ABCs of Animals in The Bible: A reference for all animals mentioned in scripture

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My interest in animals started as a child but when my own daughter was in grade school she regaled me with tales of animal facts. Some of these “facts” sounded outrageous and so I would research them and learned more interesting tidbits.

When I became a born-again Christian, this interest grew as I began to study the Bible in earnest.

Have you ever wanted to know how many and what types of animals are included in the Bible?

I’ve collected a listing of all the animals mentioned in the Bible in alphabetical order along with the scripture verse where you can find them. All verses are from the NIV Bible unless otherwise stated.

Aa

Ant

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
~ Proverbs 6:6

Antelope

These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.
~ Deuteronomy 14:4–5

Ape

The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
~ 1 Kings 10:22

Ass

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his ass. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
~ Genesis 22:3 KJV

Bb

Baboon

The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
~ 1 Kings 10:22

Bat

These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean… the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
~ Leviticus 11:19

Bear

Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
~ 1 Samuel 17:36

Bee

The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.
~ Deuteronomy 1:44

Behemoth

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly!
~ Job 40:15–16

Bird

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”
~ Genesis 1:20

Cc

Calf

He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
~ Exodus 32:4

Camel

He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
~ Genesis 12:16

Caterpillar

He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
~ Psalm 78:46 KJV

Cattle

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
~ Psalm 50:10 KJV

Chameleon

Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.
~ Leviticus 11:29–30

Chamois

The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
~ Deuteronomy 14:5 KJV

Cormorant

These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
~ Leviticus 11:17

Cow

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
~ Genesis 41:1–2

Crane

Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
~ Isaiah 38:14 KJV

Dd

Deer

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
~ Habakkuk 3:19

Dog

But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
~ Exodus 11:7

Donkey

Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.
~ Matthew 21:2

Dove

He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.
~ Genesis 8:10–11

Dragon

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.
~ Revelation 12:3

Ee

Eagle

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
~ Isaiah 40:31

Ff

Falcon

No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.
~ Job 28:7

Fish

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
~ Matthew 7:9–11

Fly

Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD, and the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained.
~ Exodus 8:30–31

Fox

So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails.
~ Judges 15:4

Frog

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
~ Psalm 78:45

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Gg

Gazelle

Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it.
~ Deuteronomy 12:15

Gecko

Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.
~ Leviticus 11:29–30

Goat

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
~ Matthew 25:32

Grasshopper

We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.
~ Numbers 13:33

Gull

These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
~ Leviticus 11:17

Hh

Hart

The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
~ Deuteronomy 14:5 KJV

Hawk

Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?
~ Job 39:26

Heron

These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean… the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
~ Leviticus 11:19

Hoopoe

These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean… the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
~ Leviticus 11:19

Hornet

I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you — also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.
~ Joshua 24:12

Horse

‘Then bring your livestock,’ said Joseph. ‘I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.’ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.’
~ Genesis 47:16–17

Hyena

So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.
~ Jeremiah 50:39

Hyrax

The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
~ Leviticus 11:5

Ii

Ibex

These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.
~ Deuteronomy 14:5

Jj

Jackal

Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.
~ Isaiah 34:13

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Kk

Kite

These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite.
~ Leviticus 11:14

Ll

Lamb

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
~ Luke 10:3

Leopard

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
~ Isaiah 11:6

Leviathan

Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook?
~ Ezekiel 29:3 KJV

Lion

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
~ 1 Peter 5:8

Lizard

A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
~ Proverbs 30:28

Locust

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
~ Mark 1:6

Mm

Moth

How much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth!
~ Job 4:19

Mule

Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
~ 2 Samuel 18:9

Nn

Nighthawk

And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind.
~ Leviticus 11:16

Oo

Ostrich

The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork.
~ Job 39:13

Owl

Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their hooting will echo through the windows, rubble will fill the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed.
~ Zephaniah 2:14

Ox

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
~ Exodus 20:17

Pp

Partridge

Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.
~ Jeremiah 17:
11

Peacock

And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss.
~ Matthew 11:21–24, (The Message)

Pig

So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
~ Luke 15:15

Pigeon

So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
~ Genesis 15:9

Qq

Quail

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
~ Exodus 16:13

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Rr

Rabbit

However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax.
~ Deuteronomy 14:7

Raven

and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.
~ Genesis 8:7

Rat

The Philistines asked, ‘What guilt offering should we send to him?’ They replied, ‘Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.’
~ 1 Samuel 6:4–5

Roebuck

The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
~ Deuteronomy 14:5 KJV

Rooster

‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘today — yes, tonight — before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.’
~ Mark 14:30

Ss

Scorpion

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
~ Luke 10:19

Sheep

And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
~ Genesis 4:2

Skink

Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.
~ Leviticus 11:29–30

Slug

May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along.
~ Psalm 58:8

Snail

As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
~ Psalm 58:8 KJV

Sparrow

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
~ Proverbs 6:6

Spider

What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web.
~ Job 8:14

Stork

Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
~ Jeremiah 8:7

Swallow

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
~ Psalm 84:3

Tt

Turtle

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
~ Song of Solomon 2:12 KJV

Uu

Unicorn

God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
~ Numbers 23:22 KJV

Vv

Viper

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
~ Matthew 23:33

Vulture

And the vulture, and the kite after his kind.
~ Leviticus 11:14 KJV

Ww

Weasel

Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard.
~ Leviticus 11:20

Whale

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
~ Jonah 1:17

Wolf

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
~ Matthew 7:15

Worm

For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.
~ Isaiah 51:8

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Xx

No animals in the Bible begin with the letter X

Yy

Young Lion

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
~ Isaiah 11:6 KJV

Zz

No animals in the Bible begin with the letter Z

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals (Genesis 2:19–20).

I hope you found this alphabet of animals helpful.

If you’re interested in a more in-depth study of animals, I have created a book called Animals in the Bible: Learn About Animals While Exploring God’s Word

Animals in the Bible: Learn About Animals While Exploring God’s Word

Animals in the Bible: Learn About Animals While Exploring God’s Word [Payne, Kimberley, Cox, Janis] on Amazon.com…

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If you like making crafts based on the animals in the Animals in the Bible book , check out this Simple Animal Crafts for Kids.

Animals in the Bible Craft Book: Super Simple Animal Crafts for Kids (Exploring God’s Word)

Animals in the Bible Craft Book: Super Simple Animal Crafts for Kids (Exploring God’s Word) [Payne, Kimberley] on…

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If you’re looking for a fun activity book based on the animals in the Animals in the Bible, check out these Coloring Pages and Word Search Puzzles.

Animals in the Bible: Activity Book for Kids: Coloring Pages & Word Search Puzzles (Exploring God’s…

Animals in the Bible: Activity Book for Kids: Coloring Pages & Word Search Puzzles (Exploring God’s Word) [Payne…

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