Animals Charades, Hard

35 words to act out

Hard animal charades is a list of creatures most people can picture but almost nobody can mime cleanly. A platypus, a pangolin, a narwhal, an axolotl, a Komodo dragon and a cuttlefish all require the actor to build the answer in pieces: start from an animal the room knows, then add the one feature that changes everything. Several prompts here are famous for being confused with each other, including aardvark and anteater, moose and elk and reindeer, and armadillo and pangolin, so precision beats enthusiasm. The insects and sea life at the end, praying mantis, scorpion, tarantula, stingray, pufferfish, are the fastest points on the list if your actor is willing to look ridiculous.

1. Platypus
2. Aardvark
3. Chameleon
4. Iguana
5. Armadillo
6. Anteater
7. Pangolin
8. Narwhal
9. Manatee
10. Wombat
11. Tapir
12. Lemur

13. Mongoose
14. Porcupine
15. Wolverine
16. Orangutan
17. Baboon
18. Gazelle
19. Antelope
20. Bison
21. Moose
22. Elk
23. Reindeer
24. Praying mantis
25. Scorpion
26. Tarantula
27. Cobra
28. Piranha
29. Stingray
30. Pufferfish
31. Cuttlefish
32. Axolotl
33. Toucan
34. Pelican
35. Komodo dragon

Assemble the animal from parts your team knows

Nobody has a ready-made mime for a pangolin. The reliable method on this tier is composition: act an animal the room definitely knows, then modify it. A platypus is a duck bill added to a swimming beaver. A narwhal is a dolphin with a single horn. An armadillo is a rolled-up ball with plates. An anteater is a long snout plus a very long tongue. Establish the base animal, wait for your team to shout it, then visibly change one feature so they know to keep going. For the reptiles and insects, chameleon, iguana, praying mantis, scorpion, lean on posture and stillness rather than movement, since most of these creatures are famous for holding a pose.

Charades tips & FAQ

How many animals charades words are on this hard list, and can I print them?

Thirty-five genuinely difficult animals, from pangolins to axolotls. The full list is on the page as text, so it prints onto one sheet and works as a standalone challenge round at the end of an easier game.

What makes these animals clues "hard" rather than another tier?

These animals are recognisable in a photograph but have no established mime. The reliable route is composition, act a familiar animal and then change one feature, which takes longer and demands more from the guessers.

How do we run a round of animals charades?

Play in two teams with a sixty-second timer, and agree one house rule before you start: no animal sounds. A single convincing moo ends the round instantly and takes the fun with it. The actor uses silhouette and movement only while their team shouts guesses, and you score a point for each animal named correctly before time runs out. On the hard tier, let the actor build from a familiar animal, and tell the guessers to keep going once they have named the base creature.

More charades word lists

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Want the background rather than another list? Read the charades rules and word-list guide (official gestures, timing, team setup and house rules worth stealing) and the party games night checklist (a running order that keeps a whole evening from stalling).

All tools: Never Have I Ever · D&D Name Generator · Would You Rather · Team Name Generator · Rapper Name Generator