Animals that start with “na.” For reference in a word game!
What kinds of animals start with “na” (the syllable な)?
When you’re playing word games like shiritori, it can be surprisingly hard to come up with answers on the spot.
But if you look around, you’ll find there are actually quite a few animals with familiar-sounding names!
In this article, we’ll introduce animals that start with “na,” grouped by character count.
We’ve cast a wide net, including creatures from the sea and rivers, as well as insects.
With this, you’ll be all set for animal shiritori and other word games!
Feel free to use it as a reference.
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5 characters (1–10)
Nile crocodile (Nile gator)
When it comes to crocodiles, many people probably think of the Nile crocodile.
They are about 5 meters long and are known for eating animals such as zebras and wild boars.
Knobbed parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos)
Some of you might have seen it before—the Steephead Parrotfish.
It lives in Okinawa and is cherished as a food fish.
It’s also known for its beautiful appearance.
Brownbanded bamboo shark (Nanuka-zame)
There’s a somewhat unusual shark called the roughskin dogfish.
It feeds on creatures like squid, and when it senses danger, it has the habit of inflating its body.
sloth bear
A word that’s easy to remember together with “sloth” is the “sloth bear.” They aren’t actually lazy, but they were named that because their appearance resembles that of a sloth.
6 characters (1–10)
snake-necked turtle
Do you know the “long-necked turtle”? Strictly speaking, it’s not the name of a single species but one of the genera in the family Chelidae (the side-necked turtles).
A representative example is the Australian long‑necked turtle.
fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
If you want to mention a large creature, the fin whale is also recommended.
Its body length can reach about 25 meters.
Incidentally, females are said to be slightly larger than males.
Palette surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus)
The fish popularly kept as ornamental pets is the blue tang.
Dory, the character from the movie Finding Nemo, is also a blue tang.