How to Make New Animals Online with Switch Zoo

Updated

You can make new animals for free in your browser at Switch Zoo Online by switching the heads, legs, and tails of different animals to create your own "switcheroos." This works for anyone who wants a quick, no-download way to invent imaginary animals; if you want morphing animations and bigger pictures, the separate Switch Zoo App covers that instead.

Make Your First Animal in the Browser

  1. Open Switch Zoo Online from the Switch Zoo site. The site lists it as a free online activity, so you can start in the browser without installing anything.
  2. Switch the animals' heads, legs, and tails. Each switch changes one part of the creature, so you build a new combination step by step.
  3. Keep switching until the animal looks the way you want. The result is your own switcheroo.

The expected result is a single imaginary animal made from parts of real species. The main catch is that the online version is the browser tool — the site points to the app when you want extra features rather than more parts.

What the App Adds

Switch Zoo describes the app as offering morphing animations, bigger pictures, and more features compared with the online version. Choose the app if you want to watch your combination animate or need larger images; stay online if you just want to build animals quickly in a browser.

Other Things to Do on Switch Zoo

Switch Zoo features six free online games plus the app. Beyond making animals, you can:

  • Build a Biome — build six of the world's biomes by choosing the right plants, animals, temperature range, and precipitation for each. You get a postcard for each biome, and building all of them makes you a Biome Master.
  • Words of a Feather — a feather match game where you identify each feather's bird from three choices with a clue, while reading facts as you play.
  • Where Do I Live? — move animals to their home continent or ocean across seven games covering mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mollusks.
  • Please DO Feed the Animals — sort animals by diet type so they get the right food.
  • Scavengers Hunt — pick scavengers and non-scavengers from groups of animals.
  • Animal Music — music "performed" by animals, with an explanation of how it was created.
  • Animal Profiles — characteristics and behavior of the 142 animal species in Switch Zoo.

Get Ideas and Share Your Creations

If you want inspiration before you start switching, the Visitors' Pages collect funny and creative animal names, drawings, stories, and poems from Switch Zoo visitors, including combination-animal drawings by 5th grade students. Teachers can use the Teachers' Resources page for an overview of the activities and information available.