This list includes 46 Animals that start with T that start with T, from “Tahiti petrel” to “Turtle dove”. They include familiar species like the tiger and sea turtles, and cover global habitats you can study or teach.
Animals that start with T are animals whose common English names begin with the letter T. Many have broad cultural roles, like the tiger’s symbolic status across Asia.
Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Habitat, Description, and Conservation status.
Common name: The common English name helps you recognize each species quickly and match it to everyday references or classroom lists.
Scientific name: The Latin binomial gives the accepted species name so you can find precise taxonomy and scientific literature.
Habitat: Habitat notes list typical biome and region, helping you understand where each species lives in the wild.
Description: A short summary highlights key traits, behavior, or appearance for quick comparison and learning.
Conservation status: Simple tags show threat level so you can note species at risk and focus further research or class discussion.
Animals that start with T
| Common name | Scientific name | Habitat | Conservation status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger | Panthera tigris | Tropical forests and grasslands — Asia | Endangered |
| Tapanuli orangutan | Pongo tapanuliensis | Tropical montane forest — Sumatra, Indonesia | Critically Endangered |
| Tasmanian devil | Sarcophilus harrisii | Temperate forests and grasslands — Tasmania | Endangered |
| Tuatara | Sphenodon punctatus | Temperate coastal forests — New Zealand | Vulnerable |
| Toco toucan | Ramphastos toco | Tropical rainforest and gallery forest — South America | Least Concern |
| Tokay gecko | Gekko gecko | Tropical forests and human structures — Southeast Asia | Least Concern |
| Tomato frog | Dyscophus antongilii | Tropical rainforest — Madagascar | Vulnerable |
| Tiger shark | Galeocerdo cuvier | Coastal and pelagic tropical waters — Global tropics | Near Threatened |
| Thorny devil | Moloch horridus | Arid scrub and desert — Australia | Least Concern |
| Tawny owl | Strix aluco | Temperate woodlands — Eurasia | Least Concern |
| Tawny frogmouth | Podargus strigoides | Woodland and open forest — Australia | Least Concern |
| Tammar wallaby | Notamacropus eugenii | Coastal scrub and grassland — Southern Australia | Least Concern |
| Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo | Temperate woodlands and farms — North America | Least Concern |
| Tufted titmouse | Baeolophus bicolor | Deciduous woodland and suburban areas — North America | Least Concern |
| Tarpon | Megalops atlanticus | Coastal estuaries and lagoons — Atlantic tropics | Vulnerable |
| Turbot | Scophthalmus maximus | Temperate coastal seas and continental shelves — Northeast Atlantic | Least Concern |
| Turtle dove | Streptopelia turtur | Farmland and open woodland — Europe and Western Asia | Vulnerable |
| Tiger salamander | Ambystoma tigrinum | Freshwater ponds and adjacent forests — North America | Least Concern |
| Tricolored heron | Egretta tricolor | Coastal wetlands and estuaries — Americas | Least Concern |
| Tropical kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | Open woodland and edges — Neotropics | Least Concern |
| Tree swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | Open wetlands and meadows — North America | Least Concern |
| Tufted puffin | Fratercula cirrhata | Marine cliffs and offshore islands — North Pacific | Vulnerable |
| Tui | Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae | Temperate forests and gardens — New Zealand | Least Concern |
| Tibetan antelope | Pantholops hodgsonii | Alpine grasslands and plateaus — Tibetan Plateau | Near Threatened |
| Tayra | Eira barbara | Tropical forest and forest edge — Central and South America | Least Concern |
| Titicaca water frog | Telmatobius culeus | High-altitude freshwater lakes — Lake Titicaca, Andes | Critically Endangered |
| Tripletail | Lobotes surinamensis | Coastal and offshore warm waters — Global tropics | Least Concern |
| Thorny skate | Amblyraja radiata | Cold continental shelf and slope — North Atlantic | Vulnerable |
| Tropical house gecko | Hemidactylus mabouia | Urban and natural tropical habitats — Global tropics | Least Concern |
| Three-banded armadillo | Tolypeutes tricinctus | Dry forests and savannas — Brazil | Vulnerable |
| Topi | Damaliscus lunatus | Savanna and grassland — Sub-Saharan Africa | Least Concern |
| Turkey vulture | Cathartes aura | Open areas and forests — Americas | Least Concern |
| Temminck’s pangolin | Smutsia temminckii | Savanna and woodland — Sub-Saharan Africa | Vulnerable |
| Texas horned lizard | Phrynosoma cornutum | Arid scrub and grassland — Southern North America | Near Threatened |
| Temminck’s stint | Calidris temminckii | Wetlands and mudflats — Eurasia | Least Concern |
| Tufted deer | Elaphodus cephalophus | Temperate montane forest — China and Myanmar | Vulnerable |
| Tench | Tinca tinca | Freshwater lakes and slow rivers — Eurasia | Least Concern |
| Trumpeter swan | Cygnus buccinator | Wetlands and shallow lakes — North America | Least Concern |
| Tawny eagle | Aquila rapax | Open dry woodlands and savanna — Africa and Asia | Near Threatened |
| Tiger quoll | Dasyurus maculatus | Eucalypt forests and rainforests — Eastern Australia | Endangered |
| Tasmanian pademelon | Thylogale billardierii | Temperate forests and rainforests — Tasmania | Least Concern |
| Tidewater goby | Eucyclogobius newberryi | Coastal lagoons and estuaries — California, USA | Endangered |
| Tropical gar | Atractosteus tropicus | Freshwater rivers and lagoons — Central America | Least Concern |
| Tiger prawn | Penaeus monodon | Tropical coastal waters and farms — Indo-Pacific | Not Evaluated |
| Tamaraw | Bubalus mindorensis | Montane grassland and forest — Mindoro, Philippines | Critically Endangered |
| Tahiti petrel | Pseudobulweria rostrata | Pelagic tropical oceans and remote islands — Pacific | Near Threatened |
Descriptions
Tiger
A powerful big cat with bold stripes, an apex predator that hunts deer and wild boar; habitat loss and poaching threaten remaining populations across Asia.
Tapanuli orangutan
A recently described orangutan species with reddish fur, highly endangered from habitat loss and small population size, known for arboreal fruit- and insect-eating behavior.
Tasmanian devil
A stocky marsupial carnivore with a loud screech and powerful bite; threatened by a contagious facial tumor disease and declining wild populations.
Tuatara
A unique, lizard-like reptile lineage with a slow life history and third eye; lives on offshore islands, of high evolutionary interest and conservation concern.
Toco toucan
Recognizable by its oversized colorful bill, this fruit-eating bird helps seed dispersal across forests and savannas of South America.
Tokay gecko
A large patterned gecko known for loud calls; nocturnal insectivore often found on trees and buildings, common in its native range.
Tomato frog
A squat, bright red-orange frog that secretes sticky toxins when threatened; primarily insectivorous and threatened by habitat loss and collection.
Tiger shark
A large, opportunistic shark with bold stripes when young; feeds on fish, turtles, and marine mammals and faces bycatch and fishing pressure.
Thorny devil
A spiny desert lizard that collects water via skin grooves and feeds on ants; a specialist adapted to Australia’s harsh interior.
Tawny owl
A medium-sized, mottled brown nocturnal owl with a round face; common in forests and parks, feeding on small mammals and birds.
Tawny frogmouth
A cryptically colored nocturnal bird that ambushes insects and small vertebrates, often mistaken for owls but belonging to frogmouth family.
Tammar wallaby
A small macropod that grazes on grasses and herbs, adapted to open habitats and familiar in captive and wild populations.
Turkey
A large ground bird known for its fan-shaped tail and gobbling calls; wild and domestic forms exist, omnivorous and social on the ground.
Tufted titmouse
A small, inquisitive songbird with a crest; eats seeds and insects and is a frequent backyard feeder in eastern North America.
Tarpon
A silver, powerful game fish known for spectacular surface fights; migratory and popular with anglers, affected by habitat degradation and fishing.
Turbot
A flatfish prized by chefs, living on sandy or muddy bottoms; ambush predator feeding on smaller fish and invertebrates.
Turtle dove
A slender dove with soft cooing calls, migratory and seed-eating; populations have declined sharply in recent decades due to habitat and hunting pressures.
Tiger salamander
A robust amphibian with blotched markings, adults are terrestrial while breeding in ponds; sensitive to wetland loss and pollution.
Tricolored heron
A slim wading bird with blue-gray and rufous plumage, probes mudflats and shallow waters for fish and crustaceans.
Tropical kingbird
A bold flycatcher that perches conspicuously to hawk insects; common across tropical Americas and adapts well to human-altered landscapes.
Tree swallow
A sleek aerial insectivore with iridescent blue-green back, nests in cavities and benefits from conservation of wetland habitats.
Tufted puffin
A seabird with dramatic facial plumes and diving skill, nests in burrows; faces threats from fisheries, pollution, and climate change.
Tui
A distinctive songbird with metallic white throat tuft, omnivorous on nectar and insects, important native pollinator in New Zealand.
Tibetan antelope
Also called chiru, a graceful antelope adapted to high altitudes; historically overhunted for wool but conservation has helped its recovery.
Tayra
A long-bodied mustelid that hunts small mammals, birds and fruits; agile in trees and forests across the Neotropics.
Titicaca water frog
A giant, loose-skinned aquatic frog adapted to cold oxygen-poor lakes; populations have crashed from pollution, disease, and overcollection.
Tripletail
A oddly shaped, laterally compressed fish that floats at the surface, ambushing small fish and crustaceans near coastal habitats.
Thorny skate
A bottom-dwelling skate with spiny skin, slow-growing and vulnerable to trawl fisheries on continental shelves.
Tropical house gecko
A common nocturnal gecko that thrives around human dwellings, feeding on insects and easily dispersed by commerce.
Three-banded armadillo
A small armored mammal that rolls into a ball for defense; threatened by habitat loss and hunting, with limited and patchy populations.
Topi
A fast, reddish antelope of open plains that forms herds and migratory groups; grazes grasses and is hunted regionally.
Turkey vulture
A large scavenging bird with keen sense of smell, feeds on carrion and plays a vital role in ecosystem cleanup.
Temminck’s pangolin
A nocturnal, ant-eating mammal covered in protective scales; heavily poached for scales and meat, making conservation urgent.
Texas horned lizard
A flattened desert lizard that feeds mainly on ants and uses camouflage; populations declined from habitat loss and invasive ants.
Temminck’s stint
A small migratory shorebird that probes mud for invertebrates, undertaking long seasonal migrations between breeding and wintering grounds.
Tufted deer
A small deer with ornamental fang-like canines and a small crest; shy forest-dweller threatened by hunting and habitat loss.
Tench
A robust, olive-green freshwater fish that tolerates low oxygen, often found in vegetated waters and valued by anglers.
Trumpeter swan
North America’s largest waterfowl, notable for loud trumpeting calls; populations recovered after historic declines thanks to conservation.
Tawny eagle
A medium-large raptor that scavenges and hunts small vertebrates; faces threats from habitat loss and persecution across its range.
Tiger quoll
A carnivorous marsupial with spotted fur, nocturnal hunting of small mammals and birds; threatened by habitat loss and competition.
Tasmanian pademelon
A small macropod that browses understory vegetation and is common in Tasmania’s forests and dense coastal scrub.
Tidewater goby
A small estuarine fish restricted to sandy tidal lagoons; vulnerable from habitat modification, water diversion, and invasive species.
Tropical gar
A long, armored fish with a toothed snout, ambushing fishes in warm freshwater systems and tolerant of varied conditions.
Tiger prawn
A large commercially important prawn species farmed worldwide; ecologically a scavenger and detritivore, heavily cultivated for seafood markets.
Tamaraw
A small endemic water buffalo with dark coat, restricted to one island and facing severe threats from hunting and habitat loss.
Tahiti petrel
A dark seabird that nests on isolated islands and forages widely at sea; vulnerable to introduced predators and habitat disturbance.
