National Animals of the World
Discover the official emblems, historical symbols, and wildlife heritage representing 177 nations. Click any country profile below for complete species facts, conservation status, and geography insights.
Australia
Featured on the national coat of arms because kangaroos can't easily walk backwards.
United States
Adopted as the national emblem in 1782 despite Ben Franklin's preference for the turkey.
China
China loans pandas to other countries as a form of diplomacy.
India
India is home to more than 70% of the world's wild tigers.
Canada
The beaver was declared an official emblem of Canada in 1975.
United Kingdom
The lion has been a British royal symbol since the 12th century.
France
The rooster comes from a Latin pun: 'gallus' means both Gaul and rooster.
Germany
The Bundesadler has appeared on German coats of arms since the Holy Roman Empire.
Spain
The Osborne bull silhouette became an unofficial national symbol.
Italy
Legend says a she-wolf raised Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Russia
The bear has symbolized Russia in political cartoons since the 16th century.
Japan
The green pheasant appears in Japan's oldest folk tale, Momotaro.
South Korea
Koreans traditionally see the Korean peninsula as tiger-shaped.
Thailand
The white elephant once appeared on Thailand's national flag.
Indonesia
The world's largest lizard lives on just a handful of Indonesian islands.
Philippines
One of the rarest and largest eagles in the world, with a 2m wingspan.
Malaysia
Two tigers hold up the Malaysian coat of arms.
Vietnam
The water buffalo represents strength and rural Vietnamese life.
Mongolia
The world's only truly wild horse species, native to the Mongolian steppe.
Nepal
The cow is sacred and protected by the constitution of Nepal.
Bhutan
Legend says this goat-antelope was assembled from spare parts by a saint.
Sri Lanka
The lion on Sri Lanka's flag references an extinct lion species that once lived there.
Bangladesh
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is home to a unique population of swimming tigers.
Pakistan
This spiral-horned wild goat can climb near-vertical cliff faces.
Afghanistan
Only 100 to 200 snow leopards remain in Afghanistan's mountains.
Iran
The Asiatic lion appeared on Iran's flag until 1979.
Turkey
The Bozkurt is a legendary ancestor in Turkic mythology.
Israel
The mountain gazelle is one of the fastest animals in the Middle East.
United Arab Emirates
Once extinct in the wild, the Arabian oryx was reintroduced from zoo populations.
Saudi Arabia
Dromedary camels were domesticated on the Arabian peninsula over 3,000 years ago.
Jordan
This pink desert bird was named Jordan's national bird in 1997.
Egypt
The Eagle of Saladin appears on Egypt's coat of arms.
South Africa
This antelope 'pronks' - jumping straight up with a stiff-legged bounce.
Kenya
The Masai Mara has one of the densest lion populations on Earth.
Tanzania
Each Masai giraffe has a unique coat pattern, like a fingerprint.
Uganda
The crane on Uganda's flag stands with one leg raised, symbolizing forward motion.
Ethiopia
The lion appeared on Ethiopian imperial regalia for over 700 years.
Nigeria
The red eagle on Nigeria's coat of arms represents strength.
Zimbabwe
Males use their scimitar-shaped horns to fight off lions.
Botswana
Two zebras support Botswana's coat of arms.
Namibia
The gemsbok can survive the Namib desert without drinking water for weeks.
Madagascar
Lemurs are found nowhere else in the world outside Madagascar.
Morocco
The Barbary lion, now extinct in the wild, is Morocco's national symbol.
Algeria
The fennec's oversized ears radiate body heat to keep it cool in the Sahara.
Mexico
The eagle eating a snake on Mexico's flag comes from an Aztec founding myth.
Brazil
This songbird's melodic call is heard across Brazilian backyards at sunrise.
Argentina
The hornero builds elaborate oven-shaped mud nests, giving it its name.
Chile
The condor has the largest wingspan of any land bird - up to 3.3 meters.
Peru
Vicuna wool is the finest and most expensive natural fiber in the world.
Colombia
Colombia shares the condor as a symbol with several Andean neighbors.
Venezuela
This vivid orange and black bird was declared the national bird in 1958.
Ecuador
The condor stands with wings outstretched on Ecuador's coat of arms.
Bolivia
Llamas can carry a quarter of their body weight for 30 km a day.
Uruguay
Uruguayans call this territorial bird 'tero' and admire its bravery.
Costa Rica
This clay-colored thrush was chosen over more colorful birds for its beautiful song.
Guatemala
The quetzal was so sacred to the Maya that killing one was punishable by death.
Panama
One of the largest and most powerful eagles, capable of snatching monkeys from trees.
Cuba
The tocororo's red, white, and blue plumage matches the Cuban flag.
Dominican Republic
Palmchats build massive communal nests shared by dozens of pairs.
Jamaica
This hummingbird's tail streamers can be twice as long as its body.
Trinidad and Tobago
The scarlet ibis gets its brilliant red color from eating crustaceans.
New Zealand
Kiwis are so unusual they've been called 'honorary mammals'.
Papua New Guinea
This bird appears on Papua New Guinea's flag with its plumes fanned out.
Finland
The brown bear appears in Finnish folklore under 200+ different names.
Sweden
Sweden has around 400,000 elk - sometimes called the 'king of the forest'.
Norway
One of the oldest and purest horse breeds, depicted in cave paintings 4,000 years old.
Denmark
The mute swan replaced the skylark as Denmark's national bird in 1984.
Iceland
The world's largest falcon, once a prized gift from Icelandic kings.
Ireland
The Irish hare has lived on the island since before the last ice age.
Netherlands
The Dutch Lion has appeared on royal arms since the 12th century.
Belgium
The Leo Belgicus depicts the Low Countries as a lion-shaped map.
Switzerland
Swiss cows are led to alpine pastures each summer with flower-decked processions.
Austria
The Austrian eagle holds a hammer and sickle referencing workers and farmers.
Czech Republic
The Bohemian lion has two tails - a symbol dating back to the 13th century.
Poland
Legend says Poland's founder chose his capital after seeing a white eagle's nest.
Hungary
The mythical turul falcon is said to have led the Magyars into Europe.
Romania
The Carpathian mountains hold Europe's largest lynx population.
Bulgaria
The lion has appeared on Bulgarian coats of arms since the 13th century.
Greece
Dolphins were sacred to Apollo and appear on ancient Greek coins.
Portugal
The Iberian wolf survives in Portugal's remote northern mountains.
Serbia
Wolves feature heavily in Serbian folk songs and epic poetry.
Ukraine
Ukrainian folklore says a stork nesting on your house brings good fortune.
Belarus
The world's largest population of European bison lives in Belarus's Bialowieza forest.
Kazakhstan
Kazakh eagle hunters train golden eagles to hunt foxes and hares from horseback.
Uzbekistan
The mythical humo bird on Uzbekistan's emblem is said to bring happiness to whoever it flies over.
Turkmenistan
The 'golden horse' has a metallic sheen and appears on Turkmenistan's coat of arms.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz mythology treats the snow leopard as a symbol of nobility and protection.
Tajikistan
This wild sheep has the longest horns of any sheep, spiraling up to 1.9m.
Azerbaijan
This ancient mountain-steppe breed can maintain speed on near-vertical slopes.
Georgia
Once thought extinct in Georgia, the leopard has been photographed there since 2003.
Armenia
The eagle-and-lion pair on Armenia's coat of arms dates to the ancient Artaxiad dynasty.
Syria
The golden hawk on Syria's emblem references the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad.
Iraq
This ground-dwelling bird is celebrated in classical Arabic poetry from Mesopotamia.
Lebanon
Lebanon's national animal is a nocturnal scavenger that ranges across the mountains.
Yemen
Fewer than 200 Arabian leopards remain, mostly in Yemen's remote highlands.
Oman
Oman was the first country to have a UNESCO site delisted, after opening it for oryx-habitat oil exploration.
Qatar
The oryx named 'Orry' was the mascot of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.
Kuwait
The Arabian camel is central to Kuwait's Bedouin heritage and appears in its folklore.
Bahrain
Bahrain runs one of the oldest captive-breeding programs for the once-extinct oryx.
Singapore
The name 'Singapura' means Lion City in Sanskrit, though lions never lived there.
Cambodia
The kouprey, a wild forest ox, was declared Cambodia's national animal by royal decree in 1964.
Laos
Laos was historically known as Lan Xang - the 'Land of a Million Elephants'.
Myanmar
The dancing peacock has been a Burmese royal symbol since the Konbaung dynasty.
Taiwan
Taiwan's only native bear has a distinctive white V-shaped chest patch.
North Korea
The mythical winged horse is said to be too swift for any mortal rider to mount.
Maldives
The pole-and-line tuna fishery is central to Maldivian identity and cuisine.
Brunei
This coastal raptor patrols Brunei's mangroves and shorelines.
Angola
This antelope was thought extinct after Angola's civil war until rediscovered in 2004.
Mozambique
Mozambique's Gorongosa park has one of the world's most successful elephant recoveries.
Zambia
The eagle's haunting call is often described as 'the sound of Africa'.
Malawi
This rare thrush lives only in a few forest patches in southern Malawi.
Senegal
The lion is Senegal's national symbol and the nickname of its football team.
Ghana
The tawny eagle appears on Ghana's coat of arms holding a ceremonial sword.
Ivory Coast
The elephant on the coat of arms references the ivory trade that named the country.
Cameroon
The lion on Cameroon's coat of arms represents the president and national vigilance.
DR Congo
The okapi, a forest cousin of the giraffe, is found only in DRC's Ituri rainforest.
Rwanda
Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park protects roughly a third of the world's mountain gorillas.
South Sudan
The fish eagle stands atop South Sudan's coat of arms with wings spread.
Sudan
The long-legged secretary bird stomps snakes to death with lightning-fast kicks.
Libya
Called 'the desert fox', the fennec's ears can be a third of its body length.
Tunisia
The Barbary is one of the oldest horse breeds and an ancestor of the thoroughbred.
Eritrea
The camel appears on Eritrea's coat of arms, honoring liberation-war supply routes.
Somalia
Two leopards support Somalia's national coat of arms.
Guinea-Bissau
The elusive West African manatee inhabits the Bijagos archipelago.
Gabon
Gabon's rainforests host the shadowy melanistic form of the African leopard.
Mauritania
This desert antelope can go a lifetime without drinking, extracting water from plants.
Mali
The fish eagle sits at the crest of Mali's coat of arms.
Burkina Faso
Founding legend features Princess Yennenga riding a white horse into what became Burkina Faso.
Niger
Niger shelters the last wild population of the West African giraffe.
Chad
The goat on Chad's coat of arms represents the arid north and its herding cultures.
Central African Republic
The Dzanga bai clearing hosts the world's largest gathering of forest elephants.
Burundi
The lion appears on Burundi's coat of arms above the motto 'Unity, Work, Progress'.
Lesotho
The tough mountain pony is the traditional and preferred transport across Lesotho's highlands.
Eswatini
The king's ceremonial headdress traditionally uses feathers from this bird.
Mauritius
The flightless dodo, extinct by 1681, remains Mauritius's most famous native.
Seychelles
This rare parrot lives only on the island of Praslin.
Malta
This ancient dog breed has been used for rabbit hunting on Malta for over 2,000 years.
Cyprus
This wild sheep is the largest wild animal on Cyprus and appears on its 1, 2, and 5-cent coins.
Slovakia
Slovakia has one of Europe's densest brown bear populations for its size.
Slovenia
The world-famous white Lipizzan breed originated in the village of Lipica.
Croatia
Croatia's currency, the kuna, was named after the marten whose fur was medieval Slavic money.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
This nimble goat-antelope thrives on the near-vertical cliffs of the Dinaric Alps.
Montenegro
Montenegro's coat of arms features a double-headed eagle with wings spread.
Albania
Albanians call their own country Shqiperia - the 'Land of the Eagles'.
North Macedonia
Only about 40 Balkan lynx survive, mostly along the Macedonian-Albanian border.
Moldova
The extinct wild ox on Moldova's coat of arms is a medieval symbol of the Principality.
Lithuania
Lithuania has one of the highest densities of nesting white storks in Europe.
Latvia
The perky little white wagtail was voted Latvia's national bird in 1960.
Estonia
The swallow's return each spring is treated as the start of Estonia's growing season.
Luxembourg
The red rampant lion has been Luxembourg's royal symbol since the 13th century.
Greenland
A white polar bear stands on Greenland's coat of arms with its left paw raised.
Belize
Belizeans call the tapir 'mountain cow' though it's actually related to horses.
Honduras
The white-tailed deer was declared Honduras's national animal in 1993 to spur conservation.
Nicaragua
The guardabarranco flicks its racket-tipped tail like a pendulum when perched.
El Salvador
El Salvador shares the torogoz with Nicaragua as its national bird.
Paraguay
The male's metallic 'clang' call is among the loudest of any bird.
Guyana
Two jaguars support Guyana's coat of arms, holding a pickaxe and sugar cane.
Suriname
Suriname's rainforest is one of the last strongholds of large healthy jaguar populations.
Haiti
This mountain-forest bird lives only on Hispaniola and is Haiti's national bird.
Bahamas
The Bahamas hosts the largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos in the world.
Barbados
The nearby Pelican Island was leveled in the 1950s to expand Bridgetown's harbor.
Fiji
This crimson-and-purple parrot is endemic to Fiji and appears on its 1-cent coin.
Samoa
The tooth-billed pigeon, Samoa's national bird, is called the 'little dodo' and nearly as rare.
Tonga
Tonga is one of very few places on Earth where you can legally swim with humpback whales.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu is one of the last places in the Pacific where dugongs come to shallow lagoons.
Solomon Islands
This sea eagle is found only on the Solomon Islands and nowhere else on Earth.
Equatorial Guinea
The huge casque on this hornbill's beak is largely hollow and acts as a resonator.
Republic of Congo
The Nouabale-Ndoki forests hold one of Africa's last untouched forest elephant populations.
Togo
Two lions guard Togo's coat of arms holding bows and arrows.
Benin
The leopard was the sacred royal symbol of the historical Kingdom of Dahomey.
Liberia
Liberia's forests hold the largest remaining wild chimpanzee population in West Africa.
Sierra Leone
The country's name means 'Lion Mountains' - reportedly for peaks that looked lion-shaped.
Guinea
The elephant appears on Guinean coins and represents strength and memory.
Gambia
The hyena is a common trickster character in Gambian folk stories.
Cape Verde
This small greenish songbird lives only on three Cape Verde islands.
Djibouti
This tiny arid-country antelope has enormous ears to dump heat in the Horn of Africa sun.
Comoros
One of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan of nearly 1.4 meters.
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