What Can an Elephant and Shrimp Both Be? Exploring a Clever Riddle

Riddles are fun brain teasers that challenge us to think outside the box A good riddle intrigues and perplexes us until the “aha!” moment when the answer is revealed One such riddle goes

“What can an elephant and a shrimp both be?”

This simple yet confusing riddle has stumped many people. At first glance, elephants and shrimp seem to have nothing in common. But when you look past the obvious, a clever answer emerges.

In this article, we’ll break down this riddle step-by-step to highlight the lateral thinking involved. We’ll also look at why this brain teaser is so effective at engaging our minds.

Breaking Down the Riddle

Let’s examine the key elements of this riddle:

• It mentions two very different animals – an elephant and a shrimp
• The question asks what single thing can these opposite creatures both “be”?
• There are no other context clues or hints given.

So on the surface, it seems absurd to think of any shared traits between a giant elephant and a tiny shrimp.

The tendency is to overthink and look for complex scientific attributes they could share, like being multicellular organisms, consuming oxygen, having a lifespan, etc. But the simplest answers are often the best ones.

The key is focusing on the verb “be.” Consider:

• An elephant can be big
• A shrimp can be small

But there must be a single answer that applies to both.

We have to dig deeper and think in terms of descriptions that could fit either animal. This leads us to the clever answer that an elephant and a shrimp can both be jumbo in size!

Why the Riddle Works

This riddle is effective for several reasons:

• It contrasts two very different animals which grabs your attention

• The question focuses on what they can “be” rather than what they are, inviting imaginative thinking

• It taps into lateral thinking rather than just factual logic

• The answer is simple but not obvious. It requires dropping assumptions and making an abstract connection between “jumbo” and “small”

• When the answer clicks, it provides a satisfying “aha” moment of discovery

Ultimately, this riddle works because it challenges our brain’s tendency to think in black and white, literal terms. To solve it, we must move past assumptions and categories to find the unifying abstract concept.

This stimulates innovative thinking and problem solving skills that apply far beyond just solving riddles.

Different Methods to Approach the Riddle

There are a few techniques you can try to work through this elephant and shrimp riddle:

• Think visually – sketch an elephant and a shrimp to look for any similarities in shape or form. Does a small detail spark an idea?

• Consider opposites – they are polar opposites in size. What word describes extremes on both ends? Jumbo!

• Talk it through – describe the animals out loud to someone. Verbalizing your thought process can lead to new connections.

• Relax your mind – walk away for a while and come back with fresh perspective. The answer may pop out when you aren’t fixated on the details.

• Look for homonyms – “shrimp” and “jumbo” sound alike. Think of words with multiple meanings.

The goal is to loosen up rigid thinking and allow your mind to discover non-obvious relationships. Instead of more complex, you often have to go simpler.

Wider Applications of This Style of Thinking

Beyond just riddle solving, approaching problems from oblique angles is an invaluable skill. In fact, the ability to identify obscure or overlooked connections underpins many important innovations throughout history.

EXAMPLE: No one saw commonality between pianos and bicycles until the pneumatic tire was created, drastically improving both by applying the same insight in a new area.

Making atypical associations allows you to bridge knowledge gaps and borrow solutions from other domains. Like with this elephant and shrimp riddle, the linking concept is not at all obvious until you shift perspective.

The more practice you get recognizing obscured connections, the more readily your brain builds flexible, creative thinking skills. This supports better problem solving, communication, ideation, and more.

So while riddles like “What can an elephant and shrimp both be?” are fun brain teasers, they also offer great mental exercise with far reaching benefits. Challenging your assumptions and spotting unlikely relationships enhances cognition and reasoning over time.

Tips for Creating Your Own Comparison Riddles

After tackling a riddle like this, you may be inspired to try creating your own surprising comparison riddles. Here are some tips:

• Choose two very different people, places or things as your riddle subjects

• Focus the question on what they can “have”, “be” or “do” rather than just common attributes

• Avoid using context clues or other hints – let the contrast spark imaginative thinking

• Have the answer turn on viewing familiar concepts in a fresh way

• Keep answers simple but not obvious. A bit of clever wordplay helps.

• Use opposites or homonyms to hint at an unexpected connection

• Make sure there is a logical link once the answer is revealed

Crafting challenging yet fair comparison riddles takes practice and experimentation. The more you create and solve them, the better you get at identifying and connecting unlikely parallels.

At first glance, elephants and shrimp seem to share nothing in common. But the ingenious riddle “What can an elephant and a shrimp both be?” reveals they can both be considered jumbo in size from different perspectives.

This simple yet confounding riddle highlights the value of lateral thinking, making abstract connections between disparate concepts. While fun and frustrating in the moment, working through these mental challenges builds skills that enhance creativity, problem solving, and cognitive agility.

So next time a riddle stumps you, take time to unpack the elements and try different approaches. The “aha!” moment when the answer clicks makes it all worthwhile, and builds mental muscles that serve you far beyond just riddle solving.