Animals that contain D

List of Animals That Contain D

1

Aardvark

Orycteropus afer

A secretive nocturnal African mammal with a pig-like snout and long sticky tongue — the only living species in its entire order, an evolutionary singleton that has changed little in tens of millions of years.

2

Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

A small American mammal armored in bony plates, the only mammal that gives birth to identical quadruplets and one of the few wild carriers of leprosy.

3

Clouded Leopard

Neofelis nebulosa

A secretive mid-sized cat of Southeast Asian forests with extraordinarily large canine teeth relative to its skull and the ability to descend trees headfirst — its cloud-like coat pattern gives it its name.

4

Crocodile

Crocodylus (genus, multiple species)

A large semi-aquatic reptilian predator that has changed remarkably little in 200 million years — the world's most powerful biting jaw and an apex predator of tropical rivers and estuaries.

5

Deer

Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed); Cervidae family

Slender, antlered ruminants found across nearly all continents — from the white-tailed deer of North America to the European red deer to tropical muntjacs — among the most successful large mammals in human-altered landscapes.

6

Dhole

Cuon alpinus

Asia's wild dog — a highly social, pack-hunting canid of South and Southeast Asian forests that kills prey far larger than itself through cooperative strategy; dholes can drive tigers and leopards from their kills, communicate with extraordinary calls including whistles and clucks, and their packs may number over 30 individuals.

7

Dik-dik

Madoqua kirkii (and related species)

The tiny antelope of African thornbush — one of the world's smallest antelopes, barely 35–45 cm at the shoulder, with enormous dark eyes, an elongated flexible snout, and a habit of zigzagging away in a characteristic stop-start dash when alarmed; dik-diks form lifelong monogamous pairs that maintain small territories together, marking boundaries with secretions from preorbital glands beside their eyes.

8

Dingo

Canis lupus dingo

Australia's wild dog — a lean, amber-coated canid that arrived from Asia at least 3,500 years ago and now sits at the top of the mainland food chain as the continent's largest terrestrial predator.

9

Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

A highly intelligent marine mammal found in oceans worldwide, famous for its sophisticated social behavior, problem-solving ability, and signature whistle communication.

10

Donkey

Equus africanus asinus

A patient, sure-footed working equid descended from the African wild ass — the world's primary cargo animal in mountainous and arid regions for over 5,000 years.

11

Echidna

Tachyglossus aculeatus

A spiny egg-laying mammal of Australia and New Guinea — one of only five surviving monotremes — that uses an electroreceptive snout to locate buried ants, termites, and earthworms without using sight or smell.

12

Gelada

Theropithecus gelada

Ethiopia's grass-eating monkey — the only primate that feeds primarily on grass, living in the high Simien Mountains in bands of hundreds that graze like sheep; males have a dramatic hourglass-shaped bare red chest patch that flushes brighter during excitement and serves as a substitute for the rump displays used by other primates.

13

Hedgehog

Erinaceus europaeus (European hedgehog)

A small spiky insectivore beloved across Europe and Asia — covered in 5,000+ defensive spines, capable of curling into an impenetrable ball, and increasingly endangered by habitat loss in the UK.

14

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

The world's largest living lizard — a monitor lizard of the Indonesian islands that can reach 3 metres and 70 kg, kills large prey including deer and water buffalo with venom-laced saliva and a bacteria-laden bite, and can reproduce by parthenogenesis; its ancient lineage and isolated island habitat make it genuinely prehistoric in character.

15

Leopard

Panthera pardus

The most adaptable big cat — found from African savannas to Russian taiga to urban Mumbai — with rosette-spotted fur, a powerful bite, and remarkable ability to haul prey twice its weight up trees.

16

Mandrill

Mandrillus sphinx

The world's largest monkey and the most colourful mammal — males develop electric blue and red facial colouring and a brilliantly coloured rump; despite their fearsome appearance, mandrills are omnivorous and live in enormous groups called hordes.

17

Maned Wolf

Chrysocyon brachyurus

The giraffe-legged wolf of South American grasslands — an unmistakable canid with improbably long legs, reddish-orange fur, a black mane, and large ears; the maned wolf is not closely related to wolves or foxes, being the sole member of its genus; it is an omnivore that eats more fruit than meat, and the wolf-apple (lobeira fruit) forms a large part of its diet.

18

Panda

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

A black-and-white bear that subsists almost entirely on bamboo despite a carnivore's digestive system, and the international symbol of wildlife conservation.

19

Red Panda

Ailurus fulgens

A cinnamon-red tree-dwelling mammal of the Himalayas and Chinese mountains — not closely related to the giant panda despite sharing its bamboo diet, it was discovered by European science 50 years before the giant panda and may have given pandas their name; it eats bamboo with the same false thumb (enlarged wrist bone) evolved independently in both species.

20

Reindeer

Rangifer tarandus

The only deer species in which both males and females grow antlers — domesticated for thousands of years by Arctic peoples for meat, milk, hide, and transport; famous in Western culture as Santa Claus's sleigh-pullers, based on real Sámi traditions of reindeer herding.

21

Salamander

Caudata (order)

A diverse order of amphibians with elongated bodies and tails — about 700 species worldwide, capable of regenerating limbs, organs, and even portions of the brain.

22

Sand Cat

Felis margarita

The smallest wild cat of the deserts — a compact, sandy-coloured cat with enormous ears, densely furred paws, and adaptations for life in extreme heat and cold; sand cats can survive without drinking water for months, obtaining all moisture from their prey, and can dig rapidly into sand to escape heat or pursue prey; deceptively cute in appearance but a formidable desert predator.

23

Snow Leopard

Panthera uncia

The ghost of the mountains — a large cat of the high Himalayas and Central Asian ranges, rarely seen by humans; it has the longest tail relative to body size of any cat, which it wraps around itself like a scarf for warmth, and is known for its haunting, otherworldly call that sounds nothing like a roar.

24

Tasmanian Devil

Sarcophilus harrisii

The world's largest carnivorous marsupial — a stocky, jet-black scavenger and hunter from Tasmania, famous for its bone-crushing bite, spine-chilling screams, and its battle against a contagious facial tumour disease.

25

Wild Boar

Sus scrofa

The ancestor of the domestic pig — a powerfully built, tusked omnivore with coarse grey-black bristles that has recolonised much of Europe and Asia; a major game animal, agricultural pest, and ecological engineer whose rooting transforms forest floors.

26

Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

A large African bovid famous for the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth — the annual Serengeti migration, in which over 1.5 million wildebeest cross crocodile-filled rivers in a coordinated mass movement.