Animal Names Starts With Letter: Z

Animals that start with Z span savannas, forests, and freshwater lakes. Meet the striped zebra grazing African grasslands; humped zebu cattle adapted to heat; and the skunk-like zorilla, a fearless nocturnal hunter. Australia’s forests ring with tiny dunnarts—wait, D—skip—better: arid Asia hides burrowing zokors, while Madagascar’s dry scrub shelters the agile zebu mouse lemur—actually that’s not standard; use zebra mouse (striped grass mouse). Rivers and lakes host the sleek zander and armored zebra mussel (a powerful filter feeder); coral reefs feature the spotted zebra shark. Birders can spot the cheerful zebra finch in Australian outback flocks and the tropical zenaida dove across the Caribbean. Look closer and you’ll find banded zebra tarantulas and zigzag zygaenid moths. This “Z” lineup includes herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores across savannas, deserts, forests, wetlands, rivers, reefs, and coasts. Browse below for species profiles—scientific names, habitats, diets, and conservation status—and zoom into the zest of the letter Z.