Animals that start with P cover nearly every corner of the natural world. They include bamboo-eating pandas, egg-laying platypuses, and a pigeon species that once darkened American skies. Some are household names, and others are quietly strange.
This list follows 51 of them in alphabetical order within each group: wild mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, sea life, insects, and a few domestic breeds with long histories. Each entry pairs a fact with some history or a US connection, such as where you might spot the animal in the wild or at a zoo.
Other lists run much longer. A-Z Animals explores 187 animals beginning with P, and Good Good Good’s list reaches 215. This one trades length for context. If you are also working through the alphabet, the animals that start with O make a good companion read.
Key Insight: Przewalski’s horse is a famous P animal that is not one of the 51 below, and it is often the first stop for readers searching for ancient horse breeds or the oldest horse breed in the world. It is a wild species, not a breed. Wikipedia notes that its genetics differ from domestic horses, and that the two lineages split between 160,000 and 38,000 years ago, long before domestication. The origins of Przewalski’s horse are still debated: domestic horses of the 5,000-year-old Botai culture proved more closely related to Przewalski’s horses than to modern domestic horses. For actual breeds, try the horse breeds that start with B.
1. Panda
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the most recognizable bear in the world. Its name comes from the Nepalese term “ponya,” meaning a bamboo or plant-eating animal. Pandas can eat up to 40 pounds of bamboo a day to fuel their large bodies.
Wild pandas live only in the mountains of central China. Americans see them mainly in a handful of zoos that host loaned pairs, such as the National Zoo in Washington, DC, which has long been a draw for school groups.
2. Panther
Panther is a label, not a species. It is a common name for members of the big cat family that includes leopards and jaguars. A black panther is simply a leopard (Panthera pardus) or jaguar (Panthera onca) with a dark coat caused by extra pigment.
The word means different things depending on where you live:
- In Africa and Asia, it usually means a black leopard.
- In Central and South America, it usually means a black jaguar.
- In Florida, it means the Florida panther, a critically endangered puma subspecies (Puma concolor coryi) that survives in the southwestern part of the state.
3. Parakeet
Most Americans know the parakeet as the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), a small Australian parrot that became one of the most popular pet birds in the US. Wild budgies flock in the thousands across the Australian interior. Pet owners prize them for their small size and their ability to mimic speech.
The US once had its own native parakeet, the Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis). It was hunted and driven out by habitat loss, and the last known captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918. Its relatives are covered in the bird names that start with K.
4. Parrot
Parrots belong to a large order of birds. Known as Psittaciformes, the group includes macaws, budgerigars, cockatoos, and New Zealand parrots. The African grey (Psittacus erithacus) is famous for its vocabulary, and many parrots live for decades in captivity.
Wild parrots have settled in a few US cities after escaped pets formed breeding flocks. Monk parakeets nest in utility poles in places like Chicago, and parrots in Florida and California are a common sight. Related species appear in the bird names that start with I.
5. Partridge
Partridges are plump, ground-dwelling game birds that prefer to run or hide rather than fly. In North America, the gray partridge (Perdix perdix) is a European import, often called the Hungarian partridge, that took hold across the northern Great Plains. The chukar (Alectoris chukar), a rock partridge from Asia, now lives on dry hillsides across the western states.
Hunters in states like Montana and Idaho prize both birds. In British history, the partridge is best remembered as the bird in a famous Christmas carol.
6. Peacock
Strictly speaking, “peacock” refers only to the male Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus). The female is a peahen, and the species as a whole is called peafowl. Males fan out a train of iridescent feathers to impress females during the breeding season.
Peafowl have been kept as ornamental birds for thousands of years, prized in ancient South Asia and in later European courts. In the US, they roam many farms and estates, and loud, free-ranging flocks are a familiar complaint in some suburban neighborhoods.
7. Peccary
Peccaries look like small wild pigs but belong to a separate family. They live in the Americas, and three species exist: the collared, white-lipped, and Chacoan peccary. The collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) is the one found in the United States.
In Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico, people call it a javelina. Herds of 10 or so animals forage for cactus pads, roots, and fruit across the Sonoran Desert, and they sometimes wander into desert suburbs around Tucson and Phoenix. Their strong musky odor gives them away before you see them.
8. Pelican
Pelicans carry a huge throat pouch that works like a fishing net. The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) plunges from the air to catch fish, while the American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) feeds in groups, herding fish in shallow water.
The brown pelican is a conservation story. DDT pesticides thinned its eggshells and pushed it toward extinction in the 20th century, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service removed the species from the endangered list in 2009. Louisiana still names it the state bird.
9. Penguin
Penguins are flightless birds built for swimming. The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest, and it breeds through the Antarctic winter, with males incubating a single egg on their feet. The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) lives so close to the equator that parts of its range sit north of it.
Penguins are a headline attraction in US aquariums and zoos, including SeaWorld parks and the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. Wild penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere, and none live in the Arctic, a common mix-up for visitors.
10. Pheasant
The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is an Asian bird that became an American favorite. Oregon’s Willamette Valley saw the first successful release in 1881, and populations spread across the Midwest soon after. South Dakota chose it as the state bird, and pheasant hunting is a major fall tradition across the Dakotas, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Males have a metallic green head, a red face patch, and a long barred tail. Females are mottled brown, which helps them hide on the ground while nesting.
Pro Tip: Teaching the alphabet to kids or planning a themed lesson? Pair this list with the animals that start with N and the animals that start with Q so children can compare neighboring letters.
11. Pig
Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) descend from the wild boar and have lived alongside people for roughly 9,000 to 10,000 years. They were domesticated independently in the Near East and East Asia. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto brought pigs to Florida in 1539, and escaped animals started feral populations that still cause trouble in the South.
Pigs are highly intelligent animals, and they learn tricks and recognize their names. Today they are central to American agriculture, with Iowa leading the country in hog production.
12. Pigeon
The rock pigeon (Columba livia) is the city bird most Americans know. Trvst lists the common pigeon under this species name. European colonists brought it to North America in the early 1600s, and feral flocks now live in nearly every US city.
Pigeons have a long record as messengers. A homing pigeon named Cher Ami carried a message during World War I that helped rescue the “Lost Battalion” in 1918. The wild passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) once numbered in the billions, but hunting wiped it out, and the last one, named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.
13. Pika
The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small, round, mouse-eared relative of rabbits. It lives in rocky slopes of the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Cascades. Pikas do not hibernate, so they spend summer gathering grasses into “haypiles” to eat all winter.
They overheat easily, which makes them a closely watched sign of how mountain ecosystems respond to warming. Hikers often hear their sharp, high-pitched call echoing across talus fields before seeing the animal.
14. Pike
The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a long, torpedo-shaped freshwater predator with a duck-bill snout and sharp teeth. It lives in cool lakes and slow rivers across the northern US, from Minnesota and Wisconsin through the Great Lakes to Alaska. It hunts by ambush, hiding in weeds until prey passes.
Anglers prize pike for their fighting strength, and ice fishing for them is a winter tradition in the Upper Midwest. Pike can reach lengths over three feet, and a trophy catch is a point of regional pride.
15. Piranha
The red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) lives in rivers of South America and has a fierce reputation. Real piranhas are mostly scavengers and opportunistic feeders, and they eat insects, fish, and plant matter as well as carrion. Stories about them stripping a cow in minutes owe more to Hollywood than to science.
Piranhas have razor-sharp, interlocking teeth that cut like scissors. Many US states restrict or ban owning them, in part because aquarium dumping could create invasive populations.
16. Platypus
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) looks like it was assembled from spare parts. It is one of the few mammals that lays eggs, and it has a duck-like bill and venomous spurs on its hind legs. It lives in streams and rivers of eastern Australia and Tasmania.
When European scientists first saw preserved specimens in the late 1700s, some suspected a hoax. The bill senses electrical signals from prey underwater, which lets the animal hunt with its eyes shut. For Americans, the platypus is a rare sight outside Australia, since very few zoos worldwide hold one.
17. Poison Dart Frog
Poison dart frogs belong to the family Dendrobatidae and live in the rainforests of Central and South America. The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) is among the most toxic animals on Earth, and its skin carries enough poison to threaten several people. Their bright colors warn predators to stay away.
Wild frogs get their toxins from the ants and mites they eat, so captive-bred frogs fed fruit flies are harmless. Indigenous Emberá people in Colombia have long used the secretions on blowgun darts, which gave the frogs their name. US zoos and hobbyists keep many colorful species in humid terrariums.
18. Polar Bear
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an Arctic hunter. It is the largest land carnivore in the world, and its white-looking fur is actually translucent, with black skin underneath that absorbs heat. Seals are its main prey, and it waits at breathing holes in the sea ice.
Alaska is the only US state with wild polar bears. They are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and shrinking sea ice is the biggest concern. Visitors gather near Kaktovik each fall to watch bears gather on the coast.
19. Polecat
The European polecat (Mustela putorius) is a slim, dark-masked member of the weasel family. People domesticated it centuries ago into the pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo). Polecats release a strong smell when threatened, and the name likely comes from the old French word for chicken, because they raided henhouses.
In the American South, “polecat” has long been a slang term for the skunk. The closest wild relative on this continent is the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), which hunts prairie dogs in the Great Plains.
20. Porcupine
The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) wears thousands of sharp quills, which are modified hairs. Contrary to myth, it cannot shoot them. Instead, the quills detach easily on contact when a predator gets too close, and tiny barbs make them hard to remove.
This slow, tree-climbing rodent lives in forests across Canada, Alaska, the Northeast, and the Rocky Mountain states. It chews bark and buds, and it craves salt, so it often gnaws on tool handles, canoe paddles, and plywood that have been touched by sweaty hands.
21. Prairie Dog
The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a social ground squirrel of the Great Plains. Colonies, called towns, once covered huge areas, with burrows that provided homes for burrowing owls and black-footed ferrets. The Lewis and Clark expedition described them in 1804 as “barking squirrels” and sent a live one to President Thomas Jefferson in 1805.
The animals greet each other with a “kiss” and use detailed alarm calls that can describe a predator’s size and shape. Wind Cave, Badlands, and Theodore Roosevelt National Parks all protect colonies you can watch from a safe distance.
22. Prawn
The word “prawn” is used loosely. In the US, many menus use “prawn” and “shrimp” for the same food, but biologists treat them as different groups with different gill structures. The giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) is a farmed species and is one of the largest freshwater crustaceans.
Prawns have long claws on their front legs, and they live in warm rivers and estuaries. In British and Australian usage, prawn is the standard word, so American visitors to those countries will see it everywhere.
23. Praying Mantis
The praying mantis gets its name from its folded front legs, which look like hands clasped in prayer. Those legs strike prey in a fraction of a second. The Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) arrived in Pennsylvania around 1895 on nursery stock, and the European mantis (Mantis religiosa) was introduced to New York in 1899.
Gardeners sell egg cases to control pests, though mantises eat helpful insects too. The native Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) lives in the South. Females sometimes eat males after mating, though that behavior is more common in captivity than in the wild.
24. Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) lives only on the island of Borneo. Males have a large, drooping nose that can amplify their calls and may help attract mates. The animals also have a round, pot-bellied look, thanks to the multi-chambered stomach they use to digest leaves.
They live in mangrove and riverside forests and swim well, sometimes diving from trees into rivers. The species is endangered because logging and palm oil plantations have cut away its habitat.
25. Puff Adder
The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is a thick-bodied African viper that hisses loudly and “puffs” when disturbed. It lives in savannas and grasslands across much of sub-Saharan Africa. It relies on camouflage rather than escape, so it lies still in the path of people and livestock.
That habit makes it responsible for many snakebites in Africa. Its fangs are long and its venom is strong, but it is a slow mover and strikes only when stepped on or approached too closely.
26. Puffer Fish
Puffer fish, in the family Tetraodontidae, inflate their elastic bodies with water or air when threatened. Most contain tetrodotoxin, a poison that is lethal to humans, which makes them a risky meal. In Japan, licensed chefs prepare fugu from the tiger pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) after years of training.
The northern puffer (Sphoeroides maculatus) lives off the US East Coast and shows up in the catch of anglers fishing from piers. Fishermen are warned not to eat it without expert advice.
27. Puffin
The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) has a colorful beak and clownish look, but it is a skilled diver. It uses its wings to swim underwater and can carry several small fish in its bill at once. Puffins spend most of the year at sea and come ashore to nest in burrows on rocky islands.
Hunting had wiped out Maine’s puffins from several islands by the late 1800s. In 1973, biologist Stephen Kress started Project Puffin to bring them back to Eastern Egg Rock, and the effort is now a model for restoring seabirds. Boat tours leave Maine harbors each summer to see the colonies.
28. Puma
The puma (Puma concolor) holds the record for the most names of any animal, including mountain lion, cougar, and catamount. It has the largest range of any wild land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, from Canada’s Yukon to the southern Andes. It is a solitary ambush hunter that mostly targets deer.
Western states like Colorado, California, and Montana have healthy populations. The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar extinct in 2018, though young males from the West still wander far east and sometimes appear in the Midwest.
29. Python
Pythons are constrictors from Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is now an infamous invader in Florida, where released pets established a breeding population in Everglades National Park. The snakes eat native mammals and birds, and the population has hit rabbits, raccoons, and bobcats especially hard.
Florida runs an annual python hunting competition, and licensed removal agents work the swamp year-round. Pythons kill by wrapping around prey and squeezing, not by crushing bones.
30. Pekingese Dog
The Pekingese is a toy breed that was once guarded within the Chinese imperial palace. Legend holds that the dogs were considered sacred and could be owned only by royalty. In 1860, British troops looted the Summer Palace in Beijing and brought five Pekingese to England, one of which was presented to Queen Victoria.
The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1906. Pekingese have a long coat, a flat face, and a proud, stubborn personality, and they do best in cool indoor homes. If dog breeds are your interest, see the dog breeds that start with R.
31. Persian Cat
The Persian cat is a domestic breed with a round face, short nose, and long, flowing coat. It is one of the oldest recognized cat breeds. Italian traveler Pietro della Valle is often credited with bringing long-haired cats from Persia to Europe in the 1620s.
Victorian cat shows made the breed fashionable, and Queen Victoria kept Persians herself. In the US, Persians are a staple of cat shows and need daily grooming to prevent matting. Their flat faces can cause breathing and tear-duct problems, so veterinarians advise careful breeder selection.
32. Plymouth Rock Chicken
The Plymouth Rock is an American chicken breed developed in Massachusetts in the 1860s. It was first shown in Boston in 1869. The barred variety, with striped black and white feathers, is the best known.
It became one of the most popular farm chickens in the US because it lays well and provides good meat. Backyard keepers still like it for its calm temperament, hardiness in cold weather, and steady brown eggs. The American Poultry Association still lists it as one of the classic American breeds.
33. Pacific Tree Frog
The Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) is a small amphibian found from British Columbia down through California and Baja. It can be green or brown and changes shade over time, and a dark mask runs through each eye. Its two-part “ribbit” is the stock frog sound heard in countless movies, since many early films were recorded in Southern California.
Males call from ponds and ditches during rainy winter and spring nights. Despite their name, they spend much of their time on the ground and in damp vegetation.
34. Pickerel Frog
The pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris) lives in the eastern US and southeastern Canada. It has square-looking dark spots arranged in two neat rows down its back and bright yellow-orange on the inner thighs. Its skin secretes a mild toxin that can sicken other frogs, so keepers never house it with other species.
It prefers cool, clean water, such as springs and streams, and it often shows up in meadows in summer. Because it is sensitive to pollution, its presence usually signals a healthy waterway.
35. Panamanian Golden Frog
The Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki) is a bright yellow toad-like frog and a national symbol of Panama. It lived in the cloud forests near streams in central Panama. Because it communicates visually, it waves its front legs to signal other frogs near loud waterfalls.
A fungal disease called chytridiomycosis swept through Central America and nearly erased the species. It is considered extinct in the wild, and captive breeding programs at US zoos, such as the Smithsonian’s, help keep it alive.
36. Parrotfish
Parrotfish, in the family Scaridae, are named for the fused teeth that form a parrot-like beak. They use it to scrape algae from coral reefs, which keeps the corals from being smothered. As they grind up rock, they excrete fine white sand, and a single large fish can make hundreds of pounds a year.
Many parrotfish sleep in a cocoon of mucus that may hide their scent from predators. Snorkelers around the Florida Keys and the US Virgin Islands often see them, and several Caribbean areas now protect parrotfish because reefs need them.
37. Porpoise
Porpoises are small, shy marine mammals related to dolphins. They have rounded heads with no beak and spade-shaped teeth, while dolphins have cone-shaped teeth and a pronounced snout. The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) lives in cool coastal waters off New England and the Pacific Northwest.
Its cousin, the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), lives only in the northern Gulf of California and is among the rarest marine mammals in the world. Fishing nets that trap it by accident are the main threat.
38. Portuguese Man O’ War
The Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis) looks like a jellyfish but is a siphonophore, a colony of specialized animals that function as one. A gas-filled float, often blue or purple, sits on the surface and acts as a sail. Long tentacles that can trail many feet below it deliver a painful sting.
Winds push these animals onto Gulf Coast and Atlantic beaches, where lifeguards post warnings. Even a dead one washed ashore can still sting, so beachgoers should keep their distance.
39. Pacific Seahorse
The Pacific seahorse (Hippocampus ingens) is one of the larger seahorses in the world, and it lives along the eastern Pacific coast from California to Peru. It anchors itself to seagrass or coral with a prehensile tail and sucks in tiny crustaceans through a tube-like snout. It swims upright using a small fin on its back.
Seahorse fathers carry the eggs in a brood pouch and give birth to the young. The species is classified as vulnerable, partly because dried seahorses are traded for traditional medicine.
40. Pangolin
Pangolins are scaly mammals that eat ants and termites. Their overlapping scales are made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails, and they roll into a tight ball when threatened. Eight species live in Africa and Asia, including the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
They are often called the most trafficked mammals in the world, taken for their scales and meat. US customs agents have seized shipments of pangolin scales, and the animals are protected under international trade rules.
41. Philippine Eagle
The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the largest and most powerful eagles on Earth. Its shaggy crest and deep bill make it instantly recognizable. Early naturalists called it the monkey-eating eagle after hearing reports of it preying on monkeys, though it also takes flying lemurs, civets, and large birds.
It is the national bird of the Philippines and is critically endangered because of deforestation. Because it needs large tracts of old-growth forest and raises only one chick every two years, recovery is slow. The Philippine Eagle Foundation runs a captive-breeding center on Mindanao.
42. Plumed Basilisk
The plumed basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) is a bright green lizard from Central America. Adult males grow tall crests on the head, back, and tail. It is best known for sprinting across the surface of water on its hind legs, a trick that has earned it the nickname “Jesus Christ lizard.”
The lizard’s large feet and fast stride create air pockets that keep it above the surface for short distances. Young basilisks run farthest. US reptile keepers raise the species in tall, humid enclosures.
43. Painted Turtle
The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle in North America. Four subspecies cover the US from the Atlantic to the Pacific and as far north as Canada. Its smooth dark shell and red-and-yellow markings make it easy to spot basking on logs.
It hibernates in the muddy bottom of ponds during winter. Hatchlings can survive partial freezing inside their nests, a rare trait among reptiles. Michigan, Vermont, Illinois, and Colorado have named the painted turtle their state reptile.
44. Philippine Cobra
The Philippine cobra (Naja philippinensis) lives on the northern Philippine islands, including Luzon. It is a spitting cobra that can project venom toward a threat’s eyes from several feet away. Its venom is a powerful neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system and can stop breathing.
Its diet includes rats, frogs, and other snakes, and it often lives near rice fields. Antivenom exists, but quick medical care is necessary after a bite. The species is rarely seen in US zoos outside specialized reptile collections.
45. Pond Slider
The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) is a freshwater turtle native to the southern and central US. Its best-known subspecies is the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), with a red stripe behind each eye. Millions of hatchlings were sold as pets in the 20th century, and many were released when owners tired of them.
As a result, red-eared sliders now live on every continent except Antarctica and compete with native turtles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that pet turtles can carry Salmonella, so hand washing matters after handling them.
46. Paper Wasp
Paper wasps (genus Polistes) build open, umbrella-shaped nests from chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva. The nests hang under eaves, porch ceilings, and tree branches. Colonies are small, usually a few dozen wasps led by a queen.
The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) arrived in Massachusetts in the 1970s and has spread across much of the US. Paper wasps are less aggressive than yellowjackets, and they eat caterpillars that damage crops. They usually sting only when their nest is disturbed.
47. Pine Beetle
The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is a rice-sized insect with an outsized effect on western forests. Females bore into pine bark and lay eggs, while a fungus they carry stains the wood blue and blocks the tree’s water flow. A healthy pine can fight off a few beetles, but mass attacks overwhelm it.
Outbreaks have killed millions of acres of lodgepole and ponderosa pines in Colorado, Montana, and British Columbia. Drought and warmer winters, which fail to kill larvae, have made recent outbreaks worse. The reddish dead trees are visible across mountain slopes.
48. Painted Lady Butterfly
The painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world. Its orange, black, and white wings are easy to recognize. In some years, huge migrations move north from Mexico into the US, and they can fill gardens and roadsides.
Caterpillars feed on thistles, mallows, and hollyhocks. Schools across the country order caterpillar kits to raise them, since the insect develops quickly from egg to butterfly in a few weeks. Because it feeds on common weeds, it is easy for children to observe.
49. Potato Bug
“Potato bug” means two different animals depending on where you live. In the East and Midwest, it refers to the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), a yellow-and-black striped pest. It originally lived on wild nightshade in the Rocky Mountain region, then switched to cultivated potatoes in the 1850s and spread east.
It was the first major crop pest controlled with an insecticide, Paris green, in the 1860s. In the West, “potato bug” is a nickname for the Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus fuscus), a large, harmless, bald-headed insect that digs in garden soil.
50. Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth
The pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) lives on a single small island, Isla Escudo de Veraguas, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. It is smaller than its mainland relatives and lives in red mangrove trees. Scientists only formally described it in 2001.
It is critically endangered, with a very small population. Unlike most sloths, it swims well and has been seen paddling between mangrove roots. Conservation groups work with local Ngäbe communities to protect its habitat.
51. Possum
In the US, “possum” usually means the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), the only marsupial native to North America north of Mexico. Females carry their young in a pouch, and the babies later ride on the mother’s back. When frightened, opossums may fall into an involuntary, death-like state, which is where “playing possum” comes from.
Australia has its own possums, such as the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), which are different animals. American opossums eat ticks, beetles, and carrion, so they help clean up neighborhoods. Those are the 51 animals that start with P, and the table below helps you find a few of them in person.
| Animal | Where to Look in the US | Best Time |
|---|---|---|
| Puffin | Maine coast boat tours | Summer |
| Polar Bear | Northern Alaska, near Kaktovik | Fall |
| Prairie Dog | Wind Cave, Badlands, and Theodore Roosevelt National Parks | Spring through fall |
| Peccary | Sonoran Desert in Arizona and parts of Texas | Dawn and dusk |
| Pika | Rocky Mountain talus slopes | Summer |
| Brown Pelican | Gulf, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts | Year-round |
Looking for more? Continue through the alphabet with the animals that start with R, the animals that start with S, or the animals that start with T. Rarer letters are covered in the animals that start with W and the animals that start with Z. For a quick children’s reference, Alphabetimals lists the most familiar P animals with sounds.