Animals That Start With J

15 animals Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 15 animals that start with J, 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.

Only 15 animals start with J, but they cover jungle, desert and sea. The jaguar, jellyfish and jay are the familiar picks, with jackal and jackrabbit close behind.

Desert life stands out on this page. The jerboa is a small hopping rodent, and the javelina is a pig-like mammal of the Americas. The jacana is a bird that walks on floating leaves with very long toes. Jumping is a theme too, from the jumping spider to the jumping mouse.

Animals starting with J: 15
Best known: jay, jaguar
Longest name: jumping spider
Most are: mammals

Best-known animals that start with J

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

jay
jaguar
jellyfish
jackal
jackrabbit
jackdaw
jacana
javelina
jerboa
jumping spider

All animals that start with J

#	Name	What it is	Type
1	jacana	tropical wading bird that walks on floating leaves	other
2	jack mackerel	a California food fish	fish
3	jackal	Old World nocturnal canine mammal closely related to the dog	mammal
4	jackdaw	common black-and-grey Eurasian bird noted for thievery	bird
5	jackrabbit	large hare of western North America	mammal
6	jaeger	rapacious seabird that pursues weaker birds to make them drop their prey	bird
7	jaguar	a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard	mammal
8	javelina	pig-like wild animal of the American southwest	mammal
9	jay	crested largely blue bird	bird
10	jellyfish	large siphonophore having a bladderlike float and stinging tentacles	other
11	jerboa	small desert rodent that hops on long back legs	mammal
12	jumping mouse	any of several primitive mouselike rodents with long hind legs and no cheek pouches	mammal
13	jumping spider	small spider that pounces on prey instead of using webs	other
14	jungle cat	small Asiatic wildcat	mammal
15	jungle fowl	small Asiatic wild bird; believed to be ancestral to domestic fowl	bird

Mammals that start with J

jaguar
jackal
jackrabbit
javelina
jerboa
jumping mouse
jungle cat

Birds that start with J

jay
jackdaw
jaeger
jungle fowl

Other animals that start with J

jellyfish
jacana
jumping spider

Questions people ask

How many animals start with J?

This list has 15 animals starting with J, from well-known ones like jay, jaguar, jellyfish to rarer kinds.

What animals start with J?

Well-known examples are jay, jaguar, jellyfish, jackal, jackrabbit, jackdaw, jacana, javelina.

What mammals start with J?

jaguar, jackal, jackrabbit, javelina, jerboa.

What birds start with J?

jay, jackdaw, jaeger, jungle fowl.

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