55 Animals That Start With H (Mammals, Birds, Fish, and More)
October 23, 2026
Ask most people to name an animal that starts with H and they will probably say hippo, horse, or hamster. But the letter H opens the door to one of the animal kingdom’s most varied rosters, covering armored sea creatures, venomous snakes, record-breaking raptors, and even a flatworm that hunts earthworms in the dark.
This list walks through 55 animals that start with H, organized loosely by habitat and type so you can see how a backyard pest and a deep-ocean predator can share the same first letter. Scientific names, physical traits, and a few surprising behaviors are included for each entry.
1. Hamster
The hamster most people keep as a pet is the Syrian or golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, a solitary rodent native to dry, rocky regions of Syria and southern Turkey. Hamsters stuff food into expandable cheek pouches that can nearly double the size of their head, carrying seeds and grains back to underground burrows.
In the wild, hamsters are mostly nocturnal and famously territorial, which is why pet owners are advised to house adult Syrian hamsters alone rather than in pairs.
2. Hawk
“Hawk” covers dozens of species in the family Accipitridae, with the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) among the most recognizable across North America. These daytime hunters rely on sharp eyesight, hooked beaks, and powerful talons to catch rodents, rabbits, and smaller birds.
Hawks share airspace and hunting style with falcons like the kestrel, a smaller raptor covered in our guide to bird names that start with K.
3. Horse
The modern horse, Equus caballus, has been shaped by roughly 6,000 years of selective breeding into hundreds of distinct breeds suited to racing, draft work, and companionship. Horses sleep both standing and lying down, and their long legs let them lock their knee joints to rest upright without expending much energy.
Breed variety alone could fill its own article; readers curious about specific bloodlines can start with our list of horse breeds that start with B.
4. Hare
Hares, such as the European hare (Lepus europaeus), are often confused with rabbits but differ in several key ways. Hare young, called leverets, are born with fur and open eyes in shallow surface nests rather than underground burrows, and adult hares have longer legs and ears built for speed over distance.
5. Hummingbird
Hummingbirds belong to the family Trochilidae and include the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), the smallest bird species on Earth at roughly two inches long. Their hearts can beat over 1,200 times per minute during flight, and they are the only birds capable of sustained hovering and backward flight.
Key Insight: A hummingbird’s rapid metabolism forces it to feed every 10 to 15 minutes while awake, visiting hundreds of flowers a day for nectar.
6. Hedgehog
The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is covered in roughly 5,000 to 7,000 spines made of keratin, the same protein found in human hair and nails. When threatened, a hedgehog rolls into a tight ball, tucking its vulnerable belly inside a shell of raised quills.
That spiny defense strategy evolved independently in the pangolin, a scaled mammal detailed in our animals that start with P guide, even though the two species are not closely related.
7. Hornet
Hornets, including the European hornet (Vespa crabro), are the largest members of the social wasp family and build papery nests from chewed wood pulp. Unlike bees, hornets can sting repeatedly because their stingers lack barbs, and their venom is formulated primarily to subdue other insects rather than defend against mammals.
Their close relative the yellowjacket, a smaller and often more aggressive wasp, appears in our rundown of animals that start with Y.
8. Heron
The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) stands up to four and a half feet tall and hunts fish and amphibians by standing motionless in shallow water before striking with a spear-like bill. Herons nest in colonies called heronries, sometimes sharing tall trees with hundreds of other wading birds.
Wading bird enthusiasts will also enjoy the ibis, a long-billed cousin featured in our list of bird names that start with I.
9. Hippopotamus
The common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is native to sub-Saharan Africa and is considered one of the most dangerous large mammals on the continent. The hippopotamus is considered the world’s deadliest large land mammal, killing an estimated 500 people per year in Africa, according to the BBC. Despite spending most of the day in rivers and lakes, hippos cannot actually swim in the traditional sense.
Hippos move easily through the water but can’t actually swim; according to the San Diego Zoo, they glide by pushing themselves off other objects. Adults can reach up to 16.5 feet long and weigh as much as 4.5 tons, according to National Geographic.
The common hippo has one surviving relative, the pygmy hippopotamus. The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is the endangered second living member of the Hippopotamidae family, native to the forests and swamps of West Africa. Hippos share their riverside range with other African giants such as the rhinoceros, covered in our guide to animals that start with R.
Important Note: Hippos are highly territorial and will charge boats, vehicles, or people who get between them and the water. Travelers in hippo territory are advised to keep a safe distance and follow local guide instructions at all times.
10. Herring
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) travel in massive schools that can number in the millions, a behavior that helps confuse predators and has made the species a staple of commercial fisheries for centuries. Herring are filter feeders, straining tiny plankton from the water as they swim.
11. Hyena
The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) lives in complex matriarchal clans and has one of the strongest bite forces relative to body size of any mammal, capable of cracking open bone to reach marrow other scavengers cannot access. Contrary to their reputation as pure scavengers, spotted hyenas actually hunt the majority of their own food.
On the African savanna, hyenas frequently target herds of wildebeest, a grazing animal profiled in our animals that start with W list.
12. Hammerhead Shark
Hammerhead sharks belong to the family Sphyrnidae, with the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) growing up to 20 feet long and ranking as the largest species. Their wide, flattened head, called a cephalofoil, spreads out their eyes, nostrils, and electroreceptors for a near 360-degree field of view and enhanced prey detection.
Two distinct population segments of the scalloped hammerhead shark are listed as endangered and two are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, according to NOAA Fisheries. The species faces ongoing threats from commercial fishing, mainly for the shark fin trade.
Not every hammerhead is a giant. Bonnethead sharks are the smallest members of the hammerhead shark family, recognizable by a distinct shovel-shaped head, and are found in warm, shallow coastal waters.
Key Insight: Despite their fearsome appearance, most hammerhead shark attacks on humans are rare, and several species are now more at risk from overfishing than people are from them.
13. Haddock
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a cold-water fish closely related to cod and recognized by a distinctive black lateral line and dark patch above its pectoral fin. It is a popular commercial and sport fish throughout the North Atlantic, often sold smoked or breaded.
14. Hagfish
Hagfish, such as the Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa), are eel-like scavengers notorious for producing enormous amounts of defensive slime when threatened, enough to clog the gills of an attacking predator. They lack a true backbone, jaws, or scales, making them among the most primitive fish still living today.
15. Hairy Frogfish
The hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) is a master of camouflage, covered in skin filaments called spinules that mimic algae or seaweed on the ocean floor. It lures prey close using a modified fin ray that dangles like bait, then swallows fish nearly its own size in a fraction of a second.
16. Hairy Woodpecker
The hairy woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) looks almost identical to the smaller downy woodpecker but has a notably longer, chisel-like bill suited to drilling deeper into tree bark for beetle larvae. Its drumming on tree trunks serves both as a feeding technique and a territorial communication signal.
17. Halibut
The Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) is the largest flatfish in the ocean, capable of growing over eight feet long and weighing several hundred pounds. Like other flatfish, halibut are born symmetrical but undergo a dramatic transformation as juveniles, with one eye migrating across the skull so both eyes end up on the same side.
18. Hamburg Chicken
The Hamburg chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a lightweight, flighty breed prized for consistent egg laying rather than meat production, and it rarely goes broody. The breed comes in several recognized color patterns, including:
- Silver Spangled
- Golden Spangled
- Silver Penciled
- Golden Penciled
- White and Black solid varieties
19. Hammerhead Worm
The hammerhead worm (Bipalium kewense) is an invasive land flatworm named for its distinctive crescent-shaped head. It hunts earthworms at night using a sticky, eversible pharynx and secretes a neurotoxin, making it a nuisance for gardeners in regions where it has spread outside its native range in Southeast Asia.
20. Harbor Porpoise
The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of the smallest marine mammals, rarely exceeding six feet in length, and prefers shallow coastal waters over the open ocean favored by many dolphins. Unlike dolphins, porpoises have spade-shaped teeth and a blunter snout without a pronounced beak.
These waters are also home to migratory tuna, a fast-swimming fish covered in our animals that start with T list.
21. Harbor Seal
The harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) is one of the most widespread pinnipeds, found along coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Unlike sea lions, harbor seals lack external ear flaps and move on land by wriggling on their bellies rather than walking on flippers.
They often share rocky haul-out sites with other seals, including species covered in our animals that start with S guide.
22. Hardhead Catfish
The hardhead catfish (Ariopsis felis) is a common saltwater catfish found along the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts, identifiable by three pairs of barbels around its mouth. Anglers often avoid handling them carelessly, since their dorsal and pectoral spines can deliver a painful, venomous sting.
23. Harlequin Coral Snake
The harlequin coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) displays bold red, yellow, and black banding and carries potent neurotoxic venom, though it is shy and rarely bites unless handled. Its coloring has inspired the rhyme “red touches yellow, kill a fellow,” a rough way to distinguish it from harmless mimics with different color orders.
24. Harlequin Rabbit
The Harlequin rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a domestic breed prized for its striking broken-color pattern, with bands of contrasting fur alternating across its body and face. The breed originated in France in the 19th century and was originally bred for show rather than meat or fur production.
25. Harp Seal
The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) migrates long distances across the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, giving birth on pack ice each spring. Harp seal pups are born with soft white fur that darkens into a silvery-gray coat marked with a distinctive dark harp- or horseshoe-shaped pattern on the back as they mature.
26. Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is one of the largest and most powerful eagles alive, with talons that can grow longer than a grizzly bear’s claws. Females can weigh up to 20 pounds and hunt sloths and monkeys directly from the forest canopy in Central and South America.
Key Insight: A harpy eagle’s grip strength is strong enough to crush bone, giving it the ability to lift prey nearly equal to its own body weight straight off a tree branch.
27. Harrier
Harriers, such as the northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), hunt low over open marshes and grasslands rather than diving from great heights like many other raptors. Their facial disc of stiff feathers functions similarly to an owl’s, channeling sound toward their ears to help locate hidden prey by hearing alone.
28. Harris’s Hawk
Harris’s hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) is unusual among raptors for hunting cooperatively in family groups, a behavior more commonly associated with wolves than birds of prey. This social structure, combined with a calm temperament, has made the species a favorite among falconers worldwide.
29. Hartebeest
The hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) is a large African antelope known for its elongated face, ringed horns, and surprising endurance, capable of sustaining speeds near 40 miles per hour over long distances to escape predators. Several subspecies exist across the savannas and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa.
It shares grazing territory with other antelope species, including the nyala, featured in our animals that start with N list.
30. Hawaiian Crow
The Hawaiian crow, or ‘alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis), is one of the rarest birds in the world and has been extinct in the wild since 2002, surviving only through captive breeding and reintroduction programs. Known for remarkable intelligence, the species has been observed using sticks as tools to extract food, a rare behavior among birds.
31. Hawaiian Goose (Nene)
The nene (Branta sandvicensis), Hawaii’s state bird, descended from Canada geese that colonized the islands thousands of years ago and adapted to volcanic terrain by developing less webbing between its toes. Conservation efforts since the mid-20th century have pulled the species back from the brink of extinction, though it remains vulnerable to introduced predators.
32. Horned Grebe
The horned grebe (Podiceps auritus) is a small diving waterbird named for the golden, fan-shaped feather tufts it displays behind its eyes during breeding season. Grebes build floating nests anchored to aquatic vegetation and can dive underwater almost instantly to avoid predators.
33. Hornbill
Hornbills, a family of tropical birds including the great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), are named for the large, often colorful casque sitting atop their curved bill. Several species seal the female and eggs inside a tree cavity nest using mud and droppings, leaving only a small slit through which the male passes food.
34. Hyacinth Macaw
The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is the largest flying parrot species, reaching up to 3.3 feet from head to tail, with vivid cobalt-blue plumage. Its powerful beak can crack open some of the hardest palm nuts in its native South American range, a feat few other birds can match.
Fans of striking, oversized birds will also appreciate the entries in our list of bird names that start with Z.
35. House Finch
The house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is native to the western United States and Mexico but spread across North America after a small group of caged birds was released on the East Coast in the 1940s. Males display red plumage whose intensity depends directly on diet, making coloration a visible signal of foraging success.
36. Himalayan Tahr
The Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) is a large wild goat relative adapted to steep, rocky terrain across the Himalayas, with a thick, shaggy coat that insulates against harsh mountain winters. Its specialized hooves provide exceptional grip on near-vertical cliff faces that would be impassable to most other large mammals.
A similar high-altitude specialist, the urial wild sheep, appears in our guide to animals that start with U.
37. Hellbender
The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is North America’s largest aquatic salamander, breathing primarily through folds of skin rather than lungs or gills as an adult. It requires clean, fast-flowing, oxygen-rich streams, making its presence a strong indicator of healthy freshwater ecosystems.
38. Himalayan Newt
The Himalayan newt (Tylototriton verrucosus) has rough, warty skin and bright orange markings along its limbs and tail that warn predators of mild toxins in its skin secretions. It spends most of the year on land in cool, moist forest habitats, returning to shallow pools only to breed.
39. Horned Frog
Horned frogs, such as the Argentine horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata), are stocky amphibians named for small, pointed projections above their eyes. Known for an aggressive feeding response and an enormous mouth relative to body size, they will attempt to swallow prey nearly as large as themselves.
40. Humphead Wrasse
The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is a giant reef fish that can live for decades and change both color and the prominent bump on its forehead as it matures. It is one of the few predators able to safely eat venomous sea creatures like crown-of-thorns starfish and boxfish.
41. Horseshoe Crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is not actually a crab but is more closely related to spiders and scorpions, and its basic body plan has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. Its blue, copper-based blood is critical to modern medicine, used to test injectable drugs and vaccines for bacterial contamination.
42. Housefly
The housefly (Musca domestica) is among the most widespread insects on Earth, able to taste through sensory hairs on its legs and feet before it even lands on food. Because it cannot chew, it vomits digestive enzymes onto solid food to liquefy it before sponging up the resulting liquid.
43. Horsefly
Horseflies, members of the family Tabanidae such as Tabanus bovinus, are large, fast-flying insects whose females require a blood meal to produce eggs, delivering a notably painful bite with blade-like mouthparts. Males, by contrast, feed only on nectar and pollen.
44. Harlequin Bug
The harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) is a brightly patterned stink bug that feeds on cabbage, broccoli, and other brassica crops, often causing wilting and stunted growth in home gardens. Its vivid orange, red, and black markings serve as a warning to predators about the foul-tasting chemicals it absorbs from host plants.
True bugs like this one are closely related to beetles, a group explored further in our animals that start with B guide.
45. Hawaiian Monk Seal
The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) is found almost exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands and ranks among the most endangered seal species in the world. Unlike many other seals, it lives in warm tropical waters rather than polar or temperate regions, and it tends to haul out alone or in small, loosely associated groups rather than large colonies.
Important Note: Entanglement in marine debris and fishing gear remains one of the biggest ongoing threats to Hawaiian monk seal populations.
46. Hawksbill Sea Turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) gets its name from its narrow, pointed beak, which it uses to reach sponges tucked deep into coral reef crevices that other turtles cannot access. Its strikingly patterned shell historically made it a target for the tortoiseshell trade, contributing to its decline across tropical reefs.
47. Hispaniolan Solenodon
The Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) is a rare, shrew-like mammal found only on the island of Hispaniola and is one of the few mammals able to inject venom through grooves in its lower incisors. It has survived relatively unchanged for tens of millions of years, making it one of the most evolutionarily distinct mammals alive today.
48. Howler Monkey
Howler monkeys, including the mantled howler (Alouatta palliata), produce some of the loudest calls of any land animal, audible up to three miles away through dense rainforest thanks to an enlarged hyoid bone that amplifies sound. These calls help troops space themselves out across the forest canopy and avoid unnecessary conflict over territory.
Their vocal power rivals that of the orangutan, another forest-dwelling primate featured in our animals that start with O list.
49. Honey Buzzard
The honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) is a migratory bird of prey that specializes in raiding wasp and bee nests, using dense, scale-like feathers around its face and legs for protection against stings. Despite the name, it feeds more on insect larvae than actual honey.
50. Honey Badger
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis) has a reputation for fearlessness that is backed by real biology, including thick, loose skin that lets it twist and bite back even when a predator has it pinned by the neck. It eats a wide range of prey, from venomous snakes to scorpions, and occasionally scavenges carrion when the opportunity arises.
That scavenging habit is shared with vultures, which clean up carcasses across the same African landscapes and appear in our animals that start with V guide.
51. Honey Bee
The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) lives in highly organized colonies built around distinct social roles:
- The queen, the colony’s sole egg-layer
- Worker bees, who forage, build comb, and defend the hive
- Drones, male bees whose only role is mating with a new queen
Honey bees communicate the location of food sources through a figure-eight “waggle dance,” one of the few known examples of symbolic communication in insects.
Pro Tip: Planting native, pesticide-free flowers in a garden gives honey bees and other pollinators safer places to forage throughout the growing season.
52. Hoatzin
The hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a South American bird so unusual that taxonomists have struggled for decades to place it among other bird families. Its digestive system ferments leaves in an enlarged crop much like a cow’s rumen, earning it the nickname “stinkbird” for the sour odor this process produces.
53. House Mouse
The house mouse (Mus musculus) is among the most successful mammals on the planet, having spread to nearly every continent by traveling alongside humans in food stores and cargo. A single breeding pair can produce dozens of offspring in a year, since females can begin reproducing at just six weeks old.
It shares burrow space in hedgerows and fields with the dormouse, a small rodent featured in our animals that start with D guide.
54. Hinny
A hinny is the hybrid offspring of a male horse (Equus caballus) and a female donkey (Equus asinus), the reverse cross of the more common mule. Hinnies tend to be slightly smaller than mules and often display more horse-like proportions, though like mules, they are almost always sterile due to the mismatched chromosome counts of their parent species.
55. Habu Snake
The habu (Protobothrops flavoviridis) is a venomous pit viper native to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, including Okinawa, where it is both feared and respected in local folklore. Its hemotoxic venom can cause severe tissue damage, and the species has historically been kept in captivity for use in traditional habu-infused rice liquor known as habushu.
From burrowing rodents to deep-reef predators, these 55 animals that start with H show just how much ground a single letter can cover. Whether the draw is a backyard songbird like the house finch or a deep-sea oddity like the hagfish, each species on this list offers its own small lesson in how varied animal life can be.