Animals That Start With C

Acinonyx jubatus

The cheetah is the fastest land animal on Earth, built for explosive short sprints across the open grasslands and semi-desert of Africa, with a small, remnant population also surviving in Iran. Its speed comes at a genetic cost: cheetahs went through a severe population bottleneck thousands of years ago, leaving today's cheetahs with unusually low genetic diversity, which makes the species more vulnerable to disease on top of the threats it already faces from habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

Pygoscelis antarcticus

The chinstrap penguin is named for the narrow black band running under its chin, giving it the appearance of wearing a tiny helmet strap. Among the most numerous penguin species in the world, it breeds in enormous colonies across the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding sub-Antarctic islands.

Amphiprion ocellaris

The clownfish is a small, brightly-colored reef fish famous for its symbiotic relationship with sea anemones, whose stinging tentacles it is immune to.

Vombatus ursinus

The common wombat is a stocky, burrowing marsupial native to Australia, known for digging some of the most extensive burrow systems of any animal its size. Despite its slow, waddling gait, it can sprint in short bursts when threatened and is a powerful, capable digger built like a small bulldozer.