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Animals in World History

Can you guess these types of animals that made an appearance in the history of the world?
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: October 27, 2020
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First submittedOctober 27, 2020
Times taken25,257
Average score75.0%
Rating4.56
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Answer
St. Patrick supposedly drove these animals away from Ireland
Snakes
Of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac, the only one that doesn't exist in real life
Dragon
Many ancient generals employed these huge animals in their armies, Hannibal most famously
Elephants
Laika was a Soviet ___ that became the first animal to orbit Earth in 1957
Dog
Animal that appeared on the standard of the Roman legions
Eagle
Clever Hans was a famous _____ that supposedly could do arithmetic,
but it turned out to be a hoax
Horse
This bird went extinct quickly after Mauritius was first settled in the 1600s
Dodo
In the Middle Ages, people thought the horns of this aquatic creature came from unicorns
Narwhal
Animal that (probably) captured and ate an Australian woman's baby in 1980
Dingo
Fabric-making animal that Byzantine monks smuggled out of China around 550 AD
Silkworm
Aquatic animal that appeared on the coat of arms of the French royal heir
Dolphin
Supposedly, sailors were afraid to kill this type of birds, but in reality
they often shot and ate them
Albatross
Wading bird that was sacred in ancient Egypt
Ibis
Many riots between Muslims and Hindus have been sparked by the slaughter,
or alleged slaughter, of this holy animal
Cow
A flock of these large, noisy birds alerted ancient Romans to a Gaulic attack
Geese
In the book "Animal Farm", these animals ran the show
Pigs
Some people think the legend of the Kraken may be based on this real-life animal
Giant squid
In a Roman legend, Arachne was transformed into a _____ after she bested
the goddess Athena in a weaving contest
Spider
According to the Bible, Noah released one of these birds to see if the flood had receded
Dove
The Greek god Pan had the legs of a ____
Goat
+13
Level 72
Oct 28, 2020
Noah also released a raven to check if the flood had subsided, so perhaps allow this?
+2
Level 78
Nov 5, 2020
True. Well, you know what I mean....
+3
Level 82
Oct 28, 2020
The story of Arachne and Athena is from Ancient Greece, not Rome
+4
Level ∞
Oct 28, 2020
Earliest version was from the Roman poet Ovid:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachne

+5
Level 60
Jun 15, 2021
Would it not be Minerva then? I may be wrong.
+2
Level 75
Mar 4, 2023
Ovid is retelling some Greek legends in this part of the Met., and in this story he refers to "Tritonia", an obscure-ish epithet for Athena. So yeah, it's a Greek legend.
+10
Level 82
Oct 30, 2020
As an Australian, I always find it kind of hilarious to hear the ancient Egyptians considered the ibis to be sacred. Here we have a name for them: bin chickens.
+1
Level 56
Oct 18, 2021
Yeah. I remember in primary school in Australia, we'd sit down for lunch and a bin chook would just unnervingly stare at us as we were eating. They didn't seem all that sacred then.
+2
Level 90
Nov 2, 2020
A flock of seagulls? A flock of crows? A flock of vultures? A flock of turkeys? A flock of chickens?
+9
Level 81
Nov 9, 2020
Very disappointing that it wasn't a flock of seagulls that let the Romans see the Gauls
+6
Level 79
Dec 23, 2020
Could you accept 'pigeon' for dove?
+1
Level 73
Dec 23, 2020
Bested? Is that even a word?
+10
Level 67
Dec 23, 2020
Absolutely!

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bested

+1
Level 74
Dec 23, 2020
Accept cattle?
+1
Level 74
Aug 23, 2023
Accept cattle?
+7
Level 68
Dec 24, 2020
Would you consider accepting "albatros", with just one S? That is how it is spelled in many languages (including French, German...). It was my first guess, but it didn't occur to me to add an extra "S", especially since alternative spellings are often accepted, even when there's no linguistic reason for it. Many thanks!
+8
Level 63
Dec 24, 2020
Silkworms don't make fabric! They make silk thread. That's like saying sheep make sweaters.
+2
Level 75
Mar 4, 2023
Right. Fiber, not fabric.
+2
Level 66
Dec 24, 2020
"Gull" for Albatross?
+5
Level 60
Oct 20, 2021
Why? Gull is short for Seagull, it's a completely different bird.
+5
Level 60
Dec 25, 2020
Not to be that guy, but it's a fact that dingoes took Azaria Chamberlain, not "probably"
+1
Level 65
Mar 4, 2023
Yeah, poor woman :(
+3
Level 74
Mar 6, 2023
I don't think there is absolute proof, but seem to remember the courts ruling that dingo attack was the most likely cause, so "probably" is correct
+3
Level 93
Mar 19, 2021
my first guess for the australian one, drop bear.
+3
Level 81
Jul 9, 2021
The myth of Arachne is Greek, not Roman. Arachne even means spider in Greek.
+1
Level 60
Oct 20, 2021
Fun fact. People in the Middle ages actually didn't confuse unicorn horn for a narwhal tusk. They knew very well they are from different animals. "Unicornu verum" was a relatively cheap narwhal tusk, "unicornu fossile" was much more expensive and rare, a horn of an actual unicorn.

Another fun fact. Yes, unicorns were actually a real animal. It's scientifical name is "Elasmotherium sibiricum" and it's a type of an ice age rhino. It is not known when it went extinct, there is even a script from an arabian explorer from 921AD that mention it being still alive. Even if you don't believe that, there is no doubt people met it and passed stories and legends about it for generations. And they were also finding it's bones and horns and using them as medicine all throught the Middle ages. The "horse with a narwhal tusk" misconception only came to be in 1558 in a book "Historia animalium" from Conrad Gessner.

+4
Level 77
Mar 4, 2023
This is what happens when you trust clickbait articles for information about unicorns. This entire explanation is way off and makes totally unfounded assertions.

I’m pretty sure your assertion about the prehistoric rhino is entirely lifted from a goodhousekeeping article called “Yes, Unicorns were Real”, and that article certainly doesn’t suggest that the unicorn from Ancient Greek literature is based on this animal. In conclusion, I feel confident saying that these are fun fictions, not fun facts.

+1
Level 56
Mar 8, 2023
regardless of all that umm lol, I just came to reiterate it's a tusk (enamel) & not a horn (keratin)
+4
Level 88
Mar 22, 2022
honk honk
+1
Level 66
Nov 17, 2023
Peace was never an option
+1
Level 72
Mar 4, 2023
"Hoax" is a little strong for the Kluge Hans entry. Hans' owner was giving him clues through his body language, but he did so unknowingly. Maybe call it a "sham" instead.
+1
Level 71
Mar 4, 2023
I tried Silk Moth and bombyx mori, and it didn't work.

If I translate from my native language those are the first entries, and they're definitely correct.

So... could you add either?

+1
Level 66
Mar 4, 2023
Silkworms are the caterpillars of the silk moth, so I tried various caterpillar- and moth-answers, with and without silk. Would be nice to see this reflected in the type-ins.
+2
Level 57
Mar 4, 2023
I did the same. I tried caterpiller, moth, etc. I forgot the name was actually "silkworm."
+2
Level 43
Mar 4, 2023
Silkworm is not an animal
+3
Level 76
Mar 4, 2023
Sure it is. It's the caterpillar of the silk moth.
+1
Level 75
Mar 4, 2023
Woah! I was just normally putting in the answers, had two left, and the time suddenly ran out! Was I dawdling way too much, or is the time short on this one? No one else seems to be complaining :(

Nice quiz, although I expected to have to name famous animals, like Copenhagen, Laika, Dolly... it was much easier this way.

+2
Level 62
Mar 5, 2023
Good quiz idea; quite a few of them are fictional rather than historical, but it's not a big deal.
+1
Level 67
Mar 6, 2023
Just missed Dove
+1
Level 55
Apr 13, 2023
gallic* not gaulic
+1
Level 61
Jun 5, 2023
A dingo didn't "probably" take Azaria, it DID take Azaria. Please get it correct!
+1
Level 53
Aug 25, 2023
Geese are such snitches
+1
Level 64
Jan 28, 2024
I'm surprised there's no mention of the Great Emu War