Golden Gate National Recreation Area Riddles

. I live mainly in California.<p> I am found in grassy fields, meadows, and around wetlands.<p> I am active mainly during the day, but try to stay hidden from predators in runways I make through the grass and shallow underground tunnels.<p> I eat green vegetation when I can, but lots of roots and seeds during the dry summer.

. I have big ears and big eyes and most people think I look very cute.<p> I can be found across most of North America.<p> I can be found in an extremely wide range of habitats.<p> I eat seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and lots of other things.<p>

. After birth, my tiny babies climb into my pouch, where they nurse and grow for two months.<p> Once they leave my pouch, my babies sometimes ride around on my back.<p> I am an omnivore, eating a wide range of plant and animal foods.<p> I am comfortable both on the ground and climbing in trees.

. I am black with white stripes.<p> If I feel threatened, I will warn you by stamping my front feet.<p> If you don't go away, I may spray you with a very smelly liquid!<p> I am nocturnal (out at night) and eat a range of small animals and plant foods.

. I have a black mask like a cartoon bandit.<p> I live in cities and towns as well as in rural and wilderness areas.<p> I will eat almost anything, including human garbage.<p> I am native to North and Central America, but have spread to parts of Europe and Asia.

. I am originally from Asia, but was accidentally introduced along the coast of British Columbia in the 1930s along with young oysters for oyster farming.<p><p> I can now be found in the Pacific Ocean from British Columbia to southern California and am one of the main clam species harvested along the coasts of Washington and British Columbia<p><p> I have a ribbed shell, with two sides connected by a hinge.<p><p> Tiny <a href="http://eol.org/pages/39698/overview">pea crabs</a> sometimes live inside my shell.<p><p>

. I am native to the west coast of North America, from southern California to the Canadian border.<p><p> I like to grow in sandy soils along the coast.<p><p> My leaves are fleshy, glistening with glands, and I form sprawling mats on the ground.<p><p> I produce rounded heads of rather large yellow flowers.<p><p>

. My flowers each have five petals that are white to pink.<p><p> I grow in a variety of wet habitats.<p><p> My stems may be erect or sprawling and my leaves are arranged in pairs.<p><p> I have a very wide native geographic distribution and have also been introduced widely around the world.

. I live in western North America, including California.<p><p> I am often found growing in coastal salt marshes.<p><p> I excrete excess salt from my leaves, leaving visible salt crystals on them.<p><p> I have small fleshy leaves and produce flowers with five pinkish petals.

. I am found along the Pacific coast of North America from British Columbia to Baja California.<p><p> I often grow in salt marshes.<p><p> I am a member of the daisy family and produce yellow heads composed of many tiny flowers.<p><p> My leaves are linear to oblong in shape and fleshy.

. I am very widely distributed across Africa, temperate Asia, Europe, northern North America, and southern South America.<p><p> I grow mainly in sandy soil along the coast.<p><p>My thick, fleshy leaves grow in a dense cluster.<p><p> I produce dense spikes of tiny flowers.<p><p>

. I am found in western North America, mainly along the coast of California.<p><p> My leaves are thick and leathery, growing from the base around my stem.<p><p> My small flowers are lavender to nearly whitish and borne in stiff branching clusters.<p><p> I am available from many native plant nurseries in California for planting in your garden!

. I am native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California.<p><p> I grow in a range of moist habitats, both coastal and inland.<p><p> My stems may sprawl on the ground and my leaves are often arranged in clusters.<p><p> I produce flowers with five white to lavender-pink petals.<p><p>

. I am found only in California.<p><p> I grow in sand dunes and other habitats right along the coast.<p><p> I have a shrubby growth form.<p><p> I produce a long cluster of purplish flowers, which develops into a pod containing my seeds.

. I am one of the most common lizards in the western United States.<p> Especially if I am male, I have blue on my throat and the sides of my belly.<p> I am found in a wide range of habitats, but usually on or close to the ground.<p> I feed on insects and spiders.

. I live in western North America.<p> I spend much of my day basking in the sun.<p> I live in a range of habitats, but avoid densely forested areas.<p> I have a bright blue tail!<p>

. I am long and slender, with a long tail (as much as twice the length of my body), short legs, and pale yellow eyes.<p><p> I can sometimes be found in old woodpiles and trash heaps.<p><p> I am typically found in relatively dry habitats, such as grasslands, chaparral, oak woodland, and open pine forests.<p><p> I eat slugs, insects, centipedes, scorpions, and spiders--as well as lizards, small mammals, and (occasionally) the eggs and young of small birds.

. I am long and slender, with a long tail, short legs, and mostly dark eyes.<p><p> I can be found under bark, inside rotten logs, and other rocks and other objects.<p><p> I live mainly in woodlands and forests, but also in grasslands and sagebrush habitats.<p><p> I eat insects, ticks, spiders, millipedes, and snails.<p><p>

. I am usually dark with an orange neck ring.<p> I live in moist habitats, often under logs or stones.<p> I eat salamanders, small frogs, lizards, small snakes, slugs, and worms.<p> When I feel threatened, I coil my tail and startle a potential predator by exposing my brightly colored belly.

. I am found in both grasslands and woodlands, often beneath rotting logs and rocks and the bark of dead trees.<p> I am a good swimmer, burrower, and climber.<p> I eat mice and shrews, small birds, salamanders, and snakes.<p> I look a bit like a rubber toy--but I'm real!