What was the first dinosaur and why do cats like to eat butter? Try our kids’ quiz

1. Jacob, 7, asks: what was the first dinosaur that lived?

   1. Spinosaurus, who had a large fin, like a sail, along its back and could probably swim

   2. Tyrannosaurus rex, who was about 4 metres tall and had razor-sharp teeth

   3. Nyasasaurus parringtoni, who had a tall neck and long legs, and measured two to three metres long

   4. Diplodocus, who had a very long neck

2. Beatrix, 5, asks: why do some insects lay their eggs in my pond?

   1. Some young insects breathe underwater before they are fully grown

   2. A pond can offer protection

   3. Ponds are full of food for the young insects

   4. All of the above!

3. Zac, 13, asks: how long would it take to drive to space if there was a motorway to get there?

   1. About 1 hour 15 minutes

   2. About 17 months

   3. 3 days and 6 hours

   4. 22 hours 35 minutes

4. Jacob, 7, asks: what is the fastest kind of fly?

   1. Dragonfly

   2. Horsefly

   3. Mayfly

   4. Bluebottle

5. Nora, 7, asks: our cat likes to eat butter. Why?

   1. That’s not normal behaviour for a cat!

   2. Because cats are attracted to food with high fat and high protein levels

   3. Because cats love all yellow food

   4. Because cats love the cooling sensation of chilled butter on their tongues

Solutions

1:C - Scientists believe that the Nyasasaurus parringtoni may be the oldest known dinosaur, at around 243 million years old! There is some debate about whether the Nyasasaurus was a true dinosaur, or the closest cousin of the dinos., 2:D - All of the above! Some young insects, or “larvae”, are aquatic, meaning they breathe underwater. The pond environment can also offer protection for the larvae from land-based predators like birds and mammals. And the pond is full of the perfect food, such as algae and plankton., 3:A - The official point at which Earth’s atmosphere becomes space is known as the Kármán Line, 100km above the average sea level. If you were driving at 80km an hour on a motorway, straight up, it would only take about 1 hour 15 minutes to reach this line! , 4:B - Horseflies can fly at an impressive 145km an hour, or 90 miles an hour!, 5:B - Cats love eating dairy products like milk and butter because they have a high protein and high fat content. But be careful – cats are lactose intolerant, so too much dairy is bad for them.

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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