Animals that start with B

Bacteria are organisms that have only one cell. In contrast, humans are made up of millions of cells. Bacteria are so small they cannot be seen, but if enough of them are in the same place you will be able to see them.
Most bacteria are harmless or even beneficial, but some can cause food poisoning, infection and disease.

Badgers are related to weasels, otters, wolverines and ferrets. They eat small animals and sometimes insects. Badgers come from Europe. They are excellent diggers, and make themselves burrows called setts.
A male badger is a boar, a female badger is a sow and a baby badger is a cub. The collective name for a group of badgers is a cete.

The barn owl is a medium-sized owl with a white heart-shaped face. It is often seen in farmland, especially in barns and old buildings - hence its name!

At night it hunts small animals like mice. Its distinctive call is a soft, repeated screech.

Basset hounds are dogs with very short legs. They were bred as scent hounds, to track rabbits by smell. Basset hounds are white with coloured patches.

A bay horse is a reddish brown, with a black mane, tail and lower legs. Bay horses may have white markings on their face or feet.

Bears come in many shapes and sizes. They are generally brown with shaggy fur and large claws. They are very strong, and use their claws to dig for roots or rip open termite nests and beehives. Bears can stand on their hind legs.

Beavers are a small, brown animal related to the squirrel. They are found in America and Europe. They spend their time in and around water, and are excellent swimmers.
Beavers are best known for their ability to build dams. They cut down trees with their sharp teeth and drag the logs to where they need them, and stack them up to make a dam. They end up with their own ponds that they tend to, which protects their den. Beavers eat waterlilys.

Beetles are crawling insects with hard shells. They often live in dead leaves, under tree bark or among the leaves of plants. Some beetles have wings under their outer shell and can fly. A small number of beetles can swim, and live in the water.

The Bengal cat is a domestic cat with a spotted or marbled coat that often looks like a wild leopard. It usually has a muscular body, a broad face, and a rosette-like pattern in shades of brown, gold, or gray. Bengals can live indoors with people, but they are active and curious, enjoying playing and climbing. They are known for being smart and energetic and can be taught tricks.

Bilbies are rabbit sized animals that live in remote desert areas of Australia. They eat plants, seeds and insects.