Animals That Start With I

15 animals Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 15 animals that start with I, each with a one-line description so you can tell what it is. The best-known ones come first, then the full list in A to Z order.

I is a lean letter, with just 15 animals. The impala, ibis, iguana and ibex are the most recognisable, so they make good answers for children's games.

Several entries are less known. The indri is a large lemur from Madagascar, and the inchworm is a caterpillar that moves by looping its body. Moths are well covered too, with the io moth and imperial moth. Insect itself is listed, which helps in a quick game when nobody can think of a specific creature.

Animals starting with I: 15
Best known: insect, impala
Longest name: ivory-billed woodpecker
Most are: birds

Best-known animals that start with I

The ones most people will recognise, good for school lists, quizzes and games.

insect
impala
ibis
iguana
ibex
icefish
inchworm
indri
ivory-billed woodpecker

All animals that start with I

#	Name	What it is	Type
1	ibex	wild goat of mountain areas of Eurasia and northern Africa having large recurved horns	mammal
2	ibis	wading birds of warm regions having long slender down-curved bills	bird
3	icefish	Antarctic fish with clear blood and no red cells	other
4	iguana	large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the back	reptile
5	impala	African antelope with ridged curved horns; moves with enormous leaps	mammal
6	imperial moth	large American moth having yellow wings with purplish or brownish markings; larvae feed on e.g. maple and pine trees	insect
7	inchworm	small caterpillar that moves by looping its body	other
8	indigo bunting	small deep blue North American bunting	bird
9	indigo snake	large dark-blue nonvenomous snake that invades burrows; found in southern North America and Mexico	reptile
10	indri	large lemur of Madagascar with a loud song	mammal
11	insect	small air-breathing arthropod	insect
12	io moth	large yellow American moth having a large eyelike spot on each hind wing; the larvae have stinging spines	insect
13	itch mite	whitish mites that attack the skin of humans and other animals	spider or scorpion
14	ivory gull	white Arctic gull; migrates as far south as England and New Brunswick	bird
15	ivory-billed woodpecker	large woodpecker of the southern United States	bird

Mammals that start with I

impala
ibex
indri

Birds that start with I

ibis
ivory-billed woodpecker
indigo bunting
ivory gull

Reptiles that start with I

iguana
indigo snake

Insects that start with I

insect
imperial moth
io moth

Other animals that start with I

icefish
inchworm

Questions people ask

How many animals start with I?

This list has 15 animals starting with I, from well-known ones like insect, impala, ibis to rarer kinds.

What animals start with I?

Well-known examples are insect, impala, ibis, iguana, ibex, icefish, inchworm, indri.

What mammals start with I?

impala, ibex, indri.

What birds start with I?

ibis, ivory-billed woodpecker, indigo bunting, ivory gull.

What reptiles start with I?

iguana, indigo snake.

Source: Princeton WordNet, a public dictionary database, reviewed by our editors to keep only clear, real members of the list. Meanings are short dictionary glosses.

See every letter on one page: animals A to Z