Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: The Jaragua dwarf gecko is closest in size to what?

Dollar bill
U.S. quarter
Compact disc
Credit card

The correct answer is U.S. quarter

So why is this answer correct? : At 16 millimeters, the Jaragua dwarf gecko is among the smallest known lizards in the world and a little bit smaller than a U.S. quarter. The gecko is found on the Isla Beata in the Caribbean and is named for the Jaragua National Park in the Dominican Republic. They live among the leaves on the forest floor and were discovered in 2001 by a biologist at the University of Puerto Rico.

Trivia: The smallest species of tortoise is found where?

Chile
South Africa
Thailand
Cuba

The correct answer is South Africa

So why is this answer correct? : The speckled padloper tortoise is the smallest tortoise on Earth, and it is found only in the Namaqualand region of South Africa. The female speckled padloper tortoise, also known as the speckled cape tortoise, is actually larger than the male at four inches long. (The male speckled padloper is less than three inches.) Their miniature size helps them avoid birds of prey by hiding between small rocks.

Trivia: Primatologist Madame Berthe’s name was given to the world’s smallest what?

Lemur
Parrot
Ape
Penguin

The correct answer is Lemur

So why is this answer correct? : Discovered in 1992, the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur is not only the world’s smallest lemur, but also the world’s smallest known primate. This mouse lemur is found in the Kirindy Forest in western Madagascar, the home country of Berthe Rakotosamimanana. The tiny primate is about 3.6 inches long and weighs about 30 grams. Madame Berthe also lends her name to a species of silk cuckoo.

Trivia: The smallest snake in the world has a name comparing it to what?

Hair
Pasta
Thread
Pencil

The correct answer is Thread

So why is this answer correct? : At just under four inches, the world’s smallest snake is the Barbados threadsnake. The snake was only officially named in 2008, although specimens found as far back as 1889 have now been reclassified as the Barbados threadsnake. It has such a small mouth that it only feeds on microscopic larvae from insects such as ants and termites.

Trivia: “Carlito syrichta” is the scientific name for a tiny primate found where?

Ocean
Mountains
Rainforest
Desert

The correct answer is Rainforest

So why is this answer correct? : Also known as the Philippine tarsier, the “Carlito syrichta” is one of the world’s smallest primates, and found in the dense forests of the Philippines. The largest of the species is about six inches tall. The primates have large eyes that are fixed in place and they have to turn their heads to see, like owls.

Trivia: How long is a fully grown dwarf lanternshark, the world’s smallest shark?

1 inch
7 inches
2 feet
5 feet

The correct answer is 7 inches

So why is this answer correct? : Found in the waters off the coast of Colombia and Venezuela is a dogfish shark that grows to be just seven inches long. The dwarf lanternshark, the smallest in the world, is tinier than a human hand and eats prey that is even smaller. As its name suggests, the lanternshark can create its own bioluminescent light, which it emits from its belly and fins to attract prey.

Trivia: Pictured here, the pink fairy is the world’s smallest species of what?

Mole
Turtle
Anteater
Armadillo

The correct answer is Armadillo

So why is this answer correct? : Pink fairy armadillos, endemic to central Argentina, are the smallest armadillos in the world. With a maximum length of just six inches, these cute creatures are several times smaller than giant armadillos, which can be more than three feet long. Like their relatives, pink fairy armadillos have a shell, but theirs has a distinctive pink hue and is softer and thinner than the shells of most other armadillos.

Trivia: Just half an inch long, Hippocampus satomiae is the world’s smallest what?

Horse
Snake
Seahorse
Dolphin

The correct answer is Seahorse

So why is this answer correct? : Found in the waters of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the tiniest seahorse in the world is Satomi’s pygmy seahorse, or Hippocampus satomiae. The minuscule creature was discovered in 2008, after years of eluding scientists due to its small size. The largest known seahorse, for comparison, can grow to more than a foot long in the waters off southern Australia.

Trivia: What is the world’s smallest mammal by weight?

Etruscan shrew
Pygmy possum
Micro mongoose
Nigerian dwarf goat

The correct answer is Etruscan shrew

So why is this answer correct? : With an average weight of around 0.063 ounces, the mole-like Etruscan shrew is the smallest known mammal by mass. Located in areas across Eurasia, the shrew builds colonies in crevices and other natural shelters, eating ants, crickets, and mealworms. At their maximum, Etruscan shrews reach about two inches in length, and the animals’ hearts beat an average of 25 times per second, contributing to their very high metabolisms.

Trivia: The long-tailed planigale of Australia is the world’s smallest what?

Fish
Horse
Snake
Marsupial

The correct answer is Marsupial

So why is this answer correct? : Known by the scientific name Planigale ingrami, the long-tailed planigale is the smallest known marsupial, with an average weight of just 0.15 ounces. Thousands of times smaller than a kangaroo or a wallaby, the tiny planigales are found in the woodlands and grasslands of northern Australia and eat small rodents and even smaller bugs and larvae.