Why do whales sing and do geese have heart attacks? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Eva, 11, asks: why do whales sing?

   1. They were inspired by hearing human songs

   2. To attract fish to eat

   3. To communicate

   4. It’s just the noise they make when they breathe

2. Tovah, 4, asks: what are tornadoes and what causes them?

   1. Tornadoes are powerful rotating columns of air, caused by warm, humid air colliding with cold, dry air

   2. Tornadoes are whirlpools, caused by volcanic eruptions under the sea

   3. Tornadoes are strong gusts of wind

   4. Tornadoes are snow storms where the snow falls sideways, not straight down

3. Eloi, 9, asks: how many trees are there in the world?

   1. 185 million

   2. 12.81 billion

   3. 3.04 trillion

   4. 8.26 trillion

4. Steven, 7, asks: do geese have heart attacks?

   1. No, geese are one of the few animals to never have heart attacks

   2. Yes, but bar-headed geese rarely have them as they have very strong hearts

   3. No, birds can’t have heart attacks

   4. Yes, geese are particularly prone to heart attacks

5. Sigourney, 9, asks: why do dogs sniff other dogs’ bums?

   1. Because they know that it annoys other dogs

   2. To greet each other and to get information about the other dog

   3. To show dominance over another dog

   4. It’s an invitation to play

Solutions

1:C - Whales sing to communicate with each other. They might sing to tell a potential mate that they’re interested, or to tell a rival to stay away, or to establish what group they’re in. , 2:A - Tornadoes are rotating columns of air that can come down from storm clouds. When hot and cold air collide under certain conditions, it can make the air spin, forming a tornado. These can be very dangerous!, 3:C - As of 2015, there were 3.04 trillion trees in the world – 3,040,000,000,000 trees in total. That’s 380 trees for every person!, 4:B - While all birds, including geese, can have heart attacks, bar-headed geese, some of the highest flying birds, have strong hearts that beat fast to supply them with enough oxygen, as there is so little of it up in the air. Scientists have studied these geese to try to help prevent heart attacks in humans., 5:B - Dogs sniff each other’s bums because they can tell a lot from the smell. Dogs have a scent that can indicate their identity, their health and even their diet. This scent is strongest around the bum, so that’s why they sniff each other there!

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a weekly podcast answering children’s questions, out now as a book.

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