What is Street Creatures? This is the game I run on Twitter every Friday. I’ve
collected all the past quizzes here in one place so you can either relive them, or play
them for the first time.
How does it work? Provided are four, seemingly unrelated clues, that are all
connected by a wild organism that can be found in a city. Look at the four clues,
do some research, and when you think you’ve figured it out, click on ‘Answer’
to reveal what connects the clues, and how they are connected.
Follow me on Twitter to play #StreetCreatures live every Friday at 9am PST.
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Rostrum
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Rostrum
Spit nuptial gift
Spider web
Permian
Scorpion Fly (Mecoptera)
Rostrum:
The beak-like projection on the head of a scorpion fly is a rostrum. At the end of it are biting mouthparts The male’s other end resembles a scorpion’s tail, but never fear, it’s actually used for mating to transfer sperm.
Spit nuptial gift:
Many insects present a nuptial gift to females to convince them to mate, usually food like a dead insect. But some scorpion flies present their saliva instead. In fact, they have developed enlarged salivary glands.
Spider web:
Scorpion flies are mostly scavengers feeding on dead insects and decaying matter. Some are used in forensics, being among the first insects found on cadavers.
Some species prefer to pillage food from spider’s webs though.
Permian:
The Mecoptera order has been traced back all the way to the Permian period, 250 million years ago. It’s thought they may be the ancestors of butterflies and flies.
