Animals That Start With S

167 animals Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 167 animals that start with S, 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.

S is the richest letter of all, with 167 animals. Snake, sheep, seal, spider and squirrel are some of the first animal words many children learn.

The sea is a huge theme. Look for compounds like sea lion, sea turtle, sea urchin, seahorse and sea anemone, plus starfish and stingray. Despite their names, the starfish is not a fish and the sea anemone is an animal rather than a flower. The snow leopard and snowy owl show another pattern, animals named for cold, white habitats.

Animals starting with S: 167
Best known: seal, spider
Longest name: sulfur butterfly
Most are: mammals

Best-known animals that start with S

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

seal
spider
snake
sheep
shark
salmon
swallow
swan
shrimp
squirrel
snail
sparrow
squid
scorpion
skunk
sloth
starfish
stingray
stork
salamander
sea lion
swordfish
seahorse
sea turtle
snow leopard
sea anemone
sea urchin
snowy owl
spoonbill
sun bear

All animals that start with S

#	Name	What it is	Type
1	sable	marten of northern Asian forests having luxuriant dark brown fur	mammal
2	sage grouse	large grouse of sagebrush regions of North America	bird
3	saiga	goat-like antelope of central Eurasia having a stubby nose like a proboscis	mammal
4	sailfish	large pelagic game fish having an elongated upper jaw and long dorsal fin that resembles a sail	fish
5	saki	small arboreal monkey of tropical South America with long hair and bushy nonprehensile tail	mammal
6	salamander	any of various typically terrestrial amphibians that resemble lizards and that return to water only to breed	amphibian
7	salmon	any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters; usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn	fish
8	sambar	a deer of southern Asia with antlers that have three tines	mammal
9	sand cat	a desert wildcat	mammal
10	sand dab	small food fishes of the Pacific coast of North America	fish
11	sand dollar	flattened disklike sea urchins that live on sandy bottoms	other
12	sand eel	very small silvery eellike schooling fishes that burrow into sandy beaches	fish
13	sand flea	small amphipod crustaceans that hop like fleas; common on ocean beaches	crustacean
14	sand fly	any of various small dipterous flies; bloodsucking females can transmit sandfly fever and leishmaniasis	insect
15	sand grouse	pigeon-like bird of arid regions of the Old World having long pointed wings and tail and precocial downy young	bird
16	sand hopper	small amphipod crustaceans that hop like fleas; common on ocean beaches	crustacean
17	sand lance	very small silvery eellike schooling fishes that burrow into sandy beaches	fish
18	sand lizard	one of the most abundant lizards in the arid western United States	reptile
19	sand martin	swallow of the northern hemisphere that nests in tunnels dug in clay or sand banks	bird
20	sand shark	shallow-water shark with sharp jagged teeth found on both sides of Atlantic; sometimes dangerous to swimmers	fish
21	sand tiger	shallow-water shark with sharp jagged teeth found on both sides of Atlantic; sometimes dangerous to swimmers	fish
22	sandpiper	any of numerous usually small wading birds having a slender bill and piping call; closely related to the plovers	bird
23	sardine	any of various small edible herring or related food fishes frequently canned	fish
24	scad	any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae	fish
25	scale insect	small homopterous insect that usually lives and feeds on plants and secretes a protective waxy covering	insect
26	scallop	edible marine bivalve having a fluted fan-shaped shell that swim by expelling water from the shell in a series of...	mollusc
27	scarab	scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient Egyptians	insect
28	scorpion	arachnid of warm dry regions having a long segmented tail ending in a venomous stinger	spider or scorpion
29	scorpion fish	marine fishes having a tapering body with an armored head and venomous spines	fish
30	scorpion fly	any of various mecopterous insects of the family Panorpidae of the northern hemisphere having a long beak and long...	insect
31	screamer	gooselike aquatic bird of South America having a harsh trumpeting call	bird
32	sea anemone	soft sea animal with stinging tentacles, looks like a flower	other
33	sea bass	any of various food and sport fishes of the Atlantic coast of the United States having an elongated body and long spiny...	fish
34	sea catfish	any of numerous marine fishes most of which are mouthbreeders; not used for food	fish
35	sea cow	any of two families of large herbivorous aquatic mammals with paddle-shaped tails and flipper-like forelimbs and no...	mammal
36	sea cucumber	echinoderm having a flexible sausage-shaped body, tentacles surrounding the mouth and tube feet; free-living mud feeders	other
37	sea eagle	large harmless hawk found worldwide that feeds on fish and builds a bulky nest often occupied for years	bird
38	sea elephant	either of two large northern Atlantic earless seals having snouts like trunks	mammal
39	sea fan	corals having a treelike or fan-shaped horny skeleton	other
40	sea hare	naked marine gastropod having a soft body with reduced internal shell and two pairs of ear-like tentacles	mollusc
41	sea lily	crinoid with delicate radiating arms and a stalked body attached to a hard surface	other
42	sea lion	any of several large eared seals of the northern Pacific related to fur seals but lacking their valuable coat	mammal
43	sea mouse	any of several large worms having a broad flattened body with a mat of coarse hairs covering the back	worm
44	sea otter	large marine otter of northern Pacific coasts having very thick dark brown fur	mammal
45	sea pen	fleshy featherlike warm-water colonies	other
46	sea robin	American gurnard; mostly found in bays and estuaries	fish
47	sea slug	any of various marine gastropods of the suborder Nudibranchia having a shell-less and often beautifully colored body	mollusc
48	sea snake	any of numerous venomous aquatic viviparous snakes having a fin-like tail	reptile
49	sea spider	any of various small spiderlike marine arthropods having small thin bodies and long slender legs	other
50	sea squirt	ascidian that can contract its body and eject streams of water	other
51	sea star	echinoderms characterized by five arms extending from a central disk	other
52	sea trout	silvery marine variety of brown trout that migrates to fresh water to spawn	fish
53	sea turtle	any of various large turtles with limbs modified into flippers; widely distributed in warm seas	reptile
54	sea urchin	round spiny sea animal living on the ocean floor	other
55	seabird	a bird that frequents coastal waters and the open ocean: gulls	bird
56	seagull	mostly white aquatic bird having long pointed wings and short legs	bird
57	seahorse	either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber	mammal
58	seal	any of numerous marine mammals that come on shore to breed; chiefly of cold regions	mammal
59	secretary bird	large long-legged African bird of prey that feeds on reptiles	bird
60	seed beetle	a small beetle that infests the seeds of legumes	insect
61	sergeant major	large blue-grey black-striped damselfish; nearly worldwide	fish
62	serval	slender long-legged African wildcat having large untufted ears and tawny black-spotted coat	mammal
63	sewer rat	brown rat commonly found in sewers	mammal
64	shad	herring-like food fishes that migrate from the sea to fresh water to spawn	fish
65	shark	any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with...	fish
66	shearwater	long-winged oceanic bird that in flight skims close to the waves	bird
67	sheep	woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat	mammal
68	sheepshead	large (up to 20 lbs) food fish of the eastern coast of the United States and Mexico	fish
69	sheldrake	Old World gooselike duck slightly larger than a mallard with variegated mostly black-and-white plumage and a red bill	bird
70	shellfish	invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell	mollusc
71	shiner	any of numerous small silvery North American cyprinid fishes especially of the genus Notropis	fish
72	shire horse	British breed of large heavy draft horse	mammal
73	shrew	small mouselike mammal with a long snout; related to moles	mammal
74	shrike	any of numerous Old World birds having a strong hooked bill that feed on smaller animals	bird
75	shrimp	small slender-bodied chiefly marine decapod crustaceans with a long tail and single pair of pincers	crustacean
76	sidewinder	small pale-colored desert rattlesnake of southwestern United States; body moves in an s-shaped curve	reptile
77	sika	small deer of Japan with slightly forked antlers	mammal
78	silkworm	the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be...	other
79	silver fox	red fox in the color phase when its pelt is tipped with white	mammal
80	silver perch	small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico	fish
81	silver salmon	small salmon of northern Pacific coasts and the Great Lakes	fish
82	silverback	an adult male gorilla with grey hairs across the back	mammal
83	silverfish	silver-grey wingless insect found in houses feeding on book bindings and starched clothing	insect
84	siren	eellike aquatic North American salamander with small forelimbs and no hind limbs; have permanent external gills	amphibian
85	skate	large edible rays having a long snout and thick tail with pectoral fins continuous with the head	fish
86	skeleton shrimp	small amphipod crustacean having a grotesque form suggestive of the praying mantis; found chiefly on seaweed	crustacean
87	skimmer	gull-like seabird that flies along the surface of the water with an elongated lower mandible immersed to skim out food	bird
88	skink	alert agile lizard with reduced limbs and an elongated body covered with shiny scales	reptile
89	skipjack	oceanic schooling tuna of considerable value in Pacific but less in Atlantic	fish
90	skunk	American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely malodorous fluid when startled	mammal
91	skylark	brown-speckled European lark noted for singing while hovering at a great height	bird
92	slider	freshwater turtle of United States and South America; frequently raised commercially; some young sold as pets	reptile
93	sloth	any of several slow-moving arboreal mammals of South America and Central America	mammal
94	sloth bear	common coarse-haired long-snouted bear of south-central Asia	mammal
95	slug	any of various terrestrial gastropods having an elongated slimy body and no external shell	mollusc
96	smelt	small trout-like silvery marine or freshwater food fishes of cold northern waters	fish
97	snail	freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell	mollusc
98	snake	limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous	reptile
99	snapper	any of several large sharp-toothed marine food and sport fishes of the family Lutjanidae of mainly tropical coastal...	fish
100	snapping shrimp	small shrimp that makes a snapping noise with one of their enlarged chelae	crustacean
101	snapping turtle	large aggressive freshwater turtle with powerful jaws	reptile
102	snipe	Old or New World straight-billed game bird of the sandpiper family; of marshy areas; similar to the woodcocks	bird
103	snook	large tropical American food and game fishes of coastal and brackish waters; resemble pike	fish
104	snout beetle	small weevil having a prolonged snout; destructive to e.g. grains and nuts	insect
105	snow bunting	white Arctic bunting	bird
106	snow goose	blue goose in the white color phase	bird
107	snow leopard	large feline of upland central Asia having long thick whitish fur	mammal
108	snowy owl	large white owl of the Arctic tundra	other
109	sockeye	small salmon with red flesh	fish
110	sole	right-eyed flatfish; many are valued as food; most common in warm seas especially European	fish
111	song sparrow	small songbird common in North America	bird
112	songbird	any bird having a musical call	bird
113	sow	an adult female hog	mammal
114	sow bug	terrestrial isopod having an oval segmented body (a shape like a sow)	crustacean
115	sparrow	any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects	bird
116	sparrow hawk	small hawk of Eurasia and northern Africa	bird
117	sperm whale	large whale with a large cavity in the head containing spermaceti and oil; also a source of ambergris	mammal
118	sphinx moth	any of various moths with long narrow forewings capable of powerful flight and hovering over flowers to feed	insect
119	spider	predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end...	spider or scorpion
120	spider crab	any of numerous crabs with very long legs and small triangular bodies	crustacean
121	spider mite	web-spinning mite that attacks garden plants and fruit trees	spider or scorpion
122	spider monkey	arboreal monkey of tropical America with long slender legs and long prehensile tail	mammal
123	spitting cobra	aggressive cobra widely distributed in Africa; rarely bites but spits venom that may cause blindness	reptile
124	sponge	primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework	other
125	spoonbill	wading bird with a long flat spoon-shaped bill	bird
126	spotted bat	a large bat of the southwestern United States having spots and enormous ears	mammal
127	spotted owl	a large owl of North America found in forests from British Columbia to central Mexico	bird
128	spotted skunk	small skunk with a marbled black and white coat; of United States and Mexico	mammal
129	springbok	a South African gazelle noted for springing lightly into the air	mammal
130	spruce grouse	North American grouse that feeds on evergreen buds and needles	bird
131	squash bug	large black American bug that sucks sap of vines of the gourd family	insect
132	squid	widely distributed fast-moving ten-armed cephalopod mollusk having a long tapered body with triangular tail fins	mollusc
133	squirrel	a kind of arboreal rodent having a long bushy tail	mammal
134	squirrel monkey	small long-tailed monkey of Central American and South America with greenish fur and black muzzle	mammal
135	stag	adult male deer	mammal
136	stag beetle	a kind of lamellicorn beetle; the male has branched mandibles resembling antlers	insect
137	stallion	uncastrated adult male horse	mammal
138	starfish	echinoderms characterized by five arms extending from a central disk	other
139	stargazer	heavy-bodied marine bottom-lurkers with eyes on flattened top of the head	fish
140	starling	gregarious birds native to the Old World	bird
141	steamer clam	an edible clam with thin oval-shaped shell found in coastal regions of the United States and Europe	mollusc
142	stegosaurus	herbivorous ornithischian dinosaur with a row of bony plates along its back and a spiked tail probably used as a weapon	reptile
143	stick insect	any of various mostly tropical insects having long twiglike bodies	insect
144	stilt	long-legged three-toed wading bird of brackish marshes of Australia	bird
145	stingray	large venomous ray with large barbed spines near the base of a thin whiplike tail capable of inflicting severe wounds	fish
146	stint	smallest American sandpiper	bird
147	stoat	the ermine in its brown summer coat with black-tipped tail	mammal
148	stone crab	large edible crab of the southern coast of the United States (particularly Florida)	crustacean
149	stone fly	primitive winged insect with a flattened body	insect
150	stony coral	corals having calcareous skeletons aggregations of which form reefs and islands	other
151	stork	large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage	bird
152	striped bass	marine food and game fish with dark longitudinal stripes	fish
153	striped marlin	Pacific food and game fish marked with dark blue vertical stripes	fish
154	striped skunk	most common and widespread North American skunk	mammal
155	sturgeon	large primitive fishes valued for their flesh and roe; widely distributed in the North Temperate Zone	fish
156	sucker	mostly North American freshwater fishes with a thick-lipped mouth for feeding by suction; related to carps	fish
157	sulfur butterfly	any of numerous yellow or orange butterflies	insect
158	sun bear	smallest bear, found in Southeast Asian forests	other
159	sunfish	among the largest bony fish	fish
160	swallow	small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations	bird
161	swamp rabbit	a wood rabbit of marshy coastal areas from North Carolina to Florida	mammal
162	swamp sparrow	North American finch of marshy area	bird
163	swan	stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult	bird
164	swift	a small bird that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight	bird
165	swimming crab	marine crab with some legs flattened and fringed for swimming	crustacean
166	swine	stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals	mammal
167	swordfish	large toothless marine food fish with a long swordlike upper jaw	fish

Mammals that start with S

seal
sheep
squirrel
skunk
sloth
sea lion
seahorse
snow leopard
swine
sow
stag
stallion
silver fox
sable
sand cat
shrew
spotted bat
sea cow
sea elephant
saki
spider monkey
springbok
silverback
sperm whale
swamp rabbit
squirrel monkey
sewer rat
sika
sambar
serval
stoat
saiga
shire horse
sea otter
sloth bear
spotted skunk
striped skunk

Birds that start with S

swallow
swan
sparrow
stork
spoonbill
swift
stint
secretary bird
snipe
starling
seagull
sand martin
songbird
screamer
sea eagle
skylark
sandpiper
skimmer
shrike
seabird
spotted owl
stilt
snow goose
sheldrake
shearwater
song sparrow
sparrow hawk
swamp sparrow
sage grouse
sand grouse
spruce grouse
snow bunting

Fish that start with S

shark
salmon
stingray
swordfish
sole
skate
sucker
sturgeon
snapper
smelt
shad
sea robin
sand tiger
sea bass
sardine
shiner
sergeant major
sand shark
silver salmon
snook
sand lance
sunfish
sockeye
sea trout
stargazer
sailfish
scad
sheepshead
skipjack
striped bass
scorpion fish
sea catfish
sand dab
silver perch
sand eel
striped marlin

Reptiles that start with S

snake
sea turtle
slider
sea snake
sidewinder
skink
sand lizard
stegosaurus
snapping turtle
spitting cobra

Amphibians that start with S

salamander
siren

Insects that start with S

stone fly
sand fly
scarab
scale insect
stick insect
squash bug
silverfish
seed beetle
sulfur butterfly
scorpion fly
stag beetle
snout beetle
sphinx moth

Spiders and scorpions that start with S

spider
scorpion
spider mite

Crustaceans that start with S

shrimp
skeleton shrimp
spider crab
stone crab
swimming crab
sand hopper
snapping shrimp
sand flea
sow bug

Molluscs that start with S

snail
squid
slug
shellfish
scallop
sea hare
sea slug
steamer clam

Other animals that start with S

starfish
sea anemone
sea urchin
snowy owl
sun bear
sponge
sea star
sea fan
sand dollar
sea pen
sea spider
sea lily
silkworm
sea cucumber
stony coral
sea squirt

Filter all 167 animals that start with S

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Questions people ask

How many animals start with S?

This list has 167 animals starting with S, from well-known ones like seal, spider, snake to rarer kinds.

What animals start with S?

Well-known examples are seal, spider, snake, sheep, shark, salmon, swallow, swan.

What mammals start with S?

seal, sheep, squirrel, skunk, sloth.

What birds start with S?

swallow, swan, sparrow, stork, spoonbill.

What fish start with S?

shark, salmon, stingray, swordfish, sole.

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.

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