These Animals Are Commonly Confused With Others. Can You Tell The Difference?

Have you ever been hanging out in your backyard when a croaking creature goes hopping by and you wonder — was that a toad or a frog?

I know I have, in fact, I’ve gotten many animals that look really similar confused tons of times — seals and sea lions, mules and donkeys, even crocodiles and alligators.

What about porpoises vs. dolphins? And I know that cheetahs and leopards are spotted cats, but how can I tell which is which?

I decided to find out the variances between these species once and for all and placed them in a fun animal quiz below. I show you a picture of an animal, you guess what it is, and not only will I tell you exactly what distinguishes it from another strikingly similar creature, but you’ll also find out how many people are as knowledgeable (or clueless) as you are when it comes to this baffling subject.

Please SHARE if you had fun with this quiz!

1. Is this elephant Asian or African?

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Flickr user Martin Heigan

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

The African elephant’s trunk will have two fingers at its end, whereas the Asian will only have one. An Asian elephant will have two domes on its head while the African will only have one.

2. Is this an alligator or crocodile?

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Flickr user David Ellis

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Alligators have a wider head while the crocodile's is shaped like a V. Crocodiles also have toothier smiles.

3. Is this a turtle or tortoise?

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Flickr user Steve Dunleavy

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Turtles spend almost all of their lives in the water and have fins instead of stumps. Tortoises live exclusively on land and they can’t swim at all.

4. Is this a cheetah or leopard?

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Flickr user flickker photos

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Cheetahs have solid black, round spots, while leopards have black patterns shaped like broken rings. Cheetahs hunt during the day while leopards prefer to hunt at night, and usually drag their prey into treetops.

5. Is this a toad or frog?

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Flickr user teejaybee

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Frogs are smaller than toads. Frogs also have smooth, slimy skin while toads have dry skin covered in warts.

6. Are these llamas or alpacas?

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Flickr user The Blackthorn Orphans

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Llamas are about twice the size of alpacas, and rather than being kept for their fleece (which is much rougher than Alpacas’), are bred to be used as a form of transport. Llamas can be used to guard alpacas.

7. Is this a sea lion or seal?

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Flickr user Victor

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

The main difference between seals and sea lions are their flippers. Seals are better suited to traveling in water, while sea lions have adapted to life on land. Seals are unable to hold themselves up, and have to shimmy along like a caterpillar. Sea lions can walk and run using their flippers.

8. Is this a porpoise or dolphin?

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Flickr user Karen

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Dolphins have long snouts while porpoises have rounder faces that resemble a whale’s. Porpoises have a solid, triangular dorsal fin, while dolphins have one that is curved like a hook.

9. Is this a lizard or salamander?

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Flickr user squamatologist

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Lizards have scales and salamanders have smooth, slimy-looking skin. This is because they spend a lot of time in water and lizards are land dwelling.

10. Are these mules or donkeys?

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Flickr user kate_stuart

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LittleThings / Maya Borenstein

Mules have horse-like ears and a tail just like a horse. Donkeys have longer, pointier ears and a tail that looks like a long, continuous muscle with a small tuft of hair at the end just like a cow’s.