Animals of Europe Puzzle: Geography Educational Game
Animals of Europe Puzzle is a free online knowledge level game designed to test your understanding of European wildlife distribution. In this interactive geography exercise, you must discover and place various strange and familiar animals lurking across the European continent. It is an excellent educational tool for science classes, geography lessons, and exciting homework assignments regarding global biodiversity.
The History of European Fauna
The formation of the European fauna began in the Mesozoic era with the splitting of the Laurasian supercontinent, eventually separating from both North America and Asia during the Eocene epoch. During the early Cenozoic era, as the continents approached their present configuration, Europe experienced periods of land connections to North America via Greenland. This resulted in the active colonisation and exchange of numerous animal species. In those ancient times, higher sea levels often fragmented Europe into island subcontinents, allowing unique evolutionary paths for local wildlife.
How to play Animals of Europe Puzzle
When you load the game, you will see 16 movable pieces representing different animals situated on the left side of the screen. Drag and drop them into their correct geographical habitats on the map of Europe. Beware—one of the animals provided is an imposter that does not belong to the European continent! Sort the correct 15 animals to win the game.
Knowledge Achievements:
Successfully map 12 European animals and get +1 Knowledge Level.
Did you know?
• The European Bison: The European bison (wisent) is the heaviest wild land animal in Europe. Hunted to extinction in the wild in the early 20th century, it has since been successfully reintroduced from captivity into several European countries, most notably in the Białowieża Forest between Poland and Belarus.
• Largest of the Lynxes: The Eurasian lynx is the largest of all lynx species and is native to European and Siberian forests. Despite its size, it is incredibly elusive and primarily hunts ungulates like roe deer.
• Venomous Mammals: While native to the Iberian Peninsula, the Pyrenean desman is a bizarre, semi-aquatic mammal related to moles. Even stranger is the Eurasian water shrew, one of the very few venomous mammals in the world, which uses toxic saliva to paralyze its prey.
Top 10 Iconic Animals Native to Europe
While Europe may not have the massive megafauna of Africa, its diverse forests, mountains, and coastlines host a remarkable variety of wildlife. Here are ten of the most recognisable species found across the continent:
1. European Bison
The continent's heaviest land animal
2. Eurasian Wolf
A highly social apex predator
3. Eurasian Brown Bear
Found largely in Eastern & Northern Europe
4. Eurasian Lynx
A secretive, tufted-eared feline
5. Red Fox
Highly adaptable and widespread
6. Wild Boar
The wild ancestor of the domestic pig
7. Moose (Elk)
The largest extant species in the deer family
8. Red Deer
Famous for their massive, branching antlers
9. Alpine Ibex
A mountain goat built for steep, rocky terrain
10. Atlantic Puffin
A colourful seabird nesting on rocky cliffs
Class Subject: European Wildlife
This fun learning game may answer some of the following questions:
What unique animals live in Europe? Where do Atlantic puffins nest? Are there wild killer whales in European waters?
Find and place these 15 European animals:
Eurasian Badger
Forest Dweller
Red Deer
Woodland Herbivore
Killer Whale (Orca)
Apex Marine Predator
Atlantic Puffin
Coastal Sea Bird
Red Squirrel
Tree-dwelling Rodent
Fire Salamander
Forest Amphibian
Mute Swan
Elegant Water Bird
