Some animals are striking because of their distinctive coat pattern. These dominoes not only show the animals but also the patterns. The cow isn't the only animal with black and white spots, so be careful.

This fun game of dominoes trains the ability to combine and associate.

Zebras' black and white stripes protect them from beasts of prey. You might find that surprising because their stripes are actually very noticeable. However, in the shimmering hot air of the African Savannah, this pattern blurs with the horizon and the zebras are practically unrecognisable. The tiger with its yellow and brown stripes cannot be seen in the jungle either as it makes its way through the dense vegetation and sunlight and so it can creep up very close to his prey. The turtle's shell, depending on the colour and pattern, can either serve as camouflage or to deter enemies. The spots on the cow and Dalmatian however have emerged through breeding and do not serve any purpose of protection or camouflage. They just look good.

Our game of dominoes shows a Dalmatian, a cow, a tiger, a turtle and a zebra as well as the patterns on their skin or shell. The players may place dominoes with either the matching animal or the matching pattern. It is also possible to place the animal to match the pattern or vice versa.

Age: 4+

Number of players: 2-4

Contents: 28 wooden dominoes

Illustration: Simone Kalz

Game preparation:

All dominoes are mixed and placed face down and dealt in equal numbers among the players. One domino is placed in the centre to start the game. There is also a domino whose two tiles are blank and this can be used too. Each player then places his dominoes in front of him so that the other players can't see them.

Rules of the game:

One after another each player may add one of his tiles to the chain of tiles already there. It doesn't matter which end of the chain you add your domino to. The only important thing is to make sure that the illustrations match, e.g. a tile with a picture of the Dalmatian can be positioned after a tile with an illustration of the Dalmatian's skin.

If a player finds that he doesn't have any matching domino, it's the next player's go.

End of the game:

The winner is the first to have got rid of all his dominoes.

Have a lot of fun with our funny animals!