How big is an elephant’s brain and why are cacti spiky? The kids’ quiz

1. Ethan, 8, asks: how big is an elephant’s brain?

   1. It weighs 1.4kg – the same as a human brain

   2. It weighs 5kg – the same as a bag of potatoes

   3. It weighs 10kg – about the same as a Welsh corgi

   4. It weighs 20kg – about the same as a microwave

2. Hanna, 8, asks: flowers are pretty and they smell nice. Can they also be ugly and stinky?

   1. Yes, flowers can be ugly and stinky

   2. No, there have never been any ugly or stinky flowers

   3. There were some, but humans got rid of them all

   4. The name “flower” is only given to something pretty that smells nice

3. Jed, 9, asks: if sheep only eat grass, how do they make wool?

   1. Farmers secretly feed sheep wool

   2. Sheep make wool in their mouths and stick it on to their skin

   3. Sheep don’t actually grow wool – it’s a myth

   4. Wool grows from their skin from follicles, like humans and hair

4. Chloe, 9, asks: what do camels have inside their humps?

   1. Air – to make them lighter so their feet don’t hurt

   2. Baby camels, so they don’t have to walk far

   3. Fat, so they have stored energy for long journeys

   4. Water, so they can travel long distances

5. Coco, 7, asks: why are cacti spiky?

   1. To stop animals eating them

   2. The spikes act as little shade umbrellas

   3. To collect water vapour that hydrates the cactus

   4. All of the above

Solutions

1:B - An elephant’s brain, on average, weighs about 5kg. It’s four times the weight of the average human brain. It contains 257 billion neurons – more than three times that of a human brain., 2:A - Yes, flowers can be ugly and very stinky. The corpse flower smells like rotting flesh to attract flies and beetles. Eastern skunk cabbage is a flower found in North America, and smells a bit like a skunk!, 3:D - Sheep’s wool grows from follicles in the skin, and is made of protein, with a small amount of fat, calcium and sodium. It grows with a natural wave that gives the wool its elasticity, or springiness., 4:C - People often think water is stored in a camel’s hump, but this is a myth. Fat is stored there, which the camel can use as energy when making long journeys, when food might be scarce., 5:D - The spikes are actually called spines, and they have many purposes. They can stop herbivores from eating cacti, and as the sun moves through the sky the spines can act as tiny shade umbrellas. They also catch small amounts of moisture in the air for hydration.

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 podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.