Animals That Start With H: A Complete “H Animals” Guide (With Fun Facts)

In English, lots of familiar animal names start with the letter H.
From powerful horses and river-dwelling hippos, to tiny hummingbirds, deep-ocean hammerhead sharks, and hardworking honey bees, “animals that start with H” live in almost every habitat on Earth.

This guide is built to match real user search intent for “Animals That Start With H”, including:

• A quick reference list of H-animals by group

• An overview table with class, habitat, diet, and fun facts

• Detailed profiles of representative H animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, invertebrates)

• FAQs related to common queries: pets, wild animals, dangerous species, and ecosystem roles

You can reuse this structure for an A–Z animal encyclopedia, school projects, or SEO-focused blog content.

Quick List of Animals That Start With H

Here is a fast alphabetical-style list of animals that begin with H, grouped by type.

Mammals

• Horse

• Hippopotamus

• Hamster

• Hyena (spotted hyena, striped hyena)

• Humpback whale

• Hedgehog

Birds

• Hawk (red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, etc.)

• Heron (great blue heron, grey heron)

• Hummingbird

• Hen (domestic chicken hen)

Reptiles & Amphibians

• Horned lizard

• Hognose snake

• Horned frog

Fish

• Hammerhead shark

• Herring

• Haddock

Invertebrates

• Honey bee

• Hornet

• Hermit crab

• Horseshoe crab

• Housefly

Next is a handy overview table summarizing key “H animals” before we look at detailed profiles.

H-Animals Overview Table

The table below highlights 15 representative Animals That Start With H, including their class, main habitat, typical diet, and a fun fact.

Detailed Profiles of Key “H Animals”

Below are detailed profiles of some of the most interesting and commonly searched Animals That Start With H, organized by group.

1. Horse

• Class: Mammal

• Habitat: Natural grasslands and steppes; today mainly farms, ranches, and open countryside worldwide

• Diet: Herbivore – grasses, hay, herbs, and sometimes grains

Key features:

• Horses are large hoofed mammals that have been domesticated for thousands of years.

• They have strong legs and hearts built for speed and endurance, allowing them to gallop long distances.

• Different breeds have been developed for riding, racing, pulling loads, and even living in harsh climates.

Fun fact:
Horses mainly sleep standing up for short naps, thanks to a special “stay apparatus” in their legs that lets them lock their joints without falling.

2. Hippopotamus

• Class: Mammal

• Habitat: Rivers, lakes, and wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa

• Diet: Herbivore – mainly short grasses grazed at night on land

Key features:

• The hippo is one of the heaviest land mammals, with a barrel-shaped body and short, powerful legs.

• Although they look slow, hippos can run quickly over short distances and are strong swimmers.

• They spend much of the day in water or mud to stay cool and protect their skin from the sun.

Fun fact:
Hippos secrete a reddish oily fluid sometimes called “blood sweat.” It’s not actually blood, but a natural sunscreen and antibacterial layer.

3. Hamster

• Class: Mammal

• Habitat: Originally from dry grasslands and deserts of Europe and Asia; now common as pets and lab animals

• Diet: Omnivore – seeds, grains, nuts, vegetables, and occasional insects

Key features:

• Hamsters are small rodents with expandable cheek pouches used to carry food back to their burrows.

• Wild hamsters live in underground tunnel systems with separate “rooms” for nesting and food storage.

• Many pet hamsters are nocturnal, being more active at night than during the day.

Fun fact:
A hamster’s cheek pouches can extend all the way back to its shoulders, allowing it to carry a surprising amount of food at once.

4. Hyena (Spotted Hyena)

• Class: Mammal

• Habitat: Savannas, grasslands, and open woodlands across much of sub-Saharan Africa

• Diet: Carnivore/scavenger – antelope, zebras, carrion, and even bones

Key features:

• Spotted hyenas are powerful predators and scavengers with extremely strong jaws capable of crushing bones.

• They live in large, complex clans dominated by females; the highest-ranking individuals are adult females.

• Hyenas communicate with whoops, giggles, growls, and body language.

Fun fact:
The famous “laughing” sound of a hyena is actually a series of excited or nervous calls, not exactly laughter in the human sense.

5. Humpback Whale

• Class: Mammal (cetacean)

• Habitat: All major oceans; summers in cold feeding grounds, winters in warmer breeding areas

• Diet: Filter-feeder – mainly krill and schools of small fish

Key features:

• Humpback whales are large baleen whales known for long pectoral fins and knobbly heads.

• They feed by taking in huge mouthfuls of water and then pushing it out through baleen plates, trapping food inside.

• Humpbacks are famous for dramatic breaches (leaping out of the water) and for complex songs produced by males.

Fun fact:
Humpback whale songs can last for many minutes and be repeated for hours. The patterns slowly change over time and can spread across entire ocean basins.

6. Hawk (Red-Tailed Hawk)

• Class: Bird

• Habitat: Forest edges, grasslands, deserts, farmland, and urban areas across North America

• Diet: Carnivore – rodents, rabbits, snakes, other small animals

Key features:

• The red-tailed hawk is a broad-winged bird of prey often seen perched on telephone poles or circling above fields.

• It has excellent vision and can spot prey from high in the sky before swooping down.

• In many areas, its piercing call is the classic “eagle sound” used in films and TV—often even when the bird on screen isn’t a hawk.

Fun fact:
Red-tailed hawks mate for many years, sometimes for life, and often reuse and rebuild the same nest each breeding season.

7. Heron (Great Blue Heron)

• Class: Bird

• Habitat: Wetlands, marshes, river margins, lakeshores, and coastal habitats

• Diet: Carnivore – fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, and small mammals

Key features:

• Great blue herons are tall wading birds with long legs, a long neck, and a sharp spear-like bill.

• They hunt by standing still or walking slowly through shallow water, then striking quickly at passing prey.

• Herons often nest in colonies called rookeries in tall trees near water.

Fun fact:
When flying, herons tuck their necks into an S-shape; this helps distinguish them from cranes, which fly with their necks outstretched.

8. Hummingbird

• Class: Bird

• Habitat: Forests, mountain slopes, gardens, and open habitats across the Americas (from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego)

• Diet: Nectar from flowers, plus small insects and spiders

Key features:

• Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds in the world, yet extremely agile.

• They can hover in place, fly backwards, and make rapid direction changes thanks to wings that beat dozens of times per second.

• Many species have iridescent feathers that shimmer green, blue, or red in sunlight.

Fun fact:
To save energy at night or in cold weather, hummingbirds can enter a state called torpor, where their body temperature and metabolism drop dramatically.

9. Horned Lizard

• Class: Reptile (lizard)

• Habitat: Deserts, semi-arid scrublands, and open woodlands in North and Central America

• Diet: Insectivore – mostly ants, plus beetles and other small invertebrates

Key features:

• Horned lizards are sometimes called “horned toads” because of their squat, round bodies, but they are true lizards.

• They have spines and horn-like projections on the head and body for protection and camouflage.

• Many species spend time sitting still in sandy soil, relying on their color to blend into the environment.

Fun fact:
Some horned lizard species can squirt blood from the corners of their eyes when attacked, confusing predators and tasting unpleasant to dogs and foxes.

10. Hognose Snake

• Class: Reptile (snake)

• Habitat: Grasslands, sandy areas, open woodlands, and fields in North America and parts of other regions

• Diet: Carnivore – toads, frogs, lizard eggs, and small mammals

Key features:

• Hognose snakes have an upturned, shovel-like snout used for burrowing in loose soil and sand.

• When threatened, they put on a dramatic bluff display: flattening their heads, hissing loudly, and sometimes striking with a closed mouth.

• If the bluff fails, they may roll over, open their mouths, and play “dead,” even emitting a bad smell.

Fun fact:
Although some hognose species have mild venom in their saliva to subdue amphibian prey, they are generally considered harmless to humans and rarely bite.

11. Hammerhead Shark

• Class: Fish (cartilaginous fish, shark)

• Habitat: Warm coastal waters and open oceans around the world

• Diet: Carnivore – fish, rays, squid, crustaceans

Key features:

• Hammerhead sharks are named for their wide, flattened heads, called cephalofoils.

• The wide head places their eyes and special sensory organs further apart, improving depth perception and ability to detect electric signals from prey.

• Some species form schools during the day, especially around underwater seamounts and islands.

Fun fact:
Hammerheads are particularly good at hunting stingrays, pinning them to the seafloor with their wide heads.

12. Herring

• Class: Fish (bony fish)

• Habitat: Coastal seas and open ocean, mainly in temperate Northern Hemisphere waters

• Diet: Omnivore – plankton, tiny crustaceans, fish larvae

Key features:

• Herrings are small, silvery fish that gather in enormous schools, sometimes containing millions of individuals.

• They play a major role in marine food webs as prey for bigger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.

• Humans also rely on herring as an important commercial fish for food.

Fun fact:
Some herrings can communicate or confuse predators using sound produced by releasing air from their swim bladders—scientists have recorded these as faint popping noises.

13. Honey Bee

• Class: Insect

• Habitat: Natural and managed colonies in holes, tree hollows, apiaries; foraging in meadows, orchards, gardens, and wildflower areas

• Diet: Nectar (energy) and pollen (protein) from flowers

Key features:

• Honey bees live in large, complex colonies with a queen, many female workers, and seasonally produced drones (males).

• Workers gather nectar and pollen, make honey and wax, care for brood, and defend the hive.

• Through pollination they help many wild plants and crop species reproduce, making them critical to agriculture and ecosystems.

Fun fact:
Honey bees can perform a “waggle dance” inside the hive that tells other bees the direction and distance of rich food sources relative to the sun.

14. Hermit Crab

• Class: Crustacean

• Habitat: Intertidal zones, beaches, tide pools, coral reefs; some species live on land near the sea

• Diet: Omnivore – algae, detritus, leftover food, small animals

Key features:

• Hermit crabs have soft, curled abdomens and protect themselves by living inside empty snail shells or other hollow objects.

• As they grow, they must find and move into larger shells; competition for good shells can be intense.

• Some marine species decorate their shells with sponges or anemones for extra camouflage and defense.

Fun fact:
When a new, attractive shell appears, multiple hermit crabs may gather, line up by size, and effectively “swap” shells in sequence—a kind of crab housing chain.

15. Horseshoe Crab

• Class: Arthropod (related more to spiders and scorpions than true crabs)

• Habitat: Shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and sandy beaches, especially in parts of North America and Asia

• Diet: Omnivore – worms, clams, small crustaceans, and algae on the seafloor

Key features:

• Horseshoe crabs are often called “living fossils”; their body plan has changed very little for hundreds of millions of years.

• They have a hard, horseshoe-shaped shell and a long tail spine (telson) used mainly for flipping themselves upright.

• Their blood is copper-based rather than iron-based, so it appears blue when oxygenated.

Fun fact:
Horseshoe crab blood contains special cells that clump in the presence of bacterial toxins. This property has been used in medical tests to ensure vaccines and instruments are free of contamination.

Frequently Asked Questions About Animals That Start With H

How many animals start with the letter H?

There is no exact, universal number, because:

• New species continue to be described by scientists.

• Common English names can vary by country and region.

However, in English there are hundreds of animal names starting with H, covering all major groups:

• Mammals: Horse, hippopotamus, hamster, hyena, humpback whale, hedgehog

• Birds: Hawk, heron, hummingbird, hen, hornbill

• Reptiles & Amphibians: Horned lizard, hognose snake, horned frog, hellbender salamander

• Fish: Hammerhead shark, herring, haddock, hagfish

• Invertebrates: Honey bee, hornet, hermit crab, horseshoe crab, housefly, harvestman

What pets start with H?

Some pet animals that start with H (or commonly kept species whose names begin with H) include:

• Hamster – one of the most popular small pets; many breeds and color varieties.

• Horse – kept for riding, sport, work, and companionship.

• Hedgehog – in some regions, certain species are kept as exotic pets (check local laws).

• Hound dogs – such as basset hounds, greyhounds, and other breeds classified as hounds.

• Hermit crab – small marine or land hermit crabs are sometimes kept in special terrariums/aquariums.

Before choosing any pet, always research:

• Lifespan and long-term responsibility

• Housing and space needs

• Diet and vet care

• Legal restrictions on exotic or wild species in your area

What dangerous animals start with H?

A few H animals can be dangerous to humans, especially if threatened or not treated with respect:

• Hippopotamus – considered one of Africa’s most dangerous large animals due to size, strength, and territorial behavior.

• Hyena – strong jaws; can be dangerous if accustomed to human food or if people approach too closely.

• Hammerhead shark – powerful shark; attacks on humans are rare but possible.

• Hawk and other raptors – can cause injury with talons and beak if handled wrongly, though they rarely attack people unprovoked.

• Hornet – stings are painful, and multiple stings or allergic reactions can be serious.

Most wild animals prefer to avoid humans, so the best safety strategy is not to feed them, not to corner them, and to follow local wildlife guidelines.

Which H animals are especially important for ecosystems?

Several Animals That Start With H have big ecological roles:

• Honey bees – key pollinators for many crops and wild plants, supporting food production and biodiversity.

• Herring – a major “forage fish” feeding bigger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals; central to many marine food webs.

• Humpback whales – can help mix ocean layers and redistribute nutrients through feeding, diving, and defecation.

• Horseshoe crabs – their eggs are crucial food for migrating shorebirds; they also contribute to coastal food webs.

• Horned lizards and hognose snakes – control insect and amphibian populations in dry habitats.

• Herons and hawks – mid-to-top predators that help keep prey populations in balance.

Protecting these H animals helps keep ecosystems healthy and resilient, on land and in the sea.

By exploring this guide to Animals That Start With H, you’ve seen how a single letter links together an impressive variety of life—from horses, hippos, hyenas, and humpback whales to hawks, hummingbirds, horned lizards, honey bees, and hermit crabs.

animal tags:

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a Animals Top editor.