Alphabet Animals: The Letter Q (Extant)

Of the multitudes of animals, living and extinct, not a whole lot of them have names that start with the letter "Q."  Today, we are going to look at a few of these animals, so next time you are playing the Animal Alphabet game, you are quite prepared to handle whatever your opponent has to offer!  (Unless, of course, your opponent has also read this post, in which case you guys might reach a stalemate).  To make the post easier to deal with, I am splitting it up into two parts: the first one, this one, contains a list of some extant (still living, opposite of extinct) animals that begin with Q!  And yes, in the picture below, I know that the quagga is extinct....I just am too lazy to change the picture.  So you're going to have to find some way to deal with it.

1.  Quoll - A carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania, the quoll is often called the marsupial cat.

2.  Quail - A collective name for a mid-sized bird that is often used for consumption by humans.

3.  Quokka - One of the first Australian mammals seen by Europeans and about the size of a domestic cat, the quokka is a marsupial, just like the quoll.  However, the quokka is a type of macropod, like the kangaroo and the wallaby.

4.  Quetzal - One of the most beautiful birds in the world (in my opinion, at least!), the quetzal is a member of the trogon family, and native to Mexico and Guatemala.

5.  Quail Thrush - Despite their name, the quail thrushes are neither quails, nor thrushes.  Native to Australia and New Guinea, the quail thrushes are close relatives of the jewel-babblers of New Guinea!  And yes, the jewel-babblers are, indeed, actual birds!

6. Quelea - A small nomadic bird native to Africa, the red-billed quelea is thought to be the most numerous bird in the world!

7.  Quahog - Also known as the hard clam, the quahog lives in the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of North America.

8.  Quique - A mustelid (often called the grison), just like the otter, the quique is native to South America.

9.  Quarter Horse - An American breed of horse that has been clocked at up to an astonishing 55 mph!

10.  Quarry Worm Salamander - An "Endangered" species of salamander that is endemic (native only to that one place) to Costa Rica.

11.  Queen Snake - A nonvenomous snake native to North America, the queen snake is very similar iin appearnace to the garter snake, and is often confused with it.