If your family loves animals, then check out our list of ROAR-some Animals that Start with R!
One of the reasons why I love introducing new animals to my kids is that their imaginations go wild after learning about a new animal like a red panda or a River Turtle! They love to pretend like they are animals and learn all they can about what their life would be like.
As a mom, I love that my kids are experiencing the fun side of learning! Their excitement is contagious! I find myself eager to explore the animal kingdom with them. My favorite activity is to plan an afternoon snack based on the animal’s diet. Sometimes we luck out and enjoy a fruit salad filled with tropical goodies. Other Times we have to be more adventurous and step out of our comfort zone with insects (have you tried roasted crickets before? They taste like popcorn!).
What animals are you most excited to learn about with your kids when exploring animals that begin with R? Have fun exploring our list of Animals that Start with the Letter R!
For more animal facts, check out our Animals that Start with M and our Animals That Start With E.
Common Animals that Start with the Letter R
From Rabbits to Ring-tailed Lemurs, this list of Common Animals that Start with the Letter R is filled with interesting facts for the whole family to enjoy!
Rabbit
Rabbits are known for their long, floppy ears and large teeth. Did you know that their teeth never stop growing? Rabbits keep them from growing too long by chewing hard vegetables! As long as a rabbit has a well-rounded diet, their teeth are always the perfect length!
Rabbits are similar to a surprising animal: cats! Both mammals will purr when they’re happy!
Raccoon
Raccoons are sometimes called “trash pandas” because they’re often found digging in garbage cans for yummy treats that people throw away. Raccoons are omnivores, which means that they will eat plants and meat. They’re not very picky! They are most active at night, when they search for food. Raccoons have excellent night vision, which keeps them safe from predators like coyotes and hawks.
Rat
You may not know this, but rats are very similar to people! They are ticklish, and squeak when tickled! They are kind to other rats too. They will share their food to make sure that no one goes hungry! Scientists use rats in their research because they are very smart. They can even sniff out diseases, like tuberculosis. Like humans, rats can also dream! I wonder if they dream of big wheels of cheese!
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes live all over the United States, Mexico, and South America. They seem to like Arizona the most, though! There are more rattlesnake species that live in Arizona than anywhere else in the world! They must love the dry climate and hot sun. Like other types of snakes, rattlesnakes shed their skin as they grow. Each time they regrow their new skin, a new segment grows on their rattle!
Red Fox
Red Foxes are canines, which means that they are distant cousins to dogs. You wouldn’t want to keep one as a pet though. They are predators, and love to hunt their prey. They’re actually very similar to cats! If you’ve ever seen a cat bat a toy around, you can imagine what a fox looks like when it plays. Adult red foxes will even catch moles and give them to their kits (baby foxes) alive as something to play with!
Red Panda
When most people think of pandas, they picture a bumbling black and white giant panda. The red panda couldn’t be more different! Their colorful fur helps them camouflage into the forest foliage to hide from predators. Their face markings almost look like they’re wearing masks…just like raccoons! In fact, scientists have discovered that red pandas are closely related to raccoons, weasels, and wolverines. Red pandas do share one similarity to giant pandas. Both animals love bamboo! Red pandas will eat about 20,000 bamboo leaves each day!
Reindeer
Like Rudolph, most reindeer have reddish noses! Because reindeer spend most of their lives in the frozen tundra, they had to adapt to stay warm. Their noses have lots of tiny veins to carry warm blood to their nostrils. These veins heat the air they breathe, which prevents the reindeer from taking a freezing cold breath! I bet the other reindeer that made fun of Rudolph for his red nose feel silly now with their cold noses!
Rhino
Long, long ago, people believed that rhinoceroses were unicorns! Historians believe that “Siberian unicorns” were giant rhinos that lived in peace with humans before they went extinct! Rhinos today may not be what people think of when they picture a unicorn, but with two species only having a single horn, it’s easy to see where they could be related! Rhino horns grow out from their noses and are very useful. They can help protect the rhino from being harmed, dig for water, or even help guide young rhinos with a little nudge.
Rooster
Roosters wake up with the sun and alert the world to a new day with a “cock doodle doo!” Roosters are the leaders of their flock, and they take their jobs very seriously. As the only male in the group, it is his job to protect the hens and make sure that their needs are all met. If a predator tries to get into a chicken coop, the rooster will try to scare it off. He will even fight to the death to protect his hens! Roosters will also search for food and call over the hens to eat. Only after the hens have eaten will the rooster eat.
Roadrunner
Roadrunners are sometimes called “snake killers.” They’re fast and smart, which makes them dangerous to snakes! Roadrunners will work together to kill a rattlesnake. Like in Looney Toons, one of the main predators of roadrunners is the rascally coyote. As their name suggests, they’re very fast! They can run much faster than people…up to 20 miles per hour! Roadrunners use their quick speed to avoid coyotes and other predators.
Ring-tailed lemur
Do you like to “move it, move it?” King Julien, the ring-tailed lemur from the Madagascar movies sure does! In real life, ring tailed lemurs are the symbol of Madagascar, a small island off the coast of Africa. These lemurs are similar to skunks. They are black and white and have scent glands. Both types of animals lift their tails and use their stinky odors to warn predators to stay away! When ring-tailed lemurs shake their tails like this, scientists call it “stink fighting!”
Zoo Animals that Start with R
Before you race to the zoo, make sure you check out this list of Zoo Animals that Start with R! See how many you spot on your next oo adventure.
- Racer Snake
- Radiated Tortoise
- Rainbow boa
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Rat Snakes
- Red-footed tortoise
- Raven
- Ray
- Red Knee Tarantula
- Red lionfish
- Red River hog
- Red Tail Boa (common boa)
- Red Wolf
- Red-bellied piranha
- Red-eared slider
- Red-Eyed Tree Frog
- Red-legged Seriema
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Red-spotted newt
- Red-tailed boa
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Reeves’s muntjac
- Reticulated python
- Rhino Viper
- Rhinoceros iguana
- Ridge-tailed monitor
- River otter
- River Turtle
- Rock Hyrax
- Rock iguana
- Rock python
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Rocky Mountain Goat
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Royal Penguin
- Royal python
- Rough Earth Snake
- Rough green snake
- Rosy boa
Uncommon Animals that Start with R
The animal world is filled with Uncommon Animals that Start with R! Do you recognize any of the ones on our list? Let us know in the comments below!
- Raccoon butterflyfish
- Raccoon Dog
- Ragamuffin
- Ragdoll
- Raggle
- Rail
- Rainbow Grasshopper (Dactylotum bicolor)
- Rainbow Kribs (Kribensis)
- Rainbow Shark
- Rainbow trout
- Ram
- Rat Terrier
- Ratel
- Ratfish
- Razor clam
- Red Ackie Monitor
- Red Aphids
- Red Crossbill
- Red deer
- Red Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Red Drum Fish
- Red Finch
- Red hake
- Red king crab
- Red Kite
- Red Nose Pitbull
- Red octopus
- Red Paper Wasp
- Red Racer Snake
- Red rock crab
- Red sea urchin
- Red sheep
- Red snapper
- Red Spitting Cobra
- Red Squirrel
- Red Star Chicken
- Red-Bellied Black Snake
- Red-Bellied Woodpecker
- Red-Billed Quelea Bird
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Red-faced Cormorant
- Red-footed Booby
- Red-handed Tamarin
- Red-Headed Vulture
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-Lipped Batfish
- Red-necked Grebe
- Red-Tailed Cuckoo Bumblebee
- Red-throated Loon
- Red-throated Pipit
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Red-whiskered Bulbul
- Red-winged blackbird
- Redback Spider
- Redbone Coonhound
- Redcap Chicken
- Redfish
- Redhead
- Red Hump Eartheater
- Redpoll
- Redstart
- Redtail Catfish
- Reef Shark
- Regal Jumping Spider
- Remora
- Repenomamus
- Rex Rabbit
- Rhamphosuchus
- Rhea
- Rhesus Macaque
- Rhino Beetle
- Rhode Island Red Chicken
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Rainbow trout
- Rhombic Egg-Eater Snake
- Ribbon Eel
- Ribbon Snake
- Ribbonfish
- Right whale
- Rim Rock Crowned Snake
- Ring-billed Gull
- Ring-necked Duck
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Ring-necked snake
- Ringed Kingfisher
- Ringed parakeet
- Ringed Seal
- Rinkhals Snake
- River Dolphin
- Risso’s dolphin
- Robber Flies
- Robin
- Rock Bass
- Rock Crab
- Rock lobster
- Rock Pigeon
- Rock Ptarmigan
- Rockfish
- Rodents
- Roe Deer
- Roller
- Rook
- Roosterfish
- Roseate flamingo
- Root Aphids
- Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
- Roseate cockatoo
- Ross’s Goose
- Rosy-faced lovebird
- Rosy-lipped batfish
- Rottsky
- Rottweiler
- Rottweiler Mix
- Rough-legged Hawk
- Rough-necked monitor
- Rough-toothed dolphin
- Roughhead blenny
- Roughneck shrimp
- Round stingray
- Round-eared elephant shrew
- Round-tailed horned lizard
- Rove Beetle
- Royal angelfish
- Royal Bengal Tiger
- Rubber boa
- Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
- Ruddy Duck
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Ruffed Grouse
- Rufous hare-wallaby
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Rufous mouse lemur
- Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird
- Rufous-bellied Thrush
- Rufous-capped Warbler
- Rufous-collared Sparrow
- Rufous-tailed Jacamar
- Russell’s Viper
- Russell Terrier
- Russian Bear Dog
- Russian Blue Cat
- Russian desman
- Russian tortoise
- Rusty Sparrow
- Rusty-capped Flycatcher
- Rusty-rumped Warbler
- Rusty-Spotted Cat
- Rusty-spotted catshark
- Rusty Blackbird
There you have it! A huge list of animals that begin with R to learn and to have fun exploring with the kids. Did we forget an animal? Be sure to add any other animals that start with R to the list!
Do you want to learn about other interesting animals? Be sure to check out our other lists of animals!
- Awesome Animals that Start with A
- 230 Curious Animals That Start With C
- 115 Exciting Animals That Start With E
- 184 Intriguing Animals that Start with G
- 128 Fascinating Animals That Begin with J
- 187 Amazing Animals that Begin with K
- 249 Interesting Animals That Begin with L
- 163 Marvelous Animals that Start with M
- 373 Spectacular Animals that Start with S
- 155 Terrific Animals that Start with T
- 98 Wonderful Animals that Start with W
- 24 X-cellent Animals That Start With X
- 32 Fantastic Animals That Start With Y
Michele Tripple is a renowned author and expert in the fields of parenting, relationships, and personal development. With her degree in marriage and family studies, her experience as a Family Life Educator, and over a decade of experience as a professional writer, Michele has authored books that provide practical advice and insights into improving family dynamics and personal growth. Her work is celebrated for its blend of research-driven information and relatable, real-world applications. Michele has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has contributed to numerous publications and media outlets, solidifying her reputation as an authoritative voice in her field and helping families build relationships.