Address and Hours

What in the World Quiz

Academy scientists found this "egg" on a rotten log in the African jungle. What emerged wasn't a bird. What was it?

  • a crocodile
  • a praying mantis
  • a mushroom

20

Yes!

Read about the odd mushroom, Phallus drewesii, here.

Sorry

The correct answer is mushroom. Learn more

364
589
20

Kapow! This plant from China has a dazzling display of fruit. What is it?

  • anise
  • chokecherry
  • ginseng
  • sassafras

25

Yes!

See the image gallery from the 2006 expedition.

Sorry

It is a ginseng. See the image gallery from the 2006 expedition.

203
551
25

Rafflesia arnoldii is the world's largest flower. It also has a distinctive smell. What does it smell like?

  • roses
  • peanut butter
  • a stinking corpse

22

Yes!

It is known as the stinking corpse flower. See more amazing plants here.

Sorry

It smells like a stinking corpse. See more amazing plants here.

485
633
22

It may look like a watery blob, but it is one of humanity's closest invertebrate relatives.

  • tunicate
  • acorn worm
  • sponge

16

Yes!

Larval tunicates have quasi-backbones called notochords. Learn more

Sorry

The correct answer is tunicate. Learn more

289
627
16

These eggs were laid by an animal with three hearts and ten appendages. What was it?

  • an octopus
  • a cuttlefish
  • a sea star

23

Yes!

We are the first U.S. aquarium to breed this species. Learn more

Sorry

The correct answer is cuttlefish. Learn more

317
585
23

This image is a closeup of a structure that Academy scientists found on the forest floor in China. What is it?

  • a wasp's nest
  • a mushroom
  • a bird skeleton

21

Yes!

See the whole image here.

Sorry

It is a mushroom. See the whole image here.

492
651
21

This giant egg could hold up to two gallons of liquid. What extinct bird laid it?

  • passenger pigeon
  • dodo
  • elephant bird
  • great auk

19

Yes!

This flightless bird used to live in Madagascar. Learn more about birds

Sorry

The correct answer is elephant bird. Learn more about birds

234
664
19

Not a sculpture of Medusa or some other mythological beast - a real animal! Is it a:

  • tick
  • ice worm
  • crab larva
  • freshwater hydra

17

Yes!

This creature lives on methane seeps. Learn more

Sorry

It is an ice worm.
Learn more

174
581
17

Sometimes it's difficult to tell a living creature from an inanimate object! Is the image:

  • the head of a fish
  • a strand of kelp
  • an octopus egg case

24

Yes!

This is a pipefish, a relative of seahorses. Browse the gallery

Sorry

It is actually a pipefish, a relative of seahorses. Browse the gallery

You correctly answered questions. participants have so far averaged correct.

430
587
24
24
1268425230_e8p72fvv9h5pr2a
3

Special Promotion

Special Promotion

Fire fighters, military personnel, police officers, and teachers get free admission, Feb. 1 - Mar. 15.
Learn more

Discover a New Species

Special Causes

Help Academy scientists with their quest to describe a new species of sengi.
Support the cause

Add to My Page

Live Penguin Cams

Add to My Page

Science Today