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Jungle Animals Crossword Puzzle

Eighteen jungle animals, from anteater and gorilla to tarsier and mandrill, are the picture-clued answers to a numbered crossword grid with a full answer key.
Grades
Grades 3–7
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Mar 07, 2023

Subject
Biology, Life Sciences, Holiday & Seasonal, Science
Topic
Animals, Biology
Resource types
Crosswords Puzzles, Worksheets, Worksheets & Printables
Preparation
Print ready

From the author

About this resource

This crossword puzzle is about recognizing jungle animals and spelling their names correctly. This crossword is suitable for 3rd-7th graders as part of their biology lessons or as a fun holiday activity! As some of the animals may not be familiar to every student, I would recommend doing this crossword in small groups or with a pair, but you can use this for individual work, too. This is a print and go resource that includes answers.

Students have to recognize the animals from drawn pictures and then name them in the horizontal rows of the crossword one letter at the time. This also helps to practice the correct spelling of these rainforest animals.

When the students fill the crossword correctly, they will find a hidden message from the emphasized vertical row. The hidden message is: Tropical Rainforest. The animals in this crossword live in tropical environments in different continents (South America, Africa and Asia). Some of the animals also live in other habitats in addition to the tropical climate. 

The animals in this crossword are: Anteater, scorpion, dragonfly, piranha, okapi, capybara, orangutan, lemur, tiger, tarsier, iguana, mandrill, kingfisher, baboon, gorilla, chameleon, sloth, coati. 

If you like this crossword, check out my Teach Simple page for other crosswords: https://teachsimple.com/contributor/thebrightestkid There are some crosswords for biology and more for spelling and languages. The crosswords are usually available in English, Spanish and French (there are not exactly the same animals in different languages, but most of them are the same).

This crossword is self-checking in the way that a meaningful hidden message will signal the students that they have most likely done it right.

Grades: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th

Themes: Biology, vocabulary, cultural activities*

Number of students per crossword: 1-4

Preparation: Printing

Suitable for: Classroom work, homework, for substitute teacher.

Answers: Included

 *especially if used together with versions of the crossword in different languages

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Students will identify 18 jungle animals from picture clues and spell each name correctly in the crossword grid.

  • Students will practice correct spelling of domain-specific vocabulary, including less common terms such as tarsier, coati, mandrill, and okapi.

  • Students will use intersecting letters between answers to confirm entries they are less certain of.

Teaching tips

  • Preview a few of the less familiar names (tarsier, coati, mandrill, okapi) before assigning it independently, since not every student will recognize these animals on sight.

  • Pair students or use small groups for the first attempt, since several answers depend on picture recognition rather than a text clue.

  • Use the answer key on page 2 to let students self-check once the grid is filled in.

Skills covered

  • Animal identification — recognizing 18 jungle animals, from common ones like tiger and gorilla to less familiar ones like tarsier, coati, and mandrill, from picture clues.

  • Spelling practice — writing each identified animal's name correctly, one letter per crossword box.

  • Cross-referencing strategy — using intersecting letters between answers to confirm entries a student is unsure of.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Which animals appear in the crossword?

All 18: anteater, scorpion, gorilla, okapi, hummingbird, macaw, parakeet, lemur, tarsier, toucan, coati, mandrill, kingfisher, orangutan, dragonfly, chameleon, sloth, and tiger.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

  • Jungle animals

  • Animal vocabulary

  • Spelling

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