The ultimate survival quiz

Abundant vegetation, insects, bird flight routes and animal tracks can indicate water sources.

Consuming frozen snow and ice lowers the body core temperature and leads to dehydration. Find out how and if you can eat snow in the guide article "Is it possible to eat snow in survival situations?".

If you walk directly towards the sun at noon, you will go south. If you walk with the sun at your back, you will go north. The opposite is true in the southern hemisphere.

You cannot accurately orient yourself with moss on trees and ant hills, so it is not recommended to use these methods.

In the northern hemisphere, moss on the west and north sides of trees is often thicker because these sides are shadier and moister. If the tree is tilted, it grows on the lower plane where the water drains well. And while ants often build their nests on the southern or southeastern side of trees where it is warmer, this is also inaccurate.

In my guide article "Orientation and navigation without a compass" you will find even more options.

When the moon rises before sunset, the bright side is in the west. When it rises after midnight, the east side is illuminated.

Sleeping on the ground can lead to loss of body heat. You retain more warmth by piling up leaves, grass, pine needles, small sticks, etc. on the ground to sleep on. Ideally, you build a trapper bed.

Dry mouth and a rapid heartbeat are signs of dehydration. Vomiting and diarrhea are strong indicators of severe dehydration.

Setting up your camp near a water source is a good idea. You should avoid natural hazards like rocks and dry riverbeds.

Although most insects are edible, it is a rule of thumb to stay away from brightly colored, hairy, or stinging insects.

For everything on the topic of "eating insects", read the guide article "Survival Basics: Eating insects (preparation, catching, breeding)".

A battery, a magnifying lens, and even a drink can with chocolate can be used to produce a spark for a fire.

You can find more than 18 methods for making fire in my detailed guide.

Raw elderberries (Sambucus canaensis) contain toxins like cyanogenic glycoside, which can cause nausea and vomiting.

For more information, read my comprehensive guide on emergency food in the forest or on emergency food in the winter.

Hot, sweet liquids like hot chocolate give the body energy to generate heat. Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates like trail mix can stimulate metabolism.

An insect's body is almost pure protein. In fact, insects contain more than three times the amount of protein (per their size) as beef.

For everything on the topic of "eating insects", read the guide article "Survival Basics: Eating insects (preparation, catching, breeding)".

Insect eggs can be found in moist areas under rocks and in rotting tree trunks or stumps.

The beetle is the world's most popular edible insect. When you roast these creatures over a fire, they make a delicious dinner. For more information, click here.

Poisonous snakes tend to have elliptical pupils, while non-poisonous snakes have round pupils. However, this is not one hundred percent certain, as the venomous coral snake, for example, has round pupils.

Count the number of seconds between the lightning and the thunder and divide that number by three to estimate how many kilometers an approaching storm is away. All the details can be found in my guide.

In extreme cold, watch for stiff joints, loss of bladder control, puffy face, mental confusion, shivering, slow pulse, loss of coordination, and slurred speech to detect the onset of hypothermia. However, coughing does not occur.

Falling into cold water is especially fatal.

Before embarking on a wilderness trip, you should let someone know when and where you are going. If you get lost, rescuers have a better chance of finding you if they know where to look.

It is also always a good idea to bring along essential survival equipment.

If you're ready to send a smoke signal for help, try to remember the code that is common knowledge to campers everywhere. One smoke cloud signals your location, two smoke clouds mean you're safe, and three smoke clouds mean you need help.

If interested, the guide article "3 primitive signals to get attention in an emergency" will help you.

Almost all survival situations require some form of shelter. When building an emergency shelter, it should only be slightly larger than your body. After insulating it with all available materials, a smaller shelter facilitates the use of your own body heat.

How to build such a shelter can be found here.