The Complete List of Common Animals That Start With T

This list includes 46 Common Animals that start with T, from “Takahe” to “Two-toed sloth”. These entries cover familiar birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish useful for classroom, nature study, or quick reference.

Common Animals that start with T are widely recognized species whose common names begin with the letter T. For example, the takahe became a global conservation icon after its rediscovery in New Zealand in 1948.

Below you’ll find the table with common name, scientific name, order, and habitat/distribution.

Common name: You can use this to identify species by the widely used name most readers recognize.

Scientific name: These Latin binomials give precise species identity and let you look up detailed biological information.

Order: This shows higher-level classification so you quickly see related groups like birds or mammals.

Habitat/distribution: Brief notes explain where the animal lives and the regions you are most likely to encounter it.

Common Animals that start with T

Common name	Scientific name	Order	Habitat/Distribution	Description
Tiger	Panthera tigris	Carnivora	Asia; forests and grasslands	Large striped cat, solitary apex predator known for strength and striking coat; endangered from habitat loss and poaching.
Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Galliformes	North America; woodlands and farmland	Large ground bird, wild and domesticated, famous for gobbling and fanned tail display at breeding season.
Toco toucan	Ramphastos toco	Piciformes	South America; tropical forests	Iconic bird with oversized colorful bill, mostly frugivorous and highly visible in rainforest canopies.
Tiger shark	Galeocerdo cuvier	Carcharhiniformes	Tropical/subtropical oceans worldwide	Large, robust shark with juvenile stripes; opportunistic predator found near coasts and reefs.
Trumpeter swan	Cygnus buccinator	Anseriformes	North America; lakes and wetlands	Largest North American swan, white plumage and trumpet-like call; nests on freshwater lakes.
Tuatara	Sphenodon punctatus	Rhynchocephalia	New Zealand; coastal islands	Ancient reptile lineage, slow-growing and nocturnal, retains primitive skull and tooth features.
Tarpon	Megalops atlanticus	Elopiformes	Western Atlantic; coastal estuaries and bays	Large silver sportfish known for spectacular leaps; found in warm coastal and estuarine waters.
Tufted titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Passeriformes	Eastern North America; woodlands and gardens	Small gray songbird with crest, frequent backyard feeder visitor and active insectivore.
Turkey vulture	Cathartes aura	Cathartiformes	Americas; open areas, forests, and roadsides	Widespread scavenger with keen sense of smell, bare red head and soaring flight.
Tree swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Passeriformes	North America; near water and open fields	Agile aerial insect-eater with iridescent blue-green back; nests in cavities and boxes.
Tufted duck	Aythya fuligula	Anseriformes	Eurasia; freshwater lakes and ponds	Black-and-white diving duck with distinctive head tuft and bright yellow eye.
Timber rattlesnake	Crotalus horridus	Squamata	Eastern North America; forests and rocky ledges	Venomous pit viper with rattling tail, ambushes prey on forest floors.
Tayra	Eira barbara	Carnivora	Central and South America; lowland forests	Agile, omnivorous mustelid often seen in trees and on forest edges.
Tammar wallaby	Notamacropus eugenii	Diprotodontia	Southern Australia; grasslands and scrub	Small grazing wallaby common in southern Australia, adaptable to open habitats.
Thorny devil	Moloch horridus	Squamata	Australia; arid deserts	Small spiny lizard that channels water to its mouth, camouflaged and slow-moving.
Tiger salamander	Ambystoma tigrinum	Caudata	North America; ponds, wetlands, and woodlands	Large spotted salamander, breeds in ponds; larval aquatic stage and terrestrial adults.
Tasmanian devil	Sarcophilus harrisii	Dasyuromorphia	Tasmania; forests and coastal scrub	Noisy carnivorous marsupial and scavenger with powerful jaws; threatened by disease.
Tomtit	Petroica macrocephala	Passeriformes	New Zealand; forests and gardens	Small insectivorous bird with bold plumage patterns, common in New Zealand backyards.
Tawny owl	Strix aluco	Strigiformes	Europe and Asia; woodlands	Medium-sized nocturnal owl with rounded face and mottled brown plumage.
Takahe	Porphyrio hochstetteri	Gruiformes	New Zealand; alpine grasslands and wetlands	Large flightless rail, rare and conservation-dependent, iconic New Zealand bird.
Tokay gecko	Gekko gecko	Squamata	Southeast Asia; forests and buildings	Large nocturnal gecko with sticky toes and loud, distinctive call; often lives near people.
Tamaraw	Bubalus mindorensis	Artiodactyla	Philippines (Mindoro); grasslands and forests	Small endemic buffalo, critically endangered and restricted to Mindoro island.
Tasmanian tiger	Thylacinus cynocephalus	Dasyuromorphia	Tasmania and New Guinea; grasslands and forests (historical)	Extinct carnivorous marsupial with striped hindquarters; last confirmed in early 20th century.
Townsend’s solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Passeriformes	North America; open woodlands and mountains	Solitary gray thrush-like bird, eats berries and insects, known for clear song.
Tiger snake	Notechis scutatus	Squamata	Australia; wetlands and coastal areas	Highly venomous snake common near water, variable patterning and strong temperament.
Tomato frog	Dyscophus antongilii	Anura	Madagascar; forest leaf litter	Bright orange-red frog that secretes sticky toxins when threatened; terrestrial and endemic.
Tomcod	Microgadus tomcod	Gadiformes	Northwest Atlantic and eastern North America; coastal waters	Small cold-water fish common in estuaries, important locally to fisheries.
Tawny frogmouth	Podargus strigoides	Podargiformes	Australia; woodlands and forests	Nocturnal insect-eating bird camouflaged like tree bark, often perched motionless.
Two-toed sloth	Choloepus didactylus	Pilosa	Central and South America; tropical forests	Slow arboreal mammal with two digits on forelimbs, feeds on leaves and sleeps in canopy.
Tasmanian pademelon	Thylogale billardierii	Diprotodontia	Tasmania; forests and dense vegetation	Small, nocturnal wallaby common in Tasmanian understorey habitats.
Tufted puffin	Fratercula cirrhata	Charadriiformes	North Pacific; coastal cliffs and islands	Seabird with colorful bill and facial tufts during breeding; nests in burrows.
Timber wolf	Canis lupus	Carnivora	Northern Hemisphere; forests, tundra, and grasslands	Common name for some gray wolf populations, social predators that hunt in packs.
Tufted deer	Elaphodus cephalophus	Artiodactyla	China; mountainous forests	Small deer with a distinctive forehead tuft and fang-like upper canines.
Townsend’s warbler	Setophaga townsendi	Passeriformes	Western North America; coniferous forests	Brightly patterned warbler that breeds in conifer forests and migrates south.
Timneh African grey	Psittacus timneh	Psittaciformes	West Africa; forests and woodlands	Intelligent and social parrot, smaller and darker than Congo African grey; popular in aviculture.
Topi	Damaliscus lunatus	Artiodactyla	Sub-Saharan Africa; savannas and grasslands	Fast, reddish antelope forming herds on open plains; well-known African grazing species.
Tibetan fox	Vulpes ferrilata	Carnivora	Tibetan Plateau; high-elevation grasslands and steppes	Small fox with boxy face, specialized to cold, open high-altitude habitats.
Tibetan antelope	Pantholops hodgsonii	Artiodactyla	Tibetan Plateau and Central Asia; alpine grasslands	Endemic highland antelope (chiru), adapted to cold plateaus; prized for wool historically.
Three-banded armadillo	Tolypeutes tricinctus	Cingulata	South America; dry forests and savannas	Armored mammal that can roll into a ball for defense; threatened by habitat loss.
Thick-billed murre	Uria lomvia	Charadriiformes	Arctic and North Atlantic; coastal cliffs and seas	Dense seabird that nests on cliffs in colonies and dives for fish.
Texas horned lizard	Phrynosoma cornutum	Squamata	North America (southern U.S., Mexico); deserts and scrub	Flat-bodied lizard with horns that feeds mainly on ants and blends with arid habitats.
Thomson’s gazelle	Eudorcas thomsonii	Artiodactyla	East Africa; savannas and grasslands	Small, swift gazelle common on African plains, forms herds and evades predators by speed.
Tricolored heron	Egretta tricolor	Pelecaniformes	Americas; coastal wetlands and marshes	Slim heron with blue-gray, white and chestnut plumage, probes for fish in shallow water.
Tawny eagle	Aquila rapax	Accipitriformes	Africa and South Asia; open habitats and savannas	Medium-sized raptor that scavenges and hunts small mammals in open country.
Tropical kingbird	Tyrannus melancholicus	Passeriformes	Americas; open woodlands and edges	Bold flycatcher that hawks insects from exposed perches; common in tropical and subtropical areas.
Tawny pipit	Anthus campestris	Passeriformes	Europe, Asia, Africa; open grasslands	Ground-dwelling insectivorous bird, pale and streaked, breeds in open fields and steppes.