DK's Animal Buddies Trivia Quiz

Rambi the Rhino is the first Animal Buddy you encounter in "Donkey Kong Country", appearing in the first level, "Jungle Hijinxs". He is one of the more powerful Buddies, as very few enemies can stand in his way. He can even kill Zingers with his powerful horn attack.

He also accesses hidden rooms and paths by smashing rock walls to find the entrances. He appears in both "Donkey Kong Country" and "Donkey Kong Country 2", and continues to make appearances throughout the entire series (with altered abilities, on occasion).

Expresso the Ostrich is only rideable in "Donkey Kong Country", though makes an appearance in the Gameboy Advance version of the second game via an ostrich racing minigame. He allows the Kongs to move faster, and he can sort of hover-fly, allowing you access to places neither Donkey nor Diddy can make on their own.

He also appears as a spirit that increases move speed in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate".

Winky the Frog is only in four levels of "Donkey Kong Country", and did not return in "2" or "3". His main advantage is his jumping ability, allowing access to higher platforms that Donkey and Diddy cannot reach. He is mentioned in name in other games, but in "Donkey Kong Country 2", a new jumping character was introduced, rendering the frog obsolete.

In almost any underwater level you encounter in the original trilogy, you'll find Enguarde the Swordfish. Being a fish, he's a much better swimmer than the Kongs, and can kill enemies by stabbing them as well. This becomes integral in some levels, almost impossible to pass otherwise. He makes a number of appearances in other games as well, including the "Donkey Kong Land" trilogy.

Squawks the Parrot first appears in "Donkey Kong Country" only as a flashlight for you in a single level. You release him from a crate and he follows around with the flashlight; one hit and you must play without him in the dark. He plays a much bigger role in "Donkey Kong Country 2" and "3", however, where he now can be controlled and spit eggs at enemies to defeat them.

There are also purple variations of Squawks in these games, originally called Purple Squawks before he was given the new name of Quawks in "Barrel Blast". Squawks is the most frequently appearing Animal Buddy in the original trilogy and beyond.

Winky the Frog gets replaced in "Donkey Kong Country 2" by a new jumping character, though a snake doesn't seem to be the likeliest of options. Rattly the Rattlesnake has all the same abilities; he can jump very high, higher if you hold down the button (giving him a specialized "superjump" ability Winky did not have), and can even kill Zingers by jumping on them. Sadly, he did not make further appearances after "Donkey Kong Country (and Land) 2".

Squitter the Spider (technically a Mexican redknee tarantula, like the one pictured) can be found first in "Donkey Kong Country 2" and again in "3". He works, in a way, as the replacement for Expresso, as he has the ability to use his webs to create floating platforms to get across distances. Unlike Expresso, however, he can also attack enemies, as the webs are considered projectiles.

Clapper the Seal is, unfortunately, not a playable Buddy, but is an Animal Buddy nonetheless. He only appears in two levels of "Donkey Kong Country 2", though he appears multiple times throughout the level (only Enguarde appears in a single level more than once). Clapper has the ability to make lava become regular water you can swim in, and regular water becomes ice you can walk on.

When he makes these changes, he claps, thus his name.

What do you do when you're underwater but it's too dark to swim? You ask your Animal Buddy Glimmer the Anglerfish to help you out, of course! Glimmer only appears in one level of "Donkey Kong Country 2". He also appears on the box art for "Donkey Kong Land 2", though is not in the game. Fun fact; even though Glimmer is referred to as male, in real life, only female anglerfish have the light on their head to lure in prey!

Ellie the Elephant makes her first appearance in "Donkey Kong Country 3", and is the replacement for Rambi the Rhino. She has the same abilities, but with an added drawback; she is afraid of mice. Approach Sneeks, and she'll run the other way. She also makes an appearance as a spirit in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate", increasing ice and water attacks (ironic, since this has nothing to do with her "Donkey Kong Country 3" abilities).