Do all countries have an official national animal?

No. Some countries legally designate one, others have an animal that is widely recognised by custom but not in law, and a few have none at all. This reference flags whether each entry is official or unofficial.

Why does one country have several national animals?

Many countries name separate symbols for different categories, such as a national bird, national mammal, and national fish. This list focuses on the single most commonly cited national animal for each country.

What is the scientific name shown for?

The scientific name is the Latin binomial that uniquely identifies the species, useful when the common name is ambiguous. For example several big cats are called panthers, but Panthera leo always means lion.

Is the bald eagle the national animal of the United States?

The bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is the national bird and emblem of the United States and is the animal most people associate with the country. The American bison is the official national mammal.

Are mythical creatures included?

A few countries use a legendary creature as their national animal, such as the unicorn for Scotland or the dragon for Wales and Bhutan. Where that is the case the entry notes that the animal is mythical.

National Animal by Country Reference

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National animals appear on coats of arms, currency, sports kits, and tourism branding. This reference lists the national animal symbol most associated with each country, its scientific name where it is a real species, and whether the designation is official or simply customary.

How it works

A national animal is a species chosen to represent a country’s identity. The designation can be:

Official — established in law or by a government body.
Unofficial — widely recognised by custom or used in branding, but not enshrined in law.
Mythical — a legendary creature such as a dragon or unicorn.

Each entry pairs the common name with the scientific binomial (genus and species) so you can disambiguate names that overlap between countries, for example the many “eagles” and “lions” used across the world.

Tips and notes

Symbol choices reflect culture and history, so they rarely change — but new designations do happen, and some countries name a national bird, mammal, and fish separately. Where a country has several, this list shows the single most commonly cited national animal. For formal use, confirm against the country’s official heraldry or government symbols register.