Yellow is a striking color that evokes sunshine and happiness, and it is found all over nature in flowers and animals. Yellow animals are sure to stand out and catch our attention and they are some of Nature’s most amazing creations.
You will find on this page a list of 12 different yellow animals, belonging to varied groups such as fish, insects, mollusks, reptiles, and of course birds.
Enough talking, keep reading to learn more about these animals.
12 Yellow Animals: Overview
- Yellow Tang
- Yellow Eyelash Viper
- Golden Rocket Frog
- Yellow Duckling (American Pekin Duck)
- Yellow Warbler
- Albino Burmese Python
- Banana Slug
- Spiny Seahorse
- Ghost Crab
- Clouded Sulphur Butterfly
- Crab Spider
- Southern Masked Weaver
Yellow Animals: Pictures and Facts
Yellow Tang
- Scientific name: Zebrasoma flavescens
- Type of animal: Fish
- Where found: Tropical Pacific Ocean
The yellow tang is a bright yellow, delicate saltwater fish that is native to the tropical parts of the Pacific Ocean and belongs to the surgeonfish family (Acanthuridae). They live in shallow coral reefs and feed on algae. They can reach a maximum length of 20 cm or about 8 inches.
You probably have seen them before, as they are some of the most common and most popular saltwater aquarium fish in the world. Hawaii used to be a hotspot for wild yellow tang harvesting for the pet trade, but a ban has been put into place and has been effective to protect the species from overfishing. Yellow tangs are now bred in captivity for the aquarium trade.
Yellow Eyelash Viper
- Scientific name: Bothriechis schlegelii
- Type of animal: Reptile
- Where found: Central and South America
The eyelash viper is a venomous pit viper that is found in the humid tropical rainforests of Central and South America. More precisely, its range goes from southern Mexico to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, across Costa Rica and Panama.
It is an arboreal species (it lives in trees) and nocturnal (it is active at night). The eyelash viper is an ambush predator, and hunts various prey such as small rodents, small birds, lizards, and frogs.
They owe their name to the distinctive scales above their eyes resembling eyelashes. It is an ovoviviparous species, meaning that eggs hatch internally, and the mother gives birth to live young.
Golden Rocket Frog
- Scientific name: Anomaloglossus beebei
- Type of animal: Amphibian
- Where found: Guyana (South America)
Also known as Beebe’s rocket frog, Anomaloglossus beebei is a species of amphibian that is endemic to Kaieteur National Park, in Guyana, protecting the rainforest around the majestic Kaieteur Falls. This tiny golden frog can be found in the giant tank bromeliads (Brocchinia micrantha) that grow in the area.
The rainwater accumulates at the base of the bromeliad’s leaves, forming pools called phytotelmata, which are used by the golden rocket frog to lay eggs and raise its tadpoles.
The rocket golden frog is very similar in appearance and size to poison-dart frogs, whose bright colors signal the presence of poison on their skin, but the golden frog is not poisonous.
Yellow Duckling (American Pekin Duck)
- Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos domesticus
- Type of animal: Bird
- Where found: Domesticated around the world
This domestic duck breed was first raised in China several thousand years ago, before being exported to the United States in the 19th Century. These days, tens of millions of these ducks are raised in the U.S., mainly for meat production.
They are fairly big and strong ducks with white feathers and yellow beaks, legs and feet, but their ducklings are yellow with pinkish beaks. When they reach 6 to 8 weeks of age, they will lose their yellow color to become white.
Yellow Warbler
- Scientific name: Setophaga petechia
- Type of animal: Bird
- Where found: Americas
The yellow warbler is a common passerine bird that is found in most of North America, in a large variety of habitats from the tundra in the north, to tropical mangroves in the West Indies. There are no less than 35 subspecies of yellow warbler, which can be divided into 3 groups. One of these groups the yellow American warblers, migrates south to Central and northern South America during the winter.
One of their most striking characteristics is of course their bright yellow plumage. Their favorite food is caterpillars, but they also feed on small insects and their larvae, spiders, and berries. Their predators include birds of prey and snakes.
Albino Burmese Python
- Scientific name: Python bivittatus
- Type of animal: Reptile
- Where found: South and Southeast Asia
The albino Burmese python is a genetic variation of the normally dark brown Burmese python. The albino form is white and yellow in color, and the amount of yellow or white colors vary from individual to individual. It is a very large snake that can grow up to 5 meters (16 feet) and weigh up to 75 kg, or 165 lbs.
It is not a venomous species, but nevertheless a very powerful constrictor snake, squeezing its potentially large prey to death. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, from eastern India to southern China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, where it lives in grasslands, wetlands, and also rainforests as it is a good tree climber. The albino morph is highly sought after in the exotic pet trade.
Banana Slug
- Scientific name: Ariolimax spp.
- Type of animal: Mollusk
- Where found: North America
Banana slugs are 5 different species of mollusks belonging to the genus Ariolimax. They were of course nicknamed banana slugs for their bright yellow color. However, the intensity of the yellow color varies from species to species and from individual to individual. They sometimes have black spots, or can be more greenish or brownish.
These slugs are found along North America’s Pacific coast from Alaska to California, where it lives in the dense conifer forests. They play an important ecological role because they are decomposers: they turn dead leaves or other dead plant parts into rich soil called humus, which is vital for all the plant life in the forest.
Spiny Seahorse
- Scientific name: Hippocampus histrix
- Type of animal: Fish
- Where found: Indo-Pacific Ocean
Sometimes called thorny seahorse, the spiny seahorse is native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It owes its name to the spines covering its body. Its color is quite variable, it can be bright yellow, but is also sometimes more brownish, greenish, reddish, or greyish.
It can be found in quite deep waters from 15 to 95 m (50 to 310 ft) on seagrass beds, corals or sponges. They have a very specific reproduction procedure, where the female will transfer the eggs to the male, who will keep them in a ventral pouch where they will be fertilized. He will take care of its offspring until they are ready to be expelled from his pouch and live on their own.
Atlantic Ghost Crab
- Scientific name: Ocypode quadrata
- Type of animal: Crustacean (Arthropod)
- Where found: Atlantic coast of the United States
The Atlantic ghost crab, with its pretty pastel yellow color, is a common species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Massachusetts to Florida, but also in Bermuda and some parts of the Brazilian Atlantic Coast.
These crabs are found on sandy beaches, where they live in burrows dug in the sand. Their color is a great advantage for camouflage. They are omnivores, with a very varied diet including clams, other Crustaceans, plants, various kinds of detritus, insects, and even sea turtle eggs.
The Atlantic ghost crab is more active at night and is often disturbed by light pollution, but also unfortunately often crushed by vehicles venturing onto beaches where it lives.
Clouded Sulphur Butterfly
- Scientific name: Colias philodice
- Type of animal: Insect
- Where found: North America
Also known as the common sulphur, this pretty yellow butterfly is present in most of North America and also exists in a white form called alba. They should not be mistaken with the orange sulphur: the clouded sulphur has no orange color on them.
They are typically seen in meadows, fields, lawns or simply along the road. They feed on nectar from a variety of flowers and lay eggs on specific host plants. The larva is green with white stripes on the sides, and the chrysalis is also green, turning yellow right before the eclosion of the adult butterfly.
Crab Spider
- Scientific name: family Thomisidae
- Type of animal: Arachnid (Arthropod)
- Where found: Worldwide
What we usually call “crab spiders” actually is a whole family of spiders comprising no less than 2100 species! They are often called flower spiders and are usually colorful. They can be yellow of course, but also green, pink, white, brown, or gray.
They resemble crabs in different ways, from the shape of their body, the way they arrange their legs, and the fact that they often move sideways like crabs. They do not rely on webs to hunt, they are ambush predators instead. They stay in one place, catching any unsuspecting insect that passes by.
Females are generally bigger than males, and in some species this size difference can be quite extreme.
Southern Masked Weaver
- Scientific name: Ploceus velatus
- Type of animal: Bird
- Where found: Southern Africa
Common in most of southern Africa, this bird can be recognized by its yellow color with grey patterns on the wings and tails, and a black mask on its face. It is a very adaptable species that can be found in very varied habitats from grasslands and savannas to wetlands and even urban areas, in parks and gardens.
This bird is best known for the incredible, complex hanging nests that they build in trees, from September to January. The nests are made of intricated reed, grass, or palm leaves. These birds nest in colonies, covering branches with nests. The males mate with many different females each season and they have to build a different nest for each of them.
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