Xplor More: Critter Crossword

Instructions

Write the answer to each clue in the boxes that match the clue’s number. If the answer is two words, remove the space between the words (for example, “wood duck” is written “woodduck”).

Down

1.         What river otters do before going number two.

2.         A small bird that can add 10 percent to its body weight each day.

3.         Another name for a crayfish’s claws.

4.         The sound a male turkey makes to call to hens.

5.         A small duck that dives underwater to catch fish.

6.         The season when animals look for boyfriends and girlfriends.

8.         The ability to wrap around objects.

12.       Oak nuts that turkeys like to eat.

13.       A chicken-like wild bird that lives in Missouri.

15.       A tasty nut that’s full of healthy oils.

21.       A female turkey.

22.       A sleeplike state that helps animals conserve energy.

23.       A pale fungus that eats nematodes.

25.       Dry, fluffy material that easily catches on fire.

27.       The only marsupial that lives in Missouri.

29.       Shrimp, crabs, and lobsters are this type of creature.

30.       Large branches and logs that burn for a long time.

31.       A reddish-orange wild dog with a bushy tail.

34.       A large mammal that fattens up before napping through the winter.

36.       Twigs and thin sticks that burn quickly.

Across

7.         An amphibian that can freeze solid and survive.

8.         A group of the same animals living in the same place at the same time.

9.         Small woodpeckers who split up to look for food in winter.

10.       Dads of this aquatic salamander guard their eggs.

11.       A tiny worm that gets eaten by oyster mushrooms.

14.       Something that helps hold in heat, like fat or fur.

16.       The social structure of turkeys.

17.       A group of quail.

18.       To sit on eggs to keep them warm.

19.       A mammal that carries its babies in a pouch.

20.       A bird that huddles in coveys during winter.

24.       A young turkey.

26.       A ribbon of ice that forms when water leaks from a plant stem.

28.       A type of rabbit that lives in Missouri.

32.       A long, skinny mammal that swims underwater.

33.       A type of bird that hammers on trees.

35.       What wood frogs do in the winter.

37.       A yucky “food” eaten by cottontails.

38.       An aquatic crustacean that lives in Missouri streams.

39.       A large cat that wanders into Missouri from western states.

Answers

Down: 1. Poop dance, 2. Chickadee, 3. Pincers, 4. Gobble, 5. Hooded merganser, 6. Mating season, 8. Prehensile, 12. Acorns, 13. Wild turkey, 15. Pecan, 21. Hen,

22. Hibernation, 23. Oyster mushroom, 25. Tinder, 27. Opossum, 29. Crustacean, 30. Fuel, 31. Red fox, 34. Black bear, 36. Kindling

Across: 7. Wood frog, 8. Population, 9. Downy woodpeckers, 10. Hellbender, 11. Nematode, 14. Insulation, 16. Pecking order, 17. Covey, 18. Incubate, 19. Marsupial, 20. Northern bobwhite, 24. Poult, 26. Frost flower, 28. Eastern cottontail, 32. River otter, 33. Woodpecker, 35. Freeze, 37. Droppings, 38. Crayfish, 39. Mountain lion