Jessica Paster The Future is Green
Animals that start with A – Our World is an amazing place. It has various types of a living creatures. We can find hundreds of thousands of species of plants and animals. How many names of animals that you remember? Can you mention all of the animals available in our world?
There are so many types of animals that we can find in the world; some of them live in the icy habitat of a tundra, while some others live in the savannahs in Africa. Some of them are mammals, some are birds, while some others are amphibians.
Let’s start with the animals whose name starts with “A”. Here are some of the animals that start with A.
1. Anteater
Anteater eats ants and termites, just like an aardvark. When it comes to biological class, sloths are considered as the closest related to anteaters, followed by armadillos.
This animal used to be a part of diverse mammals in South America. But then, there was an invasion from North America, leaving only three families of mammals to survive. One of them is anteaters. The other two are sloths and armadillos.
2. Antelope
Antelope is native to regions in Eurasia and Africa. It has an even number of toes. Antelope is a part of the family Bovidae that includes sheep, buffalo, cattle, bison, and goats. But antelopes look more like deer than bovids.
Mostly, antelopes live in savannahs in Africa. Even so, they can live in various habitats. Some live in a secluded place, for example, forest antelope. There are antelopes that live in saiga or even in a desert.
3. Ant
Ants are a part of the family Formicidae. They are related to wasps and bees. Around 140 million years ago, in a period called a Cretaceous period, ants evolved from ancestors that looked like wasps.
Right now, there are more than 12.5 thousand species of ants that have been identified. Ants are believed to have around 22 thousand species. Ants can be easily identified by their antenna and body that have the structure of a node.
Usually, ants build a colony. The size of the colony varies. There are colonies that only have a few dozens of predators. There are also colonies that occupy big territories. Those colonies are usually highly organized and can have millions of ants.
4. Arctic Fox
There are many names for arctic foxes, such as white fox, snow fox, and polar fox. You can find the arctic fox in the Northern Hemisphere.
Since it lives in cold environments, it has thick and war fur. The fur of an arctic fox can also act as a camouflage.
Usually, arctic foxes only live for three or four years when they live in the wild. The body lengths of arctic foxes range from 46 cm to 68 cm. It usually has a round body shape, so the amount of body heat that escapes can be minimized.
Arctic foxes eat small creatures, like seabirds, waterfowl, fish, voles, and lemmings. Aside from smaller animals, it also eats insects, berries, carrion, and seaweed.
5. Aardvark
Aardvark is a mammal from Africa. The nocturnal animal has a snout that looks like a pig’s. It uses its snout to look for food. You can find it roaming the southern part of the African continent.
Usually, it avoids the rocky part. It eats termites and ants. It has strong legs and sharp claws that it uses to dig out its food. Aside from food, it also uses its legs and claws to dig burrows, where it lives and raises its children.
6. Albatross
Albatross is a part of Diomedeidae. It is a seabird that usually can be found in North Pacific or the Southern Ocean. Albatross can be counted as one of the biggest flying birds.
The wingspan of an albatross can reach up to 3.7 meters. Albatrosses eat fish, krill, and squid.
To get their food, albatrosses either go diving, surface seizing, or scavenging. They are colonial, which means they nest on secluded oceanic islands.
To find a mate, an albatross will do ritual dances. The bond between a male and female can take several years to form.
Usually, the bond will last for a lifetime for the pair. Albatross can only lay a single egg in its attempt to breed. The process of laying to fledging can last over a year.
7. African Buffalo
As implied by the name, you can find African buffalos in East Africa or Southern Africa. African buffalos are also known as cape buffalo. It is considered a large bovine. One of the defining features of African buffalos is their horns.
The horns of adult buffalos are fused at the base. That is why an adult buffalo has a bone shield on top of its head that is named “boss”.
African buffalos are considered very dangerous. It is believed that every year, they can kill over 200 people.
8. Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Aldabra giant tortoise is considered one of the biggest tortoises in the world. It comes from Seychelles, to be exact, from the islands of the Aldabra.
In the past, there were many giant tortoises on the islands that are in the west part of the Indian Ocean.
Unfortunately, many of those species went extinct. It is believed that many species of giant tortoises went extinct due to over-exploitation.
Aldabra giant tortoise is an exception. It has a high carapace with the shape of a dome. When it comes to color, the carapace of Aldabra giant tortoises is either tan color or brown.
The heavy body of the Aldabra giant tortoise is supported by stocky scaled legs. Even so, this tortoise has a long neck.
9. Arctic Hare
Arctic hare, which is also known as polar rabbit, lives in the Arctic tundra and other cold biomes. The arctic hares are able to survive because they adapt to their living conditions.
Now, they have thick coat fur, a small nose, and shortened limbs and ears. They can also live because 20 percent of their bodies consist of fat.
To stay warm, arctic hares will dig holes. Sometimes, they do this to sleep. They can also burrow under the snow.
Arctic hares look slightly like rabbits, even though there are some differences, such as shorter ears. Polar rabbits are also taller than normal rabbits when they stand.
10. Angelfish
Angelfish is another name for Pterophyllum. All of the Pterophyllum species come from Orinoco Basin, Amazon Basin and many rivers in South America, to be exact, in the Guiana Shield. For cichlids, angelfish is considered to have a unique body.
Its body is round, while it has triangular anal and dorsal fins. With its body shape, angelfish are able to hide among plants and roots.
Angelfish usually have stripes and colors that help them to camouflage themselves. It eats smaller fish and macroinvertebrates.
11. Alligator
Alligator is a part of the family Alligatoridae. Right now, there are two species of alligators. Those are American alligators and the Chinese alligator.
From the fossils that were found, there are other species of alligators that went extinct. It is believed that alligators first appeared on Earth about 37 million years ago.
Most likely, the name alligator is taken from el Lagarto, which means the lizard in Spanish. The name was given by early settlers and explorers from Spain that went to Florida. Later on, the name is anglicized.
12. Arctic Wolf
There are two other names for arctic wolf: white wolf and polar wolf. It is one of the subspecies of gray wolves that live in the Queen Elizabeth Islands.
You can differentiate arctic wolves from their northwestern brethren by their size, their color, and carnassials.
Arctic wolves, which have a white color, are smaller than northwestern wolves; they also have larger carnassials and narrower braincases.
13. Axolotl
Another name for axolotl is Mexican walking fish. Tiger salamander is one of its relations.
Even though it is also named a walking fish, the axolotl is actually an amphibian. Originally, axolotl was found in several lakes under Mexico City. Lake Xochimilco, for example.
Axolotl is considered an anomaly when compared to other amphibians since it does not have to do a metamorphosis to reach adulthood.
Even after an axolotl reaches adulthood, it does not develop lungs and live on the land. Instead, it stays in the water and has gills.
14. Andean Condor
Andean condor is a part of the family Cathartidae. You can find this bird in South America. You can also find Andean condor in the Andes mountains.
This bird is considered the biggest flying bird based on its weight and its wingspan. The maximum wingspan of an Andean condor can reach up to 3.3 meters. The only birds that have bigger wingspans are seabirds and waterbirds.
Andean condor looks like a black vulture. It also has white feathers around its neck. The wings of Andean condors usually also have white patches, especially in male birds.
The neck and the head of the Andean condor are red. This color might change based on its emotional state.
15. Anaconda
You can find Anaconda in South America. As of now, there are four species of Anaconda that have been identified.
Based on its weight, Anaconda is considered the biggest snake in the world. While based on its length, Anaconda is considered the second-longest.
16. Arowana
Arowanas are also known as bony tongues, which are freshwater bony fish. It is a part of the family Osteoglossidae that has a bony head and long body with large scales.
Usually, those scales have a mosaic pattern. You can see soft rays on the dorsal and anal fins of an Arowana. While the dorsal and anal fins are long, the ventral and pectoral fins of an Arowana are small.
Arowana is also called bony tongues since on the floor of its mouth, and there is a toothed bone that is called “tongue”. It has teeth that can bite against the teeth that can be found on the roof of the mouth of an Arowana.
17. Alligator Snapping Turtle
Alligator snapping turtles can be found in the United States. It has a freshwater habitat. It is a part of the family Chelydridae.
The reason alligator snapping turtle is named as such is because it has a long neck and powerful jaws. Not to mention that it has a rough shell that reminds you of an alligator.
Alligator snapping turtles are found in Florida Panhandle. They can also be found in the Missouri River. Usually, only the females go to the land for nesting.
18. Alpaca
Alpaca is similar to a llama. Even so, they are different. One of the differences between an alpaca and a llama is the size. Usually, alpacas are smaller compared to llamas.
Since llamas and alpacas are closely related, they can be cross-bred. Both of them are also related to Vicuña. It is believed that Vicuña is the wild ancestor of an alpaca.
Unlike llamas, which are bred as working animals, alpacas are bred for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is like wool, and you can use it to make woven and knitted items, such as sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves, and even blankets.
19. Angel Shark
Angel sharks have unusual bodies since their bodies are flattened. It also has broad pectoral fins, which make them look like rays.
Avi is the genus of angel sharks, while its family is Squatinidae. Even though the front bodies of angel sharks are flattened and broad, they still have muscular rear parts, just like any other shark.
On the back, you can find five-gill slits on angel sharks. They do not have anal fins though they have two dorsal fins.
You can find angel sharks in tropical seas or other seas with temperate temperatures.
Many species of angel sharks live in shallow tropical water. Even so, there are a few species that live in deeper water. Another name for angel sharks is monkfish.
20. Archer Fish
Archerfish is also known as spinner fish. Archerfish prey on insects and other animals that live on land. It can do so by using its special mouth to shoot its prey with water droplets.
Most of the species of archerfish live in freshwater pools, streams, rivers. Even so, there are a few species that can live both in freshwater or brackish water habitats.
You can find archerfish in Sri Lanka and India. You can also find them in Southeast Asia, Melanesia, to Northern Australia.
Archerfish has a protractile mouth while its lower jaw protrudes from its mouth. The size of an archerfish ranges from 12 cm to 18 cm.
People love to have archerfish in their aquariums. The problem is it is hard to feed since they prefer to eat live prey.
21. Argentine Horned Frog
The Argentine horned frog is also known as an ornate Pacman frog or Argentine wide-mouthed frog. It is a part of the family Ceratophryidae.
Its native is in South America. The Argentine horned frog is considered the species of horned frog that is most common in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentine. It has a voracious appetite.
That is why it tries to eat anything that is close to its mouth, from insects, lizards, rodents, and even other frogs.
22. American Robin
The American robin has reddish-orange breasts. This bird is named after the European robin because of the color of its breast.
Even so, the American robin and European robin are not related closely. American robin can be found in North America, from the center of Mexico to the south of Canada.
They also live along the Pacific Coast. American Robin usually is active during the day. At night, they gather together in a large flock.
They eat invertebrates, berries, and fruits. American robins will start to breed not long after they return from their winter range.
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23. Achilles Tang
Achilles tang is the common name for Acanthurus Achilles. It is a tropical fish that can be found in the Pacific Ocean.
The maximum size of Achilles tang when it reaches adulthood is 25 cm. It usually has a black body with white lines and an orange accent along the tail and the fins.
It is a herbivore. Mostly, it eats benthic algae. When people keep them as a pet, they can also eat frozen food like brine shrimp. Even so, it is better if they can also get algae or other similar vegetables to moderate their aggression.
25. Ayam Cemani
Ayam cemani is a modern breed of chicken. It is from Indonesia. Ayam cemani can have all black feathers because they have a dominant gene.
That dominant gene is the cause of hyperpigmentation. Ayam cemani not only have black feathers, but they also have a black beak, and even their internal organs are black.