From kangaroos to Komodo dragons, you’ll learn something new about all these fantastic creatures!
List of Animals Starting with K
Ever been curious about animals beginning with K?
There are more than 30 animals that start with K, from the king cobra to the komodo dragon.
From the lumbering kangaroo to the regal Kookaburra, animals starting with K have diverse habitats, needs, and behaviors that are all worth exploring and learning about.
Take a deeper dive into the many animals engaging with your children or friends during your next educational outing!
Take the kagu, an endangered flightless bird from New Caledonia.
Discovering new animals beginning with K is an educational rollercoaster full of fun facts about exciting animals!
Keel-billed Toucan
The Keel-billed Toucan is also known as the rainbow toucan due to its large, colorful bill. This bird can be found in Central and South America.
It is characterized by its small body and large beak, one-third of its size.
Fun Fact: This bird is known for its loud calls. These sound like frog calls and can be heard up to half a mile away.
King Penguin
The King Penguin is one of the animals that start with K, and it’s a beautiful sight to behold! These birds are the second largest penguin species and can range from 76 to 94cm in height. King Penguin has striking orange outer feathers along with white breasts.
Unlike other animals that start with K, King Penguins live in large colonies on sub-Antarctic islands and forage for food in temperate coastal waters.
An amazing fact about King Penguins is that they mate for life, so you’ll often find two birds standing together in their snow-covered habitat.
All in all, the King Penguin is a pretty special animal to observe!
Kakapo
A large flightless bird only found in New Zealand is also known as the owl parrot.’
The kakapos are amongst the animals that start with K. It is a rare species of large, flightless, nocturnal parrot native to New Zealand and one of the planet’s longest-living birds– they can reach up to 95 years of age!
Kakapo is a large flightless bird that has evolved to fill a similar ecological niche as land mammals in the way that it roams the forest floor in search of food at night.
Kori Bustard
The Kori bustard is the largest animal able to fly, especially the male, which is heavier than the female. This bird species is a member of the bustard family and, like all bustards, is a ground-dwelling bird. It is an opportunistic omnivore in southern Africa and lives in open grassy areas.
Killer Whale
The killer whale, the Orca, is the most prominent member of the oceanic dolphin family Delphinidae. Killer whales live and hunt in packs called pods.
Killer whales are apex predators in the animal kingdom (i.e., they’re top of the food chain) and will eat fish, seals, other dolphins, and even adult whales.
Killer whale always travels in groups called pods.
A Killer Whale possesses a blowhole that serves as a nose and can hold its breath for 10 minutes. Killer whales are the most prominent members of the dolphin family.
Fun Fact: Female killer whales live longer than their male counterparts.
Kivuana Kite
They are a bird species included under birds of prey, which are alternatively called kites.
They are giant kites” and have a diverse category of species. They are referenced in literature and are titled “soaring or hovering kites.”
KitFox
This is the smallest fox in North America. It is designed to thrive in desert climates. Their enormous ears lend them both an exceptional sense of hearing and help disperse the desert heat from their bodies.
Fun Fact: Kit Foxes are monogamous.
Kinkajou
They are a species found in the tropical rainforest regions from the potos genus. The kinkajou is also called a honey bear.
They are nocturnal animals and usually live up to 40 years. They weigh around 10 lb and reach a height of 57 cm.
Katydid
Katydids are insects in the family of Tettigoniidae.
They are known as bush crickets outside of the USA. Katydids have long antennae, and most live in trees. The largest can reach lengths of 13 cm.
Kiwi Bird
The kiwi is a unique bird found only in New Zealand. It is one of the animals that start with K.
Relatively small compared to kiwi birds, they have many features more similar to mammals than birds. Kiwis are nocturnal animals, so they are rarely seen during the day. These birds are only found in New Zealand, and when they evolved, there were no predatory land mammals in New Zealand.
It has been said that a kiwi’s sensitive hearing capabilities allow’ ‘t to detect animals up to 100 meters away.
These animals also feature specialized nostrils designed for an enhanced sense of smell and reverse-Turner feet for a better grip when burrowing or climbing trees.
King Crab
King Crabs are animals that start with ‘K’ and are easily recognizable by their red, spiny shell.
King Crab is one of the giant crabs that can weigh up to 24 pounds and measure nearly mammals’ feet across.
King Crab is found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, most abundant in cold waters along rocky coasts.
Kangaroo Rat
The Kangaroo Rat is amongst the fascinating animals that start with K. Nearly endangered; these animals are small, nocturnal rodents native to the deserts of North America.
Standing only 2-4 inches tall, Kangaroo Rats have adapted to their dry surroundings; they get almost all of their water from the seeds they eat!
With powerful hind legs and feet adapted for jumping, they can flee quickly from predators or hop up to 3 feet in a single bound.
The Kangaroo Rats are extraordinary animals that start with K – one worth learning about!
How many animals start with the K?
Numerous animals start with the letter “K,” including Kangaroos, koalas, Killer whales, Kookaburra, Komodo dragons, kingfishers, Klipspringer, and Kiwi.
How many animals in Central and South America start with the K?
A few animals in Central and South America start with “K,” such as Kangaroo Rat, King Vulture, Kinkajou, Killer Bee, and Keel Billed Toucan.
How many mammals’ names begin with the K?
There are several mammals whose names begin with the letter “K,” including Kangaroo, Killer Whale, Koala, Kinkajou, Klipspringer, Kudu, and Koalaty Bear.
Finally, check out the entire series of animals that begin with or start with the letter: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy
