Skip to Content

Animals That Start with Q

Brown quail
Brown quail (Coturnix ypsilophora), Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia. JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to animals that start with Q.

It took a bit of searching, but we’ve made a list of 20 animals that start with the letter Q. You can check them out.

quokka
Quokka. Image by Peter Melki via iStockPhotos

Jump to any Animal or read the entire list below.

Overview of animals that start with Q

1. Qinling Panda

Qinling Panda
Qinling Panda. AilieHM, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameAiluropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis
Where It LivesQinling Mountains, China
What It EatsBamboo
Conservation StatusEndangered

Fun Fact: Qinling pandas are rare, as there are less than 200 individuals in the wild.

Qinling pandas, also known as brown pandas, are a subspecies of the giant panda. They have a brown coat and a back of brown below their eyes rather than around it like other panda species. Bamboo is their primary source of nutrition; however, bamboo is not very nutrient-rich, so they spend around 14 hours a day eating bamboo.

2. Quacking Frog

quacking frog
Crinia signifera, un Myobatrachidae, extraído de http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Crinia_signifera.jpg
Scientific NameCrinia georgiana
Where It LivesSouthwest Western Australia
What It EatsInsects, snails, spiders
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun Fact: The quacking frog’s mating seems affected by moon phases, as there is a high mating level during the full moon.

Quacking frogs are endemic to Australia. As their name suggests, their mating call sounds like a duck’s quack. They vary in color, being orange, gray, or brown with marbling or stripes on their skin. Females typically have white abdomens.

3. Quagga

quagga
Quagga. Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameEquus quagga quagga
Where It LivedSouth Africa
What It AteGrasses, shrubs
Conservation StatusExtinct

Fun Fact: A Quagga herd always kept one individual as a guard while they slept.

Quaggas were a subspecies of zebra that appeared to be half-zebra and half-donkey. They were characterized by their brown skin and white stripes that appeared only on their upper torso and head. The last quagga died in captivity in 1883. They were unfortunately hunted to extinction.

4. Quagga Catshark

quagga catshark
By Alfred William Alcock, Indian Museum – Illustrations of the Zoology of the Royal Indian Marine Survey ship Investigator: under the command of Commander T.H. Hemming, R.N. (Part 7), Plate XXVII, Figure 1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26252387
Scientific NameHalaelurus quagga
Where It LivesArabian Sea
What It EatsDeep-living shrimps
Conservation StatusData deficient

Fun Fact: The Quagga Catshark gets its name from its stripes that resemble a quagga.

Quagga catsharks are a species of bottom-dwellers that have been found off the coasts of southwestern India and eastern Somalia. Only nine specimens have ever been caught. They have pointed snouts and dorsally-placed eyes and gill slots.

5. Quahog

quahog
Quahog. self, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameMercenaria mercenaria
Where It LivesNorth & Central America
What It EatsParticulate matter
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun fact: Quahogs mate by releasing their gametes into the surrounding water.

Quahog, otherwise known as hard clams, are a species of hard-shelled clams that inhabit the eastern shores of North and Central America. They are commonly served as food in restaurants around areas where they can commonly be caught. They are filter feeders and may be toxic to humans if they ingest toxins like red tide.

6. Quail

Brown quail
Brown quail (Coturnix ypsilophora), Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia. JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific Name12 genera
Where It LivesWorldwide, except Antarctica
What It EatsSeeds, greens, insects
Conservation StatusSome species threatened/endangered

Fun Fact: Quail hens can lay an average of 200 eggs annually.

Quails are game birds and are widely distributed around the world. They were domesticated primarily for their meat and eggs. They don’t look like it, but they can fly nearly 40 miles per hour over short distances.

7. Quebrada Valverde Salamander

quebrada salamander
Quebrada Valverde Salamander. Bill Bouton, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameBolitoglossa diminuta
Where It LivesCosta Rica
What It EatsInsects, spiders, worms
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun Fact: The Quebrada Valverde Salamander doesn’t have lungs but breathes through its moist skin.

Quebrada Valverde Salamanders are endemic to Costa Rica. They live close to bodies of water or in moist tropical to subtropical forests. “Quebrada”: means “ravine” and “Valverde” means “meadow.”

8. Quechuan Hocicudo

quechuan hocicudo
Oxymycterus nasutus.. Bell, Thomas; Darwin, Charles; Gould, Elizabeth; Gould, John; Owen, Richard; Waterhouse, G. R., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameOxymycterus hucucha
Where It LivesAndes
What It EatsInvertebrates, arthropods
Conservation StatusEndangered

Fun Fact: Due to its small distribution and destroying habitat, the Quechuan Hocicudo is classified as endangered.

Quechuan Hocicudos are fairly small rodents. These animals live in the cloud forests, which are very wet and mossy forests, at an elevation of 8,500-9,800 ft (2,600-3,000 m) above sea level in a small region in the Andes Mountains.

9. Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

queen alexandra birdwing butterfly
Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterfly. Natural History Museum, London, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameOrnithoptera alexandrae
Where It LivesPapua New Guinea
What It EatsFlower nectar
Conservation StatusEndangered`

Fun Fact: These butterflies fly so high during the day that early collectors hunted them with small shotguns.

Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterflies are the largest species of butterfly in the world. Their wingspans can reach 9.8-11 inches (25-28 cm), with some exceeding that. They are endemic to the forests of the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea.

10. Queen Angelfish

Queen Angelfish
Queen Angelfish. Pedro Lastra, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameHolacanthus ciliaris
Where It LivesCoasts of the Americas
What It EatsSponges, plankton, jellyfish, algae
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun Fact: Female queen angelfishes can discharge up to seventy-five thousand eggs in an evening of mating.

Queen angelfishes are a beautiful fish species that live in the western Atlantic Ocean coral reefs. They are colored bright and beautiful blue and yellow shades and are in high demand for aquariums.

11. Queen Snake

queen snake
A queen snake (Regina septemvittata). Rebecca Hawkins, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameRegina septemvittata
Where It LivesNorth America
What It EatsCrayfish, small fish
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun Fact: The Queen Snake hunts its prey by tracking its scent with its sensitive tongue.

Queen snakes inhabit the temperate regions of North America, including New York, Wisconsin, Alabama, and northern Florida. They are non-venomous, semi-aquatic, and resemble garter snakes in appearance. These snakes stay close to clean running water or watersheds.

12. Queen Snapper

queen snapper
Queen Snapper, Etelis oculatus. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Scientific NameEtelis oculatus
Where It LivesWestern Atlantic Ocean
What It EatsFish, squid
Conservation StatusData deficient

Fun Fact: The maximum recorded length of a queen snapper is thirty-nine inches.

Queen snappers are easily identifiable by their bright red and pinkish skin. They live in the western Atlantic Ocean and are the only species in the genus (Etelis) to not live in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It is possible that the population numbers are in decline due to overfishing; however, there is not yet enough data on their numbers.

13. Queen Triggerfish

queen triggerfish
Queen triggerfish. James St. John, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameBalistes vetula
Where It LivesAtlantic Ocean
What It EatsSea urchins, invertebrates
Conservation StatusNear threatened

Fun Fact: Queen triggerfishes can change colors when under stress.

Queen Triggerfishes, also known as old wives, inhabit the western Atlantic Ocean, commonly in coral and rocky reefs. They feature remarkably right colors, and they are often caught for aquariums.

14. Queensland Grouper

queensland grouper fish
Queensland Grouper. Image by Robin Riggs via Aquarium of the Pacific
Scientific NameEpinephelus lanceolatus
Where It LivesIndo-Pacific Ocean
What It EatsFish, small sharks, crustaceans
Conservation StatusData deficient

Fun Fact: Queensland groupers swallow all their prey, which include small sharks and sea turtles, whole.

Queensland groupers, also known as giant groupers, are one of the largest species of bony fish, weighing up to 880 lbs (400 kg). They have a wide distribution in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and typically stay in shallow waters.

15. Queensland Tube-Nosed Bat

queensland bat
Queensland tube-nosed bat. Mnolf, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameNyctimene robinsoni
Where It LivesNortheastern Australia
What It EatsFruit, nectar
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun Fact: Queensland Tube-Nosed Bats have never been observed drinking water.

Queensland tube-nosed bats are endemic to Northeastern Australia. They are brown with yellow spotting and have two tubular nostrils that project from their snouts. They are fructivores and only consume fruit and nectar.

16. Queensland Lungfish

queensland lungfish
Queensland Lungfish. http://opencage.net/pics.e/large_1151.asp, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameNeoceratodus forsteri
Where It LivesNortheastern Australia
What It Eatsx
Conservation StatusEndangered

Fun Fact: Queensland lungfishes are “living fossils” and one of the oldest living vertebrates on the planet, having been around since about 380 million years ago.

Queensland lungfishes. also known as Australian lungfishes, are endemic to southeastern Queensland in Australia. They are called lungfishes because they have lungs they use to breathe oxygen in addition to their gills. This helps them survive the Australian dry season.

17. Quelea

quelea
Red-billed Quelea. Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameQuelea spp.
Where It LivesSub-Saharan Africa
What It EatsSeeds
Conservation StatusLeast concern

Fun Fact: Queleas are the most populous undomesticated birds globally, with a population of 1.5 billion.

Queleas, pronounced “kwee-lee-uhs,” are a genus of small birds found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. In places where they are common, they have been nicknamed the feathered locusts because they are major pests to grain, corn, and rice fields.

18. Quetzal

Quetzal
White-tipped Quetzal (Pharomachrus fulgidus). Cullen Hanks, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific Name2 genera, 6 spp.
Where It LivesNeotropical America
What It EatsFruits, berries, insects
Conservation StatusNear threatened

Fun Fact: Male quetzal tail feathers can get as long as one meter.

Quetzals, pronounced “ket-sils,” live in the rainforests of North, Central, and South America. The resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala. Quetzals are brightly colored, with golden green crests and deep red breast feathers.

19. Quokka

Quokka
Quokka. Pikuan, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific NameSetonix brachyurus
Where It LivesSouthwestern Australia
What It EatsGrasses, sedges, leaves
Conservation StatusVulnerable

Fun Fact: Quokkas can go months without water.

Quokkas are small marsupials endemic to a small region in Australia and on a few islands just off the Australian coast. These animals are one of the smallest species of wallabies in the world, and are known for their happy dispositions. They hop through tunnels in long grasses to evade snakes, their primary predators.

20. Quoll

Quoll
Quolls Marsupial. Image by Penny from Pixabay
Scientific NameDidelphis maculata
Where It LivesAustralia, New Guinea
What It EatsSmaller mammals, birds, insects
Conservation StatusNear threatened

Fun Fact: Quolls are aggressive and ferocious despite their size and appearance.

Quolls are carnivorous but cute marsupials indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. They are nocturnal and a good at climbing trees. With their soft spotted fur coats, these animals look like dainty eaters but eat anything they find alive or dead.

Summary of animals that Start with Q

YouTube video
Animals that start with Q. Source: Youtube, Uploaded: James English

That’s it for animals that start with the letter Q.

Get the full Animal Alphabet here:

Thank you for reading!

Latest posts by Jan Otte (see all)