Riddles can be a fun way to challenge your brain and learn more about the animal kingdom. Here are 81 riddles about animals that will stump and delight adults. Test your animal knowledge and see how many you can get right!
Riddles about Mammals
Mammals are warm-blooded animals that have hair or fur and produce milk to feed their young. Mammals include creatures like cows, dogs, bats, and humans. Here are some brain teasers about our furry and milk-making friends:
1. What has large ears, tusks, and a trunk?
An elephant.
2. What hops around and lives in a burrow underground?
A rabbit.
3. What creature is known as man’s best friend?
A dog.
4. What snorts, rolls in the mud, and makes an “oink” sound?
A pig.
5. What has stripes, lives in Africa, and is the fastest land animal?
A zebra.
6. What loves bananas and swings from tree to tree?
A monkey.
7. What hibernates all winter and has sharp claws for climbing trees?
A bear.
8. What says “moo” and produces milk on a farm?
A cow.
9. What has tusks, a long nose, and lives in Africa or Asia?
An elephant.
10. What scurries, collects nuts, and has a big bushy tail?
A squirrel.
Riddles about Birds
Birds are feathered, winged animals that lay eggs. From chickens to eagles, parrots to penguins, here are some riddles to ruffle your feathers:
11. What has wings but can’t fly and says “quack quack”?
A duck.
12. What migrates south for the winter and travels in a V-shape formation?
Geese.
13. What bird soars high in the sky and has a curved beak and sharp talons?
An eagle.
14. What has colorful feathers, repeats words, and sits on a perch?
A parrot.
15. What waddles, lives in Antarctica, and is black and white?
A penguin.
16. What has a red crest on its head and says “who”?
An owl.
17. What lays eggs for breakfast and says “cock-a-doodle-doo”?
A rooster.
18. What bird can’t fly but runs very fast?
An ostrich.
19. What bird delivers letters and packages?
A carrier pigeon.
20. What bird sings early in the morning and has a beautiful voice?
A nightingale.
Riddles about Fish and Aquatic Animals
Take the plunge into the wet world of fish, sharks, whales, and other underwater creatures with these aquatic riddles:
21. What lives in the ocean, is quite playful, and has a round nose and whiskers?
A dolphin.
22. What swims together in a school and has shimmery silver scales?
Fish.
23. What is a slow-moving, spiky aquatic animal?
A sea urchin.
24. What looks like a rock but is actually an aquatic animal?
An octopus.
25. What swims, has eight arms with suckers, and sprays ink for defense?
An octopus.
26. What underwater creature has ten arms and changes colors?
A squid.
27. What swims closely together, travels long distances, and breaches from the water?
Whales.
28. What is the largest predatory fish with many sharp teeth?
A great white shark.
29. What animal lives in the ocean but comes to the beach to lay eggs?
A sea turtle.
30. What has a hard shell and lives under the sea?
A crab.
Riddles about Reptiles and Amphibians
Slither your way through riddles about lizards, snakes, frogs, and their cold-blooded cousins:
31. What hops around, catches flies with its long tongue, and lives both on land and in water?
A frog.
32. What animal sheds its skin, has no legs, and slithers on its belly?
A snake.
33. What has a hard shell on its back and crawls very slowly?
A turtle.
34. What lives in tropical areas, hangs by its tail, and eats insects?
A lizard.
35. What lives in the desert, can go for long periods without water, and spits venom as a defense?
A camel.
36. What burrows underground to hibernate through cold winter months?
A gopher tortoise.
37. What aquatic animal has gills to breath underwater and a flat tail for swimming?
A newt.
38. What creature sticks to walls and catches insects in a web?
A gecko.
39. What reptile has green skin and extends its neck to catch prey?
An anole lizard.
40. What scaly creature lives in rivers and lakes but can breathe air?
A crocodile.
Riddles about Insects
Can you guess the tiny insects in these bite-sized brain teasers?
41. What has wings, loves the outdoors, and lands on flowers to drink nectar?
A butterfly.
42. What buzzes around, makes honey in a hive, and has a nasty sting?
A bee.
43. What wriggles around in the dirt and becomes a moth or butterfly?
A caterpillar.
44. What has six legs, builds large communities, and invades picnic food?
Ants.
45. What hops and chirps musically on summer nights?
Crickets.
46. What flies and lands on food, often spreading germs?
Flies.
47. What insect lives in colonies, digs tunnels underground, and carries food back to the nest?
Ants.
48. What has a venomous sting, yellow and black stripes, and builds nests for its colony?
A wasp.
49. What insect sucks blood from humans and other animals?
A mosquito.
50. What wiggles on the ground when it rains and becomes a flying insect?
A worm.
Riddles about Farm Animals
Moo-ve your mind into the farm yard with these agricultural riddles:
51. What farm animal gives us eggs for breakfast?
A chicken.
52. What farm animal rolls in the mud to stay cool and says “oink”?
A pig.
53. What farm animal has udders and produces milk?
A cow.
54. What animal eats hay, loves carrots, and has long ears?
A rabbit.
55. What animal brays loudly and helps carry heavy loads?
A donkey.
56. What farm animal has a woolly coat that we use to make clothing and blankets?
A sheep.
57. What barnyard animal clucks and has feathers?
A chicken.
58. What animal lives in a sty, rolls in mud, and has a curly tail?
A pig.
59. What animal chews its cud and produces milk for making cheese?
A cow.
60. What animal is used for plowing fields and pulls carts?
An ox.
Riddles about Horses
Saddle up and trot through these equestrian riddles:
61. What animal is great for riding and racing? It neighs and gallops.
A horse.
62. What does a horse eat? This crunchy snack keeps them happy.
Hay
63. Where does a horse live? In this building on the farm.
A stable.
64. What does a horse wear on its hooves when people ride it?
Horseshoes.
65. What is a baby horse called? This little horsie is so cute.
A foal.
66. What is a female horse called? This momma horse nurses the foal.
A mare.
67. What is a male horse called? This strong stallion leads the herd.
A stallion.
68. What is a young male horse called? This rambunctious equine is almost fully grown.
A colt.
69. What is a baby female horse called? This little lady horse will grow up to be a mare.
A filly.
70. What does a horse use to run very fast? It whips around as the horse gallops.
Its tail.
Riddles about Wild Animals
Take a walk on the wild side with riddles about lions, pandas, and other untamed beasts:
71. What is the king of the jungle with a mighty roar?
A lion.
72. What black and white animal munches on bamboo in China?
A panda.
73. What African animal has a very long neck and eats leaves from tall trees?
A giraffe.
74. What big gray animal lives in the Arctic, swims in freezing waters, and has tusks and thick blubber?
A walrus.
75. What spotted big cat likes to lounge in trees and is an excellent hunter?
A leopard.
76. What animal looks like a teddy bear but has sharp teeth and claws for catching salmon?
A grizzly bear.
77. What black and white animal uses echolocation and enjoys eating fruits and insects?
A bat.
78. What horned animal lives in Africa, charges when threatened, and is the largest land animal?
A rhinoceros.
79. What animal has a pouch for carrying babies and hops on its hind legs?
A kangaroo.
80. What rainforest animal spends most of its time in trees, eating leaves and napping?
A sloth.
Conclusion
81. What eight-legged creature spins webs and catches its prey?
A spider.
How many of these animal riddles could you solve? Riddles are a fun test of logic, vocabulary, and general knowledge. The next time you want to give your brain a workout, try sharing a few animal riddles with family, friends, or colleagues. Getting stumped can be frustrating but also very rewarding when you finally figure out the solution. Learning more about the animal kingdom is just one benefit of puzzling over these zoological brain teasers.
