.png){kind=logo}
%2520(2).jpeg)
Are you an outdoor enthusiast?
Do you like to explore nature and learn about different cultures?
If so, then you'll love this list of trivia questions about the great outdoors!
The great outdoors is a huge part of our world and there's so much to learn about it.
From the tallest mountain to the deepest ocean, there's always something new to discover.
So, whether you're looking for fun facts about the Amazon rainforest or want to know more about Mount Everest, these trivia questions will test your knowledge of the great outdoors.
Before we explore the great outdoors trivia questions and answers, we want to tell you about Water Cooler Trivia.
Each week, Water Cooler Trivia can deliver fresh trivia quizzes straight to your inbox.
We offer a four-week free trial - so you can explore everything Water Cooler Trivia has to offer without commitment.
That's right, our weekly trivia quizzes are free for everyone to enjoy.
1. Formally adopted by the state government in 1911, what animal is prominently featured on the state flag of California?
Answer: Bear
2. The largest species in the Felidae family has many varieties, most of which are named after their native lands such as Sumatran, Javan, Siberian, and Bengal. By what name do you and I know this species?
Answer: Tiger
3. Many animals estivate for portions of the year. What is the more common American English term for this behavior?
Answer: Hibernation
4. Generally defined as drought-resistant plants because of parts with thickened flesh for retaining water, what class of plants has had huge growth driven by Millennial purchasers?
Answer: Succulents
5. Taken straight from Wikipedia, "naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one billion joules of energy" is the definition of what natural phenomenon?
Answer: Lightning
6. Strangely enough, the Guinness Book of World Records has an entry for the "fastest wing beat of a bird" and the record holder has an astonishing 200 beats/flaps per SECOND. This record-holder is the ruby-throated variety of what type of bird?
Answer: Hummingbird
7. What creature with an equine name has no teeth or stomach, mates for life, and is the only species on Earth where the male carries the unborn offspring?
Answer: Seahorse
8. Rhinoceros horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and what other oft-trimmed mammalian body part?
Answer: Fingernails and toenails
9. Despite its name, the world's largest living lizard can't fly or breathe fire, however it does have a venomous bite. What is it?
Answer: Komodo Dragon
10. What "T" word is technically a wave generated by an undersea earthquake?
Answer: Tsunami
11. What bird, extinct by 1681, was named for the Portuguese word for "stupid"?
Answer: Dodo
12. Which type of snake, most commonly found in tropical South America, is known as the largest snake in the world by weight? Its stocky, muscular build allows it to constrict prey.
Answer: Anaconda
13. What is the name for a "flower" that is actually composed of thousands of flowers grouped together to form a single flower-like structure? The botanical term for this is a pseudanthium.
Answer: Composite flower
14. What larger variant of the "sweet" banana is frequently used for cooking?
Answer: Plantains
15. Name the species of bird that has a tongue so long it wraps around the back of their skull when not in use, protecting their brains while they tap into trees.
Answer: Woodpecker
16. The kangaroo is the physically largest animal in what order known for its young-carrying pouches?
Answer: Marsupials
17. What four-letter word is often used as the common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs? Typically, this word is only used when the mollusc is edible.
Answer: Clam
18. What is the name for the non-mutual relationship between species, where one species benefits at the expense of the other?
Answer: Parasitism
19. The largest species of shark is named after another large sea-dweller, and the species can reach lengths as large as 60 feet. What is this species?
Answer: Whale shark
20. What plant is frequently associated with the Asian continent, can grow up to 12 inches in a single day, and is technically a "giant grass" rather than a tree?
Answer: Bamboo
21. What wireless telecom company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T and shares its name with the insects in the Gryllidae family?
Answer: Cricket
22. Sometimes called "rainforests of the sea," what is the name for the type of underwater ecosystem that occupies less than 0.1% of the world's ocean area but provides a home for more than 25% of marine species?
Answer: Coral reefs
23. What is the common term for the nut from the oak tree?
Answer: Acorn
24. Diatoms, protozoans, and tiny crustaceans make up the collection of sea life on which many fish and whales feed, known as what P-word?
Answer: Plankton
25. Due to its underdeveloped sense of smell, the Great Horned Owl is one of the few birds of prey known to attack what North American mammal within the Mephitidae family?
Answer: Skunk
26. In which mountain chain would you find Mount Everest?
Answer: Himalayas
27. Australian crocodile hunter Steve Irwin was famously killed by what type of animal?
Answer: Stingray
28. Big hairy and greater fairy are larger species of what mammals whose name means "little armored ones"?
Answer: Armadillos
29. Turtles, toads, and tarantulas are all ectothermic animals, which is typically referred to by what more common term?
Answer: Cold blooded
30. The largest living lizard can't breathe fire but it does have a venomous bite that inhibits blood clotting. What creature is this?
Answer: Komodo dragon
31. Some scientists believe that the spiral tusk on which type of Arctic whale helps it attract mates?
Answer: Narwhal
32. The acclaimed Peabody Museum of Natural History is part of the campus of what Connecticut university?
Answer: Yale
33. What is the order of insects with over 2,400 species that is most closely related to termites and cockroaches? These insects have elongated bodies and large forelegs adapted for catching and gripping prey. Their signature, upright posture with folded forearms has led to their common nickname.
Answer: Mantis
34. What colloquial term for an area of the United States with a relatively high rate of a specific type of severe weather includes Arkansas along with 10-12 other states? The term was first used in 1952 and is considered by climatologists to largely be an imprecise, media-driven term.
Answer: Tornado Alley
35. What mountain located in South Africa's Cape Town shares its name with a piece of household furniture and is home to at least as many species of plant as the entirety of the United Kingdom?
Answer: Table Mountain
36. What's an example of a mammal that lays eggs?
Answer: Duck-billed platypus or echidna (spiny anteater)
37. Which mammal has the longest gestation period?
Answer: Elephant
38. What forest area north of San Francisco is officially a National Monument named for a famous Scottish-American naturalist and conservation advocate?
Answer: Muir Woods
39. During the fall, leaves typically turn red (or, at least, stop being green) because they start to run out of what pigment which requires ample sunlight for production?
Answer: Chlorophyll
40. To lead others to a food source, an ant will lay down a scent trail of what type of chemicals?
Answer: Pheromones
41. Lemurs are native to only one country on earth. Name it.
Answer: Madagascar
42. What critter with an equine-esque name can move its dorsal fin back and forth as quickly as 35 times per second in order to propel through water?
Answer: Seahorse
43. What fish shares its name with a striped land animal and is studied for the amazing properties of its heart, which is regenerative and can mend itself quickly?
Answer: Zebrafish
44. Sharing their name with a common cleaning tool, what is the more common name of the world's simplest animals from the phylum Porifera?
Answer: Sponges
45. Contrary to what its name might suggest, this animal is not actually a swine but is rather a rodent. This animal may be a pet, a lab research subject, or food. What is this animal?
Answer: Guinea Pig
46. What fruit sometimes known as the alligator pear is likely to have originated in South Central Mexico? Botanically speaking, this fruit is a large berry with a single seed and it is now grown in dozens of countries in both hemispheres.
Answer: Avocado
47. In Herman Melville's famous "Moby-Dick," what species of whale is the "white whale?" The name comes from the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale's head.
Answer: Sperm whale
48. Although the color differs drastically from its animalian namesake, the whitespot giant arum plant is nicknamed as the foot of what large animal?
Answer: Elephant
49. Ask Nicki Minaj: The green species of a certain water boa is found in South America's rivers. What type of water boa would this be?
Answer: Anaconda
50. The conservation-focused National Audubon Society (Audubon) is a non-profit environmental organization with a primary focus on what type of animal?
Answer: Birds
51. The koa tree is endemic to what U.S. state? The very sturdy wood from this tree is resistant to saltwater and has been used for boat building and surfboards.
Answer: Hawaii
52. The Sumatran species of what famously horned mammal officially went extinct in Malaysia in November 2019? The animal is not yet extinct globally as a few dozen live in Indonesia.
Answer: Rhino
53. Symbiosis describes any type of long-term biological interaction between two different organisms. Mutualism is the term for when the relationship benefits both organisms. What is the term for when one organism benefits and the other is harmed?
Answer: Parasitism
54. What isolated African nation has the highest rate of endemism (species found nowhere else) in the world? Tomato frogs and Giraffe weevils are two examples of animals endemic to the nation.
Answer: Madagascar
55. Sea-dwelling creatures in the genus Mobula frequently feature what Biblical, diabolical word in their name? They were once the name of an American baseball franchise as well.
Answer: Devil Rays
56. The Culicidae family within the order Diptera is widely regarded as one of (if not) the most dangerous animals on earth, directly causing at least one million human deaths per year. By what common name is this family known?
Answer: Mosquitoes
57. The plant pest Phylloxera vitifoliae nearly wiped out which intoxicating industry in France, Italy, and Germany in the 19th century?
Answer: Wine
58. Often confused with a similar-sounding but gravity-inverted relation, what is the term for icicle-shaped protrusions dangling from subterranean passages that are formed by dripping groundwater?
Answer: Stalactites
59. The most abundant sulfide mineral is pyrite. But this mineral's lustrous appearance is more commonly known by what two-word phrase?
Answer: Fool's gold
60. Tree nut allergies and peanut allergies are largely separate because peanuts fall into what group of plants that belong to the family Fabaceae and includes mesquite, alfalfa and lentils?
Answer: Legumes
61. Moraine Lake is a lake in Alberta fed by glaciers and located more than a mile above sea level. Famous for its bright blue shade, in what national park will you find Moraine Lake?
Answer: Banff
62. Australia built a 3,000-mile-long fence during the 1880s just to block the movement of what baby-snatching species?
Answer: Dingo
63. What 5-letter "A" word is the title of the American reality TV show which puts 10 isolated individuals in the wilderness for 100 days and awards up to $1 million to the person who outlasts the others? The show began in 2015 with contestants competing in British Columbia but other locations such as Norway and Mongolia have been featured as well. It airs in the U.S. on the History Channel.
Answer: Alone
64. Found mostly in Asia, the macaque is a type of what animal?
Answer: Monkey
65. A December 2019 volcanic eruption on White Island left at least 5 people dead, with others still missing at time of writing. White Island is part of what archipelago nation?
Answer: New Zealand
66. What "B" berry was grown by and named after a California horticulturist who crossed the European raspberry, European blackberry, American dewberry, and loganberry?
Answer: Boysenberry
67. What is the more common name for the Castor genus of mammals? It includes two species of a large, primarily nocturnal, semiaquatic rodent with enamel that contains iron and is more resistant to acid than the teeth of other mammals.
Answer: Beavers
68. What is the name for the carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae that have slim bodies, relatively short limbs, powerful webbed feet, and seal-like abilities to hold breath underwater? They also have soft, insulated underfur and an outer layer of long guard hairs.
Answer: Otters
69. What animal appears on the national coat of arms of the West African nation Cote D’ lvoire (Ivory Coast)?
Answer: Elephant
70. What is the alliterative name for the shark that has a distinctly circular bite mark? Technically it is the species Isistius brasiliensis but its more common name comes from a kitchen utensil which is also used to create distinctly-cut shapes.
Answer: Cookiecutter shark
71. Biology is the field of science concerned with life and living organisms, but what is the name for the scientific field focused on the relationships between organisms and their environments?
Answer: Ecology
72. What is the branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds? This branch attracted public attention following the 2018 Netflix true-crime docu-series "The Staircase" in which a suspected murderer could have been exonerated for the death of his wife through a speculated "Owl Theory."
Answer: Ornithology
73. There is a certain biome with trees sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. This biome shares its name with the fifth-most populous city in the state of Georgia. What is this biome?
Answer: Savannah
74. What do epiphytic and parasitic plants grow on?
Answer: Plants
75. Imagine a squid. Add together the number of arms and tentacles. What is the sum? Hint: Squids are cephalopods in the superorder Decapodiformes.
Answer: 10
76. What snack, made with the Thompsons seedless variety of a natural organism, has been associated with the tagline "Nature's Candy"?
Answer: Raisins
77. “Peasants cabbage” was an early term used for what cruciferous plant that spiked in popularity in the 2000s?
Answer: Kale
78. About the same size as a domestic cat, the red panda goes by what other name? Hint: This compound word could also help you surf the web.
Answer: Firefox
79. A Canadian province is the namesake for a breed of dog that was once commonly used as a rescue animal for saving drowning sailors. What is this breed?
Answer: Newfoundland
80. What is required in aerobic respiration that is not required in anaerobic respiration?
Answer: Oxygen
81. Mycologists often spend a lot of time digging through dirt as they study what type of natural organism?
Answer: Fungi
82. What small, energetic animal native to India can kill snakes as large as a cobra? Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a famous fictional instance of this animal.
Answer: Mongoose
83. The species Socratea exorrhiza exhibits some of the most unusual behavior for a plant in the world and draws comparisons to some of Tolkien's creations. What distinctive ability does this tree have?
Answer: Walking
84. In a specific genus of large cats, one of the four species is the Canadian variety, and the animal's name references a Latin word for light because of the creature's bright, luminescent eyes. What is this wild cat that feeds almost exclusively on snowshoe hares?
Answer: Lynx
85. What huge, endangered vulture is the national bird of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador?
Answer: (Andean) Condor
86. The species Ramphastos sulfuratus is also known as the keel-billed, sulfur-breasted, or rainbow-billed species of what colorful Latin American bird?
Answer: Toucan
87. Buzzard, John crow, and carrion crow are all alternate names for what bird with a two-word name? Each of the two words is a bird in its own right, one of which is popularly associated with an autumnal holiday. This bird lacks the vocal organ of birds so its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses.
Answer: Turkey vulture
88. Although they are often described as jellyfish, these poisonous creatures named after an 18th century armed sailing ship from Spain's neighbor are in fact a "colonial organism" which is made up of specialized individual animals (of the same species). What is this creature?
Answer: Portuguese man-of-war
89. What U.S. national park preserves the world's longest known cave system--and not, despite its name, any significant mammal fossils?
Answer: Mammoth Cave National Park
90. Owls are split into two families: The "true" owls and a group named for what man-made structure?
Answer: Barn
91. As of 2019, over half of the wild tigers on Earth are believed to reside in what country's borders?
Answer: India
92. Cucurbita pepo is the scientific name for a specific fruit that is popularly associated with two different American holidays which occur ~4 weeks apart each year. What is this fruit?
Answer: Pumpkin
93. Butter bean, sieva bean, or Madagascar bean are all alternative names for what green legume that is often mixed with sweet corn to create a dish named "succotash?"
Answer: Lima beans
94. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the first National Park Protection Act into law and created what national park?
Answer: Yellowstone National Park
95. It is likely that the first of these animals was the "Stellar" variety in which the male has a pronounced mane and is a fairly aggressive carnivore. This likely led to the misnomer for the creature. What is the name of these pinniped's long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and a big chest and belly? They range from subarctic to tropical waters in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Answer: Sea lion
96. There is a horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge with a glass walkway in the U.S. that opened to the general public in 2007. It is popularly deemed a "Skywalk." Where will you find this engineering marvel? We're looking for a specific place, not just a state.
Answer: Grand Canyon
97. What reptilian suborder of animals, often associated with the Australian outback, has no species living in New Zealand?
Answer: Crocodile
98. Ungulates are a group of diverse large mammals that share what common characteristic? The Latin translation of this characteristic is also the root of the term "ungulate." Examples include horses, rhinoceroses, cattle, pigs, giraffes, and hippopotamuses.
Answer: Hooves
99. Within one foot, about how tall is a baby giraffe upon birth?
Answer: 6 feet
100. There are three conventional groups of mammals. The monotremes (including the platypus and echidna) are the oldest and the placentals (including humans) are the most recent to evolve. What third group evolved in between these two other groups?
Answer: Marsupials
101. A Mormon cricket is a long-horned type of what kind of insect? These insects would be able to jump up to 120 ft if they were human-sized and their proportional leaping ability increased with their size.
Answer: Grasshopper
102. What was the name of the first known intentional live capture of a healthy orca? Although she was the fourth live capture overall, the previous three (Wanda, Moby Doll, and Namu) had been deemed "opportunistic" captures. This famous mammal was caught near Penn Cove, Puget Sound.
Answer: Shamu
103. Also found in Central and South America, what is the name of the only marsupial in North America?
Answer: Opossum
104. Vermicast is the end result of processes including vermifiltration and vermicomposting, which are used in the breakdown of vegetation, foods, wastewater, and even sewage sludge. European nightcrawlers are a species of what type of animal used in these processes?
Answer: Worm
105. What is the five-letter "T" animal with a name similar to the final training period before a long running race? These creatures are large, herbivorous mammals with a short, prehensile nose trunk. They are found in jungles and forests throughout South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
Answer: Tapir
106. A leveret is a small type of what animal? Buster Baxter from the children's TV show "Arthur" is also this type of animal.
Answer: Rabbit
107. Technically speaking, the term "peacock" only refers to a male peafowl. What is the proper term for a female?
Answer: Peahen
108. What five-letter word is both the name of a Microsoft graphics editor and a breed of horse whose coat has a spotted pattern of dark and light colors?
Answer: Paint
109. Which of the five tastes that humans are accustomed to can cats not taste?
Answer: Sweetness
110. What is the common name for the group of flatfish species well-known for their camouflage abilities and for the peculiar positioning of both eyes on one side of the body? Interestingly, at hatching, one eye is on either side of the body but an eye moves over to join the other before reaching adulthood.
Answer: Flounder
111. The three most common tree varieties from which maple syrup is made? Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, and Acer nigrum. Give the English name for at least one of these tree varieties.
Answer: Sugar maple, red maple, black maple
112. What is the name of the British narrator of the original Planet Earth?
Answer: David Attenborough
113. What word can describe both the aboveground portion of a plant or crop along with a decorative bed which typically features posts at each corner that extend 4+ feet above the mattress?
Answer: Canopy bed
114. The California what is the official state bird of the country's most populous state?
Answer: Quail
115. What type of chemical will an ant will lay down to lead others to a food source?
Answer: Pheromones
116. What is the common name for the species 'Drosophila melanogaster?' For over a century, the species has been used as a model organism for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution.
Answer: Fruit fly
117. At 75 miles long, Hubbard is the largest of what moraine-producing things in the United States?
Answer: Glaciers
118. The smallest known owl is only 5-6 inches tall and weighs less than two ounces. It has a name reminiscent of Middle Earth or Will Ferrell. What is this owl?
Answer: Elf Owl
119. In Finding Nemo, what kind of fish is Dory?
Answer: Surgeonfish
120. Aside from marine mammals, what is the only kind of mammal native to New Zealand?
Answer: Bats
121. What do you call the spring-loaded steel clips for ropes and harnesses are one of the most important climbing safety features?
Answer: Carabiner
122. What do mountain bikers call a banked trail corner that can be taken a lot faster than a flat one?
Answer: Berm
123. The logo of outdoor recreation products company The North Face was inspired by the 4,700-foot rock formation called Half Dome, a notable feature of which US national park?
Answer: Yosemite National Park
124. Known for their pale skin, buck teeth, and near hairlessness, what strange-looking rodents can live for up to 18 minutes without oxygen?
Answer: Naked mole rats
125. A "drove" is the collective noun for what class of long-eared mammals?
Answer: Hares
126. The natural light display named Aurora Australis is also known by what more common name?
Answer: Southern Lights
127. When speaking in English, the name of this animal shares its name with a country. In French and Russian, the animal has a name meaning "from India" or "bird of India." And in Portuguese the animal is named "peru" deriving from the eponymous country. What is this confusingly named animal?
Answer: Turkey
128. Lepidopterology is the branch of biology dedicated to the study of what winged creatures?
Answer: Moths and butterflies
129. There are four species of monkey native to Costa Rica: the Central American squirrel monkey, the Panamanian white-faced capuchin, the mantled howler and Geoffroy's what monkey? This word is actually a name for a different animal entirely.
Answer: Spider
130. As of 2020, the United States has 62 protected areas known as national parks operated by the National Park Service. California is the state with the most of these parks (nine), but what state has the second-most (eight), including Katmai and Lake Clark?
Answer: Alaska
131. Queen Alexandra's birdwing of Papua New Guinea is, somewhat surprisingly, not a bird. Instead, this creature is the world's largest variety of what colorful winged animal?
Answer: Butterfly
132. Erta Ale in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia was featured in the second episode of Planet Earth. This episode was titled "Mountains" and was first broadcast in 2006. Erta Ale is what type of geologic structure?
Answer: Volcano
133. The largest eyes of any animal on Earth are nearly 11 inches across, with lenses the size of oranges. That means the eyes are approximately the size of soccer balls. These eyes give "binocular-like" vision to the "colossal" variety of what sea-dweller?
Answer: Squid
134. What fruit do the Portuguese call abacaxi? The English term for this fruit was first used to describe the reproductive organs of conifer trees. (Hint: Costa Rica, Brazil, and the Philippines collectively account for nearly one third of the fruit's global production.)
Answer: Pineapple
135. Contrary to its consolatory name, what species of lethargic shark is responsible for the fourth most human bites on record?
Answer: Nurse Shark
136. Native to the American Midwest, the tree species Aesculus glabra is unsurprisingly more commonly known by what name which inspired the mascot of a large state school?
Answer: Ohio Buckeye
137. What is the seven-letter compound word that is considered the dominant root for a plant from which other roots typically grow horizontally?
Answer: Taproot
138. The United Fruit Company was an American corporation that flourished in the early and mid-20th century. What fruit did United Fruit Company primarily cultivate and sell?
Answer: Bananas
139. Which landlocked South American country features many natural wonders including the world's largest salt flat (Salar de Uyuni) and part of the Andean Mountains?
Answer: Bolivia
140. The US has hundreds of species of cactus, but the physically largest of these species is arguably the best known of the many varieties. What is the name of this largest species?
Answer: Saguaro
141. Secretary birds are a type of bird with long legs that kickbox reptiles and small rodents to stun and kill prey before eating them. The "secretary" name comes from the feathers at the back of their heads that look like quill pens. On what continent will you find these birds naturally?
Answer: Africa
142. Although it looks like an innocent flower, it's incredibly dangerous. What's the name of the toxic herb that killed Socrates?
Answer: Hemlock
143. According to the Farmer's Almanac, which flower may "vary in shape from...cups, bowls & goblets to more complex forms?"
Answer: Tulips
144. Roquefort is a French blue cheese made from the milk of what animal?
Answer: Sheep
145. Cashmere is made from the hair of what animal?
Answer: Goat
146. Digitaria is a genus of grass plants most often known by what animal-sounding name? These plants spread very easily, are typically considered lawn pests in North America, and come in the "hairy" or "smooth" variety.
Answer: Crabgrass
147. A commonly-sought fish in Minnesota is the "Muskellunge" which is often deemed the "ugly" variety of what family of fish? This family is distinguished by its torpedo-like form and sharp teeth.
Answer: Pike
148. What "P" bird had populations severely diminished in the 20th century due to DDT in their food supply before they made a surprising comeback in dense urban areas? In particular, NYC is home to dozens of these rare birds in part because the city's towering bridges are reminiscent of their traditional cliffside roosts.
Answer: Peregrine Falcon
149. Commonly found on live oaks and bald-cypresses, what is the name of the flowering plant with a doubly-inaccurate name that is referred to as "grandpa's beard" in French Polynesia and is generally considered to be in a commensalistic relationship with the trees on which it lives?
Answer: Spanish moss
150. What is the English name of the animals in the order Anura? The animal is deemed a "groda" in Swedish, "rana" in Italian, and "grenouille" in French.
Answer: Frog
151. The word "loggerhead" is applied due to the animal's prominent, large head. What type of animal is this?
Answer: Turtle
152. Functioning extremely differently from mammalian eyesight, two different groups of snakes developed "pits" that function as eyes by allowing them to see objects nearby based on what wavelength-based phenomenon?
Answer: Infrared thermal radiation
153. What is the English name of the animals in the order Anura? The animal is deemed a "groda" in Swedish, "rana" in Italian, and "grenouille" in French?
Answer: Frog
154. What U.S. national park, located in the northwest corner of Montana, has the nickname "Crown of the Continent?"
Answer: Glacier National Park
155. In a popular example of Batesian mimicry, the black, red, and yellow coloring of the harmless milk snake look strikingly similar to what "underwater" type of snake?
Answer: Coral snake
156. What family of some of the largest flying birds includes "mute" and "trumpeter" species and weirdly has "teeth" which are actually jagged parts of their bill used for catching and eating fish?
Answer: Swans
157. Often considered the world's largest living thing, a 2,200 acre creature living in eastern Oregon is in what kingdom, taxonomically speaking?
Answer: Fungi
158. There is a Panthera tigris tigris population in the Russian Far East and Northeast China (and possibly North Korea) that had a total wild population of ~560. By what name is this specific type of large cat better known?
Answer: Siberian tiger
159. What marine invertebrate typically lives in a compact colony composed of many identical, individual polyps?
Answer: Coral
160. Drosophila is a genus of what type of winged animal that lives in rural and urban environments all around the world? One of the more than 1,000 species plays an ongoing critical role as a common model organism in reproduction and genetics research.
Answer: Fly
161. In horticulture, what is the name for a plant that requires two years to complete its biological life cycle, such as Brussels sprouts and hollyhocks?
Answer: Biennial
162. Cavendish, Pisang Raja, Red, Lady Finger, and Blue Java are five of the most common types of what fruit?
Answer: Banana
163. There are over 30,000 of what subspecies of bear in Alaska, over half of the population in North America?
Answer: Grizzly Bear
164. What state recently passed California for having the second most earthquakes per year, allegedly due to fracking?
Answer: Oklahoma
165. At only one-half of one millimeter long, tardigrades are considered a microanimal found in marine environments that also happen to be one of the most resilient animals known. What is the more common two-word name for these animals based on their resemblance to a certain land-bound animal?
Answer: Water bear (or moss piglet)
166. Silver iodide is a favorite "seeding agent" that is used in meteorological professions largely because it has a crystalline structure very similar to a natural ice crystal. What are the everyday objects that silver iodide is used to "seed"?
Answer: Clouds
167. In what show's second season was there an episode titled "Jungles" which traveled from Costa Rica to Brazil while documenting "the most competitive place on earth"?
Answer: Planet Earth
168. What distinct feature do Dromedary camels have that is not shared by Bactrian camels?
Answer: One hump
169. What "U" word is the more-famous name for Ayers Rock in Australia? The large standalone rock formation is sacred to the area's Aboriginal people.
Answer: Uluru
170. What fruit is a vine species native to southern Brazil through Paraguay and northern Argentina, cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas, and known for its sweet, seedy fruit? The juice is often added to other fruit juices to enhance aroma, and the fruit is known by a unique name in the Dominican Republic: chinola.
Answer: Passion fruit
171. If bovine describes a cow and equine describes a horse, what adjective describes a pig?
Answer: Porcine
172. What live-streaming app quickly gained popularity in 2015 before its access to Twitter was axed due to the social media giant's acquisition of rival app Periscope? This short-lived app (it was retired in 2016) is named for a small African mammal.
Answer: Meerkat
173. Macrophyte is a fancy word for what type of water creature?
Answer: Plants
174. Seasoned hikers know that the “big three” are not just the largest and heaviest items you’ll have, but probably the ones you’ll spend the most money on, too. You’ve got your sleeping bag, your tent, and what else?
Answer: Backpack
175. Rotational symmetry is the property in which a shape looks the same after a partial rotation or turn. When applied to biology such as in sea anemones, what other "R" term is used to describe this characteristic?
Answer: Radial symmetry
176. The dwarf version of a certain tropical evergreen tree produces both a fruit and seed that are edible. The seed is much more popular than the fruit, especially as a dairy milk alternative and as a key ingredient in many Pakistani and Indian dishes, including the dessert Kaju barfi. What is this tree?
Answer: Cashew
177. What continent is home to the largest non-polar ice cap in the world?
Answer: North America
178. Group names for animals are a common trivia fact since they can be so. . . peculiar. There's a cackle of hyenas, a pandemonium of parrots, and a conspiracy of lemurs. What is the legislative name for a group of owls?
Answer: Parliament
179. At the start of 2020, an earthquake of at least 7.0 on the Richter scale struck on January 28th on the north side of the Cayman Trough, which was just north of what Caribbean nation?
Answer: Jamaica
180. The two main species of the coffee tree are Arabica and which other one that is more resistant to disease and yields more coffee?
Answer: Robusta
181. Established in 1980, the largest National Park in the U.S. is Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska (over 8 million acres!). Numbers two, three, and four are also in Alaska. What is number five on this list? This park was established in 1994, contains over three million acres, and spans California and Nevada.
Answer: Death Valley
182. Also known as the spiny anteater, what animal native to Australia and New Guinea is highly unusual in that it is a mammal that lays eggs?
Answer: Echidna
183. What is the "catch-all" term for ocean life that includes photosynthetic, single-celled eukaryotes like diatoms but also multicellular organisms like nori seaweed and kelp?
Answer: Algae
184. Despite the name, poison dart frogs never develop toxicity when raised in captivity. What is the presumed reason for this non-toxic development process?
Answer: Changed diet
185. Straddling two southeastern states and the first national park to be paid for in part with Federal funds, what is the name of the most visited National Park that was the most-visited in 2016?
Answer: Great Smoky Mountains
186. Units called ommatidia are the individual pieces that combine to create the type of eye often found in insects, crustaceans, and millipedes. What is this scientific-sounding name for an eye?
Answer: Compound eye
187. Aside from the giraffe, what odd-looking "O" creature is the only living member of the giraffe family, or “Giraffids”?
Answer: Okapi
188. The Delaware Bay is home to more of these "living fossils" than anywhere else in the world and they are currently used in biomedical research to study the human eye. What are these animals?
Answer: Horseshoe Crabs
189. What slender-bodied shark is harmless to humans and named for the striking pattern of black saddle-like markings and large spots over its back?
Answer: Leopard shark
190. What slow-growing tree with reddish bark and three letter name, commonly used to make longbows, is also often found in church graveyards as a symbol of sadness?
Answer: Yew
191. What biome is also known as the boreal forest or snow forest? The biome is identifiable through its coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. Although sparsely populated compared to other biomes, it is the world's largest apart from the oceans. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska.
Answer: Taiga
192. What is the name for any of the three bird species in the genus Fratercula? These birds all feature black and white plumage, hunt most of their food by diving into the water, and have beaks that turn a colorful bright orange in preparation for breeding season.
Answer: Puffin
193. What is the name of the large cavern found in Harmony, MN that, fittingly, includes a large waterfall?
Answer: Niagara Cave
194. A "pandemonium" is the name for a group of what noisy bird?
Answer: Parrots
195. What round, green food is one of Brazil's most common pizza toppings? Though considered a vegetable nutritionally, this plant is botanically a fruit and it makes occasional appearances in carbonara sauces.
Answer: Green Peas
196. Beginning nearly 12,000 years ago (after the last glacial period), what is the name of the current geological epoch? It's also the name of a song on Bon Iver's self-titled 2011 album.
Answer: Holocene
197. The Guarianthe skinneri variety of what family of diverse flowering plants is the official national flower of Costa Rica? The plant has a pink bloom and is native to every country in Central America.
Answer: Orchid
198. With a name resembling a funeral-attending jacket, what butterfly is the state insect of Montana?
Answer: Mourning cloak
199. Also known as the Hawaiian goose, what repetitively named creature is the state bird of Hawaii?
Answer: Nene
200. The kakapo is a species of large, ground-dwelling birds endemic to New Zealand. These birds are also commonly referred to by what two-word name which includes another bird's name?
Answer: Owl parrot
201. There's a "spooky" sea creature found only in extreme deep sea conditions that, despite its name, is more closely related to octopi than squids. It features rows of fleshy spines in its inner black "cloak." What is the name of this creature?
Answer: Vampire squid
202. Neovison and Mustela are the two genera of what territorial mammal lives near water and is rarely found more than 200 meters from a riverbank, lake, or marsh? The animal's fur is considered especially durable and valuable with its short, thick, soft hairs.
Answer: Minks
203. The American red, the Eastern gray, the Fox, and the Western gray are all specific species of what common family of mammals?
Answer: Squirrel
204. Olericulture is one of the major areas of horticulture and focuses on the production and marketing of what type of plants?
Answer: Vegetables
205. Trepanging is the harvesting of what elongated, leathery Pacific creature you probably don't want in your gyro?
Answer: Sea cucumber
206. What is the name of the 145-foot sculpture of a baobab tree that opened to the public in 1998 in the U.S.?
Answer: The Tree of Life
207. What mineral, which is most concentrated in keratin, is known as "nature's beauty mineral" and helps the body produce collagen to keep skin looking young and fresh?
Answer: Sulphur
208. Aside from marine mammals, what is the only kind of mammal native to New Zealand?
Answer: Bats
209. What type of tree was widely planted in Australia as an erosion-control measure but is now regarded as an invasive weed across extensive areas of the country and is considered a 'Weed of National Significance'? Hint: the tree is often referred to by an alliterative nickname.
Answer: Willow
210. What frequently-misnomered mammal has fingerprints so indistinguishable from humans that they have occasionally been wrongfully collected as evidence at crime scenes?
Answer: Koalas
211. The northernmost island of the Bahamas is also the fourth-largest out of the hundreds in the nation's archipelago. The island was in the news during September 2019 due to Hurricane Dorian's destructive path. What is the name of this island?
Answer: Grand Bahama
212. The highest volcano outside of South America also doubles as its home continent's highest mountain. In what country is this 19,000-foot peak found?
Answer: Tanzania
213. Although plentiful when European settlers first arrived, the white-faced owl or whekau that was native to New Zealand was largely extinct by 1914. Because of its "mischievous-sounding" calls, the owl had what a common, comic name?
Answer: Laughing owl
214. Hikers in the eastern U.S. should keep an "ear" out for the characteristic sound of what rattlesnake species, which is highly venomous and the only one found in the Northeast?
Answer: Timber Rattlesnake
215. What is the collective name for any eukaryotic organism that is not a plant, animal, or fungus? These are found both on land and in marine environments.
Answer: Protist
216. What ecoregion of Brazil is considered to be the biologically richest savanna in the world, and has seen a recent agricultural boom resulting in it being responsible for 70 percent of Brazil's beef production and major grain production (especially soybeans)?
Answer: Cerrado
217. What is the common name for the perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern North America with the scientific name Dicentra cucullaria? The plant's admittedly funny name comes from the appearance resembling a person's pants from Holland.
Answer: Dutchman's breeches
218. Although the study of animal sex is still being actively researched, there's currently only one known demonstration of nasal sex in the animal kingdom, found in what type of Amazonian animal?
Answer: Dolphin
219. A 60-foot-long marine invertebrate made up of thousands of individual clones that together form a long, free-floating cylinder wide enough for a person to enter has what name that comes from the Greek words for fire and body?
Answer: Giant Pyrosome
220. What type of tree has a name derived from the Greek word for "fig" and is often identified by its peeling, flaky white bark?
Answer: Sycamore
221. Sunbursts are a popular (and scrumptious) candy. They're also a variety of what small-ish bright fruit?
Answer: Tangerine
222. Formed of leaflike parts called sepals, what five-letter word means the bottom part of a flower, which provides support for the petals?
Answer: Calyx
223. The clown frogfish that lives in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean is also known by what other name related to the small dermal spinules or protuberances that cover the critter's skin?
Answer: Warty frogfish
224. If you’re navigating through the woods, don’t rely on the old myth that which green plant only grows on the north side of a tree? (Hint: It likes to grow in shady spots—which can be, but is not always, the north side of a tree…)
Answer: Moss
225. If you’re trying to navigate outside at night, the North Star is a helpful guide because it sits directly over which location on Earth?
Answer: North Pole
226. "Wild" walkers might want to retrace author Cheryl Strayed's 1,100-mi. hike along what trail, which runs from the Canadian border to the Mexican border?
Answer: Pacific Crest
227. Want to get away from it all? Try a hike in Tongass National Forest, a roadless expanse of sixteen million acres in what U.S. state?
Answer: Alaska
228. In 1994, a non-profit organization was formed to promote educational researchers around "LNT" principles that guide outdoor activities like camping and hiking. What does "LNT" stand for?
Answer: Leave No Trace
229. One of the Western Hemisphere's greatest natural sights is the Bioluminescent Bay of the island of Vieques, where glowing microorganisms light the water bright blue. In what U.S. territory can one visit Vieques and Bioluminescent Bay?
Answer: Puerto Rico
230. On what island would you find the largest national park in the world? The park is bigger than all but 30 countries.
Answer: Greenland
The best outdoor trivia unleashes a sense of wanderlust while also testing your knowledge of geography.
This type of trivia is perfect for road trips, family vacations, or anytime you want to feel like you're exploring the world from the comfort of your home.
Plus, with new questions added regularly, you'll never run out of things to learn.
If you are looking for good outdoor trivia questions, then you are in the right place.
We're always thinking up new ways to challenge our trivia aficionados, and our latest batch of questions is sure to do just that.
Whether you're looking for facts about National Parks or want to know more about the world's tallest mountains, we've got you covered.
If you want to find outdoor trivia questions, then look no further than Water Cooler Trivia.
Our team is hard at work creating new quizzes.
We can't wait to start sharing fresh trivia with you.
Creating the perfect outdoor trivia quiz is easy with Water Cooler Trivia.
Our platform makes it simple to create and share quizzes with your friends, family, or co-workers.
We offer no shortage of questions and categories to choose from, so you can customize your quiz to fit any audience.
Are you ready for a challenge?
Get started with a free four-week trial today!
We do everything we can to ensure that Water Cooler Trivia's questions are appropriate, relevant, and accurate. Our database has tens of thousands of questions, so we don't always get it right. If you see a question that needs editing, we would love if you let us know here or email quizmaster@watercoolertrivia.com.
.png)