125 Funny Animal Riddles to Challenge Your Friends

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Bend your mind with these puzzles!

Co-authored by Alison Betts and Aly Rusciano

Last Updated: August 7, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Easy Riddles
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• ''What Am I?'' Riddles
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• Funny Riddles
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• Rhyming Riddles
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• Hard Riddles
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

Are you an animal lover looking for a fun way to pass the time? Well, look no further! We scoured the internet for the best animal riddles to tease your brain. From easy, kid-friendly puzzles to rhyming words to tricky challenges—we have it all! Keep reading to give your brain a real challenge.

The Best Animal Riddles

• Question: What jumps when it walks and sits when it stands? Answer: Kangaroo
• Question: I am a fast runner, but can’t climb a tree. What am I? Answer: Cheetah
• Question: I fly at night with wings so wide, through the dark, I swoop and glide. Answer: Bat
• Question: I love eating bamboo. My fur is black and white. Answer: Panda

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Section 1 of 5:

Easy Animal Riddles for Kids

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1. 
   These animal riddles are simple and perfect for kids of all ages. Looking for a brain teaser that’ll make you think but not think too hard? If so, these riddles are perfect! The riddles below are ideal for young audiences or those wanting an “easier” challenge:

   • Question: This animal jumps when it walks and sits when it stands. Can you think of its name?
     • Answer: Kangaroo
   • Question: I have a shell and I crawl. What am I?
     • Answer: Turtle
   • Question: Quack, quack, I splash all day! Paddling pools are where I love to play. What am I?
     • Answer: Duck
   • Question: I bark and run. I guard and play. I’m your best friend every day! What am I?
     • Answer: Dog
   • Question: Shedding my skin is part of what I do. In the grass, I slither fast. With or without a rattle, I will scare you! Who am I?
     • Answer: Snake
   • Question: I like to hoot, and my big round eyes are quite a sight! What am I?
     • Answer: Owl
   • Question: I have no claws, but I’m not a bird. I like to climb trees, but I’m not a kid. I’m a common pet, but I’m not a dog. Who am I?
     • Answer: Cat
   • Question: I am yellow and have webbed feet. I can swim in the water.
     • Answer: Duck
   • Question: I’ve got lumps on my back and live on the sand. I’m strong and can carry you on land. What am I?
     • Answer: Camel
   • Question: I have a mane, but I’m not a lion, and I wear my shoes to bed. Who am I?
     • Answer: Horse
   • Question: I live in the woods. I am very big and furry. I like to eat fish, berries, and honey. Who am I?
     • Answer: Bear
   • Question: I never leave the water, but I breathe air. I live in a school. What am I?
     • Answer: Dolphin
   • Question: I am an animal with two long ears. I hop but don’t walk.
     • Answer: Rabbit
   • Question: I live upside down, and on Halloween, I’ll give you a big surprise. I see with my ears and not my eyes.
     • Answer: Bat
   • Question: I look like you, except I have a tail. My favorite food is bananas.
     • Answer: Monkey
   • Question: I’m fast as can be, with a mane that flows free. I run with the wind, wild and carefree.
     • Answer: Lion
   • Question: I’m spotted and sly, with a coat so bright. I prowl through the night with eyes that shine light.
     • Answer: Leopard
   • Question: I munch leaves from treetops, but my feet never leave the ground. Who am I?
     • Answer: Giraffe
   • Question: I’m spotty and speedy, but not at all greedy. I look like a leopard, but I’m not him. Who am I?
     • Answer: Cheetah
   • Question: What jumps when it walks and sits when it stands?
     • Answer: Kangaroo
   • Question: I buzz and hum and fly all around. In the summer, you’ll hear me; my wings make a sound.
     • Answer: Bee
   • Question: I’m an animal that carries my house on my back. I never run fast. I’m known to be slack.
     • Answer: Snail
   • Question: I live in a bowl. I can swim. I have a tail. I also have big eyes and fins. What am I?
     • Answer: Goldfish
   • Question: I have a hole in my back and legs I lack. I live where I can’t breathe, and I eat without teeth.
     • Answer: Whale
   • Question: I hide my treasure in the ground. My tail is big and fluffy. If you spot me in a tree, please don’t call me scruffy.
     • Answer: Squirrel
   • Looking for more kid-friendly brainteasers? Check out our list of kid riddles!
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Section 2 of 5:

What Am I? Animal Riddles

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1. 
   These animal riddles all ask the same question: “What am I?” The “What am I?” riddle is a classic. The goal is to figure out what the riddle references with the silliest or broadest of clues. We’ll start off easy, but as the list goes on, the riddles will get harder and harder. Do you have what it takes to solve them?

   • Question: They might call you me if you’re afraid. I am also something that you might eat. Even the eggs that I lay. What am I?
     • Answer: Chicken
   • Question: I am black and white, but not an old TV. My name starts with the letter Z. What am I?
     • Answer: Zebra
   • Question: I’m a four-legged animal that barks and wags its tail. You can trust me, and many say I’m they’re best friend. What am I?
     • Answer: Dog
   • Question: I am an animal with a long face. I run at a great pace, so people ride me in a race. What am I?
     • Answer: Horse
   • Question: I have four legs. I am a type of cat. I have orange and black stripes. What am I?
     • Answer: Tiger
   • Question: I look like humans, except I have a tail. I climb trees and feed on fruits. What am I?
     • Answer: Monkey
   • Question: I live in the ocean and move slowly. What am I?
     • Answer: Sea turtle
   • Question: I am a fast runner, but can’t climb a tree. What am I?
     • Answer: Cheetah
   • Question: I live on a farm. I like to eat grass. I give milk. What am I?
     • Answer: Cow
   • Question: I am known as the king of the jungle. What am I?
     • Answer: Lion
   • Question: I have a long neck and eat leaves from tall trees. What am I?
     • Answer: Giraffe
   • Question: I live on farms and have a pink color. When you get close, I stink! What am I?
     • Answer: Pig
   • Question: You put my start on toast, and my end describes the movement of birds. My baby eats leaves, but I drink flowers. What am I?
     • Answer: Butterfly
   • Question: I have a mane, but I’m not a lion, and I wear my shoes to bed. What am I?
     • Answer: Horse
   • Question: I have no eyes, ears, or legs. I will still move if you give me time. What am I?
     • Answer: Worm
   • Question: I love eating bamboo. My fur is black and white. What am I?
     • Answer: Panda
   • Question: I sleep during the day and fly at night, but I have no feathers to aid my flight. What am I?
     • Answer: Bat
   • Question: My skin is green and slippery. I have four legs and webbed feet. I hop on land and swim underwater. What am I?
     • Answer: Frog
   • Question: I have arms that are longer than my legs. I have been taught sign language to communicate. What am I?
     • Answer: Gorilla
   • Question: I have no sword, I have no spear, yet I rule a horde which many fear. What am I?
     • Answer: Queen bee
   • Question: Without me, Thanksgiving and Christmas are incomplete. When I’m on the table, everyone overeats. What am I?
     • Answer: Turkey
   • Question: I grow down when I grow up. What am I?
     • Answer: Goose
   • Question: I have four legs. I am gray. I have a sharp horn on the end of my nose. What am I?
     • Answer: Rhinoceros
   • Question: I wear a tuxedo and skate on my tummy. What am I?
     • Answer: Penguin
   • Question: It takes me two weeks to digest food, but I’m not known for being fast. What am I?
     • Answer: Sloth
   • Loving this style of brainteaser? We do too! Which is why we compiled the best “What am I?” riddles into this masterlist.

Section 3 of 5:

Funny Animal Riddles

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1. 
   These animal riddles will make you hoot with laughter! Perfect for kids and adults, the riddles below are full of jokes, puns, and all the things that make you laugh. After all, who says a riddle has to be boring? Not us!

   • Question: What do you get when you cross a cow and a duck?
     • Answer: Milk and quackers!
   • Question: What do you call a bear with no teeth?
     • Answer: A gummy bear.
   • Question: What do you call a fish without eyes?
     • Answer: Fsh.
   • Question: Why do ducks have feathers?
     • Answer: To cover their quacks.
   • Question: What animal is always at a baseball game?
     • Answer: A bat.
   • Question: Why don’t elephants use computers?
     • Answer: Because they’re afraid of the mouse.
   • Question: Why are fish so smart?
     • Answer: Because they live in schools.
   • Question: What do you call an alligator in a vest?
     • Answer: An investigator.
   • Question: Why did the cow go to space?
     • Answer: To see the moooon.
   • Question: What do you call a cow with no legs?
     • Answer: Ground beef.
   • Question: Why did the duck cross the road?
     • Answer: It was the chicken’s day off.
   • Question: Why are frogs so happy?
     • Answer: Because they eat whatever bugs them.
   • Question: What do you call a pig that knows karate?
     • Answer: A pork chop.
   • Question: What do you get if you cross a fish and an elephant?
     • Answer: Swimming trunks.
   • Question: Why did the chicken join the band?
     • Answer: Because it had the drumsticks.
   • Question: What do you call a cold dog?
     • Answer: A chili dog.
   • Question: What animal needs to wear a wig?
     • Answer: A bald eagle.
   • Question: Why don’t sheep go to school?
     • Answer: Because they’re baaaaad students.
   • Question: What do you call a lazy kangaroo?
     • Answer: A pouch potato.
   • Question: What has a horn but does not honk?
     • Answer: A rhinoceros.
   • Question: What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for school?
     • Answer: Bison.
   • Question: Why did the snake cross the road?
     • Answer: To hiss at the car.
   • Question: Why did the horse chew with its mouth open?
     • Answer: Because it had bad stable manners.
   • Question: Why don’t ants get sick?
     • Answer: Because they have tiny ant-bodies.
   • Question: What do you call a dog magician?
     • Answer: A labracadabrador.
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Section 4 of 5:

Rhyming Animal Riddles

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1. 
   These animal riddles sound more like a song than a puzzle. The riddle below all have one thing in common: the answers rhyme. Not only are these riddles fun to solve, but they’re perfect for kids of all ages (not to mention that they’re super fun to memorize)!

   • Question: I’m an animal easy to love but difficult to pet. I have a long trunk, and people say that I will never forget.
     • Answer: Elephant
   • Question: I’m warm and fuzzy, but do not cuddle. If you spot me, run away, even through a puddle. I can be brown, black, and even grizzly. And I’m a fan of food, even the sizzly.
     • Answer: Bear
   • Question: You’d find me looking like a dog, but I travel in a pack. Stories call me cunning, and I can get you running. I can be vicious, so watch your back.
     • Answer: Wolf
   • Question: My name rhymes with a steal, but I’m not an eel. I like to swim in the sea, but don’t let a polar bear see me.
     • Answer: Seal
   • Question: I like to steal food. I’m rarely in a good mood. It looks like I have two black eyes, and I’m smaller in size.
     • Answer: Raccoon
   • Question: I move without wings, between silken strings, I leave as you find my substance behind. Who am I?
     • Answer: Spider
   • Question: If you see this in the ocean, then you will probably pause because most people are so scared of this creature in Jaws.
     • Answer: Shark
   • Question: I am gold and can be black and white. I’m a symbol for a nation when freedom took flight. What am I?
     • Answer: Eagle
   • Question: I have a bushy tail and love to climb trees. I store nuts in the fall for my winter needs. What am I?
     • Answer: Squirrel
   • Question: I’m big and fluffy and a little bit scuffy. I live in the woods and give bug hugs, and if I live on your bed, you might call me Ted. Who am I?
     • Answer: Bear
   • Question: I’m bigger than a house, scared of a mouse, and have a great big toe and a hose for a nose. What am I?
     • Answer: Elephant
   • Question: My wings are used as flippers, so in water I can flow. Sometimes when on land, I slide on my belly in the snow.
     • Answer: Penguin
   • Question: I have horns, but I can’t beep. I like to bleat, but I’m not a sheep. What am I?
     • Answer: Goat
   • Question: I plough fields but never sow. I have a corkscrew tail and a snuffly nose. What am I?
     • Answer: Pig
   • Question: One of these is Cupid, but it doesn’t have a bow. Instead, it pulls a sleigh through the air and lands on snow.
     • Answer: Reindeer
   • Question: I travel very slowly when gliding along the ground. Maybe my shell weighs me down. In your garden I am found.
     • Answer: Snail
   • Question: Some types slither on the ground, and some can live up in the trees. Adders, vipers, and cobras. What kind of animals are these?
     • Answer: Snake
   • Question: I have a trunk, but I’m not a tree. With big, strong legs, I walk so free. What am I?
     • Answer: Elephant
   • Question: I purr and stretch. I like to nap. I chase a mouse and curl in your lap. What am I?
     • Answer: Cat
   • Question: I fly at night with wings so wide, through the dark, I swoop and glide.
     • Answer: Bat
   • Question: I have eight legs and spin a thread. In corners, I weave my web.
     • Answer: Spider
   • Question: My shell is home. I move so slow, through grass and dirt, I like to go.
     • Answer: Turtle
   • Question: I hop and leap. I’m small and green. In ponds and lakes, I’m often seen.
     • Answer: Frog
   • Question: I flutter around with colorful flair, find me in gardens floating in the air.
     • Answer: Butterfly
   • Question: I swim in water, not on land, with fins and gills, not feet and hands. In oceans, lakes, or in a tank. What am I?
     • Answer: Fish

Section 5 of 5:

Hard Animal Riddles

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1. 
   These animal riddles will rack your brain in the best way possible. Looking for a challenge? Well, we’ve got plenty of those right here! These riddles stump even the smartest folks, so play at your own risk. Our recommendation? Dish these riddles out to friends to make them go bonkers!

   • Question: A cowgirl rode into town on Friday. Three days later, she left on Friday. How is that possible?
     • Answer: Friday is the name of her horse.
   • Question: The alphabet goes from A to Z, but I go Z to A. What am I?
     • Answer: Zebra
   • Question: I carry my home with me, on land or in the sea. Who am I?
     • Answer: Turtle
   • Question: What has a thousand needles but cannot sew?
     • Answer: Porcupine
   • Question: Why do bees have sticky hair?
     • Answer: Because they use their honeycombs.
   • Question: I grow from eye to fish to creature. I burp when I talk and jump when I walk. Who am I?
     • Answer: Frog
   • Question: With four oars it swims, but it’s always at home. Its back is like armor, tougher than chrome. What animal is this?
     • Answer: Turtle
   • Question: I eat animals, but I don’t hunt or kill. What am I?
     • Answer: Vulture
   • Question: What is small but can climb a tower?
     • Answer: An ant.
   • Question: I am an animal named after the animal that I eat.
     • Answer: Anteater
   • Question: A king without a crown.
     • Answer: Lion
   • Question: The strangest creature you’ll ever find: two eyes in front and many more behind.
     • Answer: Peacock
   • Question: I stink in living, but when dead, smell good. What am I?
     • Answer: Pig
   • Question: I can fly, I can walk, and I can swim, but I don’t get wet. What am I?
     • Answer: A bird’s shadow.
   • Question: I have the exact same size and shape as a hippo, but weigh nothing. What am I?
     • Answer: A hippo’s shadow.
   • Question: The cow is my cousin. If you see my name, you’ll know what I mean.
     • Answer: Moose
   • Question: What goes in the water black and comes out red?
     • Answer: Lobster
   • Question: I can jump, I can swim, I swing from tree to tree to make a house bigger than myself. What am I?
     • Answer: Spider
   • Question: A prickly house a little host contains; the pointed weapons keep back from pains, so he, unarmed, safe in his fort remains.
     • Answer: Hedgehog
   • Question: If a man could carry my burden, he would break his back. I am not rich, but I leave silver in my track.
     • Answer: Snail
   • Question: What peels like an onion but still remains whole?
     • Answer: Lizard
   • Question: What king can you make if you take the head of a lamb, the middle of a pig, the hind of a buffalo, and the tail of a dragon?
     • Answer: Lion
   • Question: A man walks out of a house that has four walls all facing north. A bird walks past him. What is it?
     • Answer: Penguin
   • Question: I have three heads. Cut one off, I become stronger. Cut two off, I become ten. What am I?
     • Answer: Fox
   • Question: Stealthy as a shadow in the dead of night, cunning but affectionate if given a bite. Never owned but often loved. What am I?
     • Answer: Cat
   • Needing more of a challenge? Test your riddling skills with this masterlist of challenging and tricky riddles!
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