Here Are Some of the Hundreds of Animals That Start With the Letter "K"

If you're a big fan of animals, chances are high that you can name a ton of different varieties of creatures without having to give it much thought. From apes to zebras, there's probably dozens of animals that readily pop into your mind. But, have you ever tried to see how many animals you can name that start with the same letter?

It's actually a lot more challenging than it sounds. And when you pick a letter like "K," you may find yourself struggling to come up with more than a handful of critters.

But, there are actually hundreds of animals whose names start with the letter "K." Keep reading, and I'll give you a list of several animals that start with the 11th letter of the alphabet.

Okay, I'm sure that kangaroo was at the top of your list when you started brainstorming animal names that start with the letter "K," but did you know that there are actually almost 400 different animals whose names start with this letter? According to Animalia, the online encyclopedia of animals, there's an estimated 370 of them!

And, a lot of these animals are birds:

• Kaempfer's tody-tyrant
• Kagu

• Kākāpō

• Kalij pheasant
• Karoo lark
• Kingfisher
• Kite
• Koel

If some of those animals were unfamiliar to you, you're not alone. I had never heard of a kagu before, and I had to look up a bit more information about the blue grey bird native to New Caledonia.

And as for the kakapo, well that was another surprise. This bird is a stunning green and brown bird with a face that closely resembles an owl. You'll have to travel to New Zealand if you want to spot this bird in the wild. And, you may even run into another "K" bird while you're there: the kiwi.

And while there are a lot of birds on this list that start with the letter "K" — killdeer, kea, and the kestrel among them — there are some other cool animals that also get their name from the 11th letter of the alphabet:

• Key deer
• Kiang
• King cobra
• Kinkajou
• Kit fox
• Kitti's hog-nosed bat

As you can see, there are creatures that take to both the land and the sky on this list, including the kitti hog-nosed bat.

According to the Thai National Parks website, these bats also go by another name: bumblebee bat. That's likely because of their small size. In fact, they are considered the world's smallest mammal. But, don't worry, they pack a whole lot of cuteness into those tiny bodies.

You may be wondering if there are any "K" animals in the sea. The answer there is a resounding yes. While there are arguably more landlubbers on this list, there are also quite a few that spend most of their time in the water:

• Kelpfish
• Kemp's ridley sea turtle
• Killer whale
• King mackerel
• Knobbed whelk
• Krill

It's funny to see a combination of animals that are so big and so small on this list, like the krill and the killer whale.

What's even funnier is that while krill a staple of many whale's diets, but, the killer whale isn't one of them. In fact, these black and white mammals — which are also called orcas — don't typically eat these tiny sea creatures. In fact, they don't really nosh on any of the animals on this list, since their diets mainly include other bigger prey, like seals, penguins, and certain types of salmon.

While this list does include a pretty good variety of animals that start with the letter "K," it hardly scratches the surface when you think of just how many of them there are out there. And with new animal species still being discovered, there's always a chance that the list can continue to grow, allowing you to find out about new "K" all the time.