This list includes 18 Big animals that start with L, from “Eurasian lynx” to “Lowland tapir”. These large vertebrates include felids, ungulates, birds, and reptiles, and help with education, species identification, field guides, and content creation.
Big animals that start with L are sizeable wild species defined by adult mass or length. For example, the Eurasian lynx is a large forest cat long admired in European folklore.
Below you’ll find the table with common name, scientific name, primary habitat, and typical wild lifespan (years).
Common name: The widely used name you will recognize; helpful when scanning for familiar species or creating readable lists.
Scientific name: The Latin binomial gives precise identification so you can match species across sources and languages.
Primary habitat: Describes the main biome and region where the species lives, useful for fieldwork and range comparisons.
Typical wild lifespan (years): Gives the usual lifespan in the wild, helping you compare longevity among large species.
Big animals that start with L
| Common name | Scientific name | Typical adult size (kg or m) | Primary habitat & region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | Panthera leo | 150 kg | Savanna & grassland — Sub-Saharan Africa, India |
| Leopard | Panthera pardus | 60 kg | Forests, savanna & mountains — Africa and Asia |
| Eurasian lynx | Lynx lynx | 20 kg | Boreal and temperate forests — Europe to Siberia |
| Leopard seal | Hydrurga leptonyx | 300 kg | Pack-ice and coastal waters — Antarctic & Southern Ocean |
| Leatherback sea turtle | Dermochelys coriacea | 400 kg | Open ocean & nesting beaches — Tropical to temperate oceans worldwide |
| Loggerhead sea turtle | Caretta caretta | 100 kg | Coastal waters & nesting beaches — Worldwide temperate to tropical oceans |
| Long-finned pilot whale | Globicephala melas | 5.00 m | Temperate & subpolar oceans — Atlantic, Southern Hemisphere waters |
| Long-beaked common dolphin | Delphinus capensis | 2.00 m | Coastal tropical and temperate seas — Global inshore waters |
| Largetooth sawfish | Pristis pristis | 5.00 m | Tropical coastal, estuarine waters — Indo-Pacific, Atlantic |
| Longnose gar | Lepisosteus osseus | 2.00 m | Freshwater rivers, lakes — Eastern North America |
| Lake sturgeon | Acipenser fulvescens | 2.50 m | Large lakes and rivers — North America |
| Lowland tapir | Tapirus terrestris | 225 kg | Tropical rainforests & wetlands — Amazonia and northern South America |
| Lechwe | Kobus leche | 120 kg | Floodplains and wetlands — Southern Africa |
| Lesser kudu | Tragelaphus imberbis | 100 kg | Dry wooded hills and bushland — East Africa |
| Leopard tortoise | Stigmochelys pardalis | 20 kg | Savanna, scrub and grassland — Africa south of the Sahara |
| Ling | Molva molva | 1.50 m | Deep coastal and continental shelf — Northeast Atlantic |
| Longnose skate | Raja rhina | 2.00 m | Continental shelves and slopes — North Pacific |
| La Plata dolphin | Pontoporia blainvillei | 1.60 m | Coastal Atlantic estuaries and rivers — South America (La Plata estuary) |
Descriptions
Lion
Iconic social big cat; males often 150 kg, apex predator that hunts large ungulates and lives in prides across African savannas and India.
Leopard
Solitary, adaptable big cat with spotted coat; strong climber that ambushes prey and ranges from African savannas to Asian forests.
Eurasian lynx
A medium-large wild cat with tufted ears and short tail; effective ambush predator of deer and small mammals in northern forests.
Leopard seal
Large antarctic predator with powerful jaws; specializes on seals and penguins and is among the Southern Ocean’s top carnivores.
Leatherback sea turtle
World’s largest sea turtle, up to 2 m long and hundreds of kilograms; deep-diving jellyfish eater with a leathery shell.
Loggerhead sea turtle
Heavy-skulled sea turtle that crushes hard-shelled prey; adults commonly ~100 kg and inhabit coastal bays and reefs.
Long-finned pilot whale
Social, toothed whale traveling in tight pods; long, dark body reaching around 5 m, feeds on squid and fish.
Long-beaked common dolphin
A coastal dolphin often 2 m long, highly social and fast, feeding on schooling fish and squid.
Largetooth sawfish
Large, critically endangered ray with a toothed rostrum (“saw”); can reach several metres and lives in shallow coastal habitats.
Longnose gar
Elongated, armored freshwater fish reaching about 2 m; ambush predator with sharp, toothy snout.
Lake sturgeon
Ancient, large freshwater fish reaching over 2 m and heavy-bodied; long-lived bottom-feeder with bony scutes.
Lowland tapir
Stocky, grazing browser with a short prehensile snout; solitary and important seed disperser in Amazonian forests.
Lechwe
Semi-aquatic antelope adapted to marshy savannas; strong swimmer that flees into water to escape predators.
Lesser kudu
Slender, spiral-horned antelope with striking stripes; browsers of dense, dry bush habitats.
Leopard tortoise
Large terrestrial tortoise with patterned shell; slow-moving grazer that can reach tens of kilograms.
Ling
Long-bodied cod-like fish reaching around 1.5 m; harvested commercially and found on rocky bottoms.
Longnose skate
Large skate with long snout reaching ~2 m; benthic predator feeding on fish and invertebrates.
La Plata dolphin
Small river/coastal dolphin about 1.6 m long, vulnerable species living in turbid estuarine waters.