Sherkin Island Marine Station
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Marine Biology Quiz
How many of these questions can you answer?
Answers at the bottom
1.
If I studied Marine Biology, what kind of things would I learn about?
The human body The sea and all that lives in it Animals at the zoo Rocks, rivers and mountains
2.
The sea cucumber is a brown or black slug-like animal that lives at the bottom of the sea, it has a really horrible way of protecting itself. Can you remember what that is?
It spits out threads from inside its body It blows itself up like a ballon It turns itself inside out It hides under a rock
3.
This animal is the same shape as a tennis ball, but is covered with hundreds of small spines, it is called the Starfish Prickly pear Lobster Sea Urchin Crab . It does not have any legs but instead has many long arms tentacles hooks antennae which act like hoovers to stick onto things. These arms tentacles hooks antennae help the Starfish Prickly pear Lobster Sea Urchin Crab to stick onto the rocks.
4.
There are many different kinds of this animal all around Ireland, some have names like: Feather sun moon comet star rays , Common crab moon comet starfish rays , Seven-legged crab moon comet starfish rays , Cushion sun moon comet star rays or Purple crab moon comet starfish rays . They usually have five legs, but there are a few who have 7, 10, or even those that live in warmer waters that have 40 legs!
Can you remember their name? Here’s a clue - look up at the sky at night.....what can you see?
5.
If this animal gets into a fight with a crab and loses a leg, what might happen? The starfish will most definitely die In a few months the starfish will grow a new leg The stafish may survive but its leg will be gone for good
6.
How many legs does the octopus have?
5 6 7 8 9 10
7.
If something frightens the octopus what might he do? Here’s a clue; you find something like it in your pens!
It curls up into a ball It squirts out something like ink It squirts out water It lashes out with its legs
8.
Does the octopus have any bones? Yes No
9.
If you were able to answer that last question then you will be able to tell me if his body is hard or soft!
Hard Soft
10.
This funny shaped thing looks like a tree or a mushroom but in fact it is a sea anemone. Is a sea anemone a plant or an animal? Plant Animal It has many long ‘arms’, but they are not called ‘arms’ though, they are called legs liimbs tentacles feelers . It uses these legs liimbs tentacles feelers to catch its food.
11.
How many feet does the sea anemone have?
1 2 5
12.
Would this animal move faster or slower than a snail? faster slower
13.
When the sea anemone hides its legs liimbs tentacles feelers inside its body what would it remind you of?
shell rock seaweed jelly
14.
Sometimes people get mixed up between the lobster and the crayfish because they look alike and you can eat them both. I’m sure you won’t have any problem telling me which is which!
a. This animal is blue but will turn red when cooked. You can eat this animal. It has two very large claws or pinchers.
b. This animal is orange. You can eat this animal. It has two small claws.
lobster crayfish
15.
If you picked up a lobster or crayfish out of the water it would be very angry. It would start moving a part of its body very quickly. What would that be?
eyes claws tail feelers
16.
Crabs have many legs but which in which direction do they crawls?
backwards sideways forwards
17.
Is the skeleton of the crab, lobster and crayfish inside or outside of the body?
inside outside
18.
There is a very special little crab who has a small little body and because of this it must hide itself from bigger animals who might eat it. It hides its body in an empty shell. This animal is called the Edible Crab Hermit Crab Common Shore Crab Velvet Swimming Crab . If he gets too big for the shell he must find a new to move into.
19.
What might you hear if you put this empty shell up to your ear?
chickens horses the sea music
20.
Could you tell me what the animal is called that floats around in the water and uses its long tentacles to sting? Sometimes you might find it on the beach after the sea washed it up. Some are purple or blue and others are brown.
jellyfish sea anemone octopus stingray
21.
The first little fish I will ask you about is one which is very flat and lies on the sand. It can cover itself with sand to hide. Can you name it? Here’s a clue. It has orange spots on its body.
halibut sole mackerel plaice
22.
Can you eat this fish?
yes no
23.
Many fish living in the sea use the colours of their bodies to hide themselves. What do you call this?
painting camouflage hiding secrecy
24.
The ‘Two-spotted Goby’ is a tiny little fish that scares bigger fish because they think that the two spots on his body are ears spikes eyes scales . The bigger fish swims away thinking that this small little fish is a monster!
25.
What eats what? Match up the names of these animals with what they eat.
1. Mussel
shrimp plankton mussel fish
2. Starfish
3. Seagull
4. Anemone
26.
How do these animals move? Match up the animals with the way they move.
1. Seagull
2. Crab
3. Jellyfish
4. Seaslug
5. Goby
floats swims flies crawls slithers
27.
Which is the odd one out and why?
a: All the others have outer skeletons b: All the others have outer skeletons c: All the others have outer skeletons d: All the others have outer skeletons
a. lobster
b. crab
c. starfish
d. hermit crab
28.
Where do these animals live or hide?
a. Flatfish
1. Shell
1. Shell 2. Seaweed 3. Sand 4. Rock
b. Sea Anemone
2. Seaweed
c. Hermit Crab
3. Sand
d. Fish
4. Rock
Answers
© Sherkin Island Marine Station 2006
