In the world of children's humor, the riddle is the dominant form, and many of us grow up riddling into adult life. Most riddles involve a play on words. (Some would say a prey on words.) "What's black and white and read all over? A newspaper!" has been for several generations the first riddle that English speakers learn. Such question-and-answer interaction represents the child's first awareness that two or more meanings can occupy the same verbal space at the same time.

For your enjoyment and your learning, we offer approximately 4,500 entries in what we think is the largest collection of animal riddles ever put on display. These jokes are guaranteed to make you bark, bray, cackle, chirp, crow, honk, howl, meow, ribbet, roar, and squeal with hysterical laughter.