41 Riddles about Animals - Test Your Wildlife Knowledge

In flocks not seen in the sky,

A conniving wolf's disguise,

Counted before you sleep,

Don’t mind that I am fleeced.

Sometimes I live as a hermit,

Sometimes as a king,

Skeleton on my outside,

With my pincers, cling.

Lipstick won’t help my looks,

Dragged through mud, I’m happy

I will never learn to fly,

Gorge myself insatiably.

Name used to mock the scared,

Can run some distance with no head,

Descended from a dinosaur,

The egg or I - which came before?

It’s said I do as I see,

Tiny trickster of the trees,

Travel in troops, move like an acrobat,

Child in the middle when playing catch.

Bell rings as I walk close,

Give a gift as white as snow,

Sacred to some in the East,

In exclamations called holy.

The condemned are thrown to me,

Those with my heart show bravery,

I always take the largest share,

I have pride and great hair.

I grow within a pod,

Friendly with a smile broad,

My voice helps me see,

Clicks and whistles when I speak.

Loves to sing in deep tones,

Source of oil in days of old,

Loves to swim, but hates the beach,

Hidden except at times I breach.

Per the French, I have nice legs,

Designed to help me leap ahead,

It’s said if you’re silent, I’m in your throat,

Fill empty nights with my croak.

My voice gives me power to see,

Hanging from roof or tree,

In darkness I take to the sky,

Not a bird, but still I fly.

It’s said I cannot change my stripes,

Hold me by the tail and risk your life,

Clothed in lines of shadow and fire,

Roar is loud, feet are silent.

Used to smell, used to see,

Used to defend, and for loyalty,

Over millennia carefully bred,

To become man's best friend.

A quick mark made in a box,

Or a sound from a clock.

A blood sucking parasite,

Latches firm as I bite.

Leaving traces as I glide,

In my mobile home reside,

To some a delicacy,

Others may look hesitantly.

Home as far south as can be,

My feet move me along clumsily,

Always dressed dapper in my tuxedo,

Move through the deep like a torpedo.

My triangular top makes men scream,

But I can’t make a sound.

Dominator of depths with my own week,

A living fossil around.

Silent driller, tiny tiller,

Wriggling recycling squiggler,

Slippery soft, slowly I slide,

The early birds prize.

I vibrate when I am content,

The predator of many pests,

Stalk with silent steps stealthily,

Killed by my own curiosity.

A work of art, expertly weaved,

Empty after kids grow and leave,

Canopy castle, skyward suite,

Nature’s nursery, rounded retreat.

Sluggish with my armored case,

But still I can win the race,

I bring my home where I go,

Even though it may be slow.

Black and white but without ink,

Striped, I roam the night,

Be wary if I turn around,

My scent worse than my bite.

A cosmic arrow sealed our fate,

Things outdated go my way,

Our only traces lay in bones,

But we once ruled the world.

The earliest gets a treat,

Symbol of a life free,

Known to have the best view,

With one stone you may kill two.

Rhythm like a drum when I approach,

Hold on to me, a common reproach,

Usually naked except for my shoes,

My power pulls you forth if you so choose.

Two prized white bayonets,

Four logs, and sounds of a trumpet,

I do not forget,

Above ground, as big as they get.

Two prized white bayonets,

Four logs, and sounds of a trumpet,

I do not forget,

Above ground, as big as they get.

Always wearing a smile wide,

With patience I wait and hide,

Often confused for a log,

Until I lunge forth through the fog.

At open sea or in your home,

Countertop or ocean zone,

Absorb with my many pores,

Soft to the touch, scour with force.

Describes a hug from a long lost friend,

I rest for months on end,

Sometimes black, sometimes white,

Sometimes both, a welcome sight.

In a quiet corner, I toil away,

Crafting a home for me to stay,

And if a guest comes with a smack,

That just means I have a snack.

I navigate through an interface,

Or in quiet corners find my place,

Help you move through cyberspace,

Or scurry when cats give chase.

No feet to tread, no wings to soar,

Yet still I move across the floor,

No hands to grasp, but still I strike,

As I grow, I peel when tight.

Venture forth in a line,

Countless kin beneath the sky,

My strength greater than my size,

Underground, my city lies.

Floating forth, I dance and sway,

Swarm in an gentle ballet,

My form is weak, but mind my touch,

Jolts of pain when in my clutch.

A tireless worker, midst green I dwell,

Journeying forth when buds do swell,

My craft is sweet, a golden prize,

But my sting is no disguise.

A defect in computer systems,

Don't want me in your bed,

An informal term for virus,

Two antennae and six legs.

A master of water, land, and sky,

Mothers followed in a straight line,

Yelled when one may hit their head,

Twice before goose, I am said.

Schools - but no class,

Scales - but no key,

Shimmering unsurfaced,

Plenty in the sea.

In flocks not seen in the sky,

A conniving wolf's disguise,

Counted before you sleep,

Don’t mind that I am fleeced.

Sometimes I live as a hermit,

Sometimes as a king,

Skeleton on my outside,

With my pincers, cling.