Animals in Popular Culture Quiz

Birdsage

Birdsage

Well-Known Member
Here, I get to ask 50 quiz questions about animal appearances in mythology, books, toys, games, movies, real history, etc. In the end, I will count up the wins and choose a winner, a second-placer, and a third-placer (no prizes, though).

Here’s the first one:

1. There is one major appearance of an Albertonectes (a plesiosaur) in fiction. What was its name?
 
OkapiFan said:
"The song of the stormy petrel" by Maxim Gorkey
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Incorrect. The titular bird is identified not as a storm-petrel of any species but by a Russian term that refers to tubenoses in general. This, of course, was interpreted as a “stormy petrel” in English. In any case, it is highly unlikely that the Fork-tailed Storm-petrel is the species featured, especially considering the presence of “penguins” (Great Auks) in the setting.
 
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Here’s a hint:
The work I’m referring to is a book that features some Audubon paintings as major plot points.
 
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The book is Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt. Certain John James Audubon illustrations of water birds are prominent plot devices.
Since no one could give a correct answer, no points are awarded.
Question #3: What is a group of Indonesian Mountain Weasels supposedly called?
 
Here’s a hint:
The question refers to an article that critiqued the use of fanciful collective nouns.
 
Corangurilla said:
A “bubble gum”
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Yes. One point for you.
Personally, though, I would agree with Aardvark250 or the author of the article; most of these collective terms are either unnecessary or overly whimsical, with the exception of a few that are in common use in the zoological community: herd, flock, pack, etc. I especially dislike those terms that appear to be negative: “unkindness” of ravens, “plague” of grackles, and, of course, “murder” of crows (which, to be fair, is becoming somewhat common nowadays, but mainly in the less scientific corners of the internet).
Question #4: What bird species formerly nested in the Texas State Capitol’s dome?
Hint: You can find the answer in the Peterson Field Guide if you search hard enough.
Hint 2: It’s not the Northern Mockingbird, despite it being the state bird.
 
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