About this puzzle
This animal word search starts with zoo favorites like the lion, tiger, and panda, then moves on to the creatures kids actually stop and stare at in a nature book: the hippopotamus, the armadillo, the chameleon, the platypus. Every name in the grid comes with a short note underneath, so a finished puzzle turns into a quick tour of how these animals live, eat, and survive.
It works well as a warm-up before a zoo trip, a quiet-time sheet at home, or a sponge activity during a science unit on habitats. Younger solvers can start on easy mode with words running forward only, while older kids can try the harder setting. The notes below are short enough to read aloud, and several of them make good discussion starters about mammals, reptiles, and marsupials.
The 24 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Dolphin
- Dolphins are mammals, so they breathe air through a blowhole on top of the head. Each bottlenose dolphin has its own signature whistle, a bit like a name.
- Elephant
- Elephants are the largest living land animals. An elephant's trunk is its nose and upper lip joined together, and it can pick up a single peanut or pull down a branch.
- Giraffe
- The giraffe is the tallest living animal. Its very long neck still has just seven neck bones, the same number humans have; each bone is simply much longer.
- Kangaroo
- Kangaroos are Australian marsupials. A newborn joey is tiny and finishes growing inside its mother's pouch, and adults hop on powerful back legs while using the tail for balance.
- Koala
- A koala is a marsupial, not a bear. It feeds almost entirely on eucalyptus leaves, which are low in energy, so koalas sleep or rest for most of the day.
- Lion
- Lions are the only big cats that live in family groups, called prides. A male lion's roar can be heard from about five miles away.
- Monkey
- There are more than 250 kinds of monkeys. Some monkeys in Central and South America have grasping tails that work like an extra hand for hanging from branches.
- Panda
- Giant pandas live in mountain forests in China, and bamboo makes up nearly all of their diet. A panda can spend 10 to 16 hours a day eating.
- Penguin
- Penguins are birds that cannot fly, but their stiff, flipper-like wings make them superb swimmers. Nearly all penguin species live in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Polar Bear
- A polar bear's skin is black, and its fur hairs are actually clear rather than white. Polar bears hunt seals from sea ice and are classed as marine mammals.
- Tiger
- Tigers are the largest wild cats. No two tigers have the same stripe pattern, and the stripes show on their skin as well as their fur.
- Zebra
- No two zebras have exactly the same stripe pattern. Scientists have debated why zebras have stripes, and one well-supported idea is that stripes discourage biting flies from landing.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Cheetah
- The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching roughly 60 to 70 miles per hour in short sprints. Its claws only partly retract, giving it grip like running spikes.
- Crocodile
- Crocodiles are reptiles whose relatives lived alongside the dinosaurs. Surprisingly, their closest living relatives are birds, since both groups descend from the same ancient reptile branch.
- Flamingo
- Flamingos are not born pink. Their color comes from pigments called carotenoids in the algae and tiny shrimp they filter from the water with their upside-down beaks.
- Gorilla
- Gorillas are the largest living primates and live in the forests of central Africa. Despite their size, they eat mostly leaves, stems, and fruit.
- Hippopotamus
- Hippopotamus comes from Greek words meaning river horse. Hippos spend hot days resting in water, and their closest living relatives are actually whales and dolphins.
- Octopus
- An octopus is a mollusk, related to snails and clams. It has eight arms, three hearts, and blue blood that carries oxygen with copper instead of iron.
- Rhinoceros
- A rhino's horn is made of keratin, the same material as your fingernails. There are five living rhino species, found in Africa and southern Asia.
- Sloth
- Sloths move so slowly that algae can grow in their fur, giving them a greenish tint that helps them blend into the treetops of Central and South America.
Added in Hard (4)
- Armadillo
- Armadillos are the only living mammals with a shell made of bony plates. The nine-banded armadillo usually gives birth to four identical babies at once.
- Chameleon
- A chameleon's eyes can move independently, so it can look in two directions at once. Its color changes are used mostly to signal other chameleons and manage body temperature.
- Platypus
- The platypus is one of the few mammals that lays eggs. Males have a venomous spur on each back ankle, and the bill senses tiny electric signals from prey underwater.
- Porcupine
- A porcupine is a rodent covered in thousands of sharp quills. It cannot shoot them, but the loose quills stick easily into any animal that touches it.
A few facts to share while you solve
- The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived, larger than any dinosaur discovered so far.
- Wombats produce cube-shaped droppings, which they leave on rocks and logs to mark their territory.
- An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 15 × 15 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 24 | 16 × 16 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard animal word search: all 24 words on a 16 × 16 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print animal word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
What age is this animal word search for?
It is written with kids around ages 6 to 11 in mind. Younger children can use easy mode, where words only run forward and across or down, while older kids and adults will find the hard setting a real challenge. Long names like Hippopotamus and Rhinoceros are good practice for spelling.
Which animals in the puzzle are marsupials?
The kangaroo and the koala are marsupials, meaning their babies finish developing in a pouch. The platypus also comes from Australia but is not a marsupial. It belongs to a tiny group called monotremes, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.
How can teachers use this puzzle in a science lesson?
After students finish, have them sort the animals into groups such as mammals, birds, reptiles, and mollusks, or by continent. The word notes give enough detail to settle tricky cases, like why a koala is not a bear and why an octopus is related to snails.
Is there an answer key for this animal word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 24 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
