Going to the zoo is always an exciting adventure! From seeing your favorite animals up close, to learning new facts at the educational exhibits, there’s always something new to discover. Riddles are a fun way to get your brain working and challenge yourself with some animal trivia. Here are 91 riddles about going to the zoo with the answers provided at the end. Test your knowledge and see how many you can get right!
Zoo Riddles – Animals
Mammals
1. What black and white animal is related to the horse that lives at the zoo?
A zebra.
2. I have a very long neck and spots. I eat leaves from tall trees. What am I?
A giraffe.
3. I am gray and very large. I have big ears and a trunk. What animal am I?
An elephant.
4. I am huge and fat. I have tusks and thick skin. I use my nose to spray water. Who am I?
An elephant.
5. I am known as the king of the jungle. I have a big mane and roar loudly. What animal am I?
A lion.
6. I am the largest land mammal in the world. I am related to the elephant, but much bigger. What am I?
A rhinoceros.
7. I am a large mammal that lives in cold climates. I have thick white fur and love the snow. What animal am I?
A polar bear.
8. I eat bananas and swing from tree to tree. I have long arms and no tail. What animal am I?
A monkey.
9. I am a cute mammal with large ears and buck teeth. I like to eat carrots. What animal am I?
A rabbit.
10. I have antlers and live in the forest. Males grow large antlers to show off their strength. What animal am I?
A deer.
Aquatic Animals
11. I am large and gray. I love to swim in the ocean with my pod. What animal am I?
A dolphin.
12. I am a large ocean mammal with two big teeth coming out from my mouth. What animal am I?
A narwhal.
13. I am a slippery fish that lives in tropical oceans. I have long fins and a bright, colorful tail. What fish am I?
A betta fish.
14. I am a huge whale that feeds by filtering tiny shrimp through my baleen plates. What am I?
A blue whale.
15. I am a fish that swims in schools in the ocean. My body is silvery and streamlined for speed. What am I?
A herring.
16. I am a slow-moving ocean mammal with a hard shell on my back. I am an endangered species. What am I?
A sea turtle.
17. I am a small fish with bright orange and white stripes. People say I have a memory of only 3 seconds. What am I?
A clownfish.
Birds
18. I am large, flightless bird that cannot fly but I can run very fast. I have long legs and a long neck. What am I?
An ostrich.
19. I am a big bird with a large beak that lives in Australia and cannot fly. What am I?
An emu.
20. I am a beautiful bird with colorful feathers. I can mimic human speech. What kind of bird am I?
A parrot.
21. I am a large predator bird with excellent eyesight. I hunt for mice and other small prey. What kind of bird am I?
An eagle.
22. I am a tropical bird with a large, colorful beak and feathers. I eat fruit and nectar. What kind of bird am I?
A toucan.
23. I am a water bird with a long neck, long legs and a long pointy beak. I wade through shallow water looking for fish. What kind of bird am I?
A heron.
24. I am a small bird that likes to visit bird feeders. I have a red breast and brown feathers. What kind of bird am I?
A robin.
Reptiles
25. I am a large reptile that lives in swampy areas. I have a hard shell on my back. What animal am I?
An alligator.
26. I am a reptile with dry, scaly skin. I move very slowly. What animal am I?
A snake.
27. I am a reptile with a hard upper shell that I can hide inside when I’m scared. What animal am I?
A turtle.
28. I am a large lizard with scales and long sharp claws. I come from China and Indonesia originally. What am I?
A komodo dragon.
29. I am a reptile that lives in hot deserts. I have spiky scales on my back and tail. What am I?
A horned lizard.
30. I am a scary reptile that many people fear. I have sharp fangs and inject venom when I bite. What am I?
A venomous snake.
Insects
31. I am an insect with large colorful wings. I start out life as a caterpillar. What am I?
A butterfly.
32. I am a busy insect that lives in hives and makes honey. What am I?
A honeybee.
33. I am a beetle with a hard shell that can be many different colors. I roll dung into a ball for food. What am I?
A dung beetle.
34. I am an insect that lives in colonies underground. I have a large head and powerful jaws. What am I?
An ant.
35. I am an insect that makes webs to catch my food. I have eight legs and produce silk. What am I?
A spider.
36. I am an insect with large wings and a long thin body. I fly around lights at night. What am I?
A moth.
Zoo Riddles – Habitats
Jungle
37. I live in the warm, wet jungle. I swing from vines and eat bananas. What animal am I?
A monkey.
38. I am the largest cat in the world. I live in the jungles of Asia and Africa where I hunt. What animal am I?
A tiger.
39. I have colorful feathers and a large beak. I love fruit and nectar. What kind of jungle bird am I?
A toucan.
40. I am green with a red throat pouch. I am famous for my colorful face and rear end. What funny jungle animal am I?
A mandrill.
41. I am a large jungle primate with long arms. I build nests high up in the trees to sleep at night. What am I?
An orangutan.
42. I slither along the jungle floor looking for small animals to eat. I am feared for my venomous bite. What am I?
A jungle viper.
Savanna
43. I am the tallest land mammal with a very long neck. I live on the African savanna. What am I?
A giraffe.
44. I am a large gray mammal with thick skin and two pointy horns on my snout. I live on the African savanna. What am I?
A black rhinoceros.
45. I am a powerful feline hunter with golden fur and dark spots. I blend into the tall savanna grasses. What am I?
A cheetah.
46. I am a huge mammal with two big tusks coming out of my mouth. I use them to dig and find water. What savanna animal am I?
An African elephant.
47. I am an African mammal with curved horns on my head. I am related to cattle. What savanna animal am I?
An African buffalo.
48. I am a funny-looking bird that cannot fly but can run very fast. My eggs are very large. What savanna bird am I?
An ostrich.
Forest
49. I have antlers on my head that I shed every year. I live in forests eating leaves and twigs. What animal am I?
A deer.
50. I am the only wild cat that lives and hunts together in groups called prides. I have excellent night vision. What am I?
A lion.
51. I sleep hanging upside down from tree branches during the day. I fly out at night to catch insects in my wings. What am I?
A bat.
52. I am a forest bird with bright red feathers on my head and breast. I love to sing loud, musical songs. What am I?
A northern cardinal.
53. I am a small omnivore mammal with a bushy tail that lives in forests. I collect nuts to store for winter. What am I?
A squirrel.
54. I am a rodent with large orange front teeth that I use to nibble and gnaw. I build dams and lodges. What am I?
A beaver.
Polar
55. I am a large mammal that lives on the ice in the Arctic. I have thick white fur and hunt seals. What am I?
A polar bear.
56. I am a marine mammal with long tusks. I use them to break through ice when I surface to breathe. What arctic animal am I?
A narwhal.
57. I am a sea bird with black and white feathers that cannot fly but I swim very well. What am I?
A penguin.
58. I am an artic mammal with thick fur that changes to white in winter. I hunt lemmings and fish. What am I?
An Arctic fox.
59. I am a large whale that migrates to the Arctic every year to feed. I can break through ice with my head. What am I?
A beluga whale.
60. I am a marine mammal with long tusks that I use to dig in the snow. What arctic animal am I?
A walrus.
Desert
61. I am a desert mammal with large humps on my back to store fat and water. What animal am I?
A camel.
62. I am a desert mammal with large ears and hooves specially adapted to walk on sand. What am I?
A fennec fox.
63. I am a reptile that lives in hot, dry deserts. My spines help camouflage me in the sand. What am I?
A horned lizard.
64. I am a desert bird that can survive for days without water. I have an unusual mating dance. What kind of bird am I?
A greater roadrunner.
65. I am a desert insect that spits a foul-tasting liquid to deter predators. I live in colonies. What am I?
A spitting spider.
66. I am a desert snake with a triangular head and heat-sensing pits. I can sidewind through loose sand. What am I?
A rattlesnake.
Zoo Riddles – Jobs
67. I work at the zoo caring for all the animals. I provide food, clean habitats and monitor their health. What is my job?
A zookeeper.
68. I am a scientist who studies animal behavior and psychology. I try to understand how animals think. What is my job?
An animal behaviorist.
69. I am a biologist who specializes in the study of reptiles and amphibians. I am an expert on snakes, turtles and frogs. What is my job?
A herpetologist.
70. I am qualified to provide medical care to zoo animals. I treat injuries and illnesses. What is my job?
A veterinarian.
71. I design the zoo’s public exhibits, animal habitats and visitor facilities. I create enriching spaces for animals and guests. What is my job?
A zoo exhibit designer.
72. I educate zoo visitors and teach them about animals and conservation. I give talks, demonstrations and behind-the-scenes tours. What is my job?
An educational zoo guide.
73. I manage and oversee all staff and operations at the zoo. I make big decisions for the overall welfare of the zoo. What is my job?
A zoo director.
Zoo Riddles – Food
74. I am sweet and grow on trees. Primates love eating me. What food am I?
Bananas.
75. I am crunchy and nutritious. Squirrels like to bury and store me. What food am I?
Nuts.
76. I am green and leafy. Giraffes use their long tongues to eat me from tall trees. What food am I?
Leaves.
77. I am red and juicy. Tigers and lions enjoy eating me because of all my muscle. What food am I?
Meat.
78. I am pink and wiggly. Penguins swallow me whole to get protein. What food am I?
Fish.
79. I am hard on the outside but chewy on the inside. Monkeys have to crack me open to get to the good stuff. What food am I?
Nuts.
80. I am yellow and come from grasses. Bees work very hard to make me. What food am I?
Honey.
81. I am green and crunchy. Rabbits and deer nibble on me all day long. What food am I?
Vegetation.
82. I am brown and very fragrant. Bears love tearing open logs to get at my delicious grubs. What food am I?
Insects.
83. I am small and nutritious. Ants harvest me in large quantities to feed their colony. What food am I?
Seeds.
Zoo Riddles – General
84. Where can you see lions, giraffes, penguins and monkeys all in one place?
The zoo.
85. I am a place where animals are kept for people to come visit and learn. What am I?
A zoo.
86. I am a structure where marine animals like dolphins, seals and penguins can swim and be viewed by the public. What am I?
An aquarium exhibit.
87. I am an outdoor area at the zoo that is designed to recreate an animal’s natural wild habitat, like a savanna or jungle. What am I?
A habitat exhibit.
88. I am a hands-on area at the zoo where guests can touch and interact with gentle animals. What am I?
A petting zoo.
89. I am a show where trained animals demonstrate their strength, agility and intelligence by performing in front of an audience. What am I?
An animal show.
90. I am a talk given by an expert zookeeper where they share fun facts and insider information about the animals. What am I?
A keeper chat.
91. I allow guests to observe animals up close from the safety of a vehicle driven through expansive habitats. What am I?
A zoo safari.
Conclusion
Going to the zoo is an amazing experience! With so many different habitats, animal species, exhibits, and sights to see, there is always something new to discover. Whether watching the monkeys play, glimpsing a shy sloth, being splashed by a playful sea lion, or just relaxing to the sound of tropical birds, the zoo offers endless adventures. These riddles cover a range of zoo topics – from animals and their food to the jobs people do to make the zoo run. How many did you get right? The zoo is a place where we can all learn a little more about the incredible diversity of life on our planet. Next time you visit, see how many clever animals you can spot!
