My first graders came up with this one. They stopped me as I walked through the door on one of my first days and asked me to help them find more animals that began with E…how could I resist such a sweet request!? I obliged and provided a few choices – elephant, eel, and elk. But that wasn’t good enough for these budding scientists – they wanted more!
So I did a little digging to find out which animals start with E. Enjoy!
Contents show
Eagle
The mighty eagle soars over every major continent except Antarctica. The Bald Eagle is America’s symbol of freedom and flies from Alaska to the Mexican border and everywhere in between.
Although eagles are apex predators, like the Harpy Eagle whose talons are as big as a grizzly bear, they have a softer side too. These birds aremonogamous, and have the same mating partner forever (or until one of them dies).
Earwig
Earwig insects can be found everywhere from North America to Europe. They love to hide in dark, moist places like under rocks and go into homes during winter. Earwigs can also be found in forests, lawn debris, and mulch.
Their small, flat bodies and pincers made people believe they loved to crawl into ears. But, according to medical experts, that’s just amyth. Earwigs are considered pests but, luckily, aren’t too difficult to get rid of. They also aren’t poisonous, and simply bite for protection, leaving a slight red mark.
Earthworm
There are over 2,700 species of Earthworms in Europe, North America, and Western Asia. They love to live in moist areas and avoid hot climates.
Earthworms are commonly used as bait for fishing. But to the gardener, these creatures are amazing at keeping the soil healthy. Their waste ends up mixing with soil, leaving organic matter behind to feed crops.
These creepy crawlers are also, incredibly, both male and female! Known ashermaphrodites, they mate using their mucus, and compete to inseminate each other.
Eastern Bluebird
This beautiful small bird can be found from Eastern North America all the way to Nicaragua. Bird watchers can enjoy sight seeing them in open orchards, golf courses, and even atop telephone lines.
Male bluebirds have a gorgeous red chest pattern that they use to entice the ladies. Female bluebirds are often gray and blue. Theoldestrecorded bluebird lived to be approximately 10 years old!
Eastern Gorilla
Eastern gorillas include both subspecies of the mountain and eastern lowland gorillas. Genetic testing has shown that eastern gorillas are different from the western gorilla in western Africa.
Eastern and Western gorillas behave differently. The eastern gorilla travels in larger family sizes of up to 35 relatives. They also have differentphysical features, with eastern gorillas being larger than western gorillas.
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Eastern lowland gorillas are critically endangered due to poaching and the destruction of their natural habitat. They live in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. They only inhabit 13% of the space they used to roam through.
Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest of the gorillas and can be characterizedby their stocky frame, short muzzles, and large hands. They might look intimidating, but they actually have a diet consisting mainly of fruits and plants. They’re our favorite vegans on this list.
Eastern Phoebe
These small birds are very active and love to perch low in trees. Their plumb, chubby bodies have darker heads and are brown throughout.
Eastern Phoebes are songbirds and originally got their names because of how they sound when they sing. Their singing voices are for a good cause. Males use their “fee-bee” song to protecttheir nests and mates.
Eastern Phoebe’s can be found around eastern North America. They are early migrants, so seeing one means the beginning of spring is soon.
Eastern Mole
These elusive creatures exist mainly underground in North America, including Canada and Mexico. They’re medium-sized, ranging between 4 and 6 inches.
The Eastern Mole prefers to live in areas with moist soil so it can properly dig and live underground. This includes woodlands, meadows, and pastures. Moles are plentiful in Texas, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Moles have completely naked feet that they use for digging and living underground. They buildtunnelsand runways underground for collecting their food. This consists of the other creature on our list that loves moist soil- earthworms!
Echidna
The echidna is also known as a spiny anteater and is not to be confused with a porcupine. Echidnas are uniquely classified as egg-laying mammals known as monotreme. This species of animal is rare, and famously includes platypuses.
Strangely enough, these small creatures might look scary with their porcupine-like spines. However, they aren’t venomous. They secrete wax from their spikes that is used only during mating season.
Echinoderm
Echinoderms might just be the most beautiful sea creatures on the planet. These animals are classified by their radial symmetry. This means they look the same on both sides.
Echinoderms include the famous starfish, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and also sea urchins. Echinoderms have hard outer bodies, known as exoskeletons, that are made of calcium carbonate.
Don’t be fooled by how simple these creatures look. They have a digestive system complete with a mouth, intestine, even a stomach, and anus.
The starfish has a weird superpower. It can pull itsstomach out of its body and digest animals bigger than its mouth (yikes)!
Edible Frog
Yes, you can eat them.Edible frogsare a species of common frog found in Europe. Hence, it’s also known as the European dark-spotted frog and the European black-spotted pond frog.
Edible frogs are considered a delicacy for their legs in France. However, other countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Spain also eat frog legs.
Female edible frogs are larger than male frogs. Females grow up to 12cm, while males only up to 9cm. Although they are small, they have an incredibly good lifespan of up to 12 years.
Interestingly, edible frogs are a mix of two species of frogs: P. lessonae and P. ridibundus.
Eel
These snakes of the sea aren’t really snakes at all. Eels are still considered fish, and start off as tiny larvae. Eels are mostly predators that hunt worms, insects, crabs, or scavenge for food.
Most eels can live a substantially long time, from 30 to 70 years! However, many are hunted and eaten as delicacies. In Japanese cuisine, eels are cooked and served as sushi.
Cooking eels is necessary because their blood is toxic to mammals and humans. However, one scientist namedCharles Richet used eel blood’s toxic serum to study anaphylaxis. He won the Nobel peace prize for his work.
Egyptian Mau
The Egyptian mau might be the cutest animal on this list (since it’s a cat). The Egyptian mau is the largest species of domestic cat and is naturally spotted.
As the name suggests, these cats come from Egypt. But because of their rare breed, many people around the world want them. They are considered friendly, loyal, and great for small children.
The Egyptians are thought to have bredthis cat 4,000 years ago. They can be seen in many paintings duck hunting with their long hind legs.
Electric Eel
This special type of eel can be found in South America, including the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. These eels are able to produce electric shocks of up to 600 volts, making them dangerous predators.
These eels don’t normally shock humans. However, being shocked by one can lead to heart failure and drowning if swimming while shocked.
Eels can also shock someone with theirhuge size. Electric Eels can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 44 pounds.
These eels use their electricity for good also. They emit a small amount of electricity of 10 volts that helps them navigate dark waters since they’re blind.
Eland
The commoneland can be found in the Southern and Eastern African savannahs.
These antelopes are large, with males reaching a size of over 2,000 pounds! Eland females are slightly smaller, reaching a size of about 1,300 pounds.
Elands are wild and roam in herds of up to 500. However, it has been domesticated and can be used for meat, milk, and leather.
Elephant
Elephants are the largest land animals in the world. Elephants can be found in both Africa and Asia.
The Asian elephant can be found throughout India and Southern Asia. They have smaller ears than their African counterparts. They live for a slightly lesser time than African elephants. Asian elephants live 48 years, while African elephants live for up to 70 years.
Elephants can eat up to 300 pounds of food a day. However, this consists mainly of roots, grass, fruit, and tree bark. They have amazing memories, with female elephants leading the herd.
Elephant Seal
Elephant seals get their name because of their unique-looking faces that resemble elephant trunks.
Elephant seals live throughout the world. Northern elephant seals live in California, while Southern Elephant seals live in the sub-antarctic.
Bothspecies of seal are some of the largest in the world. Southern elephants in particular can grow to be up to 8,800 pounds. They’re fierce predators who battle each other for females.
Elephant Shrew
These small mammals are native to Africa and resemble small, pointy-nosed mice. Elephant shrews survive off of mostly insects.
Although shrews have a bite that is venomous to humans, the elephant shrew does not really belong to the shrew family. They are solitary creatures that mate for life and are extra shy. Domestication of this cute creatureis, unfortunately, not an option.
Elk
Elkare a large species of deer that live throughout North America including Colorado and as far up as Canada.
These animals have massive horns that they use to protect themselves and battle other elk with during the mating season.
Elks have a diet of mostly plants, and unlike other animals, they are known to have favorite foods! Elk can grow to be up to 1,000 pounds and are widely hunted due to being populous.
Emperor Penguin
The emperor penguin is one of the few animals on our list that lives in the Antarctic. Emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest of the penguin species living in Antarctica.
They are excellent swimmers and can catch fish while deep-diving. Penguins have unique mating rituals. Once a female penguin lays an egg, the male penguin cares for it by balancing iton its feetfor the next 2 months.
Talk about happy feet!
Emperor Tamarin
These strange, otherworldly monkeys might remind you of kung-fu masters with their long beards. Emperor tamarins are a species of primate located primarily in South America.
These primates were named after the German emperor Wilihelm II. They eat mostly fruits, insects, and tree gum along with nectar. Surprisingly, people are willing to buy this money for the price of$1,500 to $2,000.
Emu
Emus are the second-tallest bird in the world, right next to the ostrich. These animals are native to Australia and can grow up to 6 feet tall.
Emus are nomadic and travel around in search of food. When they hunt, emus can run after prey as fast as31 miles per hour! This speed helps them catch grasshoppers, beetles, and co*ckroaches (ew)!
English co*cker Spaniel
TheEnglish co*cker Spanielwas bred for hunting, and loves to do it. This breed of dog is most often described as “up beat.” co*cker Spaniels come in a variety of colors and are silky soft.
This dog is smaller, standing at 15 to 17 inches. However, it makes up for its size in its friendly, affectionate attitude and ability to be easily trained.
English Cream Golden Retriever
This breed of dog is the same as any other golden retriever. But, it’s set apart by its beautiful platinum-blonde color, known as “English cream.”
These types of golden retrievers aren’t necessarily rare. They are, however, coveted by those wanting a bright platinum coat.English cream golden retrieversalso have a stockier build than the American golden retriever.
Both, however, are still affectionate and calm dogs readily available in North America.
English Foxhound
Thisfoxhoundis a special breed of dog that has a natural instinct for strict training and hunting.
The English foxhound doesn’t necessarily make a good house pet. Instead, it’s used for trained huntsmen either in packs or alone.
English foxhounds are medium-sized and measure 24 inches at the shoulder. They come in a variety of markings and are colored white, black, lemon, and tan.
English foxhounds are affectionate, good with other dogs, and good with younger children.
English Pointer
Unlike other hunting dogs, theEnglish pointer was bred to point to and not retrieve the game. Nevertheless, English pointers are considered one of the finest breeds of hunter dogs originating from Spain.
English pointers are believed to have been introduced to England in the 1700s. They stand between 21 and 28 inches and have great endurance and speed. They come in colors ranging from white, tan, and black.
English pointers are theperfect petfor runners and are highly active.
English Shepherd
EnglishShepherdsare large working farm dogs that are known for their intelligence, loyalty, and high energy. No one knows where this breed came from. Some believe they come from the British Isles as far back as 55 BC.
English Shepherds need lots of space to run around and shed comfortably. They do make good family dogs but can become aggressive and territorial. They can weigh from 35 to 65 pounds.
English Springer Spaniel
English springer spanielsare lovable dogs that are a recognized breed by the American Kennel Club. These dogs need to be constantly cared for and crave attention.
English springer spaniels have a muscular build and make great field workers. They can weigh between 40 and 50 pounds. These dogs have a beautifully marked coat with droopy ears and come in white, black, and tan.
Entlebucher Mountain Dog
Entelbucher mountain dogsare great cattle herders with a unique ability to problem-solve. This dog is medium-sized and stands at a maximum of 21 inches at its shoulder.
These mountain dogs have striking coats of black, white, and tan. They were originally bred by dairy farmers in Sweden, and are energetic and loving.
Epagneul Pont Audemer
This rare,French gun dogcontinues to be sought after by hunters. They were so rare after WWII that the Pont Audemer had to be bread with Irish Water Spaniels to preserve their breed.
Epagnuel Pont Audemers have a distinct, wavy brown coat and smooth face. They are point and flush dogs that love to work hard and are easy to train.
Ermine
Ermine are short-tailed weasels also known as stoat.
In the U.S., they live comfortably in the Great Lakes region, and also worldwide in Eurasia. Ermines have a long, slender body that allows them to be agile and aggressive.
Because of their aggressiveness, they have few predators. However, long-tailed weasels, owls, foxes, and coyotes all hunt Ermine.
These animals enjoy the cold weather in tundras and forests. They survive off of shrews, mice, and eggs, and need to eathalf their bodyweight in food daily!
Eskimo Dog
Eskimo dogsare perfect show dogs. They can be recognized by their smiling faces, lion-like mane, and gorgeous white coats.
Eskimo dogs come in a variety of standard, miniature, and toy sizes ranging from 9 to 19 inches. These dogs have a long U.S. history and were originally bred in Germany.
They once served as farm dogs, but now are simple, fun-loving pets and even circus animals.
Eskipoo
This is a newer, designer breed dog that is a cross between an American Eskimo and a poodle.Eskipooshave floppy ears, dense coats, and are friendly and well-mannered.
These dogs are smaller and only grow to be between 9 and 15 inches. This dog does well in apartments, but must be trained to not bark at everything!
Estrela Mountain Dog
This Spanish dogfrom Portugal is massive, fierce, and intelligent. Its intimidating looks were bred purposefully to protect flocks from thieves.
Estrela Moutain Dogs have distinct rosed ears and black mask markings. They love and protect their families intensely.
Sadly, these dogs were almost extinct due to being castrated by their own farmers. Luckily, they’ve made a resurgence since 1950 and are recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Eurasian Red Squirrel
The Eurasianred squirrel can be found throughout Eurasia but has decreased in Italy, Great Britain, and Ireland. These squirrels are essential for reforestation, as they help replant seeds and trees.
Eurasian red squirrels can live in woods, forests, parks, and gardens. However, they are very shy and have decreasing numbers in the population. They survive off of nuts, berries, and seeds.
European Mole
AEuropean moleis a smaller species of mammal that lives underground in tunnel systems it continues to constantly build upon.
Their fur is a beautiful, velvet black color which helps them smoothly move underground.
European moles are native to Britain but do not live in Ireland. They consist of a diet of earthworms and larvae. Unfortunately, they are frequently run over by humans and killed by predators like owls, buzzards, cats, and dogs.
European Snow Vole
The European snow vole is a tiny rodent that lives in the mountains of Southern Europe.
It inhabits parts of Italy, Greece, and Istanbul. The snow vole has a relatively long tail, big ears, and beady eyes. It can grow to be up to 5.5 inches long.
It lives a mostly solitary life in mountainous regions. It makes its home within crevices, rocks, and scree.
Don’t let this cute rodent fool you. Females of this species are known to beaggressive to other females during the mating season. Males, on the other hand, are more tolerable of each other.
Evening Bat
Evening bats are exclusive to North America and are cuter than their large cousins, the brown bat. These tiny bats only grow up to 3.8 inches.
These bats have a soft side and are very maternal. They nurse their young for up to two weeks. After three weeks, these bats learn to fly.
However, after two weeks,mother evening bats will still nurse any young that are looking for food.
Conclusion: Animals that Start with E
E is the most common letter in English. It is used more than twice as frequently as any other letter of the alphabet. Though we don’t think about it much, letters help shape how we talk and write.
So there you have it: amazing animal factoids to scorch some neurons with. Whether you found all of them or just one, we hope that today’s article wasn’t simply “elephant in the room” reading, but actual knowledge gaining.
I know we have covered a lot of material in this article, but it was fun to write.
We have just one final request: if you enjoyed this piece, please share, tweet, or point your friends here so they too can learn about what animals start with E.
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