National Trivia Day

DID YOU KNOW? January 4th is designated as National Trivia Day! Founded in 1980 by Robert L. Birch of Pun Corps, it is a day to enjoy all things academically trivial—Binge that 80s classic Jeopardy!, dig out that dust-littered Trivial Pursuit and play a round with friends and family, or, if you’re an all-things-animals buff, read further.

To celebrate the traditionally competitive and addictive game of trivia, the team has generated its own researched Wild Spirit Trivia™ for our fang-tastic Howling Supporters to play!

It’s simple, just select one of the five categories below: History, Art, Science, Geography, or Entertainment where two questions are available in each for you to try to answer; then finish by clicking the Wild Spirit Trivia™ question to reveal that juicy fact! We hope you enjoy and perhaps even learn something new to expand your trivia repertoire.

History Category

QUESTION: What extinct species is currently closest to the origin of carnivoraforms, which includes canids (e.g., dogs) and felids (e.g., cats)?

ANSWER: Dormaalocyon latouri is currently the most primitive known member of the carnivoraforms.

Sources

“Dormaalocyon latouri: Prehistoric Mammal Sheds Light on Origins of Carnivoraforms.” Sci-News. Sci-News, 9 Jan. 2014, www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-dormaalocyon-latouri-mammal-origins-carnivoraforms-01671.html. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Handwerk, Brian. “Ancient Arboreal Mammal Discovered at Root of Carnivore Family Tree.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 9 Jan. 2014, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/1/140109-dormaalocyon-latouri-fossil-carnivore-science/. Accessed Nov. 2020.

QUESTION: How old is the current fossil record of the dingo in Australia?

ANSWER: Between 3,000 and 4,000 years old.

Sources

Dalton, Angus. “Dingo bones excavated in 1960s are the oldest ever found.” Australian Geographic. Australian Geographic, 27 July 2018, www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2018/07/dingo-bones-excavated-in-1960s-are-the-oldest-ever-found/. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Balme, Jane; Fallon, Stewart; O’Connor, Sue. “New dates on dingo bones from Madura Cave provide oldest firm evidence for arrival of the species in Australia.” Nature. Springer Nature Limited, 19 July 2018, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-28324-x. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Art Category

QUESTION: How are wolves most commonly misrepresented in artwork?

ANSWER: By being given blue eyes! While grey wolves are born with midnight blue eyes, they quickly change color to a variation of amber.

QUESTION: Who was the artist who sculpted the famous bronze statue of Balto in the Central Park Zoo of New York City?

ANSWER: Frederick George Richard Roth sculpted the statue that was installed in December of 1925 to commemorate the heroism displayed by the 20 sled dog teams that relayed the antitoxin through subzero temperatures from Anchorage, Alaska almost 700 miles to Nome where a diphtheria outbreak threated the citizens in 1924. A Siberian husky named Balto completed the final 53-mile leg of the journey, earning him fame and glory, including in the 1995 Disney movie titled “Balto.” However, in the film, Balto was represented as a wolfdog, bringing movie fame to the species.

Sources

“Balto.” Central Park Conservancy. www.centralparknyc.org/locations/balto. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“Balto.” IMDb. www.imdb.com/title/tt0112453/. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“The Real Story of Amblin’s Balto.” American Kennel Club. American Kennel Club, 12 Aug. 2016, www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/balto/. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“Why is There a Monument to Balto in Central Park?” New-York Historical Society. www.nyhistory.org/community/balto-statue-central-park. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Science Category

QUESTION: Approximately, how genetically close are wolves to humans?

ANSWER: Domestic dogs and humans share about 84% of their DNA, and the genetic difference between grey wolves and dogs is at most 0.2%.

Sources

Garret-Hatfield, Lori. “Animals That Share Human DNA Sequences.” Seattlepi. Hearst Newspapers, LLC, education.seattlepi.com/animals-share-human-dna-sequences-6693.html. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Kasprak, Alex. “Are Dogs Really 99.9% Wolf?” Snopes. Snopes Media Group Inc, 28 Oct. 2016, www.snopes.com/fact-check/dogs-99-percent-wolf. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Lennon, Annie. “How Wolves Evolved into Dogs.” Labroots. LabRoots, Inc, 25 July 2019, www.labroots.com/trending/genetics-and-genomics/15279/wolves-evolved-dogs. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Pickrell, John. “Dog DNA Study Yields Clues to Origins of Breeds.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 1 May 2004, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2004/05/dog-dna-study-yields-clues-to-origins-of-breeds. Accessed Nov. 2020.

QUESTION: How many subspecies of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) currently exist?

ANSWER: As of the Mammal Species of the World (3rd Edition, 2005), there are 27 subspecies of grey wolf. However, some have argued that there are only 4 subspecies. Scientists are still in debate as to the exact count within North America, and the range as of 2020 is between 4 and 24 subspecies with up to 37 subspecies total globally.

Sources

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Gray wolf.” Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc, 5 Nov. 2020, www.britannica.com/animal/gray-wolf. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“Types of Wolves.” International Wolf Center. International Wolf Center. www.wolf.org/wolf-info/basic-wolf-info/types-of-wolves. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Geography Category

QUESTION: What is the geographic range of the red wolf (Canis rufus)?

ANSWER: “Historically the red wolf ranged from southeastern Texas to central Pennsylvania. Today the only place red wolves can be found in the wild is in eastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Equally at home in forests, swamps, and coastal prairies, red wolves can thrive in a wide range of habitats.”

Sources

“Red Wolf.” The National Wildlife Federation. The National Wildlife Federation. www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Red-Wolf#:~:text=Red%20wolves%20weigh%20anywhere%20between,eastern%20North%20Carolina%27s%20Albemarle%20Peninsula. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“Red wolves.” National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC. www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-wolf. Accessed Nov. 2020.

QUESTION: Where can the red fox be found?

ANSWER: All over the world! The red fox (Vulpus vulpus) can be found in most places within the Northern Hemisphere and in Australia. It is the largest of the “true foxes” and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora.

Sources

“Vulpes vulpes (red fox).” CABI. CAB International. www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/59487. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“Red Fox.” National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC. www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-fox. Accessed Nov. 2020.

Entertainment Category

QUESTION: What animal does Hollywood generally use to portray wolves?

ANSWER: Typically, either a pure-bred or combination of German shepherd and Alaskan husky dog breeds will be used, as they are more easily trainable and display physical characteristics closer to that of wolves. Sometimes CGI will be added to contribute to more wolf-like morphological characteristics.

QUESTION: What animal befriended a hound in the classic Disney movie released in 1981? Bonus: What was his name?

ANSWER: A red fox named Tod!

Sources

“The Fox and the Hound.” IMDb. www.imdb.com/title/tt0082406. Accessed Nov. 2020.

“The Fox and the Hound.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 17 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Hound. Accessed Nov. 2020.

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