Items17The creator’s order
  1. 1American bisonAmerican bisonUnited States. Congress made the American bison the national mammal in 2016. On the winter range, the muscles in its shoulder hump let it swing its head from side to side and sweep snow off the grass it eats.0
  2. 2Resplendent quetzalResplendent quetzalGuatemala. The resplendent quetzal became the national bird in 1871 and appears atop the scroll on the coat of arms. Look for the male’s long green plumes, which trail behind the tail as it moves through mountain cloud forest.0
  3. 3TakinTakinBhutan. A Bhutanese story credits the Buddhist teacher Drukpa Kunley with creating the takin from the bones of a cow and a goat. The national animal is a real mountain mammal that moves from higher pastures into more forested areas in winter.0
  4. 4North American beaverNorth American beaverCanada. The beaver became a statutory symbol of Canadian sovereignty in 1975. Its earlier prominence owed much to the fur trade, and you can still see it on the five-cent coin. In water, a beaver can slap its broad tail to warn others.0
  5. 5MarkhorMarkhorPakistan. The markhor's corkscrew horns make the national animal easy to pick out. The horns are especially large in males. The wild goat lives on steep mountain terrain, where it can move across slopes that look almost sheer.0
  6. 6Bengal tigerBengal tigerIndia. The Indian Board for Wildlife adopted the tiger as the national animal in 1972, replacing the Asiatic lion. The government cited its wider range within India and the need to protect it across the country. This Bengal tiger was photographed in Kanha National Park.0
  7. 7Philippine eaglePhilippine eaglePhilippines. A proclamation named this forest raptor the national bird in 1995. It lives only on four Philippine islands, and nesting pairs favor large forest trees such as native lauan, a reminder of how much the bird depends on intact forest.0
  8. 8Komodo dragonKomodo dragonIndonesia. A 1993 presidential decree designated the Komodo dragon the national animal. The world’s largest living lizard has a small natural range on a handful of Indonesian islands. This one was photographed on Rinca in Komodo National Park.0
  9. 9Baird's tapirBaird's tapirBelize. The 2025 National Symbols Act names Baird’s tapir the national animal. Locally known as the mountain cow, this forest mammal has a flexible snout for grasping foliage and often spends time in water.0
  10. 10White-tailed deerWhite-tailed deerCosta Rica. A 1995 law recognized the white-tailed deer as a symbol of the country's native wild fauna. One place it lives is in the dry forests of Guanacaste. A startled deer often raises its tail, flashing the white underside as it runs.0