Animal Clue Game

This game is a fun educational game where students read clues and work together to identify the
animals. It is suitable for ages 8 to 18 and even adult groups can appreciate this fun guessing
game. This particular set of Animal Clue Cards is an Australianised version of a game found in
Joseph Cornell’s fabulous 1989 book titled “Sharing the Joy of Nature”. I encourage anyone who is
interested in Environmental Education to check out his books. This is a very good game for
capturing the groups’ enthusiasm at the start of a lesson. It breaks the ice and creates bonds
between people in the group.

This game has forty clues that describe four different animals: Kookaburra, Blue whale, Frog and
Spider

Set Up

The aim of the game is to discover the identity of the four animals by collecting the ten matching
clue cards into one group. Print the clue cards and cut them into individual clues. Hand out the
forty clue cards to the group. Give the easier clues to those who can’t read so well or are perhaps
younger. Give some students two clues as all forty Animal Clue Cards must be given out.

How to Play

Students should be directed to call out the animal they think they are from reading their own
Animal Clue Card. They should also listen to what other students are calling out. For example, a
player’s card might say: ‘I’m white and brown with some very handsome blue feathers’. The player
thinks, ‘Maybe I’m a parrot,’ so he calls out, ‘Parrot! Parrot!’ No one else shouts ‘Parrot!’, but
someone is shouting ‘Kookaburra!’ and the player notices several other people heading in the
Kookaburra-person’s direction. He checks his clue again and realises he could be a Kookaburra, so
he joins this group and they try to collect other Kookaburra Animal Clue Cards.

An animal group might like to assign a leader to gather the clues and then the players can
concentrate on their other clues.

And the Winner is…

Check each group’s clue cards only when they have gathered all ten cards. When all the animals
are identified each group could be asked to read out two or three interesting facts.
Make it Harder, Easier or More Relevant

It is really easy to make your own clue cards to suit your learning needs or interests of the
students. Add in additional animals to make the game harder. Add in animals that address your
theme to make the game more relevant to you topic. There are blank clue cards in this pack for
you to write your own animal clues. Here are some hints for writing your own clues:

 Choose animals that are easily distinguished and different to the others in the game. For
example it is unlikely to confuse a bear with a snake but a rabbit and a bear are harder to
distinguish.
 If a clue fits two animals, add a distinguishing feature. For example, if you are writing clues
for a frog and a whale, the clue “I have to go to the surface to get air” is ambiguous. Adding
‘…and I lay eggs’ removes ambiguity.
 Add pictures and make the clues easy to read for younger players.
 Make your clues suit the knowledge of the group by adding more obscure details for
experienced naturalists.
Teacher Clue Checklist

Kookaburra

1. I’m very well known for my distinctive call which some say sounds like laughing!
2. I’m white and brown with some very handsome blue feathers.
3. I make a nest in a hollow of a tree or maybe a hole in a termite mound!
4. I lay up to four eggs and my family will help me keep the eggs warm. It takes a long time for a chick
to become independent and they usually hang around to help guard the territory.
5. Habitat loss is a problem when my woodland forests are cut down. My kind have adapted very well
to suburban areas which offer large trees and food.
6. My average life span is 15 years. There is estimated to be 65 million of my kind flying around
Australia.
7. I’m a large member of the kingfisher family.
8. I have a very strong beak which helps me to eat my diet of insects, worms, crustaceans. I even eat
small snakes, frogs and small mammals. My beak can grow up to 10cm long!
9. I attack my prey by perching on a nearby branch and watching closely. I pounce on my prey and fly
back to the branch to eat it.
10. I get together with others in my family to loudly claim our territory. Each morning we call and
though it might sound like laughing to you it tells others where our territory is

Frog

1. I find safety in water from those who might try to eat me. My skin colour helps me blend in.
2. When I’m young I eat plants, but as I grow older I change to a diet of insects.
3. When I’m young I breathe water through gills. Later, as an adult, my body changes and I develop
air-breathing lungs.
4. My tongue is located at the tip of my mouth. I flip my tongue out to catch insects.
5. I’m cold-blooded, swim, and lay my eggs in water.
6. If it’s cold, I’ll spend my winter in the mud on the bottom of a pond. Some of my kind can even live
deep underground in the desert!
7. I am able to breathe and drink through my skin. I have two webbed feet.
8. The males of my kind sing to attract the females. But neither males nor females build nests or care
for our babies.
9. I have four legs, two eyes, and a backbone.
10. I’m usually green or brown but I can have patches of red or yellow. I am a master of camouflage. I
live in and out of the water.
Spider

1. There are 50,000 species of my kind. We are very adaptable and live in many different places. Our
kind have been around for 300 million years. Now many of us live in your house!
2. I can catch a lot of insects with a trap that I make.
3. Most of us spin our own silk which we use to make egg cocoons, construct webs and traps, line our
burrows, and wrap up our prey before we eat them.
4. When I’m born I look just like Mum and Dad – eight eyes, two body sections, and quite a few legs. I
don’t have any wings or antennae though.
5. When I’m born I look just like Mum and Dad – eight eyes, two body sections, and quite a few legs. I
don’t have any wings or antennae though.
6. When I’m born I look just like Mum and Dad – eight eyes, two body sections, and quite a few legs. I
don’t have any wings or antennae though.
7. I change my skin often as I grow older and larger. This process is called moulting. I moult 4 to 12
times before I’m a full grown adult. I never change my looks, just my size.
8. Scorpions, ticks, mites and crabs are some of my relatives.
9. Usually I’m brown, gray or black, but I can also be red, green or yellow. I do not have two or four
legs, and really, I’m not such a bad fellow.
10. I eat lots of insects, many of which carry disease or are harmful to plants. I wear my skeleton on the
outside of my body.

Blue Whale

1. As a baby I weigh 2,700 kilos. During the first 7 months of my life I drink about 400 litres of milk
each day and gain about 90 kilos each day!
2. I have a ‘blow’ which is a powerful blast of water as thick as a man’s arm and up to 6 metres high.
3. I breathe through two holes in the top of my head. A relative of mine who has only one air-hole can
hold his breath for an hour and a half and dive to ocean depths of over 2 kilometres.
4. Because of over hunting in the past, there are estimated to be between 5, 00 and 12,000 of us left.
Since hunting bans have been introduced our numbers have increased.
5. My food is mostly a shrimp-like animal called krill. I eat about 2500 kilos of krill each day.
6. Many animals came out of the sea to live on dry land – but I went back!
7. I’m the largest creature that has ever lived on Earth. I’m bigger than three prehistoric dinosaurs and
weigh as much as 35 African elephants.
8. I can hear and talk with others of my kind over distances up to 800 kilometres. That’s because
sound travels better in water than in air. I also use sonar – like a bat.
9. My body has a very thick layer of blubber (up to 60cm thick during parts of the year) which keeps
me warm even in ice-cold ocean waters. With all that fat, I still look sleek and beautiful.
10. I’m warm blooded and feed my young milk. My young are born live – I don’t lay eggs.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 1 of 10

I’m very well

known for my I’m white and brown
distinctive call
with some very
which some say handsome blue
sounds like feathers.
laughing!

I find safety in water When I’m young I eat

from those who plants, but as I grow
might try to eat me. older I change to a
My skin colour helps diet of insects.
me blend in.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 2 of 10

I lay up to four eggs

I make a nest in a and my family will
hollow of a tree or help me keep the
maybe a hole in a eggs warm. It takes a
termite mound! long time for a chick
to become
independent and they
usually hang around
to help guard the
territory.

Habitat loss is a
problem when my My average life
woodland forests span is 15 years.
are cut down. My There is estimated
kind have adapted to be 65 million of
very well to my kind flying
suburban areas around Australia.
which offer large
trees and food.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 3 of 10

I have a very strong

I’m a large member beak which helps me
of the kingfisher to eat my diet of
family. insects, worms,
crustaceans. I even
eat small snakes,
frogs and small
mammals. My beak
can grow up to 10cm
long!

I get together with

I attack my prey by others in my family
perching on a to loudly claim our
nearby branch and territory. Each
watching closely. I morning we call and
pounce on my prey though it might
and fly back to the sound like laughing
branch to eat it. to you it tells others
where our territory
is.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 4 of 10

When I’m young I

My tongue is located
breathe water
at the tip of my mouth.
through gills. Later,
I flip my tongue out to
as an adult, my body
catch insects.
changes and I
develop air-
breathing lungs.

I’m cold-blooded, If it’s cold, I’ll spend

swim, and lay my my winter in the mud
eggs in water. on the bottom of a
pond. Some of my
kind can even live
deep underground in
the desert!
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 5 of 10

I am able to breathe
The males of my kind
and drink through
sing to attract the
my skin. I have two
females. But neither
webbed feet.
males nor females
build nests or care for
our babies.

I’m usually green or

I have four legs, two brown but I can have
eyes, and a patches of red or
backbone. yellow. I am a master
of camouflage. I live
in and out of the
water.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 6 of 10

As a baby I weigh
I have a ‘blow’
2,700 kilos. During
which is a powerful
the first 7 months of
blast of water as
my life I drink about
thick as a man’s
400 litres of milk
arm and up to 6
each day and gain
metres high.
about 90 kilos each
day!

There are 50,000

species of my kind.
We are very I can catch a lot of
adaptable and live in insects with a trap
many different that I make.
places. Our kind
have been around
for 300 million years.
Now many of us live
in your house!
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 7 of 10

Most of us spin our

own silk which we When I’m born I look
use to make egg just like Mum and
cocoons, construct Dad – eight eyes,
webs and traps, two body sections,
line our burrows, and quite a few legs.
and wrap up our I don’t have any
prey before we eat wings or antennae
them. though.

My eight simple eyes I have poison fangs

help me see to the to paralyse my prey.
front, behind, above, I suck out their
below and to the insides and discard
sides. I also have their empty shells.
eight legs.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 8 of 10

I change my skin
often as I grow older
and larger. This Scorpions, ticks,
process is called mites and crabs are
moulting. I moult 4 some of my
to 12 times before relatives.
I’m a full grown
adult. I never
change my looks,
just my size.

Usually I’m brown, I eat lots of insects,

gray or black, but I many of which carry
can also be red, disease or are
green or yellow. I do harmful to plants. I
not have two or four wear my skeleton on
legs, and really, I’m the outside of my
not such a bad body.
fellow.
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 9 of 10

I breathe through
Because of over
two holes in the top
hunting in the past,
of my head. A
there are estimated
relative of mine who
to be between 5, 00
has only one air-hole
and 12,000 of us left.
can hold his breath
Since hunting bans
for an hour and a
have been
half and dive to
introduced our
ocean depths of
numbers have
over 2 kilometres.
increased.

My food is mostly a
shrimp-like animal Many animals came
called krill. I eat about out of the sea to live
2500 kilos of krill on dry land – but I
each day. went back!
 Animal Clue Cards Game 1. Page 10 of 10

I’m the largest I can hear and talk

creature that has with others of my
ever lived on Earth. kind over distances
I’m bigger than up to 800 kilometres.
three prehistoric That’s because
dinosaurs and sound travels better
weigh as much as in water than in air. I
35 African also use sonar – like
elephants. a bat.

My body has a very

thick layer of
blubber (up to 60cm I’m warm blooded
thick during parts of and feed my young
the year) which milk. My young are
keeps me warm born live – I don’t lay
even in ice-cold eggs.
ocean waters. With
all that fat, I still look
sleek and beautiful.
Animal Clue Cards - Spares