Mother Earth is home to over 1.5 million living species of animals. There are still many regions of the world that remain unexplored and countless species not yet found. Scientists have estimated a whopping total of over 7 million animal species total across the globe.
Here are some animals whose names start with the letter “E” and all the details you need to know about them.
1. Eel
Eels are ray-finned fish that are characterized by their elongated, wormlike bodies. While eels can also be found in freshwater, the majority of their species are found at sea. Eels have a continuous dorsal, anal, and caudal fin that runs around the tail tip. To swim, they generate waves that travel the length of their bodies. The blood of an eel is poisonous, which discourages other creatures from eating it.
Fun fact: Eels can live for 70 years or more depending on the species. Most eels do not live for more than 30 years.
2. Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large, heavy-beaked, and big-footed birds of prey. There are about 68 species of eagles, most of which are from Eurasia and Africa. They are large carnivores and carrion-eating birds that have powerful hooked bills and keen vision. An eagle resembles a vulture in build and flight characteristics but has a fully feathered (often crested) head and strong feet equipped with great curved talons. They tend to nest in inaccessible places, incubating a small clutch of eggs for six to eight weeks.
Fun fact: An eagle’s grip is ten times stronger than a human’s.
3. Elephant
Elephants are the largest land mammals on earth and have massive bodies, large ears, and long trunks. They are most often found in savannahs, grasslands, and forests but occupy many habitats, including deserts, swamps, and highlands in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. Elephants are herbivores, standing up to 3m high and weighing up to 6,000kg on average. Elephant tusks help them feed and continue growing throughout their lives.
Fun fact: Elephants have around 150,000 muscle units in their trunk.
4. Earthworm
The reddish-grey-colored common earthworm, often called a night crawler, is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. There are 7,000 described species of earthworms across the globe that vary considerably in their appearance. Earthworms are native to Europe, North America, and Western Asia but are found everywhere except in freezing regions and deserts. They help aerate the soil and are also decomposers that help add nutrients to it. Earthworms have no eyes or ears but are very sensitive to vibrations.
Fun fact: Earthworms are hermaphrodites, meaning they have female and male organs.
5. Emu
Emus are large flightless birds endemic to Australia. They are the second-tallest living bird after their ratite relative ostrich. There are only one extant species of the emu. Emus can be more than 5 feet tall and weigh more than 45 kg. They are characterized by long legs with three-toed feet, long necks, stout bodies, small vestigial wings, shaggy plumage, and black-tipped feathers with black shafts. Emus feed on different plants and insects and fall prey to foxes, dingoes, cats, dogs, and predatory birds.
Fun fact: Emus have two sets of eyelids, one for blinking and the other for keeping the dust out.
6. Earwigs
Earwigs are slender insects with flat bodies and forceps that project from their abdomen called pincers. There are 2,000 species of earwigs worldwide, found on every continent except Antarctica. Earwigs are predominantly nocturnal and hide in small shady places under rocks, tree bark, or moist crevices during the day and are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and decaying plant matter.
Fun fact: Their name comes from the old English word “ear wicga”, which roughly translates to ear wiggler. It is how the myth began about these insects crawling into your ears while you sleep.
7. Echidna
Echidna is also known as the spiny anteater. As their name implies, they feed on ants as well as termites. The echidna has spines like a porcupine, a beak like a bird, a pouch like a kangaroo, and lays eggs like a reptile. Echidnas are found throughout New Guinea and mainland Australia. Due to overhunting and habitat loss, echidnas are Critically Endangered (IUCN).
Fun fact: Of all the mammals in the world, echidnas have the second lowest body temperature.
8. Elk
Elk are also called wapiti, a Native American word that means “light-colored deer.” They are the second largest herbivores indigenous to North America, Eurasia, and Asia. They inhabit mountain meadows and forests. Elk are social animals; they live in summer herds with as many as 400 individuals. They weigh as much as 1800 lbs and can grow to be 6.5 ft. from hooves to shoulders.
Fun fact: Elks consume about 9.1kg of vegetation daily.
9. Ermine
Ermine is the common name for a small northern weasel with a short, black-tipped tail, long body, and short legs. They can be found in various habitats, including forests, tundra, and plains. They are solitary carnivores with long slender bodies that are well-adapted to moving through underground burrows as well as dense vegetation. Their fur is dark brown in summer and white in snowy winter conditions but the tip of their tail remains black all year.
Fun fact: Ermines can travel further than 9 miles in a night to find food.
10. Eider
Eiders are the largest ducks in the Northern hemisphere that spend most of their lives in shallow coastal waters. They can be found in southern Alaska, Atlantic Canada, and New England. Eiders exclusively eat mollusks, crustaceans (such as spider crabs), sea urchins, and fish eggs. They possess dense feathers that serve to keep them warm during cold weather. Eiders are colonial nesters that tend to lay 4–6 eggs.
Fun fact: The female eider plucks her feathers to create a lining for her nest.
11. Elephant Fish
The elephant fish is a cartilaginous fish with an almost entirely scaleless elongated body. Elephant fish are found from Western Australia to New South Wales, including Tasmania, at depths of at least 200 meters. An elephant fish searches the seafloor and finds prey hidden in the mud. They are carnivores that feed on small worms and aquatic invertebrates such as mosquito larvae.
Fun fact: Their snout is covered in pores that sense movement and weak electrical fields, which are used in detecting prey.
12. Eland
Elands are found in East and Southern Africa. They are one of the largest antelopes having the endurance to maintain a trot indefinitely and can jump a 4 feet fence from a standstill. Elands have fawn coloring and long black spiral horns on both males and females. Common elands have a mild temperament and have been successfully domesticated.
Fun fact: While the eland may be the largest African bovid, it is the slowest antelope.
List of All Animals that Start with E:
- Eagle
- Eagle Ray
- Eared Grebe
- Earless Monitor Lizard
- Earthworm
- Earwig
- East Siberian Laika
- Eastern Barred Bandicoot
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Box Turtle
- Eastern Brown Snake
- Eastern Chipmunk
- Eastern Coral Snake
- Eastern Cottontail
- Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Eastern Dobsonfly
- Eastern Fence Lizard
- Eastern Glass Lizard
- Eastern Gorilla
- Eastern Gray Squirrel
- Eastern Green Mamba
- Eastern Hognose Snake
- Eastern Indigo Snake
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Lowland Gorilla
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Eastern Phoebe
- Eastern Racer
- Eastern Rat Snake
- Eastern Tiger Snake
- Eastern Turkey (Wild Turkey)
- Eastern Woodrat
- Echidna
- Eclectus Parrot
- Edible Frog
- Eel
- Eel catfish
- Eelpout
- Egret
- Egyptian Cobra (Egyptian Asp)
- Egyptian Goose
- Egyptian Mau
- Egyptian Tortoise
- Egyptian Vulture
- Eider
- Eland
- Elasmosaurus
- Elasmotherium
- Electric Catfish
- Electric Eel
- Elegant Tern
- Elephant
- Elephant Beetle
- Elephant Bird
- Elephant Fish
- Elephant Seal
- Elephant Shrew
- Elf Owl
- Elk
- Ember Tetra
- Embolotherium
- Emerald Toucanet
- Emerald Tree Boa
- Emerald Tree Monitor
- Emperor Angelfish
- Emperor Goose
- Emperor Penguin
- Emperor Tamarin
- Emu
- Enchi Ball Python
- English Bulldog
- English Cocker Spaniel
- English Cream Golden Retriever
- English Crested Guinea Pig
- English Foxhound
- English Longhorn Cattle
- English Pointer
- English Setter
- English Shepherd
- English Springer Spaniel
- English Toy Terrier
- Entlebucher Mountain Dog
- Epagneul Pont Audemer
- Epicyon haydeni
- Epidexipteryx
- Equatorial Spitting Cobra
- Equus giganteus
- Ermine
- Eryops
- Escolar
- Eskimo Dog
- Eskipoo
- Estrela Mountain Dog
- Euoplocephalus
- Eurasian Beaver
- Eurasian Bullfinch
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Eurasian Eagle-owl
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Lynx
- Eurasian Nuthatch
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Eurasian Wolf
- Eurasier
- European Bee-Eater
- European Corn Borer
- European Goldfinch
- European Polecat
- European Robin
- European Starling
- European Wildcat
- Eurypterus
- Evening Bat
- Evening Grosbeak
- Executioner Wasp
- Eyelash Viper
Jump to any letter
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z