Animal Names That Start With G

Over 99% of all species that have ever inhabited the Earth are believed to be extinct. In 2016, scientists estimated that there currently more than a trillion living species, including more than 7 million animal species. However, only about 1.5 million of these living animals species have formally identified and classified, and roughly 1 million of these are insects. Existing animal species vary significantly in terms of size, shape, and habitat, and most have unique names. Here are animals whose English names that begin with the letter G.

Examples of Animal Names That Begin with G

Galago

A galago, which is also referred to as a nagapie or bush baby, is a small nocturnal primate indigenous to Africa. Galagos belong to the family Galagidae, and their physical characteristics include big eyes, acute hearing, strong hind legs, and a long tail that helps them balance. They also have bat-like ears and good eyesight, which helps them track insects at night. Galagos are agile, fast animals that catch insects both in the air and on the ground. A galago’s diet consists of a mixture of tree gums, fruits, small animals, and insects.

Garfish

Garfish, which are also referred to as sea needles or garpikes, are a type of needlefish that inhabit the marine and brackish waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. Garfish are long and slender fish, with compressed bodies that can grow up to a length of 30 in. The species has an elongated jaw and sharp teeth, a bluish-green body, a silvery-grey belly, and green bones.

Gaur

A gaur, which is also referred to as the Indian bison, is a large extant bovine that is indigenous to South and Southeast Asia. Gaurs are known as pyaung and seladang in Myanmar and Malaysia, respectively. The gaur is the biggest species of wild cattle, and can have a shoulder height of up to 87 in, a head-and-body length of up to 10 ft 10 in, and a tail that can have a length of up to 41 in. The maximum body mass of adult females is about 2,200 lb, while that of males is 3,307 lb.

Gibbon

A gibbon, which is also known as a lesser ape or smaller ape, is an ape that belongs to the family Hylobatidae. Gibbons inhabit the tropical and subtropical rainforests that stretch from Indonesia and southern China to northeast India and eastern Bangladesh. Gibbons are smaller than great apes and have low sexual dimorphism. Anatomically, gibbons resemble monkeys, but are tailless. Additionally, gibbons are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, non-flying mammals, and can reach speeds of up to 34 mph.

Vulnerable Animal Species with Names That Begin With G

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the gaur as "Vulnerable (VU)" in 1986 following a significant reduction of its global population. The gaur has become extinct in some countries, such as Sri Lanka, and its total population dropped to approximately 21,000 mature gaurs in 2016. However, the population of gaurs living in well-protected regions is stable and improving. Additionally, Genetta bouloni, which  is a species of genet that was first described in 2003, is also listed as "Vulnerable" since its global population is less than 10,000 mature individuals.