This list includes 21 Mammals that start with Y, from “Yak” to “Yunnan Hare”. Many are ungulates, rodents, lagomorphs, bats, or small carnivores found worldwide. Use it for school projects, species checks, blog content, and quick classroom references.
Mammals that start with Y are species in Class Mammalia whose common English names begin with the letter Y. Notable example: the Yak is both a wild high‑altitude bovine and a longtime cultural companion across Himalayan communities.
Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Order, and Habitat.
Common name: The everyday English name used to identify species quickly when you search field guides or lists.
Scientific name: The accepted Latin binomial that gives precise species identity for cross-referencing scientific records you use.
Order: The taxonomic order places each mammal in a broader evolutionary group, helping you compare related species at a glance.
Habitat: A concise habitat label (forest, grassland, marine, desert, urban, etc.) that tells you where the animal typically lives.
Mammals that start with Y
| Common name | Scientific name | Order | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yak | Bos grunniens | Artiodactyla | montane/tundra |
| Yap Flying Fox | Pteropus yapensis | Chiroptera | forest |
| Yarkand Hare | Lepus yarkandensis | Lagomorpha | desert/shrubland |
| Yarkand Stag | Cervus hanglu | Artiodactyla | forest/freshwater |
| Yellow Mongoose | Cynictis penicillata | Carnivora | grassland/shrubland |
| Yellow-backed Duiker | Cephalophus silvicultor | Artiodactyla | forest |
| Yellow-bellied Glider | Petaurus australis | Diprotodontia | forest |
| Yellow-bellied Marmot | Marmota flaviventris | Rodentia | montane/grassland |
| Yellow-cheeked Gibbon | Nomascus gabriellae | Primates | forest |
| Yellow-footed Antechinus | Antechinus flavipes | Dasyuromorphia | forest/shrubland |
| Yellow-necked Mouse | Apodemus flavicollis | Rodentia | forest/shrubland |
| Yellow-nosed Cotton Rat | Sigmodon ochrognathus | Rodentia | montane/grassland |
| Yellow-pine Chipmunk | Neotamias amoenus | Rodentia | forest/montane |
| Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax | Heterohyrax brucei | Hyracoidea | montane/shrubland |
| Yellow-throated Marten | Martes flavigula | Carnivora | forest/montane |
| Yellow-toothed Cavy | Galea musteloides | Rodentia | grassland/montane |
| Yellow-winged Bat | Lavia frons | Chiroptera | forest/shrubland |
| Yucatan Black Howler | Alouatta pigra | Primates | forest |
| Yucatan Squirrel | Sciurus yucatanensis | Rodentia | forest |
| Yuma Myotis | Myotis yumanensis | Chiroptera | desert/freshwater |
| Yunnan Hare | Lepus comus | Lagomorpha | grassland/montane |
Descriptions
Yak
A large, long-haired bovid from the Himalayan region of Asia. Domesticated for thousands of years, wild yaks are now vulnerable and live at altitudes up to 20,000 feet.
Yap Flying Fox
A large fruit bat found only on the Yap Islands in Micronesia. This species is critically endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, and typhoons.
Yarkand Hare
Native to the Tarim Basin in China’s Xinjiang province. This hare is adapted to desert environments and is mostly nocturnal to avoid the daytime heat.
Yarkand Stag
A deer found in the riparian corridors of the Tarim Basin in China. It is a subspecies of the Tarim red deer, adapted to harsh desert-edge environments.
Yellow Mongoose
A social mammal native to southern Africa, also called the red meerkat. It lives in communal burrow colonies and is primarily insectivorous.
Yellow-backed Duiker
A large forest-dwelling antelope from central and western Africa. It has a distinctive patch of yellow hair on its rump that bristles when it feels threatened.
Yellow-bellied Glider
A nocturnal marsupial from eastern Australia. It glides between trees using a membrane of skin and makes loud, shrieking calls to communicate.
Yellow-bellied Marmot
A large ground squirrel found in the mountains of western North America. Known for its loud whistles, it hibernates for up to eight months of the year.
Yellow-cheeked Gibbon
An endangered primate from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Males are black with golden cheeks, while females are blonde. They are known for their elaborate, loud songs.
Yellow-footed Antechinus
A small, carnivorous marsupial from eastern Australia. Males live a frantic life, dying from stress-related causes after a single, intense breeding season.
Yellow-necked Mouse
A rodent native to southern Europe and western Asia. It is distinguished by a band of yellow fur across its neck and is an excellent climber.
Yellow-nosed Cotton Rat
Found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, this rodent inhabits grassy mountain slopes. It is identified by the yellowish-orange fur on its nose.
Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Found in western North America, this small chipmunk lives in coniferous forests. It gathers and stores seeds in its cheek pouches for winter.
Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax
A small mammal from eastern Africa that is surprisingly more related to elephants than rodents. It lives in large colonies among rock crevices, known as kopjes.
Yellow-throated Marten
A large, colorful marten found across Asia. It is a bold and powerful predator, known to hunt in pairs or family groups to take down small deer.
Yellow-toothed Cavy
A rodent related to the guinea pig, found in the Andes of South America. They are highly social, living in burrows and are known for their complex mating systems.
Yellow-winged Bat
A striking bat from Africa with bright yellow or orange wings and ears. It is carnivorous, hunting large insects from a perch much like a flycatcher bird.
Yucatan Black Howler
Found on the Yucatán Peninsula, this large monkey is one of the loudest animals in the world. Its deep, guttural howls can be heard for several kilometers through the jungle.
Yucatan Squirrel
A tree squirrel found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. It is less shy than many other squirrel species and is often seen foraging on the ground in tropical dry forests.
Yuma Myotis
A small bat species found in western North America. It forages for insects just over water surfaces and forms large maternity colonies, sometimes with thousands of individuals.
Yunnan Hare
This hare is native to the high-altitude meadows and shrublands of the Yunnan province of China. It is known for its grayish-brown coat that provides camouflage.
