20 Animals that start with Q

By Kevin Myers | 2023 Update

When it comes to the letter Q, not many animals come to mind. However, you’d be surprised to know that several animals’ names start with a Q.

We have made a list of all these fantastic animals just for you!

Animals that start with Q

1. Quokka

This macropod is the happiest animal on the planet. This is because they always have a cute little smile on their face. Despite this fact, they are not always friendly towards humans.

Fun Fact: Quokkas store fat in their tails. This allows them to go days without eating.

2. Quail

Quails are migratory birds that have a distinct chirping sound. They are small in size and often used as pets or food. This bird can lay up to 300 eggs in a year. Their eggs are also small and have brown spots on them.

Fun Fact: Unlike most birds, quails tend to nest on the ground.

3. Quagga

This extinct animal was related to the plains zebra species. Just like the zebra, quaggas had stripes covering their body. Some quaggas have tan fur, while others look similar to zebras. Scientists are still finding ways to bring back these majestic animals.

Fun Fact: Quaggas are docile when compared to zebras.

4. Quoll

This adorable marsupial is native to Australia and looks like a weasel. There are six species of quoll, some of which exist in New Guinea. Unfortunately, this is another vulnerable animal, with less than 300 living on this planet.

Fun Fact: Quolls are nocturnal animals. This means that they sleep during the day and hunt during the night.

5. Qinling Panda

The Qinling Pandas are related to giant pandas, and they have brown fur. Also commonly called brown pandas and are much smaller than the giant panda species. This bear lived in the mountains and wasn’t recognised as a subspecies till 2005.

Fun Fact: This animal’s unique coloring is a result of inbreeding.

Learn more about this brown giant panda

6. Quetzal

The quetzal is a vibrant-colored bird that resides in tropical rainforests. The beautiful bird has bright green and red feathers. It is also a symbol of freedom in many countries. Perhaps the coolest thing about the quetzal is its long tail feathers that extend several inches below its body.

Fun Fact: In ancient times, some cultures used the quetzal as currency.

7. Quelea

Talking about birds, Quelea is another adorable little species that lives in Africa. The quelea is a pest bird that feeds on seeds and cereal. They are the size of a sparrow and have a black face along with a red beak

Fun Fact: There are over 1.5 billion quelea birds in this world.

8. Quahog

A quahog is a species of clam found in North America. In ancient times, these clams were a popular choice for making jewelry. This species of clam is also edible and used in many seafood dishes.

Fun Fact: Tiny clams that you cannot eat is called peanuts.

9. Queen Snapper

The queen snapper has distinct red coloring and forked tail. This fish feeds on a diet of squid and other little fish. It can grow up to be up to 6.6 lbs in weight and 26 inches in length. These fish are also used as food in many countries.

Fun Fact: This fish tends to swim in deep waters only.

10. Quagga Catshark

This is another unique fish with a long and slender body reaching up to 37 cm. The quagga catshark has a brown striped pattern on its body. It is called a catshark because of its eye shape, which looks similar to a cat.

Fun Fact: Catshark poop is green! This is due to the green bile in their stomach.

Check out this interesting video on diving with catshark!

11. Queensland Tube-Nosed Bat

This Queensland tube-nosed bat gets its name for its unique nose shape, which no other bat species has. These bats live on a fruit-based diet, mainly eating delicious figs and flowers. They have brown coloring and several yellow spots on their wings.

Fun Fact: This bat uses its nose tubes to locate its food.

12. Quacking Frog

The quacking frog is a species native to Western Australia. This frog is also known as the red thighed frog due to the red coloring on their legs. It gets its name from the quacking sound they make when they ribbit.

Fun Fact: One of the predators of this frog is other larger frogs.

13. Quechuan Hocicudo

This endangered mammal is found in Bolivia, and lives in forests. They look like a cross between a mouse and a mole. Quechuan Hocicudo is a fluffy animal with a small pointy nose and a long tail.

Image credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymycterus#/media/File:Oxymycterus_nasutus_(The_zoology_of_the_voyage_of_H.M.S.Beagle(Pl._17)_BHL40299903).jpg

Fun Fact: This animal is more commonly known as the oxymycterus.

14. Queen Triggerfish

When it comes to unique and colorful fish, this one has to be on top of the list. This fish has gorgeous yellow and blue scales and a forked tail. The queen triggerfish can grow up to 23.6 inches in length.

Fun Fact: Triggerfish are known to bite divers. This is because they are pretty territorial.

15. Queensland Grouper

This massive fish can grow up to 880 lbs in weight and is one of the largest bony fishes. They live in reefs and are big enough to feast on small sharks. Their diet consists of other fish, crustaceans and even turtles.

Fun Fact: These fish are hermaphrodites. This means that they can breed without a male.

16. Queensland Lungfish

Here’s another cool fish that you may not know about. This is one of six species, and it is dark brown. Due to overfishing and habitat loss, this fish species is unfortunately endangered.

Fun Fact: These fish live in reservoirs and slow-moving water areas.

17. Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

This gorgeous butterfly has yellow, red and blue shades on its wings. It lives in the religion of New Guinea and can poison animals that eat it. While the males are brightly colored, the females have brown wings.

Fun Fact: These butterflies love eating nectar from hibiscus flowers.

18. Queen Angelfish 

This is another brightly colored fish that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is known for its pretty scales with shades of yellow, orange and blue. They are often kept as pets and can adapt to different water PH levels.

Fun Fact: These fish can grow up to 45 cm in length.

19. Quebrada Valverde Salamander

This little lizard lives in Costa Rica, and it has reddish-colored skin. It is an endangered species, living in warm water to survive. Just like most water lizards, this creature has a long tail and four legs.

Fun Fact: Like most other lizards, this salamander breathes through its skin.

20. Queen Snake

This semi-aquatic snake is also known as a willow snake. If they are threatened, they spray a smelly odor onto their predators to distract them. These snakes are quite gentle, but if they are attacked, they will bite.

Fun Fact: This snake mostly lives in swamps and even canals.

Conclusion

Did you ever think there would be this many animals starting with Q? We hope this article helped you learn some new animal names.


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