View the full issue in the Magazine Archive This must be some sort of vine, you say, and you are correct. You are thinking of the wild grapevines that grow so profusely over the side of your garage....
Wondernose
Wondernose: What animal has black and white stripes, uses a smelly liquid for defense, and has a name that rhymes with gorilla?
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive I know, Wondernose. You were just opening your mouth to say “skunk” when I added that last part about rhyming with gorilla. Our mystery animal is a little...
Wondernose: What plant was once used as a scouring pad?
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive So you think this must be a cactus, Wondernose. Cacti are prickly, all right, but I really don’t know how effective they’d be at cleaning a scorched...
Wondernose: What animal’s name has become a verb meaning “hunt” or “search”?
This kind of thing happens a lot with our language, Wondernose. Take, for instance, the word “balloon.” You know what a balloon is, but can you also tell me what the word “balloon” means when used...
Wondernose: What tree has needles and cones like an evergreen, yet sheds its leaves in the fall?
Tamarack trees. Photo © Chloe7992|Dreamstime.com. Tamarack! You answer promptly, Wondernose, and you are correct. Another name, larch, would have been equally correct. Larch is the name used mostly...
Wondernose: What animal has the biggest families among the mammals—up to twenty-one in a litter?
You say your dad’s sows sometimes have even more piglets than that at a time? All right, Wondernose, I’m not thinking of domesticated animals. And our mystery animal is much smaller than a sow....
Wondernose: What animal is half cat and half weasel?
Now, Wondernose, you must understand I’m not saying our mystery animal actually is part cat and part weasel. I am only describing what it looks like. Another way of describing it would be to say...
Wondernose: What animal has most of its stomach in its legs?
Sea spider. Photo © Francesco Ricciardi/iStock.com. That’s almost too weird to be true, isn’t it, Wondernose? But we don’t make up these stories. Let me tell you why this animal has its stomach (and...
Wondernose: What animal has no bones in its nose—only 40,000 muscles?
African elephant. Photo © Neil Weiler. Right on, Wondernose! You guessed the answer instantly—which is no surprise, really. A nose containing 40,000 muscles must surely be the world’s largest...
Wondernose: What animal has scarlet and bright blue skin on its face and haunches?
Male mandrill. Photo © Freder/iStock.com. This sounds like a very fantastic creature, doesn’t it, Wondernose? It is one of the most brightly colored mammals in the world. The adult male has bare...
Wondernose: What animal has teeth like triangular bread knives?
Bull shark. Photo © Willyambradberry/Dreamstime.com. Sounds like the kind of teeth you’d like to avoid, doesn’t it, ? Triangular, razor-sharp, with serrated edges—teeth like that should be quite...
Wondernose: What is the world’s second smallest ferocious carnivore that can kill rabbits with ease?
Oh, these little animals are quite the hunters! Mostly they are up and about at night. Weighing only from 2-10 ounces (60-280 g), these animals have long, slender bodies that enable them to slip...
Wondernose: What mammal is named after a pig and a deer?
Pig-deer (babyrousa). Photo © iStock.com. I couldn’t resist it. Having discussed an animal that is not a deer, yet is named after a deer and a mouse (November 2022), I thought we should take a look...
Wondernose: What bird helps fishermen find their fish?
Northern Gannet carrying seaweed. Photo © Rinus Baak/Dreamstime.com. Our mystery bird is big, white, and goose-like. It’s a strong flyer and will fly in flocks high above coastal waters. With its...
Wondernose: What animal can kill and eat porcupines, remaining unharmed even if it swallows the quills?
Fisher. Photo © Mikael Males/Dreamstime.com. You seem quite surprised, Wondernose. Apparently you didn’t know there’s an animal that isn’t deterred by a porcupine’s quills. Well, such an animal...