of legs. Some have only 14 pairs of legs and others have 177! In Latin, the word “centipede” means “100 feet”. Centipedes hunt at night. They use their venomous claws to hunt spiders, insects, and even other centipedes!

Macaws
Macaws are parrots that are known for their bright and vibrant colors. Macaws have large curved beaks that are powerful enough to crack hard nuts and seeds! Many macaws are kept as pets and can be taught to mimic, or repeat, words.

Basilisk Lizards
Basilisk lizards are best known for their ability to run across water! When they run, basilisks churn their legs like windmills. This creates tiny air pockets among the special scales they have under their long toes. These scales spread out as their feet hit the water, which helps keep basilisks on top of the water!

Flamingos
Flamingos are reddish-pink in color because of the algae and small crustaceans that they eat! Flamingos eat with their heads down and their bills upside down in the water to help suck in food. Plastic flamingos are a popular lawn ornament. In the United States, there may be more plastic flamingos than real ones!

Tapirs
Though tapirs may look like a pig mixed with an elephant, they are actually related to rhinoceroses and horses! Tapirs have a short trunk that is prehensile, which means they can grab things with their trunks! Tapirs use their trunks to pluck leaves from tree branches and fruit off the ground.

Green Iguanas
Green iguanas eat fruit, leaves, and flower, and they spend almost all of their time in the trees. When threatened or scared, green iguanas will dive from their tree into water below to escape. Green iguanas can grow up to 6 feet long and can live for 10 years in the wild!

Sand Dollars
When found on the beach, sand dollars are actually empty exoskeletons of a species of marine animal. Sand dollars can live for up to 10 years! Their age can be found by counting the growth rings on their exoskeletons! Live sand dollars have spines covering their bodies that they use to move, breathe, and even eat!

Tide Pools
Tide pools are pools of seawater along rocky shores that are completely underwater during high tide, but stay filled with water during low tide. Tide pools have amazing biodiversity, or lots of different plants and animals. Sea anemones, sea stars, sea slugs, and all sorts of other ocean life can be found in tide pools.

Chipmunks
Chipmunks are rodents, and are closely related to squirrels and mice. There are 25 species of chipmunks. Most of them live in North America, but the Asiatic chipmunk lives in parts of Asia and Europe. All chipmunks have stripes down their backs. These stripes can range in color and number.

Skunks
Skunks are known for their ability to spray stinky liquid at predators. This liquid is an oil that is produced by special glands that are under skunks’ tails. Skunk’s spray isn’t dangerous at all, but it can stay in clothing and stink for days!

Poison Ivy
Poison ivy can grow in bushes and vines, and it produces small greenish-white fruit. Most people are allergic to an oil that poison ivy produces, and if any poison ivy touches their skin, it will cause a rash. People sometimes use this phrase to help them avoid poison ivy: “Leaves of three, let it be.”

Mushrooms
Mushrooms produce spores in their gills, which are located in the top, or cap, of the mushroom. Some mushrooms can release 2.7 billion spores a day! That’s 2,700,000,000 spores! One species of mushroom can shoot it spores up to 6 feet in the air to help spread them as far as possible!

Ravens
Ravens can live in all types of environments, from frozen tundras to hot deserts. Though ravens look like and are closely related to crows, ravens are bigger and have bigger bills. Ravens that are kept as pets can be taught to mimic, or repeat, words. Woodpeckers To find food, woodpeckers peck holes into trees. Woodpeckers’ skulls are specially adapted to withstand this hard pounding. The pileated woodpecker has a long tongue and sticky saliva which it uses to capture ands and beetle larvae!

Fireflies
Fireflies aren’t actually flies. They are members of the beetle family. Fireflies can naturally produce light using special cells called photocytes! Because of the light they emit, fireflies are also known as lightning bugs. Young fireflies are sometimes called glowworms. Mosses Mosses are tiny, green, non-flowering plants found throughout the world. Reindeer eat moss because it helps provide energy they need to live in cold weather. Many mosses can survive months of being extremely dry and can return to life within a few hours of being watered! Snails Crawling nonstop, it would take a snail several days to go one mile! Snails live on the land and in the ocean, and they are related to some underwater animals such as oysters and squids. The main difference between snails and slugs is that snails have shells and slugs do not. Termites Termite colonies eat non-stop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Bacteria called protozoa live in termites’ digestive tracts. The protozoa digest the wood the termites eat. Termites have wings that they shed once they have found a good place to build a nest. Great Horned Owls Great horned owls get their name because they have two tufts of feathers on their heads that look like horns. These tufts are call plumicorns. Great horned owls are the most common owls in North and South America, and they range from the northern parts of Alaska and Canada to the southern parts of Argentina and Chile!

Appondale
Guinea Fowls Guinea fowl originally came from Africa, but they are now widespread. Helmeted guinea fowl are easily recognized by the bony crest on their heads. Because helmeted guinea fowl make lots of noise when they are startled or scared, some farmers use them on their farms to act like watchdogs!

Golden Moles

Golden moles are blind because their eyes are covered by skin! Golden moles spend the daytime hours underground and come to the surface at night to find food like termites and other insects. Grant’s golden moles weight about an ounce and are only about 3 inches long!

Black Mambas

Black mambas are actually brown or gray in color. When black mambas are threatened, they open their mouths wide, revealing a blue-black color. This is where their name comes from. Because they are very fast and have a highly toxic venom, black mambas are considered to be extremely dangerous, even though they actually will do everything they can to avoid humans.

Cockroaches

There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches, and they live in many places across the world. Cockroaches have lived on the planet for more than 320 million years! The Australian giant burrowing cockroach is the heaviest cockroach in the world. It can grow up to 3 inches long!

Warthogs

Warthogs get their name form the “warts” that cover their faces. These warts are actually thick skin growths that protect them during fights. Warthogs eat plants and grass, and they even use their snouts to dig for roots. Though they don’t appear fast, warthogs can sprint up 30 miles an hour for short distances!

Weaverbirds

Weaverbirds get their name because of how they build their nests. They weave grass, twigs, straw, fur, and other soft plant materials together to make their nests. Social weaverbirds weave their nests together into large structures that resemble bird apartment buildings, with each bird family having their own room! These nests can be up to 10 feet tall!

Zebras

Zebras are social animals that live in herds. Sometimes these herds combine and there are hundreds of zebras in one place at one time! Zebras live in Africa on grasslands called savannas. Zebras’ stripe patterns are as unique as fingerprints, with no two zebras having the same pattern.

Wildebeests

Wildebeests are large antelopes that live on the plains of Africa. Wildebeests are a keystone species, which means they play a very important role in the ecosystems they live in. The word “wildebeest” is Afrikaans for “wild beast”, and wildebeests are also known as gnus.

Meerkats

When burrowing, meerkats can close their ears to keep out dust and dirt! Meerkats have thin fur on their stomachs which helps them regulate their body temperature. Meerkats have excellent eyesight. Their long, horizontal pupils help them see in a very wide area surrounding them.

Rock Hyraxes

Rock hyraxes are small rodentlike animals that live in areas that have lots of boulders, rocks, and cervices. Rock hyraxes can grow up to 20 inches long and can weigh up to 11 pounds! Though rock hyraxes may look like rodents, their closest relatives are elephants!

Ants

There are more than 10,000 ant species in the world, and they can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Ants can carry up to 50 times their body weight! Some ants can fly, and some ants can make themselves explode when attacked!

Barrel Sponge
Barrel sponges are some of the largest of all sponge species, with some growing up to six feet tall!

Barrel sponges live mainly in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but scientists have recently discovered huge sponge populations in the Caribbean. They estimate that some of these sponges are 2000 years old.

Giant Clam
Giant clams are the biggest and heaviest mollusks.

Most giant clams grow to be about a foot across, but some can grow up to three feet across and can weigh over 400 pounds! (181 kg)

In the wild, giant clams permanently attach themselves to sand or coral reef rubble. They can live for over 100 years.

Scallop
Like oysters, scallops are bivalves. But unlike other bivalves, scallops are migratory, which means they like to swim around.

Some scallops can "sing" by making a soft popping noise as they flap open and closed while swimming!

Scallops have lots of little eyes that line the edges of their mantle.