Climate change quiz
Are you a climate change champion? Test your knowledge and learn about the animals and plants affected by climate change.
Climate change refers to man-made changes in the world’s climate. It is often called ‘global warming’, as one of its best-known effects is rising temperatures. However, other effects of climate change include rising sea levels, melting ice at the poles, and an increase in extreme weather. With many species unable to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, some scientists predict that climate change could cause the mass extinction of numerous plants and animals.
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The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the largest living land carnivore, with adult males growing up to 2.6 metres in length. The most…
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the world's largest turtle; the largest recorded individual weighed a massive 916 kilograms…
Staghorn corals are among the fastest growing corals on reefs, and are excellent reef-builders. The name Acropora literally means a porous…
Standing over a metre in height and weighing up to 40 kilograms, the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the undisputed…
Most famed for inspiring the character Nemo in the Walt Disney film ‘Finding Nemo’, the common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is the most…
The quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma) is a distinctive member of a group of succulent plants known as ‘Aloes’ that grows to tree-like proportions…
The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is superbly adapted for life at sub-zero temperatures. While this species is best known for its pristine…
The golden toad has not been seen since 1989, and is believed to be extinct. This toad displays extreme sexual dimorphism; males are a…
The exceptionally striking Dlinza pinwheel (Trachycystis clifdeni) immediately stands out for the unusual whorl of bristles that…
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The smallest of all living seal species, growing to a maximum length of just over 1.5 metres, the ringed seal (Pusa hispida) is named for…
The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), 'the leaper', has been called the king of fish, due primarily to its spectacular ability to clear…
One of Australia’s most iconic animals, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is bear-like in appearance with a stout body and large paws, but…
The snow-white beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is one of the most distinctive of all cetaceans (a group that includes dolphins, whales…
The Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been exploited for thousands of years as the sole source of…
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has a very unusual and fascinating life cycle. Adults have long, narrow bodies, with a continuous…
With a tiny population confined to a single, small island off the west coast of Africa, the diminutive Raso lark is perilously close to…
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Rare and elusive, the Table Mountain ghost frog is restricted to the slopes of Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain. It is a tiny frog with a…
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The now extinct Pachnodus velutinus was one of a number of land-snail species endemic to the Seychelles islands. A diminutive species, the…
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With beautifully defined blocks of colour, the red-breasted goose is one of the most attractive goose species in the world, but also one of…
Prior to 1994, the wide variability exhibited in the appearance of Montastraea annularis was attributed to the different environmental…
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One of the smallest of all seals, the Caspian seal is unusual in being confined to the inland, entirely landlocked Caspian Sea, the largest…
The Tuamotu sandpiper is a small, short-winged wader with a variably mottled brown and buff plumage, a bold creamy-white stripe above the…
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Wightman’s robber frog (Eleutherodactylus wightmanae) is an endangered amphibian found only in the upland forests of Puerto Rico. A rather…
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The largest bromeliad in the world, the Queen of the Andes (Puya raimondii) is best known for its spectacular flower spike, which can reach…
An ancient survivor from the Cretaceous period, Ctenella chagius is the only coral species of the family Meandrinidae found within the…
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Discovered as recently as 1994, the dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso) is a tree kangaroo, a group of animals that, like their well-known…
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This member of the broad-winged damselflies (Calopterygidae spp.) closely resembles the banded demoiselle (C. splendens) and has been…
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A characteristic plant of North American tallgrass prairies, the Western Prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) is a beautiful plant…
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Occurring only in the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida perforate reindeer lichen (Cladonia perforata) is an Endangered lichen threatened…
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Arguably the most famous and distinctive plant of the island of Socotra, the evocatively named dragon’s blood tree has a unique and bizarre…
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Discovered by Charles Darwin in the thick, gloomy forests of southern-central Chile, Darwin’s frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) possesses a…
For a desert region, southern Arabia has a remarkable number of dragonflies and damselflies. One particularly striking damselfly, discovered…
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This extraordinary-looking fish is often called the panther, or ‘polka-dot’ grouper for its striking colour pattern of bold black spots…
First described in 1906 from the island of Santiago in the Galapagos, the Santiago Galapagos mouse was believed extinct until its…
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With its pleasant, spicy scented leaves, and striking green inflorescences, the spicy conebush is an attractive feature of the Cape…
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Famous for its unicorn-like single tusk, narwhals have inspired legends in many cultures and are still revered across the world. The smooth…
The bubble coral (Plerogyra sinuosa) is a rather strange looking coral, aptly named because of the grape-sized bubbles that enlarge its…
The red-cheeked salamander (Plethodon jordani) is a medium-sized blue-black terrestrial salamander found only in the Great Smokey Mountains…
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Rather than forming colonies like most other corals, Fungia corals are usually solitary and generally free-living; that is, they are not…
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Although usually growing as small cushion-shaped or domed colonies, Galaxea fascicularis is also capable of producing massive or columnar…
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The mother-of-pearl blue (Polyommatus nivescens) is a small, delicately-marked butterfly found only in Spain. This elegant species has pale…
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The mountain horned agama is one of five Ceratophora species endemic to Sri Lanka, commonly known as ‘horn-nosed lizards’ or ‘horned…
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A beautiful fish of tropical reefs in the Indian Ocean, the sohal surgeonfish (Acanthurus sohal) is vividly coloured with striking blue and…
The green iguana is one of the best-known reptiles due to its popularity in zoos and with private reptile keepers. It has a very…
Perhaps one of the most instantly recognisable of all owls, the snowy owl is characterised by its distinctive white plumage, which gives it…
The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small member of the rabbit family that inhabits alpine regions of south-western Canada and the…
So seemingly incongruous was the appearance of platypus specimens shipped to England at the end of the 18th century, that many observers…
The banded sea krait (Laticauda colubrina) is an amphibious species of snake that spends most of its life at sea but comes to land to…
The giant South American turtle (Podocnemis expansa) is the largest river turtle in South America. It has a broad, domed and…
The bowhead whale is so-called because of its bow-shaped mouth and is black in colour with a whitish chin patch, broken by a 'necklace' of…