This month we are celebrating animals. We share the Earth with them, but how much do we know about them? Scientists estimate there are about 8.7 million species of animals on Earth. Of these species (including insects, mollusks, mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles), only about 1.2 million have been scientifically described and named.
Since around 1500 approximately 881 species of animals have become extinct. Did you ever stop to wonder how many species have become extinct that we never knew existed? Scientists estimate that the number of extinct species might be closer to 1,473 if the numbers of species they suspect might be extinct are included. These animals were a part of our ecosystem as pollinators, predators, or a valuable part of the food chain.
Take our July 2025 quiz, test your knowledge of the animal kingdom, and learn some interesting facts about our undomesticated neighbors. Some of the animals listed will not be used. Be sure to check the sources listed below for more exciting facts about animals. Good Luck!
Find the answers to this quiz on the last page of this issue or use our link as a shortcut, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2025/7/1/next-month-in-this-awful-awesome-life-august-2025-by-fran-joyce
Word Bank:
Hummingbirds Pistol Shrimp
Mosquitoes Pangolin
Giant Squids Swifts
Garden Snail Nile crocodile
Great White Shark Giant Pacific Octopus
Howler Monkey Colossal Squids
Ostrich Polar Bears
Racoons Starfish
Echidna Lungfish
Stonefish Pufferfish
Cheetahs Alpine Swifts
Koalas Greenland Sharks
Corvids Tardigrades
Duck-billed Platypus Pea crabs
Electric Eels Yaks
Mourning Geckos Lesula
Fill in the blank:
1. ________________________ are all female. They are parthenogenic and can reproduce without males. There are around 70 known species in the world that have this ability including the Komodo dragon.
2. The __________________________ is the loudest land animal. It can be heard three miles (5km) away and produces sounds reaching 140 decibels the equivalent of a jet engine during takeoff.
3. The jaws of a ______________________ can produce 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, the strongest bite of any animal in the world. It’s bite is 10 times more powerful than that of a ________________________________.
4. The ___________________________ is the loudest animal in the world. It has the ability to snap its claw shut so rapidly that it creates a bubble that collapses to create a sonic blast reaching 230 decibels louder than a gunshot or the sonic boom created by a Concorde airliner.
5. Only 5% of baby __________________ survive to adulthood in the wild because of predators and diseases.
6. _______________________ are the longest living vertebrates on Earth. One of them is believed to be over 400 years old.
7. The ________________, a species of monkey discovered in 2007 in the Lomami Basin of the Congo is known for its human-like eyes and distinctive blue bottom.
8. ________________ are the world’s deadliest animals. According to the World Health Organization over 750,000 people die each year because of diseases spread by its bite.
9. The __________________________________ concentrates milk to its belly and sweats it out to feed its young because it does not have nipples
10. _____________________________ have eyes as large as basketballs which lets them detect the faint light from a predator over 400 feet away.
11. The fingerprints of ____________________ are almost identical to human fingerprints even under microscopic examination.
12. ___________________ have white coats, but the skin underneath is black.
13. ____________________________ are the only known birds that can fly backwards.
14. _____________________ are the most venomous fish in the world having 13 fin spines on their back each with two venom packs.
15. The venom of a ______________________________ is 1200 times more deadly than cyanide to humans; however, it is only the second most venomous vertebrate. The venom of a golden dart frog is more lethal.
16. _____________________ have the ability to protect themselves from predators such as lions by rolling themselves up into a spikey ball. Unfortunately, this does not protect them from human predators. They are the most poached and trafficked animal because some people in Asian cultures still erroneously believe their scales and meat have medicinal value.
17. Each two-toed foot of an __________________ has a sharp claw, and Its powerful kicks can kill a lion or a human.
18. _____________________ spend their entire lives inside oysters, clams, and mussels and depend on them for food.
19. A common _______________________ has 14,000 teeth.
20. ___________________ spend most of their lives flying in the air. _________________________ can spend over six months in the air without touching down because they eat flying insects.
21. ______________________ are extremely intelligent. They can use tools, solve puzzles, recognize faces, and even understand physics at a higher level than apes.
22. Their huge lung capacity and small red blood cells make ______________ specifically adapted to high altitudes because they are used to low oxygen levels.
23. The _____________________________ has three hearts, nine brains, blue blood, and the ability to change their color and texture to camouflage themselves in an instant.
24. _______________________ look like bears and are microscopic animals able to survive in space, tolerate extremes temperatures, withstand pressures more than 6 times as intense as the bottom of the ocean, and go for more than ten years without eating.
25. ________________________ have a beak, spines, and lays an egg which is then transferred to its kangaroo-like pouch where it develops and hatches.
26. _________________________ are actually knifefish which are related to catfish. These animals are nocturnal, have poor eyesight, breathe air, and can deliver shocks of up to 860 volts, enough to knock out a horse.
Sources used for this quiz: