A random animal generator you can spin
Need an animal for a drawing, a game, a story or a classroom? Press Spin and this random animal
generator picks one from 98 animals. The wheel turns, lands on an animal, and shows you its group and where it
lives. It is free, runs in your browser, and needs no account.
Spin it for fun, or narrow it first to the kind of animal you want, such as birds, sea animals or bugs.
How to get a random animal
- Choose the animals. Leave it on All animals, or pick one or more groups.
- Choose how the wheel looks. Show emoji, names, or both.
- Press Spin. You can also click or tap the wheel, or press Ctrl (⌘ on a Mac) plus Enter.
- Read the result. You get the animal, its group and its habitat.
- Spin again. Turn on No repeats if you do not want the same animal twice.
What is on the animal wheel
The wheel holds 98 animals in six groups. The list is every animal that has its own emoji, one for each kind,
plus a few extinct ones for fun.
- Mammals (49): from a cat, a dog and a horse to a lion, a gorilla, a sloth and a polar bear.
- Birds (13): an eagle, an owl, a flamingo, a penguin, a parrot and more.
- Reptiles and amphibians (5): a crocodile, a frog, a lizard, a snake and a turtle.
- Sea life (13): a shark, a dolphin, a whale, an octopus, a jellyfish and others. Dolphins and whales are mammals, but they sit here because people look for them with the ocean animals.
- Bugs (14): a bee, a butterfly, a ladybug and a spider, along with the scorpion, the snail and the worm.
- Extinct (4): the dodo, the woolly mammoth, a tyrannosaurus and a sauropod.
Pick a random bird, sea animal or bug
Under Kind of animal, choose a group and the wheel holds only those animals. That turns it into a
random bird generator, a sea animal spinner or a bug picker in one click. Choose two groups to mix them, such as Birds
and Reptiles. To go the other way, open Choose individual animals, search by name and untick the
ones you want to skip.
What you see when it lands
The result shows the animal’s name and emoji, its group, and a short note on its habitat, such as “Savannas of Africa”
for a giraffe or “Rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra” for an orangutan. It is a nice prompt for a question: where is
that, and what does the animal eat there? The result is text, so screen readers announce it too.
Show on the wheel sets how each slice is written. Emoji + name is the default. Emoji alone is cleaner
for a guessing game, and names alone are the safest if an emoji shows as an empty box on an older device.
No repeats: a different animal each time
With No repeats on, each picked animal comes off the wheel when you close its result, so a round never
lands on the same animal twice. The wheel gets smaller with every spin, and Put picked animals back
starts it over. With it off, every spin is independent and an animal can come up again, which is how random works.
Is the random animal picker fair?
Yes. When you press Spin, the page asks your browser for a secure random number (crypto.getRandomValues)
and turns it into one animal on the wheel without favoring any of them. Each animal has the same chance, which is 1 in
98 with all of them on. The result is chosen first, then the wheel is aimed at it, so the animation never changes
the outcome. For the detail, read how WheelSpinny picks.
Random does not mean evenly spread. Spin ten times and you may see three birds and no mammals. That is normal, and an
animal is never “due” because it has not come up.
Ideas for using an animal spinner
- Drawing and art challenges. Draw whatever the wheel lands on, or spin twice and invent a new creature from the two.
- Writing prompts. Spin for a main character, then for its habitat or its sidekick.
- Classrooms. Give each child an animal to research. Pick a group to match your topic and use No repeats so no two are the same.
- Guessing games. Show emoji only and let players guess, or have someone act out the animal that comes up.
- Mascots and names. Pick an animal for a team, a club, a project or a character.
- Party and family games. Make animal noises, name three facts, or play “animal charades”.
Want a different kind of pick? Try the random country generator, the
random state generator or the random color generator. For
your own list, head to the main spin the wheel page.
Good to know
- The list is fixed to these 98 animals. Some, such as an axolotl or a komodo dragon, are missing because they have no emoji.
- Your groups, display choice and No repeats setting are saved in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
- Press Share to copy a link to your wheel.
- The tool works on phones, tablets and desktop browsers, and with a keyboard. Sound is optional, and a device set to reduce motion skips the long spin.
Random animal generator FAQ
What is a random animal generator?
A random animal generator picks an animal by chance so you do not have to choose one yourself. This one is a wheel: it spins, lands on one of 98 animals, and shows the animal’s group and where it lives.
How do I get a random animal?
Press Spin. You can also click or tap the wheel, or press Ctrl (⌘ on a Mac) plus Enter. The wheel turns and lands on an animal, and the result appears with its group and habitat.
Is the random animal generator free?
Yes. It is free, runs in your browser, and needs no account, sign-up or install.
Can you give me a random animal right now?
Yes. The wheel is at the top of this page and is ready to spin. Press Spin and you have an animal in a few seconds.
Is the animal really random, and is it fair?
Yes. The animal is drawn the moment you press Spin, using your browser’s secure random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues) with a method that avoids bias. Every animal on the wheel has the same chance, which is 1 in 98 with all of them on. The animation is aimed at the result and never changes it.
What is an animal spin wheel?
It is a wheel with an animal on each slice. You spin it, and the animal under the pointer when it stops is your pick. It does the same job as a random animal picker, with something to watch while you wait, which suits a class, a group or a game.
How many animals are on the wheel?
98, in six groups: 49 mammals, 13 birds, 5 reptiles and amphibians, 13 sea animals, 14 bugs and 4 extinct animals. They range from a lion, a panda and a penguin to a ladybug, a shark and a woolly mammoth.
Can I get a random bird, a random sea animal or another single type?
Yes. Under Kind of animal, choose Birds, Sea life, Mammals, Bugs, Reptiles & amphibians or Extinct. The wheel then holds only that group. You can choose several groups at once, and choosing All animals puts everything back.
Is there a random bird generator?
Choose Birds under Kind of animal and the wheel becomes a random bird generator with 13 birds, including an eagle, an owl, a flamingo, a penguin and a parrot. Spin it for a bird, or add Sea life or Reptiles to widen the wheel.
What do I see when the wheel lands on an animal?
You see the animal’s name and emoji, its group (such as Mammals or Birds), and a short note on where it lives, for example “Savannas of Africa” for a giraffe. The result is shown as text and announced to screen readers.
Can I show only emoji, only names, or both on the wheel?
Yes. Under Show on the wheel, choose Emoji, Emoji + name or Name. Emoji + name is the default. Names alone are the safest choice if some of the emoji show as empty boxes on an older device.
Can I leave out animals I do not want?
Yes. Open Choose individual animals, search by name, and untick any animal to take it off the wheel. Tick it again to put it back. You can also build a wheel from groups first and then trim it by name.
How do I stop the same animal coming up twice?
Switch on No repeats. Each picked animal comes off the wheel when you close its result. Press Put picked animals back to restore them. With it off, every spin is independent, so an animal can repeat, just as a dice roll can.
Can I add my own animals to the wheel?
Not on this page. The wheel is made from its own list of animals, so the choices stay clean and each one can show its group and habitat. To spin for any list of your own, use the main spin the wheel page.
Why is my favorite animal not on the wheel?
The list is the animals that have their own emoji, one for each kind. That is why some animals, such as an axolotl or a komodo dragon, are missing: there is no emoji for them. A short list of extinct animals, such as the dodo and the woolly mammoth, is included for fun.
Can I spin for several animals at once?
Each spin gives one animal. Spin again for another, and switch on No repeats if you want every animal to be different. For a longer list in one go, try the list randomizer.
What is a random animal picker good for?
Drawing and art challenges, classroom games, writing prompts, naming a character or a team mascot, a party game, a quiz, picking a pet or zoo theme for a day, and settling a choice for the kids. It also gives stuck writers a starting point.
Can I use it for drawing prompts or writing prompts?
Yes. Spin once and draw the animal, or spin twice and combine the two into a new creature. For a story, spin for the main character, then spin again for its habitat or its sidekick.
Can I use it in a classroom?
Yes. It works well for animal lessons, vocabulary, “name three facts” games and show-and-tell. Choose a group such as Birds or Sea life to match your topic, and switch on No repeats so every child gets a different animal.
Can I play a guessing game with it?
Yes. Set Show on the wheel to Emoji and let players guess the animal from the picture, or have one player act out or describe the animal that comes up while the others guess.
Can I share a wheel with my choices?
Yes. Press Share to copy a link that holds your wheel. Anyone who opens the link sees the same animals on the wheel.
Are my settings saved or sent anywhere?
Your groups, display choice and No repeats setting are saved in your own browser, so they are still there when you return. They are not sent to a server or an account, and clearing your browser data removes them.
Does it work on a phone, and is it accessible?
Yes. The controls fit narrow screens and work with a keyboard. The result is shown as text and announced to screen readers. Sound is optional and off until you turn it on. If your device is set to reduce motion, the result appears without the long spin.
Can I pick other random things too?
Yes, with the sister tools. Try the random country generator, the random state generator, the random color generator, or the main spin the wheel page for any list you like.