Thought Zoo

AnimalsCroatia

Animals of Croatia 20 riddles for kids, with the answers

Croatia has a long sea coast with more than a thousand islands, mountains, thick forests and deep caves under the ground. That is why so many different animals live here, from loggerhead turtles and monk seals in the sea to lynx in the forests and the olm, which lives only in dark cave water.

  1. Read one clue at a time
  2. Your friend guesses
  3. Tap Show me to check
Professor Sammy, a cartoon explorer in a safari hat and round glasses

Riddles

Who am I? Guess the animal

Read a riddle to a friend, one clue at a time. How many clues do they need? The last clue gives it away. Tap Show me to check the answer.

  1. Riddle 1

    1. I'm a bird who scratches for seeds, berries and insects in the forests and villages of India.

    2. I'm quite heavy, but every night I flap straight up into a tall tree to sleep.

    3. My loud wailing call carries far and often warns other animals, even tigers, that danger is near.

    4. My feather colours come from tiny shapes that bend light, so a crushed feather turns dull brown.

    5. To show off, I spread my long blue and green feathers into a giant fan full of eyes.

    Show me
    Peacock, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Peacock facts for kids

  2. Riddle 2

    1. I have feathers and webbed feet, and I can both fly and swim.

    2. I can drink salty sea water, and the salt drips out of my nose afterwards.

    3. My chicks peck a red spot on my yellow beak when they are hungry.

    4. I drop crabs and snails from the air onto rocks to crack their shells open.

    5. At the beach I scream loudly and snatch chips and ice cream right out of your hands.

    Show me
    Seagull, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Seagull facts for kids

  3. Riddle 3

    1. Every spring I come back to Europe, and in autumn I fly all the way to Africa.

    2. Sparrows and starlings often build their homes in the walls of my huge stick nest.

    3. On hot days, I squirt my own poo onto my legs to cool down.

    4. I have no real voice, so I clatter my long red beak loudly instead.

    5. I nest on roofs and chimneys, and in old stories I bring new babies to families.

    Show me
    Stork, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Stork facts for kids

  4. Riddle 4

    1. I live far out in the open sea, and I swim in the Adriatic Sea too.

    2. By day I dive deep into the dark sea, and at night I swim up near the top.

    3. I have a special heater near my eyes, and they can be as big as a tennis ball.

    4. When I was a baby I had teeth and scales, but now I have none at all.

    5. My top jaw grows into a long, flat blade that I swing to slash and stun my food.

    Show me
    Swordfish, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Swordfish facts for kids

  5. Riddle 5

    1. I live with people in homes and on farms all over the world.

    2. Long ago, I trotted beside horse carriages for miles to guard them and keep the horses calm.

    3. I have so much energy that I need a long run every day.

    4. When I was born, I was completely white, with no marks on me at all.

    5. I'm a white dog covered in round black spots, and many fire stations have me as their mascot.

    Show me
    Dalmatian, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Dalmatian facts for kids

  6. Riddle 6

    1. I live in beech and oak forests in Europe, and I only come out at night.

    2. I can run down a tree trunk head first and leap from branch to branch.

    3. If something grabs my tail, the skin slips off like a glove, and I escape.

    4. When I live in an attic, my thumping and squeaking at night make people think of ghosts.

    5. I'm the sleepiest animal in storybooks, and I sleep through winter for seven months or more.

    Show me
    Dormouse, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Dormouse facts for kids

  7. Riddle 7

    1. I live in damp forests in Europe near cool streams, and I come out on rainy nights.

    2. I breathe partly through my wet skin, so I must always stay damp.

    3. If I lose my tail or a leg, I can slowly grow a new one.

    4. I can squirt a milky poison from behind my eyes to keep hungry animals away.

    5. I'm shiny black with bright yellow spots, and long ago people thought I was born in flames.

    Show me
    Fire salamander, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Fire salamander facts for kids

  8. Riddle 8

    1. I love lying in the warm sun on bushy hillsides and in meadows.

    2. I sleep underground all winter and wake up when spring comes.

    3. I flick my tongue in and out to smell what is around me.

    4. If something grabs my tail, it snaps off and keeps wiggling while I run away.

    5. I'm brown as a baby, then bright green, and in spring the boys get blue throats.

    Show me
    Green lizard, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Green lizard facts for kids

  9. Riddle 9

    1. I spend almost my whole life in warm seas, but I still need to breathe air.

    2. Lots of little hitchhikers, like seaweed and tiny crabs, ride along on my back.

    3. I cry salty tears, because little parts near my eyes push out the extra salt from the sea.

    4. I hatched on a beach, and the warmth of the sand decided if I'd be a boy or girl.

    5. I'm a turtle with a huge head that I can't pull inside my reddish-brown shell.

    Show me
    Loggerhead turtle, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Loggerhead turtle facts for kids

  10. Riddle 10

    1. I live alone in thick forests and on rocky mountains in Europe and Asia.

    2. I'm so shy that many people who live near me never see me at all.

    3. My big furry paws work like snowshoes, so I can run on deep snow where deer sink in.

    4. People say I can spot a hare from as far away as three football fields.

    5. I'm a big wild cat with a very short tail and black tufts on the tips of my ears.

    Show me
    Lynx, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Lynx facts for kids

  11. Riddle 11

    1. I live in warm seas all over the world, close to the top of the water.

    2. I like to hide and hunt under seaweed and logs that float in the sea.

    3. I grow super fast, and I can lay eggs when I'm only a few months old.

    4. Flying fish are my favourite food, and I chase them as they glide above the waves.

    5. I shine gold, green and blue, and the grown-up boys among us have a tall, flat forehead.

    Show me
    Mahi-mahi, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Mahi-mahi facts for kids

  12. Riddle 12

    1. I spend most of my life in the sea, and I rest on rocky coasts.

    2. I have no ears sticking out, only tiny holes on the sides of my head.

    3. When I dive underwater, I can squeeze my nose holes shut tight.

    4. On land I wiggle along on my belly, because my back flippers can't turn forward to walk.

    5. Most of my cousins like icy seas, but I'm a rare whiskered swimmer hiding in warm Mediterranean caves.

    Show me
    Monk seal, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Monk seal facts for kids

  13. Riddle 13

    1. I am a small bird that hides in thick bushes and hops on the ground looking for bugs.

    2. Every autumn I fly all the way across a huge desert to Africa, mostly at night.

    3. I'm plain brown with a rusty red tail, so people hear me much more than they see me.

    4. My song can have more than 200 different parts, and I'm very loud for my size.

    5. When spring comes, I sing my beautiful song late into the night, and poets love me.

    Show me
    Nightingale, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Nightingale facts for kids

  14. Riddle 14

    1. I love lying on warm rocks in the sunshine to heat up my body.

    2. I sleep through the whole winter deep inside cracks in the rocks.

    3. My mother did not lay eggs, I was born alive with my brothers and sisters.

    4. When I close my mouth, my long fangs fold back against its roof.

    5. I'm a snake from rocky hills with a little soft horn on the tip of my nose.

    Show me
    Nose-horned viper, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Nose-horned viper facts for kids

  15. Riddle 15

    1. I live on rocky seabeds and spend my days hiding in little holes in the rock.

    2. I have no head, no brain and no eyes, but I can feel light all over my body.

    3. My five teeth sharpen themselves and can grind a hole into solid rock.

    4. I walk on hundreds of tiny stretchy feet and sometimes carry pebbles on top like a sunshade.

    5. I'm a round, dark purple ball of sharp spines, so wear beach shoes when you swim near me!

    Show me
    Sea urchin, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Sea urchin facts for kids

  16. Riddle 16

    1. I live far out in the open sea and hunt smaller fish and squid.

    2. I swim across a whole ocean, then return to the sea where I was born to lay eggs.

    3. I can never stop swimming, because I breathe by pushing water through my open mouth.

    4. My muscles, eyes and brain stay much warmer than the sea, which is rare for a fish.

    5. I'm a huge, speedy fish with a dark blue back, and people love eating me in sushi.

    Show me
    Tuna, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Tuna facts for kids

  17. Riddle 17

    1. I live high up on rocky mountain cliffs, with lots of neighbours nesting right beside me.

    2. I can float in the sky for hours, hardly flapping my wings at all.

    3. When I get scared, I throw up, which makes me lighter for take-off.

    4. My tummy is so strong that eating rotten meat never makes me sick.

    5. My head and long neck have only short white fluff, and I eat dead animals.

    Show me
    Griffon vulture, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Griffon vulture facts for kids

  18. Riddle 18

    1. I live in forests across Europe, and I'm awake mostly at dusk and at night.

    2. I like to sleep in old squirrel nests, hollow trees or even big birds' nests.

    3. In autumn I eat lots of berries, and my poo turns blue-black and full of seeds.

    4. I can run down a tree trunk headfirst, because my ankles can twist around.

    5. Croatia's old money carried my name, and I have a creamy patch on my throat.

    Show me
    Marten, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Marten facts for kids

  19. Riddle 19

    1. I spend my whole life in water, deep under the ground where it is always dark.

    2. I can go about ten years without eating anything at all.

    3. My eyes are hidden under my skin, but I can still feel light with my skin.

    4. Long ago, floods washed me out of caves, and people thought dragons lived down there.

    5. I'm pale pink with red feathery gills, and my skin looks almost like a person's.

    Show me
    Olm, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Olm facts for kids

  20. Riddle 20

    1. I live in seagrass on the sea floor, and once I'm grown up I never move.

    2. I eat by sucking in seawater and sieving out tiny bits of food, which helps keep the sea clear.

    3. Little shrimps and crabs often move inside my shell and live there like lodgers.

    4. Long ago, people wove my shiny golden threads into sea silk, one of the rarest cloths ever.

    5. I'm the biggest shellfish in the Mediterranean, standing upright in the sand as tall as a grown-up's waist.

    Show me
    Pen shell, a cartoon from Thought Zoo
    Pen shell facts for kids

Now let Sammy pick one of these animals.

In Thought Zoo, Sammy hides one of these animals and you find it by asking her yes-or-no questions, out loud. Turn the riddles around: now you ask the questions.

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