Wildlife Online Study Guide

Sample Test with Answers

The test questions below are taken from previous year's Wildlife Section tests. The test is given in two timed segments. One is written and the other is hands-on. In the actual hands-on test many of the photo's shown here would be actual specimens, pelts, scat, tracks, animal calls or animal parts. (No animals are harmed for the purpose of collecting specimens for the test.)

The National Envirothon website has a some sample wildlife questions also. 

Note: You will have to print this page or write your answers on a paper to compare with the answer key, linked at the bottom of the page.

Written Test

1. Which statement is false: B

   1. A single Little Brown Bat, (Myotis lucifugus) can eat 1,200 insects in one hour.
   2. The Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is a fruit-eating bat.
   3. More people die annually from dog attacks, bee stings, lightning & household accidents than from bat-transmitted rabies.
   4. a & c

2. Due to habitat destruction, which of NJ's three toads is in decline? B

   1. American toad (Bufo americanus)
   2. Eastern Spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus holbrokii holbrookii)
   3. Fowler's toad (Bufo woodhousii fowleri)

3. True or false: NJ's two native rats are the Eastern Wood rat (Neotoma floridana) & the Marsh Rice rat (Oryzomys pulustris) True

4. An ecosystem with high biodiversity: C

   1. Is in its climax state, with very little species population fluctuation.
   2. Is more vulnerable to rapid change than an ecosystem with low biodiversity.
   3. Is rich in organisms and populations, as well as the genetic relationships between them.
   4. Has a large number of individuals, but few distinct species.

5. True or False – Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are nest parasites. They are also native birds, and are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty. True

6. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) seeks to use environmentally conservative methods to maintain insect pests and other pests below the level at which they cause a defined amount of damage. Which concept is not true of IPM? A

   1. When chemical pesticides must be used, it is best to select one pesticide that targets a broad spectrum of pest species rather than select a different pesticide for each target pest.
   2. The presence of pests on your crop, orchard or lawn does not necessarily constitute a pest problem. You will have to determine your own threshold, or amount of damage from pests that is acceptable.
   3. Actions should be taken to develop or restore natural checks and balances of a functioning ecosystem, not necessarily to eliminate the pest species.

7. The following have led to increased problems between humans and goose populations, except: D

   1. People feeding the geese
   2. Geese are attracted to the lawns and wide expanses of short grasses that humans create
   3. More and more people are building near lakes and other wetland habitats
   4. The natural food sources of geese have been eliminated and therefore they must move into human population centers to find food

8. Which of the following is not an effective way to control mosquitoes around your home? B

   1. Clean bird baths regularly
   2. Use rain barrels to collect and store rain water from the gutters
   3. Aerate or add fish to ornamental ponds
   4. Empty and discard old tires, cans and buckets that hold standing water

9. The Great Blue Heron is listed as Endangered in New Jersey. T or F?  False

10. Three characteristics common to all butterflies are: A

    1. Complete metamorphosis, knobbed antennae, siphoning mouthparts
    2. Two broad colorful wings, feathery antennae, mimicry
    3. Migratory, nectar feeders, scale covered wings

Hands-on

Note: Identification can be from animal specimens or parts, photographs, sounds recordings, track reproductions in mud or plaster.

1. Identify the following sound: C
   
   A CD player or cassette player will play a call and your team must decide which animal made the sound.

   1. Long-eared Owl
   2. House Sparrow
   3. Mourning Dove
   4. Great Horned Owl
   
   

2. Identify the habitat type in this photo: A

   
   1. Vernal or ephemeral Pool
   2. Fresh water lake
   3. Hot spring
   4. Salt marsh estuary
   
   

3. Identify the animal that made this track: B

   (in the actual test, the tracks would be multiples in a normal pattern for that species)

   
   1. Red Fox
   2. Bobcat
   3. Wolf
   4. Domestic Cat
   
   

4. Identify the animal in this photo: C

   
   1. Timber rattlesnake, light phase
   2. Eastern garter snake
   3. Northern copperhead
   4. Eastern milk snake
   
   

5. The animal's behavior in this photo is best described as: C

   
   1. Capturing wind under its wings to create a lift at take off.
   2. Male territorial defense behavior
   3. Drying its wings after fishing
   4. Male courtship behavior
    

6. Of the following two silhouettes, which is the Turkey Vulture and which is the Black Vulture?

   Correct Asnwer: Turkey Vulture is on the left. The Black Vulture has white on it's wing tips.

   

   
   

7. This turtle shell comes from which animal? C

   
   1. Snapping turtle
   2. Bog Turtle
   3. Eastern Box Turtle
   4. Painted Turtle
   
   

8. Is the turtle above mostly aquatic or terrestrial? Terrestrial

   
   

9. Which species of tick is in the jar? B

   
   1. Deer Tick
   2. Dog Tick
   3. Lonestar Tick
   4. Rabbit Tick
   
   

10. Identify the habitat in the picture: F

    
    1. Pitch Pine Lowland
    2. Black Spruce Swamp
    3. Maple-Beech Forest
    4. Mixed Oak Upland
    5. Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
    6. Emergent Wetland
    
    

For more information contact your local Soil Conservation District Office or Richard Belcher, NJ Envirothon Coordinator Phone: (609) 292-5540,  Fax: (609) 633-7229.

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Last Modified: May 27, 2008