International education and research in ecology and conservation, wildlife tracking, and human culture
Subscribe to our email list if you’d like to receive these quizzes as soon as they come out in our monthly newsletter.
Sometimes these quiz photos will be from Africa, sometimes from North America, and sometimes from elsewhere, but don’t worry, we will always tell you the location. Give it a try and let’s learn together!
This is the track of a common ostrich. Ostrich are the world’s only didactyl bird, meaning having only 2 toes on each foot. Most birds have 3 or 4 toes on each foot. We affectionately call ostrich the “6 foot tall racing chicken”
Photo taken by Kersey Lawrence
This is the chrysalis of a butterfly. A chrysalis is a moth’s or butterfly’s pupa life stage. A butterfly caterpillar sheds its skin, and the exposed pupa hardens into a chrysalis, which is a protective casing during its metamorphosis. They are often found hanging from a leaf, twig, or other structure. Chrysalises are typically smooth and may be green or brown, providing camouflage, but each species of butterfly will have a unique chrysalis. This one is dead, yet the sunset causes it to have that beautiful orangish glow. A lepidopterist that we know (a person who studies moths and butterflies) identified this as the chrysalis of a broad-bordered grass yellow (Eurema brigitta brigitta), but there are so many chrysalises that it is enough to identify this as a butterfly chrysalis (unless you are a lepidopterist).
Photo by Kersey Lawrence, Kruger Lowveld Region, South Africa
How did you do? We’d love to hear from you!
In fact, we welcome your photo contributions from anywhere in the world! Send them to us HERE with your explanation of where they are from, what you think they are, and why you think so, and we could include them in a future quiz (giving you credit of course). Your photos will also become part of our searchable database that trackers can use for learning!
You can view old quizzes on the Original Wisdom website under the Resources tab, in the Tracking Gallery.
Happy Tracking!
The Team at Original Wisdom
One hundred percent of donations made in Brandon’s name are set aside to help provide for a high school or college student to travel to South Africa to participate in an Original Wisdom program. The student must have a strong passion for photography and/or wildlife tracking and be a part of a program or class that is learning about and working towards conservation.