33 animals containing the letter U — each with origin, classification, and notes.
Below are animals that contain the letter U anywhere in the name. Each of the 33 animals below opens to a full profile.
The deer-pig of Sulawesi — one of the most anatomically bizarre pigs in the world, with upper canine tusks that grow upward through the skin of the snout and curve back toward the skull; males carry these extraordinary recurved tusks throughout life, and in older individuals the tusks can complete a full circle; a Vulnerable species of Indonesian rainforest.
The "bearcat" of Southeast Asian forests — a shaggy, long-tailed civet relative that smells strongly of popcorn (from a chemical it produces to mark territory), uses its prehensile tail to hang from branches, and is one of the only mammals that can delay its own pregnancy through embryonic diapause.
A general name for several large bovines — the African Cape buffalo (one of the most dangerous animals in Africa), the Asian water buffalo (essential to rice farming), and the American "buffalo" (actually a bison).
A highly intelligent New World monkey from Central and South America — famous for tool use, complex social behaviour, and being one of the most cognitively advanced non-ape primates.
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.
The striking leaf-eating monkey of African forest — the black-and-white colobus is one of Africa's most visually dramatic primates, with jet-black fur contrasting with white facial frame, a long white mantle over the shoulders, and a white-tipped tail; colobus monkeys eat mainly mature leaves that other primates avoid, relying on a specialised sacculated stomach to ferment and detoxify the leaf material.
The giraffe gazelle of East African thornbush — the gerenuk has an extraordinarily long neck and legs that allow it to stand bipedally on its hind legs to browse up to 2 metres high in acacia bushes; the only antelope that routinely stands on its hind legs to feed; a Somali name meaning giraffe-necked describes it precisely; unlike most antelopes, it never drinks water, obtaining all moisture from browse.
A massive, semiaquatic African mammal — the third-largest land animal after elephants and rhinos, with surprisingly close evolutionary ties to whales and a reputation as one of Africa's most dangerous animals.
A large, tree-dwelling Central American lizard with a row of dorsal spines and a long tail, herbivorous despite its dragon-like appearance, popular as both pet and (in some regions) food.
The largest cat in the Americas and the third-largest in the world, a powerfully built ambush predator with the strongest pound-for-pound bite force of any big cat.
A golden, nocturnal rainforest mammal related to raccoons — it has a prehensile tail for gripping branches, an extraordinarily long tongue for extracting flower nectar (making it an important pollinator), and large dark eyes adapted for night vision; it sleeps in hollow trees by day and is one of the few carnivores that has adopted a largely frugivorous and nectarivorous diet.
A primate family endemic to Madagascar — over 100 species evolved in isolation for 60+ million years, ranging from the tiny mouse lemur to the dramatic ringtailed lemur, all critically threatened by deforestation.
One of the most successful mammals on Earth — house mice have followed humans worldwide, while wild mice species number in the dozens, serving as both pest, prey, and the most-used laboratory animal in modern biology.
A massive Ice Age survivor of the Arctic tundra — famous for the defensive circle it forms against wolves, its extraordinarily warm qiviut wool, and the musky odour males produce during rut.
A bivalve mollusk attached to rocks and ropes by tough byssal threads — an ecologically critical filter feeder, a major sustainable seafood, and an emerging water quality indicator.
A small, striped Australian marsupial that eats nothing but termites — one of Australia's most striking and critically endangered mammals, with a sticky tongue that can flick 100 times per minute.
An eight-limbed marine cephalopod with three hearts, blue blood, and an extraordinary intelligence — capable of solving puzzles, using tools, and changing color across its entire body in milliseconds despite being colorblind.
North America's only marsupial — a Virginia-opossum surviving and thriving across most of the continent, with a prehensile tail, 50 teeth, and the famous "playing dead" defense.
A large reddish-orange great ape of Southeast Asian rainforests — the only great ape outside Africa, exclusively arboreal, with deep cognitive abilities and a critical conservation crisis.
An egg-laying, beaver-tailed, duck-billed, otter-furred Australian mammal — among the oddest animals on Earth, with venomous spurs, electroreception, and one of evolution's most surprising survivors.
A medium-large rodent armed with up to 30,000 barbed quills — solitary, slow-moving, and surprisingly difficult to predate due to a defense that has stopped lions, leopards, and pumas.
The Americas' most widely distributed large cat — known also as cougar, mountain lion, and panther — a powerful, adaptable solitary hunter that ranges from the Canadian Yukon to Patagonia.
Central America's most spectacular bird — the resplendent quetzal's emerald green tail feathers can reach 65 cm and were considered more valuable than gold by the Maya and Aztec civilisations; it is the national bird of Guatemala, depicted on the flag and currency, and remains a symbol of freedom as it refuses to survive long in captivity.
A small, herbivorous Australian marsupial nicknamed the "world's happiest animal" for its perpetually grinning face, found only on Rottnest Island and in small mainland populations.
A spotted carnivorous marsupial from Australia and New Guinea — a fierce predator relative to its size, critically threatened by foxes, cats, and cane toads, and one of Australia's most important native predators.
A black-and-white mammal famous for its sulfurous defensive spray — capable of accurate spraying up to 3 meters, with a smell so persistent it can linger for days even after washing.
A small bushy-tailed rodent of trees and parks — among the most successful suburban-adapted mammals, with hoarding behavior that accidentally plants countless trees each year.
The world's smallest bear — a tree-climbing, honey-obsessed omnivore from Southeast Asia with an extraordinarily long tongue, a chest patch shaped like a rising sun, and an unexpectedly expressive face.
An ancient reptile order with a protective bony shell — over 350 species ranging from tiny musk turtles to massive sea turtles, with some species living over 150 years.
A South American monkey with a strikingly bare red face — health visible at a glance — that lives in flooded Amazonian forests and is among the most threatened primates in the Americas.
A wild South American camelid living high in the Andes, prized for its fine and exceptionally rare wool — once almost driven to extinction, now recovered through aggressive conservation.
A massive Arctic marine mammal with iconic tusks — pinniped giant of the polar seas, weighing up to 2 tons, equipped with sensory whiskers that find clams in dark seabed mud.
An African ground squirrel of arid scrub and semi-deserts, with sandy or grayish fur, a long bushy tail, and a habit of using the tail as a parasol against the sun.
Try animals that start with U, or end with U. Or browse the full animals index.