Animals in Popular Culture Quiz

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?

 

'Poppy' in 'The Plesiosaur's Neck'

 

Correct! You get one point.

2. Name one appearance of the Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel in fiction.

 

"The song of the stormy petrel" by Maxim Gorkey

 

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.

 

Here’s a hint:
The work I’m referring to is a book that features some Audubon paintings as major plot points.

 

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?

 

Boogle

 

It's called a group of Indonesian Mountain Weasels. or a bunch. or "some weasels"

 

Here’s a hint:
The question refers to an article that critiqued the use of fanciful collective nouns.

 

A “bubble gum”

 

Could there be more than one answer: Indonesian mountain weasel | Mustela lutreolina facts (thewebsiteofeverything.com) said the group name is 'boogle', while No, It’s Not Actually a Murder of Crows | Audubon says it is 'bubble gum'.

 

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.

 

Passenger pigeon?

 

Hint: The answer is between the chickadees and the thrushes in the field guide.