Animals that Begin with K

Have you ever been asked to name animals that begin with K during a brain teaser game? We can all come up with the commonly known animals, but there are over 170 animals’ names that start with K! Who knew?! Now you can impress your friends with your knowledge of the animal names that start with K.

Commonly Known Animals That Begin With K

Kangaroo

Kangaroos are native to Australia. Kangaroos can live to be 8 years old in the wild, but over 20 years old in human care. Kangaroos are usually over 6 feet tall! Kangaroo mommies give birth to live young, called Joey’s, that live in a pouch until they are old enough. Red kangaroos can run at over 45 miles per hour. When kangaroos jump they can reach over 10 feet high. A group of kangaroos is called a troup, and they spend a lot of time hugging, kissing, and grooming each other.

Killer bee

Killer bees are also called Africanized Honey Bees. Killer bees have only been located in Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico within the United States. Killer bees are native to Brazil. Killer bees only defend their colony and will attack if threatened. In a colony, there are three types of bees: female worker bees, male drones, and a Queen. The female worker bees only live for about a month, the male drones live for 5-10 weeks and the Queen lives for around 2-3 years. Killer bees produce honey, just like any other bee. 

Kinder Goat

Kinder goats primarily live in North America and parts of South America. A baby kinder goat is called a ‘kid’. Kiner goats are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. Kinder goats can live up to 15 years old.  Kinder goats produce milk that humans can consume it is 7% butterfat and can produce up to half a gallon of milk a day. An adult kinder goat can weigh up to 150 pounds. Kinder goats have horns that point backward. Kinder goats crossbred between Nubain and pygmy goats.

Killer Whale

Killer whales are also called Orcas. Killer whales actually belong to the dolphin family. Male killer whales grow to be around 26 feet long while female killer whales grow to be around 23 feet long. Killer whales can weigh up to 8,000 pounds. Orcas have 100 pointy teeth. Male killer whales can live up to 90 years old, while females can live longer. Killer whales migrate, meaning they move from one location to the next. Each killer whale family has their own language.  The dorsal (back fin) of a male killer whale can be up to 6 feet tall.

King Cobra

King cobras are the most venomous snakes in the world. When a King Cobra is threatened it holds a third of its body off the ground and can look an adult in the eye. Even though they are aggressive, the King Cobra is usually shy of humans and will avoid them. The King Cobra can grow up to 18 feet long. They live in humid places that have dense forests, like China and the Philippines.  Their eyesight is so good they can see a human almost 330 feet away! King Cobras prefer to eat other snakes. Female king cobras lay up to 40 eggs. In the wild King Cobras tend to live for 20 years.

King Crab

The shell of the King Crab is actually its skeleton. There are over 100 species of King Crab. The female King Crab lays around 500,000 eggs a year. The largest King Crab ever found was 30 years old and weight 24 pounds. During the yearly migration, King Crabs travel over 100 miles. King Crabs have blue blood due to the copper in their blood. The King Crab lives in water up to 300 feet deep. King Crabs can live for up to 2 days out of water. If a King Crab loses a leg, it can regenerate, or grow back.

Koala 

Koalas are not considered bears, they are actually marsupials. This means they are closely related to wombats and kangaroos. Their babies, called Joeys, live in a pouch on their mother for about 9 months, then they ride on their mother’s back. Baby koalas are born with no fur, blind, and with no ears! Full-grown Koalas can be up to 33 inches tall and weigh as much as 30 pounds. Koalas eat mainly Eucalyptus leaves, which are not high in calories so they sleep a lot, around 18 hours a day! Koalas have hands much like humans, except they have two thumbs! 

Kitten

Kittens are baby cats. When they are born, all kittens have blue eyes. Kittens are born blind and mostly deaf until they are 3 weeks old. At birth, a kitten weighs only 4 ounces (which is less than a pound). Kittens sleep for around 18 hours a day, that’s one great nap! Did you know that kittens have a dominant paw? They can be left or right “pawed” just like humans!  Their whiskers are as wide as their body and are used to help all cats get around. A kitten is able to fit in any space that it can get its head in. All cats share 95% of their genetic makeup with tigers.  

Koi Fish

Koi fish originated in Eastern Asia. They are freshwater fish. Koi fish have a lifespan of 200+ years, so Koi fish are often passed down from generation to generation. Koi fish are not just orange, they can be a variety of colors such as white, black, blue, red, cream, and yellow. Due to their coloring, Koi fish need deep water and shade so they don’t get sunburned. Koi fish are omnivores so they will eat plants as well as different fish.  Koi fish can grow up to 3 feet long in the right conditions.

Zoo Animals That Begin With K

King Penguin

King Penguins are the second largest penguins. They are easily identified by their bright orange bill and an orange patch of feathers on the side of their head. The King Penguin’s favorite food is fish and they will travel far out into the ocean to find food. There are over a million King Penguins in the world! The King Penguin has square pupils in their eye. Adult King Penguins are around 37 inches tall, weigh around 33 pounds, and live to be 25 years old. Baby King Penguins are laid in eggs, and incubated on the feet of their fathers. 

Kakapo

The kakapo is a nocturnal parrot that does not fly. Their wings are too small for flight and are used mostly for balance. Kakapo is also called “Owl Parrot” because its face is covered with a fan of feathers similar to an owl. Since it can not fly, the Kakapo is a wonderful climber and will jog around the ground. Since the Kakapo only mate when the Rimu tree blooms, they only have babies every 3 years. A full-grown kakapo can be between 3- 25 inches tall and 2-9 pounds.

Kangaroo Mouse

The Kangaroo Mouse is native to North American deserts. They look like a small kangaroo, with small front legs and a long tail, but on a mouse body! The Kangaroo Mouse is nocturnal, meaning it only comes out at night due to its sensitive eyes. Since they live in the desert, they do not need to drink water but get all the moisture they need from what they eat. The Kangaroo Mouse hibernates during the winter, from November until March. A full-grown Kangaroo Mouse weighs less than half a pound and is about 3 inches long. Their lifespan is about 3 years. 

Kinkajou

Kinkajou lives in the rainforests of South America, mostly in the Amazon rainforest. Kinkajou can live up to 40 years and weigh between 3 and 10 pounds. Kinkajou are nocturnal animals and sleep during the day. Kingajou likes to eat sweet foods, particularly honey.  Kinkajous are also called Honey Bears, even though they are not bears. Kinkajous are not good pets since they carry a parasite that can kill humans. They mostly eat plants but do eat birds eggs and insects so they are carnivores. Kinkajous have very long tongues that are almost 5 inches long! Kinkajous have long tails that are used like a fifth hand, which is useful for swinging and climbing.

Keel-billed Toucan

The Keel-Billed Toucan is very recognizable with their black feathers and a large brightly colored bill. They are found mostly in Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.  They live in the tropical rainforests of those countries. Their bill, even though it is large, is very light due to it being hollow. Keel-Billed Toucan’s are poor fliers so they mostly hop around to get where they need to go. A Keel-Billed Toucan’s call can be heard up to a half mile away! A Keel-Billed Toucan can live for 20 years, a full-grown one weighs up to 14 ounces (a little over a pound), and is 20 inches tall, not including the additional 8-inch bill!

King snake

King Snakes are also known as milksnakes, due to the belief that they drank milk from cows. King Snakes are nonvenomous and kill their food by constricting it.  King Snakes have glossy red scales with black and white stripes. King Snakes are the most common snake found in North America and are very popular pets. King Snakes are resistant to the venom of other poisonous snakes, like the rattlesnake.  Even though they can be aggressive when defending themselves, King Snakes do not normally attack people or pets.

Komodo Dragon

The Komodo Dragon is the largest and heaviest lizard in the world! Adult Komodo Dragons are around 150 pounds and about 10 feet long!  Komodo Dragons are native to islands in Indonesia. Komodo dragons are carnivores and use the venomous bite to kill their prey. It uses a long forked tongue to smell their prey. Female Komodo Dragons lay up to 30 eggs at a time in a hole, called a depression. Komodo Dragons can live up to 30 years.

Kit Fox

Kit foxes are the smallest foxes in North America, and live mostly in the deserts of New Mexico and Nevada. Kit foxes mate for life, and their offspring live at home with their mates. Large dens house the Kit fox families. Kit foxes are omnivores but will eat fruit. They do not have to drink much water since their diet provides the water their bodies need. Because of their large ears, Kit foxes can hear up to 100 feet away! They are nocturnal hunters so they sleep mostly during the day. 

Kookaburra

The Kookaburra is the largest in the Kingfisher family. They are distinguished by their unique beaks, the top is black and the bottom is white. Kookaburra are known for their “laugh” which is their call for family and to warn other Kookaburra that are entering their territory.  Kookaburra is a native animal to Australia and Tasmania. They are carnivorous birds, meaning to they eat meat which is made up of insects and small reptiles. Kookaburras have the same mate for life, and their children often stay with them until they find their life mate. 

Other Animals That Start With K 

• Kalligrammatid Lacewing
• Kafue lechwe
• Kagu
• Kai Ken
• Kaibab squirrel
• Kakariki
• Kalahari Meerkat
• Kalahari scrub robin
• Kaluga Sturgeon
• Kamehameha Butterfly
• Kanchil
• Kangal Shepherd Dog
• Kangaroo fish
• Kangaroo rat
• Karakul sheep

• Karner Blue Butterfly
• Karoo Lark
• Karoo prinia
• Karoo Thrush
• Karwar fish
• Kashmir Flycatcher
• Kashmir musk deer
• Katydid
• Kaua’i ‘Ō‘ō
• Kauri snout beetle
• Kavango Coppery Sunbird
• Kea
• Keagle
• Keelback
• Keelback sea snake

• Kelp crab
• Keeltail needlefish
• Keeshond
• Kelaart’s long-clawed shrew
• Kelp bass
• Kelp fly
• Kelp Greenling
• Kelp Gull
• Kelp snail
• Kelp surfperch
• Kemp’s ridley sea turtle
• Kenk’s amphipod
• Kentish Plover
• Kentucky Warbler
• Kenyan Sand Boa

• Kermode Bear
• Kerry Blue Terrier
• Kestrel
• Keta Salmon
• Key Deer
• Key West Quail-Dove
• Keyhole Cichlid
• Keyhole wasp
• Khao Manee
• Khapra Beetle
• Khasi pine blue butterfly
• Kiang
• Kibale red swallowtail
• Kiko Goat
• Kilifia acuminata ant

• Killdeer
• Killer Clown Ball Python
• Killifish
• Kinabalu Giant Red Leech
• Kinder Goat
• King angelfish
• King colobus
• King Cricket
• King Eider
• King Mackerel
• King Quail
• King ragworm
• King Rat Snake
• King Salmon
• King Shepherd

• Kingfisher
• King Vulture
• Kingfish
• Kingklip
• Kinnaridae (walking stick insect family)
• Kinzelbach’s spider
• Kipunji
• Kipunji skipper
• Kirk’s Dik-Dik
• Kirkaldy’s leafhopper
• Kirtland’s snake
• Kishu
• Kissing bug
• Kissing Gourami
• Kite

• Kiwi
• Kitefin Shark
• Kitlope Grizzly
• Kitti’s Hog-Nosed Bat
• Kittiwake
• Kivu Shrew
• Kiwi fruit bug
• Klaas’s Cuckoo
• Klamath weed beetle
• Klipspringer
• Klipspringer fish
• Knifefish
• Knifetooth sawfish
• Knight Anole
• Knight moth

• Knobbed Hornbill
• Knob-tailed gecko
• Knobbed sea star
• Knobbed weevil
• Knobbed whelk
• Knot (bird)
• Knot-horned sawfly
• Knysna seahorse
• Koa bug
• Koa seedworm
• Kob
• Kodiak Bear
• Kodkod
• Koel
• Kokako

• Komati River Frog
• Kokanee Salmon
• Komondor
• Kondana soft-furred rat
• Kooikerhondje
• Koolie
• Korean Field Mouse
• Korean Hare
• Korean Jindo
• Korean Water Deer
• Kori Bustard
• Korinch’s Rat
• Kouprey
• Kowari
• Kraatzian leaf beetle

• Krait
• Krill
• Kroyer’s Deep-Sea Anglerfish
• Kudu
• Kuhl’s flying gecko
• Kuhl’s flying squirrel
• Kuhl’s pipistrelle
• Kuhl’s stingray
• Kulan
• Kulga Sturgeon
• Kumbara nightjar
• Kumlien’s Gull
• Kunekune pig
• Kuril seal

• Kyrgyz horse
• Kuroko honey bee
• Kusnezov’s ant
• Kwongan dunnart
• Kyrgyz Tarpan

Do you know any other fascinating animals that start with K? Leave them in a comment so we can learn about them as well!