Animals that start with T

Tis forTabby

Tabby is a pattern made up of stripes, spots and swirls that is usually seen on cats. It helps them to camouflage so they can sneak up on their prey.

Cats, Patterns

Photo by Timo Newton-Syms

Tis forTadpole

Video: view

Tadpoles are the larval stage of frogs, and spend their lives in water. They hatch from eggs, and gradually change into frogs. Tadpoles cannot breathe outside of water, they have gills like fish.

Amphibians

Photo by FlickkerPhotos

A tapir is an animal about the same size and shape as a pig. Tapirs live in jungles and forests in South and Central America and Southeast Asia. Their closest relatives are the rhinoceros and horse. Tapirs have a long, flexible nose that they use for grabbing leaves off trees with.

Warm blood

Photo by Beatrice Murch

Tis forTarantula

Scientific name: family: theraphosidae

A tarantula is the name for a group of several species of spider. Tarantulas are very large, and very hairy - they are big hairy spiders! Some people keep them as pets.

Arachnids

Photo by Chen Wu

Tis forTasmanian Devil

Scientific name: Sarcophilus harrisii

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial that lives in Tasmania. Marsupials are animals that keep their babies in a pouch. Tasmanian devils eat other animals, and are very ferocious hunters. They are about the size of a small dog, but have a heavier build.

Marsupials, Australian

Photo by Bill McChesney

Tis forTawny Frogmouth

Scientific name: podargus strigoides

Tawny frogmouths are birds very distantly related to owls. Owls usually hunt by flying around at night looking for food, but tawny frogmouths sit still on a perch waiting for food to come to them. They catch their prey with their beaks rather than their feet, and sometimes drop from their perch onto the prey on the ground. Tawny Frogmouths hunt at night and spend the day sitting on a dead log or tree branch. They camouflage very well. They sit very still, and look just like a piece of dead tree branch.

Birds

Photo by Steve Ryan

Tis forTermite

Termites are insects that live in large colonies. They eat mostly dead plant material, like dead wood or fallen leaves. If they get into your house they may do serious damage to the frame of your house, so people treat their houses with barriers or poison to stop termites getting in.

Insects

Photo by Randy Robertson

Tis forTerrier

Terriers are small dogs, generally bred to hunt rodents.

Dogs

Photo by mark roy

Tis forThorny devil

Scientific name: moloch horridus

Thorny devils, also called the thorny dragon, are lizards that live in dry regions in Australia. They grow to around 8 inches long, and can live to 20 years. They eat ants. Their skin has channels in that funnel water to their mouths if they get damp, which allows them to drink morning dew.

Reptiles, Australian

Photo by Travis Isaacs

Tis forThoroughbred

Thoroughbreds are kind of horse that are bred for speed. They are used mainly as racehorses, but are also used for other kinds of riding.

Horses