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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.

5 characters (1–10)

sloth bear

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

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)

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)

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.

Naumann elephant (Naumann’s elephant)

Naumann elephant (Naumann’s elephant)

Let me introduce the romantically fascinating creature, the Naumann’s elephant.

Although it belongs to the elephant family, it evokes an image closer to the mammoth.

It lived in Japan about 20,000 years ago.

In conclusion

We introduced animals that start with “na.” Did you come across any animals you knew or had heard of? If you discovered any for the first time, be sure to use them in your future word games! I hope this article serves as an opportunity to encounter the names of various living creatures.