Animals That Start With Y

12 animals Animals and nature Checked 9 Oct 2026

Here are 12 animals that start with Y, 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.

Y has 12 animals, and yellow is the word that rules this page. The yellow jacket, yellow perch, yellow tang, yellowhammer, yellowthroat and yellowtail all start with it.

The yak is the shortest and most familiar Y animal, a long-haired ox of high mountain regions. The yellow-eyed penguin is a rare penguin of New Zealand. The yapok is a water opossum and a fine surprise for quiz fans. Fish make up a good share of the list, including the yellowfin and yellow bass.

Animals starting with Y: 12
Best known: yak, yellow jacket
Longest name: yellow-eyed penguin
Most are: fish

Best-known animals that start with Y

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

yak
yellow jacket
yellowfin
yellow perch
yapok
yellow tang
yellow-eyed penguin
yellowhammer
yellowthroat

All animals that start with Y

#	Name	What it is	Type
1	yak	large long-haired wild ox of Tibet often domesticated	mammal
2	yapok	South American water opossum with webbed hind feet	other
3	yellow bass	North American freshwater bass resembling the larger marine striped bass	fish
4	yellow jack	fish of western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico	fish
5	yellow jacket	small yellow-marked social wasp commonly nesting in the ground	insect
6	yellow perch	North American perch	fish
7	yellow tang	bright yellow reef fish popular in aquariums	other
8	yellow-eyed penguin	rare penguin of New Zealand with yellow eyes	other
9	yellowfin	may reach 400 pounds; worldwide in tropics	fish
10	yellowhammer	European bunting with a bright yellow head	bird
11	yellowtail	game fish of southern California and Mexico having a yellow tail fin	fish
12	yellowthroat	small North American warbler with a yellow throat	bird

Birds that start with Y

yellowhammer
yellowthroat

Fish that start with Y

yellowfin
yellow perch
yellow jack
yellow bass
yellowtail

Other animals that start with Y

yapok
yellow tang
yellow-eyed penguin

Questions people ask

How many animals start with Y?

This list has 12 animals starting with Y, from well-known ones like yak, yellow jacket, yellowfin to rarer kinds.

What animals start with Y?

Well-known examples are yak, yellow jacket, yellowfin, yellow perch, yapok, yellow tang, yellow-eyed penguin, yellowhammer.

What birds start with Y?

yellowhammer, yellowthroat.

What fish start with Y?

yellowfin, yellow perch, yellow jack, yellow bass, yellowtail.

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