Fun with Quizzes

Are you a Cetacean expert?

Instructions
To pass the test you must answer correctly at least 7 questions out of 10. For each question, one or more answers can be correct and you need to select all the correct options to score a point. Test evaluation is immediate and does not require you to provide any personal data.

1.

The Hector's dolphin is:

One of the smallest of all cetaceans

A dolphin that can only be found in New Zealand waters

A highly endangered species

A close relative of the Hector's beaked whale

2.

What is echolocation?

A natural occurring sonar system, extensively used by toothed whales

It is synonym with radar

The ability to locate a prey using natural biomagnetism

The use of electric fields to locate both preys and predators

3.

Which of the following assertions about the Gray whale are true?

It performs the longest seasonal migrations between breeding and feeding grounds

It has a higher than average number of parasites

Its scientific name is Eschrichtius robustus

Females are larger than males

4.

Who is the current record holder for deep diving among Marine Mammals?

Blue whale

Sperm whale

Elephant Seal

Cuvier's beaked whale

5.

The so-called baleen in toothless whales (Mysticeti) serve the purpose of:

Filtering the water and retain food

Filtering the oxygen contained in the water

Chewing preys

Increasing streamlining

6.

Which species among the following has disappeared from the North Atlantic due to whaling?

Gray whale

Narwhal

Common dolphin

Vaquita

7.

Which of the following cetaceans are only found in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez)?

Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

Boto (Inia geoffrensis)

Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)

Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli)

8.

Cetaceans can keep their body warm in the water by means of:

A thick layer of proteins under their skin, called blubber

A huge production of heat, due to constant swimming

A thick layer of fat under their skin, called blubber

A special countercurrent blood-vessel system, which limits the quantity of heat lost from their flukes and flippers

9.

Talking about evolution, the reason(s) why Cetaceans have almost completely lost their body hair since the time they were land mammals is (are):

Life in the ocean is so psychologically stressful

A fur is not as effective to keep a body warm in the water as it is on land

To increase streamlining

To avoid looking like seals and being hunted

10.

In which place(s) are Orcas known to attack mother and calf Gray whale pairs?

Monterey Bay (CA, United States)

Kaikoura (New Zealand)

Portofino (Italy)

Peninsula Valdes (Argentina)