Dolphin Science Quiz

1) Which species is the largest dolphin?

1. bottlenose
2. orca
3. blue whale
4. Pacific white-sided

2) Which species is the fastest cetacean?

1. spinner dolphin
2. fin whale
3. Dall's porpoise
4. bottlenose dolphin

3) How sensitive is dolphin sonar?

1. They can tell the difference between different species of fish with identical size and shape.
2. They can distinguish different metals with the same shape.
3. both a and b
4. Don't be silly. They can't do either a or b.

4) Why did Mookeeo call Rakeem "Top Gum" in "The Dolphins' View?"

1. he wanted to be treated as an equal
2. sperm whales don't have teeth on the roof of their mouth
3. both a and b
4. it was a Freudian slip

5) Which heavenly body is farthest from the sun?

1. asteroid belt
2. Kuiper belt
3. Jupiter
4. Saturn

6) Can dolphins swim faster than whales?

1. no
2. yes, because they have laminar flow
3. yes, because their skin sloughs off as they swim
4. both b and c

7) What animal is most similar to the species family from which dolphins evolved?

1. dog
2. horse
3. cat
4. none of the above

8) How many stomachs do dolphins have?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

9) Which animal has the smallest brain?

1. man
2. elephant
3. bottlenose dolphin
4. sperm whale

10) What animal can hear higher frequency sounds than a dolphin?

1. none
2. dog
3. bat
4. elephant

11) How deep is Monterey canyon (offshore from Monterey, CA)?

1. almost 700 feet
2. deeper than the Grand Canyon
3. deeper than Tonga trench
4. almost 300 feet

12) Do dolphins fight?

1. no
2. yes, they ram each other
3. yes, they rake each other with their teeth
4. both b and c

13) Which animal dives the deepest?

1. sea lion
2. spinner dolphin
3. sperm whale
4. gray whale

14) Where do dolphins receive sound?

1. their lower jaw
2. their ears
3. their nose
4. their melon

15) What can happen to a dolphin stranded on a beach?

1. its skin will blister
2. its organs will get crushed
3. it will overheat
4. all of the above

16) How do Mookeeo, Nina, and Doak communicate in "The Dolphins' View?"

1. they use body signals
2. they use telepathy
3. they talk
4. both b and c

17) How do dolphins navigate?

1. they follow the coastline
2. they use sonar
3. they have magnetic senses
4. they use their olfactory (smell) senses

18) What animals join the dolphins in their protest in "The Dolphins' View?"

1. an elephant and a llama
2. a chimp and a wolf
3. an eagle, a buffalo, and an orangutan
4. all of the above

19) What scientists made important discoveries about dolphins?

1. Aristotle, John Lily, and Ken Norris
2. Issac Newton, John Lilly, and Jacques Cousteau
3. Galileo, Ken Norris, and Charles Darwin
4. all of the above

20) Which of these statements about the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida is false?

1. claims to be provide the most humane treatment for dolphins
2. the Marine Mammal Inventory Report proves that it "transfered" a dolphin to a disco in Switzerland
3. provides treatment for dolphins, seals, and manatees
4. none of the above

21) In good ocean visibility dolphins can see:

1. two feet in front of themselves
2. twenty feet to their side
3. over their head
4. all of the above

22) Which animal is considered hazardous waste when it washes ashore?

1. harbor porpoise
2. beluga whale
3. dusky dolphin
4. orca

23) Do dolphins have:

1. a pelvis
2. hand-like bones
3. ears
4. all of the above

24) Do male dolphins:

1. "hang out" in small groups
2. form alliances with other male dolphins
3. rape female dolphins
4. all of the above

25) Which dolphins are endangered?

1. Baiji, Chinese river dolphin
2. Hector's dolphin
3. Vaquita
4. all of the above

1) b - Orca's are the largest species in the dolphin family. Although blue whales are the largest animal ever to inhabit the earth, they are not in the dolphin family.

2) c - Dall's porpoise swim up to 30 miles per hour; so fast they leave rooster tails of spray.

3) c

4) c - read the "Dolphins' View"

5) b - The Kuiper belt is composed of rocks, asteroids, and comets on the outer fringe of the solar question. OK, it's not a dolphin question, but it's in "The Dolphins' View."

6) d - read the "Dolphins' View" or see "dolphin history" in this web site.

7) b - Scientists believe dolphins evolved from ungulates, hoofed animals like goats, horses, pigs, etc.

8) c

9) a - An elephant brain is bigger, though it doesn't have complex folds and convolutions like man. The bottlenose dolphin brain is about 25% larger than man and has similar folds and convolutions, but different sensory concentrations. A sperm whale's brain is the largest known brain in the universe, seven times larger than man. Man has the largest ratio of brain to body weight, bottlenose dolphins are second, chimps third.

10) c

11) b

12) d

13) c - Sperm whales have been known to dive more than a mile deep.

14) a - See "dolphin history" in this web site.

15) d

16) d - read the "Dolphins' View"

17) c - (dolphins don't have a sense of smell)

18) a - Also, a chimp, eagle, and a buffalo, read "The Dolphins' View."

19) a

20) d - This writer visited the Dolphin Research Center twice. I believe that sending a dolphin to a disco and trafficking in dolphins violates their alleged mission to provide humane treatment.

21) c - Because their eyes are on the side of their side of their head, dolphins have a cone shaped blind spot that narrows a few feet in front of them. They can not see directly above, below, or behind their body.

22) a - PCB levels of St. Lawrence river belugas have been found at 576 ppm. Milk from female belugas is 3400 times greater than what is considered safe for human drinking water. PCBs concentrate higher up the food chain. Orcas also have high levels of PCBs.

23) d - Pin holes on the side of a dolphin's head are ears, but their primary sense of sound comes through their lower jaw. There are hand-like bones in a dolphin's flipper.

24) d - Male dolphins occassionally harass and rape female dolphins. Dolphins are extremely sexual animals. Not only do they not care what sex they copulate with, but they have been known to attempt copulation with other species (including man).

25) d - Hector's dolphin frequents the coast of New Zealand; Vaquita, the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). There are at least six more species of dolphins and porpoises that are endangered from one or more of these causes: overfishing, accidental capture, pollution, and habitat destruction.