Science riddles are a fun and engaging way to challenge your knowledge and learn new information about various scientific topics. Here are 87 riddles spanning biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and more, along with their explanatory answers.
Biology Riddles
Biology covers the science of living organisms. Here are some brainteasers about animals, the human body, plants, and more:
Animals
1. What do you call a sleeping bull? Answer: A bulldozer.
2. What do you get when you cross a chimpanzee with a gorilla? Answer: A chimpanzee because you can’t cross breed different species.
3. What do you call a bear with no teeth? Answer: A gummy bear.
4. Why don’t oysters share their pearls? Answer: Because they’re shellfish!
5. What time is it when an elephant sits on a fence? Answer: Time to get a new fence!
6. What do you call a snake that works for the government? Answer: A civil serpent.
7. What do you get from a pampered cow? Answer: Spoiled milk.
8. What do you call a sleeping bull? Answer: A bulldozer.
9. Why did the pony get sent to bed early? Answer: He was a little horse.
10. Why don’t sharks like fast food? Answer: Because they prefer fast swimmers!
The Human Body
11. What part of your body disappears when you stand up? Answer: Your lap.
12. I have billions of cells, but no brain or heart. What am I? Answer: Your hair.
13. What body part continues to grow your entire life? Answer: Your nose.
14. What gets wetter the more it dries? Answer: A towel.
15. What bone has a funny name that reminds you of laughter? Answer: The humerus bone in your arm.
16. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I? Answer: A candle.
17. What body part is long, hard, bendable, and contains the letters p,e,n? Answer: Your spine.
18. What has a face but no body? Answer: A clock.
19. What gets broken without being held? Answer: A promise.
20. What has a neck but no head? Answer: A bottle.
Plants
21. What loses its head in the morning and gets it back at night? Answer: A flower.
22. What plant stands but never sits? Answer: Bamboo.
23. I’m light as a feather yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I? Answer: Your breath.
24. What plant can you always find at a baseball game? Answer: Pitcher plant.
25. What grows up but never grows down? Answer: Your age.
26. What tree can fit in your hand? Answer: A palm tree.
27. What loses its head in the morning and gets it back at night? Answer: A flower.
28. What belongs to you but is used more by others? Answer: Your name.
29. The more it dries, the wetter it becomes. What is it? Answer: A towel.
30. What gets wetter as it dries? Answer: A towel.
Chemistry Riddles
Test your knowledge of elements, compounds, reactions, and more with these chemistry brainteasers:
31. What do you do with a dead chemist? Answer: Barium.
32. What did the scientist say when he found 2 isotopes of helium? Answer: “HeHe!”
33. What’s a meteorologist’s favorite chemical element? Answer: Bromine, because of all the bromides in the atmosphere.
34. Why can’t you trust atoms? Answer: They make up everything!
35. What did one chemist say to the other chemist? Answer: “We have great chemistry together!”
36. Why did the scientist add chocolate syrup to her chemical solution? Answer: She wanted to make a fudge-icle!
37. What did the proton say to the electron? Answer: “Hey baby, want to hook up?”
38. Why did the atoms all stop moving? Answer: They reached 0 Kelvin!
39. Why was the carbon happy to be dating the chlorine? Answer: They had a perfect bond!
40. How do you make a chemical smile and laugh? Answer: Add a little Bromine and Cadmium.
Physics Riddles
Physics covers motion, matter, energy, and more. Here are some riddles exploring physical concepts:
41. What stays in one corner but travels all around the world? Answer: A postage stamp.
42. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I? Answer: A candle.
43. What goes through towns and over hills but never moves? Answer: A road.
44. The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it? Answer: Darkness.
45. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock? Answer: A piano.
46. What has hands but can’t clap? Answer: A clock.
47. What gets broken without being held? Answer: A promise.
48. What has four legs but can’t walk? Answer: A table.
49. What has words but never speaks? Answer: A book.
50. What has a head and a tail but no body? Answer: A coin.
Astronomy Riddles
Explore the cosmos with these astronomy and space-themed riddles:
51. I’m as bright as the sun but don’t emit light. What am I? Answer: The moon.
52. I’m surrounded by gas but contain no air. What am I? Answer: The sun.
53. I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, and clouds with no rain. What am I? Answer: The moon.
54. I’m home to humans but not their habitat. What am I? Answer: Earth.
55. I have a huge rocky core but no life. What celestial body am I? Answer: Mercury.
56. I’m the second planet from the Sun and the hottest in the solar system. What am I? Answer: Venus.
57. I’m the largest planet in the solar system with over 60 moons. What planet am I? Answer: Jupiter.
58. I have the shortest year in the solar system at only 88 days. What planet am I? Answer: Mercury.
59. I’m the farthest planet from the Sun with icy blue rings. What am I? Answer: Neptune.
60. I’m the smallest and densest planet in the solar system. What am I? Answer: Mercury.
General Science Riddles
Test your general science knowledge with these riddles spanning biology, chemistry, physics, and more:
61. What has to be broken before it can be used? Answer: An egg.
62. What has words but never speaks? Answer: A book.
63. What gets wetter as it dries? Answer: A towel.
64. Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughters name? Answer: Mary.
65. What has a head and a tail but no body? Answer: A coin.
66. What has a neck but no head? Answer: A bottle.
67. What goes up and down but does not move? Answer: Stairs.
68. What gets wetter the more it dries? Answer: A towel.
69. What can you break but not touch? Answer: A promise.
70. What is full of holes but still holds water? Answer: A sponge.
71. What is always coming but never arrives? Answer: Tomorrow.
72. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it and grey when you throw it away? Answer: Charcoal.
73. I have hands but no arms. What am I? Answer: A clock.
74. What has a head and a tail but no body? Answer: A coin.
75. What starts with E, ends with E, but only contains 1 letter? Answer: An envelope.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy these science riddles and learning the explanatory answers? Science covers a vast range of fascinating topics that lend themselves well to riddles and puzzles. Riddles engage the brain, integrate science concepts in memorable ways, and encourage us to think critically. Learning through fun and play ignites our curiosity about the world.
The riddles here provide a sampling of topics spanning biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and general science knowledge. You can find additional challenging riddles about animals, planets, elements, the human body, and more to continue exploring science in new ways. Dive into a topic that interests you most and see what new discoveries you can make!
Want more fun science riddles? Here are some additional examples to ponder:
76. What starts with a P, ends with an E, and has thousands of letters? Answer: The post office.
77. What goes up and down the stairs without moving its legs? Answer: The railing.
78. I have cities with no houses, forests with no trees, and water with no fish. What am I? Answer: A map.
79. What gets wetter the more it dries? Answer: A towel.
80. What kind of band never plays music? Answer: A rubber band.
81. What has four legs but can’t walk? Answer: A table.
82. I have four wheels and a steering wheel, but I’m not a car. What am I? Answer: A shopping cart.
83. What is full of holes but can still hold water? Answer: A sponge.
84. What goes all around the yard but never moves? Answer: A fence.
85. What has many needles but doesn’t sew? Answer: A Christmas tree.
86. What has words but never speaks? Answer: A book.
87. What has a face but no head? Answer: A clock.
Hope you had fun with these science riddles! Let them spark your sense of wonder about the natural world.
