Why do wolves howl at the moon, and how far can kangaroos jump? Try our kids’ quiz

1. August, 8, asks: why do wolves howl at the moon?

   1. They think of the moon as a god and they like to sing to it

   2. Because they can see creatures on the moon that we can’t

   3. They are nocturnal, so they howl to signal the start of their day, like roosters

   4. They don’t – they howl at each other!

2. Ivy, 9, asks: why do our pupils get smaller and bigger in different light?

   1. To let different amounts of light in so that we can see better

   2. To change the colour of our eyes

   3. To help us focus our vision at different distances

   4. So that our eyes can zoom in on objects in the dark

3. Santiago, 6, asks: why can’t owls move their eyes?

   1. Owls have too many eye muscles, which makes it difficult to move their eyes

   2. Owls’ eyes are almost immobile – they move their necks instead

   3. Owls’ eyes are too heavy to move

   4. Long ago, owls were very nosy, so monkeys did a spell to make their eyes still

4. Chloe, 11, asks: how far can kangaroos jump?

   1. 2 metres

   2. 4 metres

   3. 7 metres

   4. 9 metres

5. Darcey, 6, asks: what was paper originally made out of?

   1. Pig skin

   2. Tree bark and hemp

   3. Leaves and glue

   4. Flower petals

Solutions

1:D - Wolves howl at night because they are nocturnal animals, but they aren’t howling at the moon, they’re howling to communicate with each other over long distances. They raise their heads because it allows their howls to travel farther. , 2:A - When we are in a bright area, our pupils get smaller to let less light into our eyes, which helps to protect them from being damaged. In a darker place, our pupils get larger to let more light in, so we can see better. , 3:B - Owls have evolved to have fixed eyes that can barely move but they have very flexible necks that can rotate 270 degrees instead!, 4:D - Kangaroos have been known to jump up to 9 metres – or 30 feet – in just one hop! It’s very energy-efficient and means that they can cover large distances to find food and water., 5:B - Paper was first made in China out of tree bark and hemp. Before that, the Ancient Egyptians invented paper-like sheets called papyrus, made from the papyrus plant.

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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