AnimalsCroatia
Griffon vulture Fun facts for kids
Gyps fulvus
The griffon vulture lives on mountain cliffs in Europe and Asia and eats dead animals like sheep and deer.
- Where it lives
- on mountain cliffs in Europe and Asia
- What it eats
- dead animals like sheep and deer
- How big it is
- wings wider than a tall person
Fun facts about the griffon vulture
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
Its spread wings can be wider than a tall grown-up, but it weighs only about as much as a big house cat.
When it gets scared, it throws up, which makes it lighter for take-off and is a yucky surprise for anyone too close.
It can float in the sky for hours, hardly flapping, and travel more than 100 kilometres in one day.
Its tummy juices are so strong they destroy nasty germs, so eating rotten meat doesn't make it sick.
Griffon vultures keep an eye on each other, so when one flies down to food, dozens more come from far away.
They nest together on cliffs, and one big valley in Spain can hold hundreds of vulture pairs side by side.
Its head and long neck have only short white fluff, which stays cleaner while it eats.
A vulture mum and dad have just one egg a year and take turns keeping it warm for about 52 days.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I live high up on rocky mountain cliffs, with lots of neighbours nesting right beside me.
I can float in the sky for hours, hardly flapping my wings at all.
When I get scared, I throw up, which makes me lighter for take-off.
My tummy is so strong that eating rotten meat never makes me sick.
My head and long neck have only short white fluff, and I eat dead animals.
Sammy might be thinking of a griffon vulture.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the griffon vulture in the Croatia adventure.
Play the CroatiaComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
