Animals that start with L

The labrador retriever is a very popular breed of gun dog. They were originally developed to retrieve birds after they were shot.
Labradors come in three main colours - yellow, black and chocolate.
Labradors are a gentle, intelligent dog and make excellent family pets. They can be trained to be helping dogs, and are used as guide dogs for blind people.

The ladybug, or ladybird, is a very small beetle that eats aphids. As aphids are pests, it is seen as a very good thing to have ladybugs in your garden.
Ladybugs are usually red, orange or yellow with black spots.

Leeches are in the same family as earthworms. Not all leeches are bloodsuckers, but the ones people are most familiar with are. They grow to around 2-5cm long but some species reach 30cm. Leeches live in damp, swampy areas.
Leeches have adapted one end of them into a sucker, so they can attach to a host. They inject anaesthetic in as they bite, so the host cannot feel them, and then an anti-clotting agent so the host's blood flows freely. Leeches stay stuck to their host until they are full, then they drop off.

Lemurs are a kind of monkey that only lives on Madagascar. They live mainly in trees and come out at night time to eat fruit, flowers, leaves, insects and small animals.

A lerp is a protective cover made by the larvae of some kinds of insects. Lerps are made from sugary liquid that the larvae make. Once it is dry, it is hard and crystalline.

A lion is a kind of large wild cat. Male lions have a mane around their head, and female lions - called lionesses do not. Lions live in groups called prides, and they hunt animals like zebra and antelope to eat.

A lizard is any land-dwelling reptile with external ears, and generally with two pairs of legs. There are thousands of kinds of lizard. Generally speaking, something is a lizard if it is a land dwelling reptile and it is not a snake.

Lobsters are a group of sea creatures related to the crab. They have no skeleton but are covered in a hard shell. Lobsters are caught to eat, and are considered a luxury food. They are usually cooked simply by dropping them in boiling water.

The loon is a water bird with a long neck and a heavy bill, often with a black and white spotted pattern. It lives on lakes and dives for fish. Loons are known for their haunting calls.

A louse is a small insect that lives in the hair, fur or feathers of virtually all animals. Most lice eat dead skin from their host, but some kinds of louse eat their blood too.