How to use the animal generator
- Type how many animals you want, from 1 to 50.
- If you like, choose a letter under "Starts with". Leave it on "Any letter" to use the whole list.
- Press Generate. Your animals appear at once, with no repeats.
- Press Copy list to paste them somewhere else, or "Spin these on the wheel" to let the wheel pick one of them.
The generator picks from 163 animals. It starts with a fresh set each time you open the page, so you can use it straight away.
Games to play with random animals
- Animal charades: generate one animal and act it out without speaking. The first person to guess it goes next.
- Twenty questions: one player keeps a secret animal. Everyone else asks yes or no questions, such as "Does it live in water?"
- Draw it fast: generate three animals and draw each one in thirty seconds.
- Mix-up animals: generate two animals and invent a new creature that is half of each. Give it a name.
- Alphabet chain: pick a letter, generate an animal that starts with it, then use its last letter for the next round.
In the classroom
Teachers use random animals for writing prompts, science research and quick quizzes. Give each student a different animal to research, and ask them to find out where it lives, what it eats and one surprising fact. Use the "Starts with" filter for phonics, or generate six animals and ask the class to sort them into groups, such as animals with fur, feathers or scales.
On a projector, the wheel works well for calling out one animal at a time. Press Full screen under the wheel, and the result shows in big letters that the back row can read.
Using the animal wheel
The wheel starts with a mix of twelve animals from across the list. The quick lists above the entry box load the whole list, or the animals from one part of the alphabet. With every animal on the wheel, the slices are too thin for names, but the picked animal always shows clearly in the pop-up.
You can also type your own animals into the entry box, such as the animals in a picture book or the ones you saw on a school trip. Save the wheel from the Saved tab to use it again.
For writers and artists
Stuck for an idea? Generate an animal and make it the hero of a short story, or draw it in a style you have never tried. Generate two and make them unlikely friends. Small random limits like these are a good way to get past a blank page.
Fair and private
Every animal on the list has the same chance of being picked. The picks come from your browser's built-in secure random numbers, and nothing you do here is sent to us. For places instead of animals, try the random country generator.