7
$\begingroup$

I'm black as the night, but I hide it well
I'm the fastest around, as my fleeing victims can tell
My brothers and sisters live everywhere on earth
Except on the Poles, there we give no birth

I live on one continent only, with an A it starts
It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards
Our species survived the massive extinction, a long time ago
My ancestors and dinosaurs could have been friends, for all I know

So, what animal am I?

Hint:

See my comment on @Thrax' answer. (S)he had two of the lines correct.

$\endgroup$

6 Answers 6

6
$\begingroup$

Are you a:

Black Mamba

I'm black as the night, but I hide it well

Self explanatory

I'm the fastest around, as my fleeing victims can tell

Fastest land snake around

My brothers and sisters live everywhere on earth

Except on the arctic, there we give no birth

Snakes live in most continents(?) but not in the arctic

I live on one continent only, with an A it starts

It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards

Black mambas are only found in Africa

Our species survived the massive extinction, a long time ago

My ancestors and dinosaurs could have been friends, for all I know

Snakes are thought to have been around since the dinosaurs

$\endgroup$
12
  • $\begingroup$ Everything is correct! :) You only forgot the first line of the rhyme though "I'm black as the night, but I hide it well", but I think it's obvious now. $\endgroup$ Mar 24, 2016 at 14:42
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Oops, my bad! Credit to @Thrax for the Africa part though. $\endgroup$
    – Luke4792
    Mar 24, 2016 at 14:46
  • $\begingroup$ Africa is (mostly) in the south regardless of which map projection you use. Some maps place south on the top, but it's still south. $\endgroup$ Mar 24, 2016 at 14:46
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @Luke4792 Actually, it's still not correct. :) But since you've got everything else correct I'm just gonna spoil it: "I'm black as the night, but I hide it well" -> Black Mambas are brown or grey on the outside, and only black on the inside of their mouth (hence the but I hide it well, since it's not always visible). They got their name from the black in their mouth. $\endgroup$ Mar 24, 2016 at 14:55
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @KevinCruijssen, my point is that the Arctic only covers the North: the South is the Antarctic, and it requires a distorted interpretation of the clue for snakes to fit. $\endgroup$ Mar 25, 2016 at 8:29
4
$\begingroup$

Could you be :

Panthers

I'm black as the night, but I hide it well :

Panthers are black predators able to hide in the savannah

I'm the fastest around, as my fleeing victims can tell

While the fastest are cheetah, panthers can run really fast too!

My brothers and sisters live everywhere on earth

Cats can be found about anywhere

Except on the arctic, there we give no birth

Except there, I guess...

I live on one continent only, with an A it starts

Panthers live in Africa

It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards

Most country place Africa in the south, except for Australia for example

Our species survived the massive extinction, a long time ago My ancestors and dinosaurs could have been friends, for all I know

Could be a long reach, but sabre-toothed tigers are feline who lived at the same time as the dinosaurs

$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ Again +1, but also not correct. As a hint I will say that your answer for "I live on one continent only, with an A it starts" and "It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards" are correct though. $\endgroup$ Mar 24, 2016 at 14:28
3
$\begingroup$

My answer :

Penguin

I'm black as the night, but I hide it well

black in the back, it is hidden by the white on the face

I'm the fastest around, as my fleeing victims can tell

swim fast and catch fish

My brothers and sisters live everywhere on earth

Except on the arctic, there we give no birth

brothers and sisters are the birds (which do not live in Artic ?)

I live on one continent only, with an A it starts

It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards

Antartica

$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ Snowy owls live in the arctic regions (as do other birds). Your bird itself only lives in the southern hemisphere - unless one includes captivity - so I don't think it will fit there either $\endgroup$
    – LinkBerest
    Mar 24, 2016 at 13:22
  • $\begingroup$ +1 Although it is not correct. :) Also, you've excluded the last two lines of the rhyme. $\endgroup$ Mar 24, 2016 at 13:22
  • $\begingroup$ I have excluded the two last lines because I don't how long Penguins have been existing ;) $\endgroup$
    – Fabich
    Mar 24, 2016 at 13:41
  • $\begingroup$ xkcd.com/1211 would support the last 2 lines $\endgroup$
    – MD-Tech
    Mar 24, 2016 at 14:34
1
$\begingroup$

My guess:

Emu

I'm black as the night, but I hide it well

All Emu feathers are black tipped but how dark they actually look varies by the climate.

I'm the fastest around, as my fleeing victims can tell

They run at speeds around 30 mph

My brothers and sisters live everywhere on earth

Other flightless birds, especially Ostriches exist all over the Southern and some of the Northern hemisphere

Except on the arctic, there we give no birth

Emu and other flightless birds tend to be poor survivors under Artic conditions so I have found no record of any living, wild, in those regions

I live on one continent only, with an A it starts It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards

Emu's are native to Australia

Our species survived the massive extinction, a long time ago My ancestors and dinosaurs could have been friends, for all I know

Though there is some debate I have seen flightless birds as beginning in the Cretaceous Period - which means that they could have existed with dinosaurs. This also puts them at about 65 million years ago so they also could have survived the last mass extinction or at least a mass extinction

$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ +1 Again a well-thought-out answer, but also not the correct one. $\endgroup$ Mar 24, 2016 at 14:12
1
$\begingroup$

Maybe you are

Some kind of insect, eg. a black widow (Latrodectus mactans)

You are black, you live in

America, mostly South

Your family...

ie. other spiders,

...live on every continent, except polar regions.

You are fast because of

poison (it kills quickly)

(But I can't explain "mass extinction")

$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Spiders are not insects. $\endgroup$
    – Trang Oul
    Mar 24, 2016 at 14:47
0
$\begingroup$

Are you a:

Ostrich

I'm black as the night, but I hide it well

Black skin covered by feather

I'm the fastest around, as my fleeing victims can tell

Fastest birds on land.

My brothers and sisters live everywhere on earth Except on the arctic, there we give no birth

Birds live in most continents but not in the Arctic

I live on one continent only, with an A it starts It lies in the south, on almost all geographic cards

Africa

Our species survived the massive extinction, a long time ago My ancestors and dinosaurs could have been friends, for all I know

Brids are thought to have been around since the dinosaurs

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.