26 Animals That Start with S: From Saker Falcons to Sponges
October 24, 2026
Animals that start with S include a falcon that hunts the Mongolian steppe, a mole whose nose has 22 feelers, and a lizard wearing armor plates fused to its skull. The letter also covers some of the oldest animal lineages on Earth.
This list takes 26 of them in alphabetical order. Each entry gives its range, a bit of history or naming trivia, and a U.S. connection where one exists, such as a shrew in the Appalachians or a sponge-diving town in Florida.
| Group | Number of Animals | Examples From This List |
|---|---|---|
| Birds | 7 | Saker falcon, snowy owl, swan goose |
| Mammals | 9 | Springbok, star-nosed mole, striped hyena |
| Reptiles | 8 | Sand lizard, sheltopusik, Standing’s day gecko |
| Invertebrates | 2 | Starfish, sponge |
1. Saker Falcon
The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a big, pale-brown steppe falcon that falconers in Central Asia and Arabia have prized for centuries. Its name comes from the Arabic word saqr, a general term for falcon.
In the wild, sakers hunt ground squirrels and other rodents across open grassland in Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. That is the same wide steppe where Przewalski’s horse lives. The IUCN classifies the species as Endangered, and trapping and power-line electrocution are two of the main threats.
Smaller relatives such as the kestrel turn up in the list of bird names that start with K.
2. Sand Goanna
The sand goanna (Varanus gouldii), also called Gould’s monitor, is one of Australia’s most widespread large lizards. It carries the name of English naturalist John Gould. “Goanna” is Australian English, a shortened form of “iguana.”
It can approach five feet in length and runs fast on long legs. It digs burrows in sandy soil and eats carrion, eggs, insects, and small vertebrates. Its tongue flicks constantly to taste the air for food.
Most Americans know wild monitors only as an invasive problem, since Nile monitors have established populations in Florida. The sand goanna belongs in its native Australian shrubland, alongside wombats and wallabies from the list of animals that start with W.
3. Sand Lizard
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Its range spans Europe and northern Asia. Males turn bright green along the flanks in spring, a display aimed at rival males and potential mates.
In Britain the species has become rare because heathland and dune habitat has been lost. Conservation groups there have run captive-breeding and reintroduction programs on protected sites.
Females lay their eggs in sunny, sandy ground and leave them to incubate. A wildlife reference list of S animals shows how widely this lizard ranges compared with its American cousins. For more lizard variety, animals that start with B includes the bearded dragon.
4. San Francisco Garter Snake
The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a subspecies of the common garter snake found only on the San Francisco Peninsula. HowStuffWorks calls it one of the most visually striking reptiles in North America, with red, black, and blue stripes. The color pattern makes it unmistakable.
It was among the animals protected under the first U.S. endangered species legislation in 1967. It lives in freshwater marshes and ponds and feeds mainly on amphibians such as Pacific chorus frogs. Development of its coastal habitat is the main reason it remains endangered.
Read more in this HowStuffWorks roundup. Its frog prey is covered in animals that start with P.
5. Sheltopusik
The sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus) looks like a snake but is a lizard, the largest of the glass lizards and their relatives. It has visible ear openings and movable eyelids, which snakes lack. It also keeps tiny vestigial hind limbs near the base of its tail.
German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas described it in the 1770s, which is why it is sometimes called Pallas’s glass lizard. It can grow longer than four feet. It lives in dry, rocky slopes and scrubland from the Balkans through the Middle East and into Central Asia.
Its jaws are strong enough to crush snail shells, and it also takes insects and small rodents. Like other glass lizards, it can drop its tail to escape a predator.
6. Short-Finned Pilot Whale
The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is a large oceanic dolphin, not a true whale. It has a bulbous forehead and a dark, rounded body. It prefers warm waters and dives deep for squid.
Pods are built around related females and can stay together for life. Females live for decades after they stop breeding, which is rare among mammals. Off the U.S. coast, the species is most often seen from Cape Hatteras southward, in the Gulf of Mexico, and around Hawaii.
Pilot whales are also known for mass strandings, and scientists still debate why whole pods beach themselves. They are close relatives of the killer whale, which fits the animals that start with O list.
7. Short-Palated Fruit Bat
The short-palated fruit bat (Casinycteris argynnis) lives in the rainforests of Central Africa. British zoologist Oldfield Thomas described it in 1910, and it has stayed little studied. Records are scattered, and few researchers have watched it in the wild.
The name refers to its unusually short palate, which gives the face a blunt shape. Like other fruit bats, it eats fruit and drops the seeds far from the parent tree. That makes it a forest regrowth helper even though almost nothing is known about its daily habits.
8. Short-Tailed Shrew
The northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is one of the few venomous mammals in North America. Its saliva contains toxins that subdue prey such as insects, snails, and even small mice. It is common in eastern U.S. woodlands and fields.
A close relative, the southern short-tailed shrew appears on Animal Corner’s list of S animals, and it covers much of the Southeast. The shrew’s metabolism runs so fast that it has to eat many times its own weight in food each day, so it hunts around the clock.
Tiny relatives that live in trees rather than leaf litter are covered in animals that start with T. See also Animal Corner’s S index.
9. Silvery Mole-Rat
The silvery mole-rat (Heliophobius argenteocinereus) lives underground in East and southeastern Africa, from Kenya through Tanzania and Malawi to Zambia and Mozambique. It spends nearly its whole life in tunnels, digging with large, protruding incisors. Roots and tubers make up most of its diet.
It is unusual among mole-rats because it lives alone. Its famous relative, the naked mole-rat, builds colonies run by a single breeding queen. The solitary silvery mole-rat lives more like a miner with its own private shaft. Fresh mounds of soil on the surface are the best sign that one is working below.
Colonial cousins are covered in animals that start with N.
10. Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill
The silvery-cheeked hornbill (Bycanistes brevis) is a large forest bird of eastern and southern Africa with black-and-white plumage and a pale cheek patch. A helmet-like casque sits on top of its bill. The casque amplifies the bird’s loud, braying calls.
Figs and other fruit make up most of its diet, and the birds can carry seeds long distances across the canopy. Hornbills are known for an odd nesting routine. The female seals herself inside a tree cavity with mud and droppings, leaving only a slit through which the male passes food.
That arrangement protects eggs and chicks from snakes and monkeys. Habitat loss from logging is the main concern for the species.
11. Smoky Shrew
The smoky shrew (Sorex fumeus) is a small, dusty-gray mammal of cool, damp forests in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. It is especially common in the Appalachians, so hikers in those mountains may walk right past one.
It tunnels through leaf litter and rotting logs, hunting earthworms, insects, and the occasional salamander. Like all shrews, it is active day and night and cannot go long without food. Its fur is soft and dense, with a smoky tone that gives the species its name.
- Range: Appalachian and northeastern woodlands
- Preferred habitat: moist hardwood forest with deep leaf litter
- Diet: invertebrates and small amphibians
12. Snowy Owl
The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) breeds on the Arctic tundra, and a wildlife reference table lists its home region as the Arctic. Males are almost pure white, while females and young carry dark barring. Unlike most owls, it hunts in daylight, because summer on the tundra has little real darkness.
Lemmings are its main prey during the breeding season. In some winters, large numbers move south into the northern U.S., turning up on Great Lakes shorelines, New England beaches, prairie fields, and airport grounds. Many Americans know the species through Hedwig in the Harry Potter books.
Pro Tip: If a snowy owl shows up near you, watch from a distance with binoculars. Owls pushed south in winter are often hungry, and flushing one wastes energy it needs to survive.
13. Southern Elephant Seal
The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is the largest seal on Earth. Adult males have an inflatable, trunk-like nose that they use to roar at rivals. Most colonies sit on sub-Antarctic islands such as South Georgia, Macquarie, and Kerguelen, along with the coast of Argentina’s Peninsula Valdés.
Sealers hunted these animals for blubber oil through the 1800s, and the population dropped sharply. Protection has since allowed most colonies to rebuild. The species is among the deepest-diving mammals, feeding on squid and fish far below the surface.
Californians can see a close relative, the northern elephant seal, at Año Nuevo State Park and along the coast near Piedras Blancas.
14. Speckled Mousebird
The speckled mousebird (Colius striatus) is a long-tailed, crested bird found across sub-Saharan Africa. It scurries along branches in a way that resembles a rodent, which is how the group got its name. Small flocks clump together while roosting to share warmth.
Mousebirds eat fruit, buds, and leaves. They belong to an order found naturally only in Africa today. Fossil relatives turn up in Europe and North America, which shows the group was once far more widespread.
Gardens and forest edges with fruiting shrubs are favorite haunts. The birds often pack tightly onto a branch, a habit that helps in cool mountain mornings.
15. Spiny-Tailed Monitor
The spiny-tailed monitor (Varanus acanthurus), also called the ridge-tailed monitor, is a small lizard of northern Australia’s rocky outcrops and dry woodland. Its tail is covered in rings of pointed scales. When threatened, it dives into a rock crevice and plugs the opening with its spiny tail.
That defense leaves predators facing a wall of spikes instead of soft flesh. The lizard eats insects, spiders, and small reptiles. Its reddish-brown color with pale spots blends well into the red rock of its home range.
It is one of the smaller monitors, which is part of why it is popular among reptile keepers. Anyone in the U.S. who is interested should check state and local exotic-pet rules first.
16. Springbok
The springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) is a slender antelope of southern Africa and the national animal of South Africa. It is famous for “pronking,” a series of stiff-legged leaps with the back arched. A flap of skin along the spine opens during these leaps and reveals a crest of white hair.
In the 1800s, enormous herds called trekbokken crossed the dry interior in migrations that settlers described as moving for days. Farming and fencing ended those movements. South Africa’s rugby team, the Springboks, takes its name from the animal, a link that many American sports fans recognize.
The antelope also appears in U.S. zoos. Other antelope and deer cousins are in animals that start with D, such as the dik-dik.
17. Star-Nosed Mole
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) has a pink, star-shaped nose with 22 fleshy appendages. AnimalSpot’s roundup of S animals includes it by name. The nose is covered in touch receptors, and the mole uses it to scan the ground for worms and insects. Linnaeus described the species in 1758.
It lives in wet lowlands and swamps in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Unlike many moles, it swims and dives well and takes food from stream bottoms. Its tail swells with stored fat in winter.
Read a larger list of S animals to compare it with other mammals on the continent.
18. Standing’s Day Gecko
Standing’s day gecko (Phelsuma standingi) is one of the largest day geckos. It lives in the dry forests of southwestern Madagascar. Adults are blue-gray, while juveniles have bold banding that fades with age.
The species name honors H. F. Standing, a collector who worked in Madagascar in the early 1900s. Unlike many geckos, day geckos are active in daylight. They feed on insects and lap up nectar and soft fruit.
Habitat loss and collection for the pet trade have put pressure on wild populations. Captive-bred animals are available in the U.S. reptile hobby, and international trade in the species is regulated under CITES.
19. Starfish
Starfish are not fish. Biologists prefer the name sea stars, and they belong to the class Asteroidea, which includes well over a thousand species. They have no brain or blood, and they move on hundreds of tiny tube feet. Many can regrow lost arms.
The ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) is part of ecological history. In the 1960s, biologist Robert Paine removed it from rocky shores in Washington State, and mussels took over and crowded out other species. Paine used the idea to coin the term “keystone species.”
Since 2013, sea star wasting disease has hit populations along the Pacific coast of North America, including the sunflower star. Their relatives, the sea urchins, are in animals that start with U.
Key Insight: Sea stars show how one predator can hold an entire shoreline community in balance. Remove it, and the whole food web shifts.
20. Steudner’s Dwarf Gecko
Steudner’s dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus steudneri) is a small, day-active gecko of East Africa. The species name honors Hermann Steudner, a nineteenth-century German naturalist who explored northeastern Africa. Dwarf geckos are some of the smallest lizards on the continent.
It clings to tree trunks and rock faces, often head-down, using sticky toe pads. Males in this genus usually have dark throat markings that they show off to rivals. Like many geckos, it can shed its tail to escape and grow a replacement.
It feeds on tiny insects and sometimes laps up sap or nectar.
21. Striated Caracara
The striated caracara (Phalcoboenus australis), locally called the Johnny rook, lives on the Falkland Islands and the southern tip of South America. It is a bold, curious falcon relative that walks the ground as much as it flies. It scavenges and also raids seabird colonies.
Charles Darwin saw these birds during the Beagle voyage and wrote about how tame and inquisitive they were. Birds will investigate boots, cameras, and backpacks. The IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened, and its small, remote range keeps it vulnerable.
Its relative the crested caracara reaches Florida and the Southwest, so American birders can see a cousin without crossing the equator.
22. Striped Hyena
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a shy, nocturnal scavenger of North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India. AnimalSpot’s list of S animals names it directly. It is smaller than the spotted hyena and carries a crest of long hair that stands up when it feels threatened.
It lives alone or in small family groups instead of the large clans of its spotted cousin. Carcasses, fruit, and insects make up most of its diet, and it often carries food back to a den. The IUCN lists it as Near Threatened because of poisoning, persecution, and falling numbers of carcasses to feed on.
Folklore across its range casts it as a creature of graveyards and magic, a reputation that has not helped its survival.
23. Sudan Plated Lizard
The Sudan plated lizard (Broadleysaurus major, long listed as Gerrhosaurus major) is built like a small armored vehicle. It is the most heavily plated lizard in its family, with head plates fused to the skull. It can grow up to 20 to 24 inches long.
When it spots a predator, it runs to the rocks and wedges itself into a crevice, where its tough scales make it hard to pry out. It is an omnivore that mostly eats insects but also takes fruit, vegetation, and small lizards. The Wikipedia species entry and a Kruger Park reptile profile both describe its savanna range across eastern and southern Africa.
Important Note: Sources disagree on this lizard’s name and status. Wikipedia lists the species as Least Concern under the IUCN. A West Edmonton Mall species page calls it vulnerable to the pet trade and habitat destruction. Check the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.
24. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a loud, white parrot with a yellow crest, native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. English ornithologist John Latham described it in 1790. Large flocks gather at dawn and dusk and screech across woodlands and city parks.
In Sydney suburbs, these birds have learned to flip open household trash bin lids, a trick that has spread from neighborhood to neighborhood. In captivity the birds can live for decades. That makes them a long-term commitment for any U.S. owner.
American cities also have feral parrots of their own. The quaker parrot, found in animals that start with Q, nests in utility poles in places like Chicago and New York.
25. Swan Goose
The swan goose (Anser cygnoides) breeds in Mongolia, northern China, and parts of Russia and winters in the Yangtze River region. It has a long neck, a dark stripe down the back of the head, and a black bill topped with a knob in domestic forms. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable because of wetland loss and hunting.
The bird has a long history alongside people. Farmers in China domesticated it thousands of years ago, and it became the ancestor of the Chinese goose and the African goose. Both breeds are kept on small U.S. farms and backyard flocks today, valued as noisy watchdogs and weeders.
26. Sponge
Sponges belong to the phylum Porifera and are some of the simplest animals alive. They have no brain, stomach, or muscles. They pump water through pores and filter out bacteria and plankton. Fossil evidence suggests their lineage branched off early in animal history.
Sponges also have a U.S. story. Tarpon Springs, Florida, became a center of the natural sponge trade after Greek divers arrived in the early 1900s. The town still celebrates that heritage with boats, shops, and a Greek-American community.
Natural sponges are living animals, which is why synthetic ones largely replaced them in many homes. From the saker falcon to the sponge, this list shows how varied animals that start with S can be. For the previous letter, see animals that start with R.