Animals!
Discover cute, wild, and weird animals using the search bar below, or scroll to see popular animal lists!
Search – Discover Different Types of Animals
A-Z Animals is the world’s most trusted online animal encyclopedia. If you want cute animals, types of wild animals, exotic pets, weird animals or are looking for comprehensive pet guides for dogs and cats, we’ve got you covered!
We believe that if people know more about the world’s creatures they will better care for them. Thats why we add new animals for you to discover – each and every day! Learn about any animal using the search box below:
The 7 Major Different Types Of Animals
Mammals
The official mammal class is Mammalia. Animals that are considered mammals include warm-blooded vertebrates that have hair or fur and whose babies drink milk. Unlike other animal types like birds and insects, all mammal babies drink milk that comes from their mother’s bodies. This is one of the key ways to know if an animal is a mammal.
See the complete list of mammals.
Reptiles
Lizards, dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, and snakes – all belong to that ancient and stout class of animals known as the reptiles. This is a diverse group with more than 10,000 different species and a huge representation in the fossil record. Once the dominant land vertebrates on the planet, reptiles still occupy just about every single ecosystem outside of the extreme north and south.
See the complete list of reptiles.
Fish
Fish are aquatic vertebrates. They usually have gills, paired fins, a long body covered with scales, and tend to be cold-blooded. "Fish" is a term used to refer to lampreys, sharks, coelacanths and ray-finned fishes, but is not a taxonomic group, which is a clade or group containing a common ancestor and all its descendants.
See the complete list of fish.
Birds
Birds, members of the class Aves, include more than 10,400 living species. Their feathers distinguish them from all other classes of animal; no other animals on earth have them. If you see an animal with feathers, it’s undoubtedly a bird. Like mammals, birds are warm-blooded vertebrates with four-chambered hearts. However, they are more closely related to reptiles and are believed to have evolved from dinosaurs.
See the complete list of birds.
Amphibians
The official class of amphibians is Amphibia. To have the classification of an amphibian, an animal must be a vertebrate, require water to survive, be cold-blooded, and spend time both on land and in water. Though other animals only live on land or in the water, amphibians have the unique ability to thrive equally in both. Amphibians cover over 6,000 different species across the globe, but about 90% are frogs.
See the complete list of amphibians.
Invertebrates
The definition of an invertebrate is any animal that does not have a backbone or vertebral column. The most prolific and easily recognizable members of the invertebrate family are insects. It’s estimated that upwards of 30 million individual species of invertebrates may exist accounting for between 90-95 percent of all organisms on the planet.
See the complete list of invertebrates.
Insects
All insects are part of the taxonomical phylum Arthropoda, and they are collectively referred to as arthropods. It is common to see this name misspelled as “anthropod,” but this is not the correct term. They can be found in nearly every environment on the planet, and they currently account for over half of all known living organisms in the world. They have undergone many cycles of evolution depending on the resources available to them.
See the complete list of insects.
Pet Guides: Everything To Know About Cat and Dog Breeds
Want to know how to raise a puppy or kitten? Curious to learn more about big and small dog breeds or cat breeds? Check out our comprehensive pets guides below!
Most Popular Pet Dog Breeds
Irish Setter
Can live for up to 16 years!
Boston Terrier
Friendly, lovable and very strong!
Golden Retriever
Trusting, kind and gentle!
See a complete list of dog breeds.
Most Popular Pet Cat Breeds
Abyssinian
The oldest breed of cat in the world!
Australian Mist
First bred in the 1700s!
Ragdoll
One of the larger breeds of domestic cat!
See a complete list of cat breeds.
Expert Pet Product Reviews
The AZ Animals team has spent years working with and studying the latest research on what products are best for our pets and yours, and we’re excited to share our expert pet product recommendations with you.
See all of our Expert Pet Product Reviews.
Explore Types of Wild Animals from Around the World
- African Animals
- Asian Animals
- Central American Animals
- Eurasian Animals
- European Animals
- North American Animals
- Marine (Ocean) Animals
- Oceanian Animals
- South American Animals
Animals By Letter: Explore A to Z Animal Lists
Animals that Start with A
Example: The African Palm Civet
Animals that Start with B
Example: The Black Marlin
Animals that Start with C
Example: The Cavapoo
Animals that Start with D
Example: The Discus
Animals that Start with E
Example: The English Pointer
Animals that Start with F
Example: The Flying Fish
Animals that Start with G
Example: The Giant Salamander
Animals that Start with H
Example: The Human
Animals that Start with I
Example: The Indochinese Tiger
Animals that Start with J
Example: The Jack Russell
Animals that Start with K
Example: The Kerry Blue Terrier
Animals that Start with L
Example: The Lemur
Animals that Start with M
Example: The Manta Ray
Animals that Start with N
Example: The Newfoundland
Animals that Start with O
Example: The Otterhound
Animals that Start with P
Example: The Porcupine
Animals that Start with Q
Example: The Quail
Animals that Start with R
Example: The Reindeer
Animals that Start with S
Example: The Salmon
Animals that Start with T
Example: The Tiger
Animals that Start with U
Example: The Utonagan
Animals that Start with V
Example: The Vampire Bat
Animals that Start with W
Example: The Woolly Mammoth
Animals that Start with X
Example: The Xerus
Animals that Start with Y
Example: The Yellow Sac Spider
Animals that Start with Z
Example: The Zebra Pleco
See Endangered Animals Lists
- Extinct
- Extinct in the Wild
- Critically Endangered
- Endangered
- Vulnerable
- Near Threatened
- Least Concern
- Data Deficient
- Not Evaluated
Animal Reference Guides
We are building the world’s greatest animal encyclopedia. Be search to check out our Reference Library and Glossary to learn about Animal Habitats, Diet, Behavior and much more…
Animals – Facts, Pictures and Resources FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What are the 6 types of animals?
The 6 types of animals are mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and invertebrates. Additionally, animals are classified in many different ways, which you may learn about in this complete guide to animal classification.
What are the 10 most popular animals?
The 10 most popular animals on AZ Animals are:
How many animals are there?
There are over 1 million known animal species and more than 98% of those are insects, which are indeed animals.
There are many rare birds in North America, and it’s exciting for birders who catch glimpses of these elusive birds. Many rare birds are endangered, and conservation efforts are critical. After all, we don’t want to lose them. A focus on them, however, can make us forget the many wonderful birds we take for granted. […] Read More
You have heard the phrase “A dosage so strong it could kill an elephant.” But is anything similarly true in the wild world of nature? It turns out, yes —when it comes to animals, there are some that can kill an elephant. Read on to learn more about the animals that can attack and defeat […] Read More
There are so many beautiful birds on this planet that a list of 100, much less 10 couldn’t do justice to all of them. That being said, the criteria for beautiful birds for this blog had to be rather strict. First, the bird has to have good proportions. The exotic red feathers of the scarlet […] Read More
Snails are a fascinating and surprisingly diverse group of animals with over 43,000 known species and more being discovered all the time. A snail, technically speaking, is categorized as any gastropod mollusk that happens to have a shell. But what do snails eat, anyway? Additionally, how do they eat? From land snails to sea and […] Read More
Megalodons were absolutely massive sharks, but just how big were they? We’ve compiled the 13 most mind-blowing facts about megalodon. Don’t worry though, you’ll be able to get back in the water as the species is long since extinct. Let’s dive into our top megalodon facts! 1. Megalodons Are Possibly the Largest Shark/Fish That Ever […] Read More
If I had just settled in to watch a movie in my living room and a squirrel scooted out from under the drapes and ran across the floor I would be startled! If that same squirrel scooted across the street in front of me when I was out walking my dog I probably wouldn’t blink. […] Read More
“Don’t be a big baby!” Sounds like an insult, but in the case of baby elephants, it can actually be a compliment.The average (human) baby boy born in America weighs 7.5 lbs (boys typically weigh a little more than girls). Baby elephants are much larger. Let’s dive into how much baby elephants weigh. How Much […] Read More
Elephant babies are BIG babies! The average elephant baby is 200lbs at birth. That is about the same size as a grown man. The babies are born after a long gestation, the longest of all mammals, 18-22 months and can stand up within an hour of being born. They have to be able to stand […] Read More
Baseball players may have superstitions about shaving based on batting averages and winning streaks. Some players have even been known to shave off their ‘stache mid-game for good luck! But besides increasing the chances the Yankees will win, why do humans have hair? Humans are the only mammal that has hair on their heads but […] Read More
One of the most common snakes throughout much of North and Central America, the garter snake is a member of the Colubridae family. Colubridae is the largest family of snakes, with roughly 1,700 species. Most Colubrids either have very weak venom or are entirely non-venomous, so they are considered mostly harmless to humans. So, what […] Read More
