All About Reptiles and Amphibians Quiz

Question: Which of these is a “flying snake”?

Answer: The golden tree snake, one of three species of snakes constituting the genus Chrysopelea, found in South Asia and the Indonesian archipelago, is a “flying snake.” A flying snake is able to glide short distances through the air by straightening the body and drawing up the ventral scales to make the underside concave.

Question: Which snake species is docile and rarely bites when handled, even though its venom could kill humans?

Answer: Though the venom of some coral snakes could kill humans, they are docile and rarely bite when handled. The coral snake is any of about 65 species of strongly patterned burrowing snakes of the cobra family.

Question: What is the longest cobra, also called the hamadryad?

Answer: The world’s largest venomous snake is the king cobra, or hamadryad (Ophiophagus hannah), found from southern China to the Philippines and Indonesia. It is often more than 3.6 metres (12 feet) long.

Question: What reptile is known for the ability to change its body colour?

Answer: The chameleon is a primarily tree-dwelling lizard characterized chiefly by its ability to change body colour, its zygodactylous toes (i.e., fused into opposable units of two and three), and its long, slender, extensile tongue.

Question: What snake is also called a “horned rattlesnake” or “horn viper”?

Answer: The sidewinder, also called the horned rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes), is a small, nocturnal snake found in sandy deserts of Mexico and the southwestern United States. The sidewinder is noted for its unusual method of locomotion, looping itself obliquely across the sand, leaving a characteristic j-shaped trail.

Question: What is the largest snake in the world?

Answer: The giant anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is the largest snake in the world. Although anacondas and pythons both have been reliably measured at over 9 metres (30 feet) long, anacondas have been reported to measure over 10 metres (33 feet) and are much more heavily built.

Question: Which of these Australian snakes is not venomous?

Answer: Pythons are any of 20 to 25 species of nonvenomous snakes of the family Boidae, found in tropical and temperate regions from western Africa to China, Australia, and the Pacific islands. Pythons kill by constriction.

Question: Are turtles reptiles or amphibians?

Answer: Turtles are reptiles, a group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body.

Question: Where can you find one of the world’s smallest frogs?

Answer: The smallest frog is perhaps the Brazilian gold frog (Psyllophryne didactyla), with adults measuring 1 cm (0.39 inch) in body length.

Question: What are leatherbacks and ridleys?

Answer: Leatherbacks and ridleys are sea turtles. The ridleys (Lepidochelys) are small sea turtles with wide, rounded shells, and leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest of living turtles with a weight of about 540 kg (1,200 pounds).