Mammalian animals such as jackals, jackrabbits, jerboas, junglefowl, and jaguars; birdlike animals like jaegers, jays, and juncos; fish like the John Dory; and invertebrates like the Jerusalem cricket are among the animals that begin with J.
Beginning with J, you’ll discover these and other intriguing creatures on this page, along with images and information about each.
Links to additional information, photos, and videos may be found below many of the animals.
Individual species (e.g., the jaguar) and well-known groupings of species (e.g., jackals) are included in this list, as are well-known names. Each of the separate species has its scientific name and conservation status listed.
Jabiru
Scientific name: Jabiru mycteria
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Ciconiidae
Where found: South America, North America
Conservation status: Least Concern
The stork family, Ciconiidae, includes the jabiru, a large, striking-looking member. It can be found in Central America and north into Mexico, as well as South America from Columbia south to central Argentina. In the United States, it’s very unusual to see.
The jabiru, like all storks, is a long-legged, long-necked bird. The jabiru is South America’s tallest flying bird, though not the continent’s tallest; the whooping crane is just a little taller. Standing at up to 5 feet/1.52 meters tall, it is the continent’s tallest bird.
The white/light gray coloration of the jabiru’s body and wings. A vivid crimson ring runs down the root of its neck. The neck, head, and bill are all black, as is the remainder of the body.
The jabiru waits for prey to get within striking distance, holding its enormous beak in the water. The jabiru is an opportunistic feeder that eats a wide range of tiny creatures, including fish, small reptiles, mollusks, and insects.
Jacamar
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Galbulidae
Where found: South America, North America
The Galbulidae family of jacamar consists of eighteen species. They’re little birds that live in Central and South America’s woods and forests, and they’re mostly brightly colored.
The bills of Jacamars are long and slender, allowing them to capture prey in mid-air. Jaamars generally wait for prey to approach within range by sitting on a suitable perch..
The largest jacamar species is the huge jacamar Jacamerops aureus, which grows to heights of up to 30 cm / 12 in. It can be found in Central and South American rainforests.
Jacana
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Jacanidae
Where found: All continents except Europe and Antarctica
The Jacanidae family of eight wading birds is made up of the Jacanas.
Jacanas’ claws are exceedingly lengthy and their legs are long, making them ideal for navigating on lilies and other floating plants.
Because of their propensity to walk on lilies (giving onlookers the perception that they are walking on water), Jacanas are referred to as “Jesus birds.”
Jack Russell Terrier
Scientific name: Canis lupus familiaris / Canis familiaris
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Canidae
Conservation status: Domestic
The Rev. Jack Russell terrier was created in the early nineteenth century by breeding English curriers with other breeds of dogs. John Russell is the author of this novel. Russell, a keen fox-hunter, realized that the breed’s modest size and short legs would allow it to drive foxes from their holes.
A smooth or rough coat is seen in the Jack Russell, a small dog breed. It has ether brown or black patches that are most common.
Jackals
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Canidae
Where found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Black-backed, side-striped, and golden jackals are the three species of jackal. Canidae is the name for all canines.
In Africa, you’ll find the black-backed jackal and side-striped jackal. Woodlands are home to the side-striped jackal, the bigger of the two African jackals.
More open environments, such as grasslands and savannas, are home to the black-backed jackal. Individuals of this ancient dog species are essentially unchanged from their Pleistocene ancestors today.
Southeast Europe, the Middle East, and south Asia are all home to the golden jackal. It’s more closely related to gray wolves than jackals in general.
Jackrabbit
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Leporidae
jackrabbits are hares rather than rabbits, despite their name. The genus Lepus includes hares (and jackrabbits). The Leporidae family, which also includes rabbits, includes Lepus.
Jackrabbits can be found all throughout North America, with seven different species. White-tailed jackrabbits are the biggest of the jackrabbits. It has a wider range than any other jackrabbit and may be found north of the Arctic Circle.
Hares (including jackrabbits) don’t dig burrows, unlike rabbits. Instead, they sleep and rear their young in the forms, which are shallow holes in the ground. Precociality is the ability of hare and jackrabbit young to move and eat on their own shortly after birth.
Jaeger
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Stercorariidae
Genus: Stercorarius
The skua family, Stercorariidae, includes three birds known as jaeger in North America. The long-tailed jaeger, the Arctic or parasitic jaeger, and the pomarine jaeger are the three jaegers that exist. These birds are known as skuas outside of North America.
The Arctic breeds jaegers, which are large seabirds. Kleptoparasitic behavior is common among jaegers. Other species’ prey is stolen rather than captured by a kleptoparasite. Other seabirds have their food stolen by skuas.
While skuas capture their own food, the majority of their diets come from foods obtained from other birds.
Skuas go from their feeding grounds in the South Pacific and Southern Oceans to their breeding grounds in the Arctic on a yearly basis.
Jaguar
Scientific name: Panthera onca
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Felidae
Where found: South America, Central America
Conservation status: Near Threatened
The jaguar is the third-largest member of the cat family, Felidae – only the tiger and the lion are bigger.
The jaguar is an apex predator (top of the food chain) that lives in Central and South America’s forests. In Texas and other southern states, the jaguar can be found on occasion.
The jaguar, like other big cats, belongs to the genus Panthera (which includes the cheetah and cougar).
Jaguar rosettes, or rings, adorn the cat’s golden coat.
The species is distinguished from the leopard by the presence of smaller black dots in the jaguar’s rosettes. In comparison to its Old World counterpart, the jaguar is significantly more robust.)
Jaguarundi
Scientific name: Herpailurus yagouaroundi
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Felidae
Where found: South America, North America
Conservation status: Least Concern
Throughout most of South America and Central America, the jaguarundi is a wild cat. In Florida and other southern states, the species is also occasionally seen. It may be found in a variety of environments, from rainforests to savannas.
The jaguarundi has short, rounded ears and rather small legs when compared to a cat of the same size. Individuals can be either color, even though their siblings are the other color, and the species’ coat is golden-red or gray.
Japanese Macaque
Scientific name: Macaca fuscata
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Cercopithecidae
Where found: Asia
Conservation status: Least Concern
Only in Japan does the Japanese macaque dwell in a variety of forest environments, and it is exclusively found there.
The Japanese macaque is the only primate (other than man) that may be found as far north as it goes and in subzero climates; its name comes from the fact that much of the year, areas where it lives are blanketed with snow.
Because of their communal bathing in the park’s hot springs, Japanese macaques that live at Jigokudani Monkey Park have become a tourist attraction.
Japanese Squirrel
Scientific name: Sciurus lis
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Sciuridae
Where found: Asia
Conservation status: Least Concern
The Sciuridae family of squirrels includes the Japanese squirrel. It may be found on the Japanese islands of Honshū and Shikoku in lowland to subalpine (below the tree line) pine forests. Until recently, the species could be found on Awaji Island.
On the basis of their arboreal (tree-dwelling) habits, the Japanese squirrel is one of approximately 100 types identified as “tree squirrels.”
The squirrel family, Sciuridae, which also includes ground squirrels and flying squirrels, includes tree squirrels, which are often referred to as simply “squirrels.”
Javan Rhinoceros
Scientific name: Rhinoceros sondaicus
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Rhinocerotidae
Where found: Asia
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
One of five surviving rhinoceros species, the Java rhinoceros. The Javan rhino is now only found in Java’s Ujung Kulon National Park, after being discovered not just on the island of Java, but also on Sumatra and into mainland Southeast Asia.
The Javan rhino is one of the world’s rarest and most endangered large animals, with just around 70 individuals remaining in the wild.
The single-horned rhino, the Javan rhino, is closely related to the Indian rhino and is one of two species. Two horns are found on all three remaining rhino species.
Female Javan rhinoceros lack horns entirely, or have small stumps, while males have full horns.
The appearance of the Javan rhino is that it is armored because of its thick skin.
The primary reason for the Javan rhino’s endangered status is over-hunting (particularly for its horn, which is highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine).
Jay
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Corvidae
Where found: Europe, The Americas, Africa, Asia
Jays are birds that belong to the crow family. There are around 50 distinct types of Jays. The crow family contains several genera with birds named “jay,” and not all jays are closely related.
Animals belong to a family, and the genus includes them all. The plural of “genus” is “genera.” In a genus, more closely-related species than members of the same genus can be found.)
Old World jays (including the Eurasian jay, sometimes known simply as “jay” in the UK) and New World jays (including species like the Florida and California scrub jays and blue jay) are two main groups of jays that have been identified.
Jellyfish
Type of animal: Cnidarian
Phylum: Cnidaria
Where found: Oceans worldwide,
Invertebrates (animals without backbones) such as jellyfish can be found in all oceans.
The bell and the tentacles are the two primary components of a jellyfish’s body. The jellyfish is pushed through the water by the bell, which contracts and fills.
A jellyfish’s tentacles are outfitted with venom-infusing stinging cells. They’re employed for both catching prey and defending against predators.
Certain jellyfish stings, notably those of the box jellyfish class Cubozoa, may be deadly to humans. Many other jellyfish species’ stings are powerful enough to make swimmers feel uncomfortable if their skin comes into touch with the creatures’ tentacles.
Jerboa
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Dipodidae
Where found: Africa, Asia
Jerboas are little burrowing rodents with kangaroo-like features. Jerboas hop, much like kangaroos do.
The hot deserts of North Africa and Asia are home to Jerboas. The sandy-colored coat for camouflage, large ears, and exceptional hearing to detect predators are just some of the features that these little rats have adapted to survive in this open environment.
Jerboas come in a variety of colors and sizes. The Dipodidae family is composed of both of them.
Jerusalem Cricket
Type of animal: Insect
Family: Stenopelmatidae
Where found: North America, Central America
Jerusalem crickets are big, flightless bugs that may be found in North America. They are also known as “potato bugs.” Jerusalem crickets are commonly mistaken for spiders because of their large abdomens, lack of wings, and long legs.
The genus Ammopelmatus, which can be found in North America and Mexico, and Stenopelmatus, which is found in Central America, are two of the 40 or so species of Jerusalem cricket.
Jerusalem crickets are not actual crickets (family Gryllidae), despite their name. They do, however, share the same sequence as crickets and have insect-like hind legs that are longer in length.
If assaulted, Jerusalem crickets have sharp teeth that can be painful.
Jico Deer Mouse
(No Photo Unavailable)
Scientific name: Habromys simulatus
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Cricetidae
Where found: North America
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
The indigenous (only found in) Mexico Jico deer mouse is a highly endangered rodent. It may be found in the Sierra Madre Oriental area, which is located in northeastern Mexico. It lives in lowland rainforest
The Cricetidae family, which also includes hamsters, voles, and lemmings, is home to the Jico deer mouse.
The Jico deer mouse has become severely endangered as a result of deforestation caused by logging and human expansion into the species’ forest range. It is estimated that there are fewer than 50 adult Jico deer mice left.
John Dory
Scientific name: Zeus faber
Type of animal: Fish
Family: Zeidae
Where found: Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia
Conservation status: Data Deficient
Off the coasts of Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand live the John Dory fish.
Off the coasts of Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand live the John Dory marine fish.
The John Dory has two eye-like markings on its pale orange body. To scare potential predators or confuse prey, the fish will turn and flash its eye-marking.
Jumping Spider
Type of animal: Arachnid
Family: Salticidae
Where found: Worldwide
The Salticidae family of jumping spiders contains over 6,000 species and is the biggest spider family. A row of four forward-facing eyes in the front of the head, with the inner pair being particularly large, distinguish jumping spiders from other spiders. There are eight eyes, including four on the head’s forehead.
Jumping spiders have incredible vision, given all of those eyes.
Jumping spiders may walk normally, but they are also capable of performing strong leaps as the name implies.
Most jumping spiders hunt their prey actively, with just a few constructing a web for this purpose. They depend on their exceptional vision and leaping abilities.
Junco
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Passerellidae
Where found: North America
The genus Junco (a genus is a group of related species inside an animal family) is made up of five junco species. The Passerellidae family of American sparrows includes the genus Junco.
Juncos are tiny seed eaters with strong, conical beaks. They are grey-brown in color.
The dark-eyed junco, which may be found across the United States virtually year round, is perhaps the most well-known of the juncos, arriving in large numbers from its breeding areas in Canada and northwestern America during the winter.
The species is a common garden visitor as well as one of North America’s most frequent forest birds.
Jungle Cat
Scientific name: Felis chaus
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Felidae
Where found: Asia, Middle East
Conservation status: Least Concern
The Middle Eastern and Asian jungles are home to the jungle cat, a wild cat species. It has a sandy-colored coat with gray on the back that is twice the size of a domestic cat. The tail is ringed with black bands towards its black tip, and black bands can be seen on the insides of the forelegs.
The jungle cat, despite its name, lives in a variety of environments and is not particularly common in rainforest-like settings. Wetlands and swamps are the preferred habitats for this species, which may also survive in grasslands and deserts.
Junglefowl
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Phasianidae
Where found: Asia
The genus Gallus, which belongs to the pheasant family Phasianidae, includes four wild species of junglefowl and a domesticated chicken.
Wild Junglefowl live in southern Asia’s forests and forest borders, where they seek shelter.
The plumage of male junglefowls is vivid, and their tail feathers are long. They have wattles (fleshy flaps of skin that hang from the chin near the beak) on top of their heads, which are decorated with a huge, crimson comb.
The progenitor of the domestic chicken is supposed to be the red junglefowl.
Female junglefowl has pale plumage, allowing them to conceal themselves while brooding their eggs. Female junglefowl’s comb and wattles are smaller and less noticeable than male junglefowl’s.
Animals That Start With J: Conclusion
We hope that you’ve discovered some interesting animals with names beginning with J on this page.