Can You Identify All of These Animals That Begin With the Letter 'A'?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Identify All of These Animals That Begin With the Letter 'A'?
Image: Alberto Cassani / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Word is there are over 8.7 million different species of animals in the world. 8.7 million! If you averaged that out, there'd be at least 330,000 animals for every single letter of the alphabet. And you know there aren't that many that begin with X or with Z, either. There have to be a whole heck of a lot of animals out there whose names start with the letter "A."

And it poses a kind of interesting question, doesn't it? How many animals can you think of that start with one specific letter? How many "A" animals could you pull out of thin air? Sure you could probably name 10 off the top of your head with no trouble whatsoever. Give it a second, and you could easily get up to 20 different ones, right? But how easy would it be to think of 30 different animals? And then, if you achieved that goal, could you get all the way to 40?

If you think you have the zoological and alphabetical skills to handle it, why not step into our Alpha Zoo and see how many of these "A" animals you can identify. After all, how hard can it be? It's just one letter.

#2 Armadillo
Elizabeth W. Kearley / Moment / Getty Images
You can find this little armored fellow in both North and South America. What is it?
Anaconda
Aardwolf
Aardvark
Armadillo
#3 Alligator
Copyright (C) Arto Hakola. All rights reserverd. / Moment / Getty Images
This big reptile is only found in two places on Earth - the U.S. and China. What do you call it?
Asp
Argali
Anaconda
Alligator
#4 Albatross
Manuel ROMARIS / Moment / Getty Images
Do you know the name of this creature with a wingspan that can reach over 11 feet?
Allen
American bald eagle
Albatross
African tern

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#5 Anchovy
Nikontiger / E+ / Getty Images
You could get this little guy on your pizza, but most people probably wouldn't appreciate it. What is it?
Arctic cod
American perch
African loach
Anchovy
#6 Aardwolf
Paul Souders / Photodisc / Getty Images
This little guy looks a lot like a hyena, but he's not! What is it?
Agouti
Aardwolf
Arctic fox
Anteater
#7 Ant
avid_creative / E+ / Getty Images
There are literally trillions of these in the world. What is it?
Alderfly
Assassin bug
Aphid
Ant

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#8 Antelope
Pixabay / Grifelle_Photography
You can find these animals in places like Africa, Asia and Europe. Do you recognize it?
Antelope
Addax
Agouti
Anoa
#9 Anaconda
Wiki Commons by Dave Lonsdale
These South American monsters can get over 20 feet in length and weigh several hundred pounds. What are they?
Abyssinian genet
Adjar lizard
Anaconda
Anguilla racer
#10 Abyssinian
Wiki Commons by Valerius Geng
This is considered the oldest breed of cat in the world. Name it!
Abyssinian
American bobtail
Afghan
Aleutian cat

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#1 Axolotl
Ineke Kamps / Moment / Getty Images
This little amphibian is carnivorous and native to Mexico. What is it called?
Aye aye
Axolotl
Avocet
Akita
#11 African Clawed frog
Wiki Commons by Peter Halasz
This bottom-dweller is pretty crafty about hiding from prey in the water. Do you know what it is?
Anole
Alabama black toad
African clawed frog
Alligator skink
#12 Aye Aye
Wiki Commons by nomis-simon
This creature has the distinction of being considered one of the ugliest animals in the world. Do you know it?
Assam macaque
Assyrian marmoset
Ash monkey
Aye aye

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#13 Asiatic Black Bear
Wiki Commons by Shiv's fotografia
Sometimes this animal is called a "moon bear." What is it?
Alaskan grizzly
Asiatic black bear
American brown bear
Abbot's bear
#14 Australian Cattle Dog
Wiki Commons by Zingpix
This working dog is known to be very high energy. Do you recognize it?
Alpine Dachsbracke
American Coonhound
Anui dog
Australian cattle dog
#15 Asian Elephant
Pixabay / Dominique20
This is the largest land mammal in all of Asia. Tell us what it is.
Asian elephant
Asian rhino
Alpine Dachsbracke
African elephant

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#16 Arctic Fox
Wiki Commons by Erik F. Brandsborg
This animal is extremely well-adapted to living in cold weather. Name it!
Addax
Allen's olingo
Arctic fox
Alpine marmot
#17 Anglerfish
Wiki Commons by New Zealand-American Submarine Ring of Fire
This creepy-looking little thing often has a luminescent appendage on its head. What is it?
Anglerfish
Abyssal eel
Albacore
Amur pike
#18 Asian Giant Hornet
Wiki Commons by Thomas Brown
You probably never, ever want to run across one of these in the wild. Name it
African wasp
Asian giant hornet
Ash hornet
Antlion

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#19 Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Wiki Commons by Childzy
This animal can live to be over 250 years of age. Tell us what it is.
Alligator snapping turtle
Alabama redbelly turtle
Anole
Aldabra giant tortoise
#20 African Palm Civet
Youtube via Moody Gardens
Is it a cat or a weasel? Technically, it's neither one. Do you know what it actually is?
African wild dog
Aye aye
African palm civet
Avocet
#21 Akita
Wiki Commons by Biser Yanev
This dog is sometimes mistaken for a Husky, but it actually comes from Japan. Do you know it?
Akita
Ainu dog
Akbash
Affenpinscher

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#22 Airedale Terrier
Wiki Commons by Amélie Tsaag Valren
This breed of dog is over 150 years old and is known to be pretty intelligent. Does it look familiar?
American bulldog
Australian shepherd
Airedale terrier
Ainu dog
#23 Adelie Penguin
Wiki Commons by Kimberley Collins
You can find this creature on the Antarctic mainland, where very few things tend to live. What is it?
Adelie penguin
Albatross
Amicable puffin
Angel tern
#24 Australian Mist
Wiki Commons by Regis2007
People believe this animal is a mix of the Abyssinian and Burmese breeds. Do you know it?
Abbot's duiker
Aberdare shrew
Australian mist
Assam macaque

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#25 Anteater
Wiki Commons by Malene Thyssen
You can probably recognize this creature by its snout alone. What is it called?
Aardwolf
Anteater
Antelope
Ash borer
#26 Appenzeller Dog
Pixabay / allmighurt
This herding dog comes from Switzerland originally. What is it called?
Appenzeller dog
Alaskan malamute
Ainu dog
American bobtail
#27 Allen's Swamp Monkey
Wiki Commons by Grendelkhan
This animal has the unusual feature of slight webbing on its fingers. What's it called?
Assam macaque
Allen's swamp monkey
Andean night monkey
Alpine marmoset

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#28 Amazonian Manatee
Youtube via Rusty Johnson
This aquatic mammal can weigh over 800lbs. Does it look familiar?
Albert's dolphin
Amber whale
Arctic porpoise
Amazonian manatee
#29 Arctic Hare
Wiki Commons by Steve Sayles
You'll never see this animal in a snowstorm. What is it?
Arctic hare
Alpine rabbit
Arizona jackrabbit
Arboreal hare
#30 Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Wiki Commons by Zeynel Cebeci
This dog can often outweigh a full-grown man. What is it?
Akita
Alaskan malamute
Anatolian shepherd dog
American Staffordshire terrier

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#31 American Kestrel
Wiki Commons by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
Some people call this bird a sparrowhawk. What other name does it go by?
American magpie
Aleutian tern
Alaskan falcon
American kestrel
#32 American Bullfrog
Wiki Commons by Carl D. Howe
Some people hunt these animals for food although most people are not comfortable eating them. What is it?
Ash toad
American bullfrog
Alpine salamander
Andean tree frog
#33 American Pit Bull Terrier
Wiki Commons by https://www.flickr.com/people/geoggirl/
This dog has a very bad reputation even though many people feel like they don't deserve it. What is it?
Akbash
Australian Kelpie dog
American foxhound
American pit bull terrier

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#34 Angelfish
Wiki Commons by Visa Kopu
There are actually over 100 kinds of this fish. Do you know it?
Aba
Angelfish
Arrow darter
Arctic sculpin
#35 Arctic Wolf
Pixabay / sharonang
This animal can spend nearly half a year living in total darkness. What is it?
Alpine coyote
Alaskan malamute
Arctic wolf
Afghan hound
#36 African Yellow Bat
Wiki Commons by Susan Ellis
This little creature is only about 5 inches long. Do you know its name?
African yellow bat
Amazonian sac-winged bat
Archer's bat
Alpine flying squirrel

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#37 Akbash
Wiki Commons by OrysiaD
This breed of dog can trace its origins back 3,000 years or so in Turkey. What is it?
Algerian shepherd
American coonhound
Akita
Akbash
#38 African Wild Dog
Wiki Commons by Derek Keats
It's not quite a hyena, but it's close. What is it?
African wild dog
Aardwolf
Albanian wolfhound
Australian fox
#39 African Penguins
Wiki Commons by Charles J Sharp
If you think these adorable little fellows live in the Antarctic, you'd be mistaken. What are they?
Alaskan penguins
Aleutian penguins
African penguins
Archer's penguins

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#40 Ainu Dog
Wiki Commons by Jurriaan Schulman
This dog comes from Japan and was bred to hunt salmon and bears. Name it!
Ainu dog
Akita
American cocker spaniel
Alaskan malamute