This list includes 45 Animals that start with O, from “Oarfish” to “Oystercatcher”. It covers species from deep-sea fish to coastal birds and land mammals. You can use it for quick reference, teaching, or classroom activities.
Animals that start with O are a diverse group spanning fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. The giant oarfish helped inspire sea‑serpent legends in coastal folklore.
Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Habitat, Region, Description, and Conservation status.
Common name: The everyday English name used to identify the species quickly and match common references.
Scientific name: The Latin binomial that uniquely identifies the species across languages and scientific lists.
Habitat: The typical biome or environment where the species lives, helping you understand its ecological niche.
Region: The geographic area or range where the species occurs, so you can link it to places you know.
Description: A concise one or two sentence summary of appearance, behavior, or notable traits for quick context.
Conservation status: Current threat category (for example, Least Concern or Endangered) that shows conservation priority.
Animals that start with O
| Name | Scientific name | Habitat (biome + region) | Conservation status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocelot | Leopardus pardalis | tropical rainforest — Central & South America | LC |
| Orca | Orcinus orca | pelagic ocean — worldwide | DD |
| Ostrich | Struthio camelus | savanna — Africa | LC |
| Olive ridley sea turtle | Lepidochelys olivacea | tropical ocean — Indian, Pacific & Atlantic Oceans | VU |
| Orange roughy | Hoplostethus atlanticus | deep sea — temperate oceans worldwide | VU |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | coastal wetlands & rivers — worldwide (except polar regions) | LC |
| Oilbird | Steatornis caripensis | tropical rainforest caves — northern South America | LC |
| Opah | Lampris guttatus | pelagic ocean — temperate & tropical oceans worldwide | LC |
| Olm | Proteus anguinus | subterranean freshwater caves — Dinaric Alps (Europe) | VU |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapilla | temperate forest understory — North America | LC |
| Ocellated turkey | Meleagris ocellata | tropical dry & moist forest — Yucatán Peninsula | NT |
| Orangutan | Pongo (genus) | tropical rainforest — Borneo & Sumatra | EN (varies by species) |
| Ocean sunfish | Mola mola | pelagic marine — temperate & tropical oceans worldwide | VU |
| Oceanic whitetip shark | Carcharhinus longimanus | open tropical oceans — worldwide | CR |
| Oystercatcher | Haematopus ostralegus | coastal mudflats & sandy shores — Europe, Asia & Africa | LC |
| Onager | Equus hemionus | arid steppes & deserts — Central Asia & Middle East | EN |
| Oxpecker | Buphagus (genus) | savanna & grassland — Sub-Saharan Africa | LC (varies) |
| Olive baboon | Papio anubis | savanna & woodland — Africa | LC |
| Owlet-nightjar | Aegotheles cristatus | woodland & forest — Australia | LC |
| Octopus | Octopus (genus) | coastal reefs & seafloor — worldwide temperate & tropical seas | Not Evaluated |
| Oyster | Ostreidae (family) | intertidal estuaries & bays — worldwide | Not Evaluated |
| Ochre sea star | Oreaster reticulatus | shallow tropical marine — Caribbean & western Atlantic | Not Evaluated |
| Oyster toadfish | Opsanus tau | estuaries & bays — western Atlantic (North America) | LC |
| Orange-bellied parrot | Neophema chrysogaster | coastal saltmarsh — southeastern Australia | CR |
| Oribi | Ourebia ourebi | grassland & open savanna — Sub-Saharan Africa | LC |
| Ocellated lizard | Timon lepidus | Mediterranean scrub & rocky habitats — Iberian Peninsula & NW Africa | LC |
| Oarfish | Regalecus glesne | mesopelagic ocean — temperate & tropical oceans worldwide | Not Evaluated |
| Orchid mantis | Hymenopus coronatus | tropical rainforest — Southeast Asia | Not Evaluated |
| Ocellaris clownfish | Amphiprion ocellaris | coral reefs — Indo-Pacific | LC |
| Oriental scops owl | Otus sunia | forests & woodland — South & Southeast Asia | LC |
| One-horned rhinoceros | Rhinoceros unicornis | grasslands & riverine forest — Indian subcontinent | VU |
| Oceanic manta | Mobula birostris | pelagic tropical & subtropical oceans — worldwide | EN |
| Olinguito | Bassaricyon neblina | montane cloud forest — Andes (Colombia, Ecuador) | LC |
| Orange-footed scrubfowl | Megapodius reinwardt | rainforest edge & mangroves — Australia & New Guinea | LC |
| Oriental garden lizard | Calotes versicolor | scrub, forest edge & urban gardens — South & Southeast Asia | LC |
| Oriole | Icterus (genus) | woodland & forest edge — Americas | LC (varies) |
| Olive-backed sunbird | Cinnyris jugularis | tropical forest edge & gardens — Southeast Asia & Australasia | LC |
| Olive python | Liasis olivaceus | arid woodlands & rocky gorges — Australia | LC |
| Oriental pratincole | Glareola maldivarum | freshwater wetlands & open grasslands — Asia & Australia | LC |
| Oriental cockroach | Blatta orientalis | urban & temperate habitats — cosmopolitan (originally Palearctic) | Not Evaluated |
| Oriental magpie-robin | Copsychus saularis | woodland & urban gardens — South & Southeast Asia | LC |
| Opaleye | Girella nigricans | rocky reefs & kelp beds — eastern Pacific (California to Mexico) | LC |
| Oriental darter | Anhinga melanogaster | freshwater wetlands & marshes — South & Southeast Asia | NT |
| Orchard oriole | Icterus spurius | temperate woodlands & orchards — North America | LC |
| Oriental small-clawed otter | Aonyx cinereus | freshwater rivers & mangroves — South & Southeast Asia | VU |
Descriptions
Ocelot
A medium-sized spotted wild cat that hunts at night, agile in trees and on the ground, important predator in Neotropical ecosystems.
Orca
A highly social, intelligent dolphin known as the killer whale, striking black-and-white pattern, apex predator with diverse regional populations and diets.
Ostrich
The world’s largest bird, flightless and built for running, with powerful legs and distinctive feathers; adapted to open, dry grasslands.
Olive ridley sea turtle
A small, sociable sea turtle famous for synchronized mass nesting (“arribadas”); threatened by nets, habitat loss and egg collecting.
Orange roughy
A slow-growing, long-lived deepwater fish targeted by fisheries; vulnerable to overfishing because populations recover very slowly.
Osprey
A fish-eating raptor with reversible outer toes and striking diving behavior; nests near water and is familiar across continents.
Oilbird
A nocturnal, fruit-eating bird that navigates by echolocation in caves, unique among birds for its cave-roosting lifestyle.
Opah
A large, round-bodied, warm-blooded pelagic fish often seen near the surface; notable for its bright coloration and deep-sea migrations.
Olm
A pale, blind cave salamander with extreme adaptations to dark groundwater systems, living decades and sensitive to water pollution.
Ovenbird
A ground-dwelling warbler named for its oven-shaped nest; migratory and known for loud, ringing song in eastern forests.
Ocellated turkey
A colorful wild turkey with iridescent plumage and eye-like wing spots, endemic to the Yucatán and vulnerable to habitat loss and hunting.
Orangutan
Great apes with long arms, tree-dwelling intelligence, and slow reproduction; species face severe habitat loss and hunting in Southeast Asia.
Ocean sunfish
A massive, flattened fish known for its odd shape and surface basking; feeds on jellyfish and is vulnerable to bycatch and boat strikes.
Oceanic whitetip shark
A once-abundant pelagic shark recognizable by long white-tipped fins; populations plummeted due to longline fisheries and finning.
Oystercatcher
A stout shorebird with a strong, chisel-like bill used to pry bivalves and worms from intertidal habitats.
Onager
A wild Asiatic ass adapted to hot, open habitats; historically widespread but now reduced by hunting and habitat fragmentation.
Oxpecker
Birds that perch on large mammals to feed on ticks and parasites, exhibiting a mutualistic yet sometimes parasitic relationship.
Olive baboon
A highly social primate with complex hierarchies, opportunistic omnivore, common across many African habitats and familiar near human settlements.
Owlet-nightjar
A small, insectivorous nocturnal bird with a flattened head and cryptic plumage, roosting in tree hollows by day.
Octopus
Flexible, highly intelligent cephalopods known for problem-solving, camouflage, and complex behaviors; species-level statuses vary widely.
Oyster
Bivalve mollusks that filter water and form reefs, vital to coastal ecosystems and fisheries; many species face local pressures.
Ochre sea star
A large, colorful starfish of sandy and seagrass habitats, often seen in Caribbean shallow waters; local impacts from collection exist.
Oyster toadfish
A stout, well-camouflaged bottom-dweller that produces grunting sounds and tolerates low-oxygen brackish waters.
Orange-bellied parrot
A tiny migratory parrot with vivid belly color, critically endangered due to habitat loss and small wild population size.
Oribi
A small, graceful antelope of open habitats that feeds mainly on grasses and relies on speed and agility to avoid predators.
Ocellated lizard
A large, eye-spotted lacertid lizard common on sunny rocky slopes and scrubland in southwestern Europe.
Oarfish
A very long, ribbon-like deepwater fish often washed ashore; rare sightings inspire myths about sea serpents.
Orchid mantis
A striking praying mantis that mimics orchid flowers to ambush pollinating insects; prized by insect enthusiasts.
Ocellaris clownfish
A small, colorful reef fish living in anemones and popular in aquaria; forms symbiotic relationships with its host anemone.
Oriental scops owl
A small, camouflaged owl with ear tufts that hunts insects and small vertebrates at night across Asian woodlands.
One-horned rhinoceros
A large, thick-skinned herbivore with a single horn, reliant on floodplain grasslands and protected by intensive conservation efforts.
Oceanic manta
A giant filter-feeding ray with broad pectoral fins and a suspension-feeding diet, threatened by bycatch and targeted fisheries.
Olinguito
A small, nocturnal carnivoran discovered recently; tree-dwelling and frugivorous, indicative of intact cloud-forest habitat.
Orange-footed scrubfowl
A mound-building bird that incubates eggs with warm decomposing vegetation; common in coastal forested habitats.
Oriental garden lizard
A common, adaptable lizard often seen basking on trees and walls, able to change some coloration with mood and season.
Oriole
Brightly colored passerines known for melodious songs; many species called orioles inhabit New World forests and gardens.
Olive-backed sunbird
A small, nectar-feeding bird with metallic throat in males, frequent in gardens and coastal forests.
Olive python
A large nonvenomous constrictor with olive-brown coloration that preys on mammals and birds in northern and western Australia.
Oriental pratincole
A slender, aerial insectivore that nests on the ground and performs acrobatic flight to catch flying insects.
Oriental cockroach
A widespread synanthropic roach species common in cool, damp human environments; considered a pest in many regions.
Oriental magpie-robin
A familiar songbird with melodious calls, adaptable to gardens and parks, often tolerant of human presence.
Opaleye
A dusky, broad-bodied fish that grazes algae on rocky reefs, common along temperate Pacific coasts.
Oriental darter
A fish-eating waterbird with a long, snake-like neck that swims low in the water; local populations face wetland loss.
Orchard oriole
A small migratory black-and-orange oriole that favors open woodland edges and orchards during the breeding season.
Oriental small-clawed otter
The smallest otter species, social and dexterous with partially webbed feet, threatened by habitat degradation and the pet trade.
