Kids Riddles For Animal Identification

By: Justin Zablocki (author, Zablocki Bros. LLC) on September 17th, 2013 05:14 PM.

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Kids riddles are an excellent way to test the problem solving abilities of kids and can present a fun way to use material taught in science, social studies, math and other core subjects. Kids riddles for animal identification takes traits of animals and asks the students to identify animals based on these characteristics. It is recommended to present a variety of traits in each riddle to give students who may know some facts and not others a chance at solving the riddle. Students can solve the riddles in groups and use discussion to identify the animals described in each riddle. An open discussion between students will help them share their knowledge and more successfuly answer the provided riddles. Here is a selection of seven kids riddles for animal identification based on North American animal species:

Riddle #1

I am taller than you,
I live in forests and fields.
I eat plants, grass, twigs, and buds.
When I am nervous I sometimes snort.
I can live up to 15 years in the wild,
but I usuallly only make it to 3 or 5.
i have antlers.
My babies are called fawns.

Riddle #2

I can weigh up to 60 pounds,
And I am the size of a medium-sized dog.
I live in rivers, wetlands, and ponds.
I eat the inner bark of trees.
We don't make much noise.
We usually live about 10 years.
I have huge front teeth and a flat tail.

Riddle #3

I can weigh between 13 and 44 pounds,
And I can be up to 3 feet long.
I live in forests, meadows, and people's backyards.
I eat anything I can find including berries, crayfish, and garbage.
We can growl or screech,
But we usually don't say much at all.
We usually live 2 or 3 years,
But some of us make it to 10.
We wear masks on our faces nd rings on our tails.

Riddle #4

I weigh as much as 2 or 3 quarters.
I live in woods and backyards.
I eat small insects and seeds.
I say my name when I sing.
Most of us only live to be 1 or 2 years.
When I sing, I say "chick a dee dee dee"

Riddle #5

I am eleven inches long.
I live in open forests and backyards.
I eat worms and insects in the summer,
And berries in the fall and winter.
Some people describe my song as "Cheery."
I usually only live for a few years.
Some people think my presence is a sign of spring.

Riddle #6

I am 2.5 to 4 inches long,
About as long as an adult's hand is wide.
I live in ponds and lakes,
And usually hang around the edge.
When I am young, though, I live in the water.
I eat insects and other invertabrates.
My song sounds like someone strumming a rubber band.
I am not grown up until I am 5 years old,
And when I can, I live for several years after.
I am an amphibian.
I am a strong hopper and some people say I "ribbit."

Riddle #7

I am 2.5 to 3.25 inches from head to tail.
I live around wetlands, lakes and pond edges as an adult,
When I am younger I live under water.
I eat flying insects as an adult,
And underwater insects when I am young.
I don't make much noise,
Except for my wings buzzing a bit.
I live for about a year in the water, and a year after.
My thorax is green and my abdomen is blue.
I have 4 wings. 

The answers to the riddles above are as follows: (1) White-tailed deer; (2) American beaver; (3) racoon; (4) black-capped chickadee; (5) American robin; (6) green frog; (7) green darner dragonfly