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Animals of Asia

Asia is the biggest list on the site. It runs from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforest, so it holds snow leopards and yaks as well as orangutans, gibbons, Komodo dragons and slow lorises.

Some animals here also live on other continents. The line under each name says which part of Asia it's found in.

133 animals, A to Z.

• 🐊AlligatorSwamps, marshes, rivers and lakes of the south-eastern US; the Chinese alligator survives only in the Yangtze River valley.
• 🐾AntelopeMost of Africa, the Middle East, India, Central Asia and a small area of Russia.
• 🐾ApeSub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia; gibbons live only in Asia.
• 🐾BabirusaSulawesi, the Togian and Sula islands and Buru, in Indonesia.
• 🐒BaboonOpen savanna, open woodland and hills across Africa; the hamadryas baboon also lives in part of the Arabian Peninsula.
• 🦡BadgerStocky, short-legged omnivores of the weasel and skunk families.
• 🐟BassNative to the eastern and central US, south-eastern Canada and northern Mexico. Introduced widely, including Japan, Namibia, Cuba, Guatemala and the Iberian Peninsula.
• 🦫BeaverNorth American beaver: most of the US and Canada, into northern Mexico. Eurasian beaver: much of Europe and western Russia, with small native groups in Mongolia and China.
• 🐾BinturongSouth and Southeast Asia.
• 🐾Bird of paradiseMainly New Guinea, plus eastern Australia and the Maluku Islands.
• 🐆Black pantherMostly tropical forests: black leopards in Africa and Asia, black jaguars in Central and South America.
• 🐾BlackbirdEurope, western Asia and North Africa; introduced to Australia and New Zealand.
• 🐻Brown bearNorthern North America, Europe and Asia. It lives in a wider range of habitats than any other bear, with small, fragmented populations left in western Europe.
• 🐸BullfrogNative to eastern North America; introduced to the western US, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Asia.
• 🐝BumblebeeMostly the Northern Hemisphere, north to Greenland; also South America and North Africa; introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania.
• 🦅BuzzardMost of Europe and east to western Siberia, Mongolia and China; northern and eastern birds winter as far south as South Africa.
• 🐾CaecilianWet tropics of South and Central America, East and West Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
• 🐫CamelMostly domestic. The dromedary comes from the hot deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara; the Bactrian camel from the steppes of Central Asia.
• 🐆CaracalAfrica, the Middle East and Central Asia, to arid parts of Pakistan and northwestern India.
• 🐾CassowaryNew Guinea, the Moluccas (Seram and Aru Islands) and northeastern Australia.
• 🦎ChameleonMostly Africa, about half of species only in Madagascar. One species in southern Europe, a few across southern Asia to India and Sri Lanka.
• 🐾ChamoisMountains of Europe from the Pyrenees and Alps to the Carpathians and Balkans, plus Turkey and the Caucasus; introduced to New Zealand.
• 🐿️ChipmunkNorth America; the Siberian chipmunk in Asia.
• 🐾CivetTropical Asia and Africa, especially tropical forests; most species live in Southeast Asia.
• 🐆Clouded leopardFrom the Himalayan foothills in Nepal, Bhutan and India through mainland Southeast Asia to southern China.
• 🐍CobraTrue cobras: Africa and Asia. King cobra: India through Southeast Asia to southern China.
• 🦜CockatooAustralia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines.
• 🐾CraneEvery continent except Antarctica and South America.
• 🐊CrocodileTropical rivers, lakes and swamps, and for the saltwater crocodile the coast, in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Unlike alligators, all crocodiles are sensitive to cold.
• 🐾CuckooBreeds across Europe and Asia; winters in Africa and South Asia.
• 🐾DholeForests of South, East and Southeast Asia. It has died out in Central Asia and parts of Southeast Asia.
• 🐾DormouseAfrica, Asia and Europe.
• 🐪DromedaryDry regions of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan, plus a feral population in Australia.
• 🐘ElephantSub-Saharan Africa (bush and forest elephants) and South and Southeast Asia (Asian elephant).
• 🦌ElkNorth America and Central, East and North Asia; introduced to Argentina and New Zealand.
• 🦩FlamingoThe Americas and the Caribbean (four species), and Africa, Europe and Asia (two species).
• 🐿️Flying squirrelNorth America and Asia; the Siberian flying squirrel reaches northeast Europe (Russia, Finland and Estonia).
• 🦇Fruit batTropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Oceania; Papua New Guinea has the most species.
• 🐾GazelleAfrica, south-west and central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
• 🐾GenetAfrica; the common genet also lives along the coasts of Arabia, Yemen and Oman, and in Spain, France and Italy.
• 🐾GerbilDry regions of Africa, India and Asia; the Mongolian gerbil lives in China, Mongolia and Russia.
• 🐾GharialRivers of India and Nepal, with a few in Bangladesh; locally extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar.
• 🦧GibbonSubtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast India to Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.
• 🐍Grass snakeMainland Europe from mid Scandinavia to southern Italy, the Middle East and northwestern Africa.
• 🐾GrouseTemperate and subarctic North America, Europe and Asia, as far north as 83°N.
• 🐹HamsterWild golden hamsters live only in a dry region of northern Syria and southern Turkey, where their numbers are falling.
• 🐇HareNative to Africa, Europe, Asia and North America, from Arctic tundra to desert edges.
• 🦔HedgehogEurope, Asia and Africa; none native to the Americas or Australia. The European hedgehog was introduced to New Zealand, where it is now a pest.
• 🐾HornbillSub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent east to the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. No genus lives in both Africa and Asia.
• 🐝HornetMainly Asia; the European hornet ranges across Europe to Siberia and was introduced to eastern North America. The Asian hornet is spreading in Europe.
• 🐾Horseshoe crabThe Atlantic coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico, plus coasts of South, Southeast and East Asia.
• 🐺HyenaFour species of dog-like carnivores, including the spotted, brown and striped hyenas.
• 🐾IbexMountains of Europe, Asia, North Africa and East Africa.
• 🐺JackalCentral and southern Africa (black-backed and side-striped jackals); south-central Europe and Asia (golden jackal).
• 🐾JackdawEurope, western Asia and western North Africa.
• 🐾JerboaHot deserts across North Africa and Asia.
• 🦅KestrelEurope, Asia and Africa; occasionally reaches the east coast of North America.
• 🦎Komodo dragonThe Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami and Gili Motang.
• 🐾LemmingIn or near the Arctic across North America, Europe and Asia, including Norway and Siberia.
• 🐆LeopardMuch of sub-Saharan Africa, with fragmented, declining populations across the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian Far East.
• 🦗LocustSwarming species live on every continent except Antarctica; the desert locust ranges across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
• 🐆LynxEurope, Asia and North America; the Iberian lynx only on the Iberian Peninsula.
• 🐒MacaqueAsia from Japan to the Indian subcontinent; the Barbary macaque lives in North Africa and Gibraltar.
• 🐾MagpieThe northern part of Europe and Asia.
• 🐾MarkhorMountains of Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India (Jammu and Kashmir), Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
• 🐾MarmotMountains such as the Alps, Carpathians and Sierra Nevada, and rough grassland across North America and the Eurasian steppe.
• 🐾MinkNative to North America; introduced to many parts of Europe, Asia and South America.
• 🦡MoleMost of North America, Europe (except Ireland) and Asia.
• 🐾MongooseAfrica, Asia and southern Europe; introduced to Hawaii.
• 🦎Monitor lizardAfrica, Asia and Oceania, including New Guinea and Australia; the Nile monitor is invasive in South Florida.
• 🐵MonkeyCentral and South America (New World monkeys), and Africa and Asia (Old World monkeys). Most live in trees; some, like baboons, live on the ground.
• 🫎MooseNorthern forests of North America, northern Europe and northern Asia, from Scandinavia and the Baltic states to Russia and Mongolia.
• 🐾MudskipperThe Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic coast of Africa. One widespread species runs from East Africa and Madagascar to Southeast Asia, northern Australia, southern China and Samoa.
• 🦌MuntjacSouth and Southeast Asia, southern China and Taiwan; Reeves's muntjac introduced to Britain, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan.
• 🐾MuskoxGreenland, Arctic Canada and Alaska; reintroduced to Siberia, and introduced to Norway, from where some spread to Sweden.
• 🐾MuskratMost of Canada and the US and a small part of northern Mexico; introduced to Europe, northern Asia and parts of South America.
• 🦎NewtNorth America, Europe, North Africa and Asia.
• 🐾NightingaleBreeds in Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.
• 🐾NuthatchWoods of North America, Europe and Asia, with a few in North Africa (Algeria and Morocco).
• 🦧OrangutanRainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. During the Pleistocene they ranged across Southeast Asia and South China.
• 🐾OryxDry lands of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula; gemsbok were also released in New Mexico, USA.
• 🐼PandaSix mountain regions of central China, mostly in Sichuan, at elevations up to 3,000 m.
• 🦔PangolinAsia and sub-Saharan Africa.
• 🦜ParrotMostly tropical and subtropical regions, with the greatest variety in South America and Australasia.
• 🐾PartridgeNative to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East; introduced to North America and elsewhere for hunting.
• 🦚PeacockIndian peafowl: the Indian subcontinent. Green peafowl: Southeast Asia. Congo peafowl: the Congo Basin.
• 🐾PheasantNative to Asia and the Caucasus foothills; introduced widely in Europe and elsewhere.
• 🐾PikaCold mountains and steppes of Asia and western North America; the large-eared pika lives above 6,000 m in the Himalayas.
• 🐾Pine martenMost of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria.
• 🐾PolecatEurope and the Rif mountains of Morocco.
• 🦔PorcupineOld World porcupines: Italy, West and South Asia and most of Africa. New World porcupines: North America and northern South America.
• 🐒Proboscis monkeyBorneo only, in lowland mangrove, riverine and swamp forests, usually within a kilometre of water.
• 🐍PythonSub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, southern China, the Philippines and Australia. Burmese pythons are invasive in Florida’s Everglades.
• 🦝RaccoonNorth America, and since the mid-20th century also central Europe, the Caucasus and Japan, from escapes and introductions.
• 🐾Raccoon dogNative to East Asia; the closely related tanuki lives in Japan. Introduced and invasive across much of Europe.
• 🐾RavenAcross the Northern Hemisphere, the most widespread of all crows.
• 🦊Red foxAcross Europe, Asia, North America and North Africa. It was introduced to Australia in the 1830s and 1840s and is now an invasive predator there.
• 🐾Red pandaThe eastern Himalayas and south-western China.
• 🦌ReindeerCircumpolar: the Arctic, subarctic, tundra and mountain regions of North America, Europe and Asia.
• 🦏RhinocerosAfrica (black and white rhinos) and South and Southeast Asia (Indian, Javan and Sumatran rhinos).
• 🐾SaigaSteppes of Kazakhstan and Russia's Kalmykia and Astrakhan regions, wintering into Uzbekistan, plus western Mongolia.
• 🦎SalamanderMostly the Northern Hemisphere, richest in eastern North America; some in Central and South America.
• 🐈Sand catScattered through the deserts of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and Central Asia.
• 🦂ScorpionEvery continent except Antarctica.
• 🐾ShrewAlmost worldwide, except New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and most of South America (a few now live in the northern Andes).
• 🐾SilkwormKept wherever silk is farmed. It was domesticated in China from the wild silk moth, which ranges from northern India to China, Korea, Japan and far-eastern Russia.
• 🐻Sloth bearThe Indian subcontinent.
• 🐾Slow lorisFrom Bangladesh and Northeast India east to the southern Philippines, and from Yunnan in China south to Java.
• 🐾Slow wormWestern, northern and central Europe; closely related slow worms reach eastern Europe and western Asia.
• 🐆Snow leopardMountains of Asia, from the Hindu Kush, Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China.
• 🐾StoatEurasia and northern North America; introduced to New Zealand.
• 🐾StorkTwenty species of large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with stout bills.
• 🐻Sun bearTropical forests of Southeast Asia.
• 🦢SwanEurope, Asia and North America, plus the black swan of Australia.
• 🐾TakinThe eastern Himalayas in Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in India; related takins in China.
• 🐾TapirCentral and South America, and Southeast Asia.
• 🕷️TarantulaThe Americas, Africa and Asia, in savanna, grassland, rainforest, desert, scrub, mountains and cloud forest.
• 🐾TarsierMaritime Southeast Asia, mainly Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
• 🐢TerrapinDiamondback: US East Coast from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico coast and Bermuda.
• 🐯TigerScattered populations in India and the rest of South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, north-east China and the Russian Far East. India has the most tiger habitat.
• 🐍ViperThe Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia. The adder ranges from Britain across Eurasia to the Pacific, north of the Arctic Circle.
• 🐾VoleAcross North America, Europe and Asia.
• 🦅VultureOld World vultures: Europe, Africa and Asia. New World vultures and condors: North and South America.
• 🐾WeaselEurope, Asia and North America; the least weasel crossed to North America about 200,000 years ago.
• 🐗Wild boarNative to much of Europe, Asia and North Africa; introduced to the Americas and Oceania, where it is often invasive.
• 🐈WildcatContinental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It has died out in England, Wales and Ireland.
• 🐺WolfAcross much of North America, Europe and Asia, from Arctic tundra to forest, steppe and desert edges.
• 🐾WolverineNorthern forests and tundra of the Northern Hemisphere: Canada, Alaska, the Nordic countries, Russia and Siberia.
• 🐦WoodpeckerWorldwide except Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the polar regions.
• 🐾WrenThe Americas, plus the Eurasian wren across Europe, Asia and North Africa.
• 🐂YakThe Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Pamirs and Tajikistan, north to Mongolia and Siberia.
• 🐠ZebrafishIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, mainly the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins; introduced in parts of the US.
• 🐂ZebuThroughout the tropics: South Asia, China, Africa and Madagascar, and in large numbers in Brazil.

How each answer is decided: How we answer. Every animal, in one list: All animals.