Discover 9 animals that begin with the letter 'Q'. Can you think of more? Let us know what we have missed...
Animals starting with 'Q'
Quail
The game bird the common quail is probably the one that most think of when asked to name an animal beginning with 'Q'.
Weighing around 100g, Quails are brown with stocky body and pointed wings. They are a member of the Phasianidae family, which includes the pheasant.
Quahog Clam
Walking a strandline you might meet a member of the oldest species on Earth.
At first sight, though, an ocean quahog is just a fairly plain, quite large and rounded clam. As with all clams, its shell is made up of two hinged parts called valves that protect the soft body parts inside.
When fresh and alive, the ocean quahog is covered in a dark, skin-like layer called the periostracum, so it’s also known as a black or mahogany clam.
Quaker parrot
Native to a small part of South America, from central Bolivia and southern Brazil into parts of central Argentina, the quaker parrot (also known as the monk parakeet) is famed for its vivid green colouring.
They are social birds and often build nests next to each other and whole communities can develop.
Queen parrotfish
The queen parrotfish Scarus vetula is by day a beautiful and diver-friendly reef fish.
By night, it’s a reclusive slime-bag. Literally thanks to its special glands behind its gills. This secretes a bubble of mucus that swells up and over its head like a diving helmet. The pouch spreads towards the fish’s tail and, within 30 minutes or so, the fish is resting inside a surprisingly spacious sac of slime.
Thanks to this strange phenomenon we named it one of the weirdest fish in the world
Quetzals
The elusive yet resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and one of six species of quetzal that live in the cloud forests of Central America.
This iconic bird, with its iridescent green head and wings, spiky green crest, blood-red breast, and flamboyant twin tail plumes, is like the avian version of a carnival dancer.
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly
This is the largest butterfly in the world. Found in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, the female Queen Alexandra butterfly has a wingspan in excess of 28cm, while its body is 8cm long. It weighs approx 12g. Males are slightly smaller.
Qinling Panda
As a sub species of the giant panda, thanks to its brown fur, the Qinling Panda is also known as the brown panda. They are a similar size as their cousins and are only found in the the Qinling Mountains - hence its name.
Quokka
This cute Australian marsupial is about the size of a domestic cat and lives in southwestern Australia. Although it usually scrambles along on all fours its powerful hind legs also allow it to leap like a rabbit and can look like a very small kangaroo.
Quoll
The Quoll is another Australian marsupial - although two subspecies are found on New Zealand.
In Australia there are four sub species, which all vary in size and weight, from 300g to 7kg. They are carnivorous and enjoy a diet of smaller mammals, small birds, lizards, and insects.
An alphabetical adventure through the animal kingdom
- Animals starting with 'a'
- Animals starting with 'b'
- Animals starting with 'c'
- Animals starting with 'j'
- Animals starting with 'k'
- Animals starting with 'n'
- Animals starting with 'u'
- Animals starting with 'v'
- Animals starting with 'x'
- Animals starting with 'z'
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