Animals with patterns are such beautiful creatures. They’re all different, unique, and magnificent at the same time. It is nature’s way of showing us that you can find art anywhere in the world.

Nature is all about patterns and designs that are not explicable to us humans. The beautiful patterns that you can see on many animals worldwide help them camouflage and hide from enemies. But they are not there only to look pretty; they serve a purpose.

There are numerous animals with patterns on our planet, and it would be impossible to list them all. So, we decided to make a list of animals with the most recognizable and exciting patterns.

List of the most beautiful animals with patterns:

• Clownfish
• Ladybug
• Butterfly
• Cheetah
• Zebra
• Giraffe
• Tiger
• Dalmatian
• Snakes
• Gecko
• Peacock
• Sea Turtle
• Okapi
• Jaguar
• Blue Sea Dragon
• Angelfish
• Greater Kudu

List of Animals With Patterns

Clownfish

You may know this fish from a very popular cartoon, and if you ever thought that it was made up, It’s not.

It’s real and lives in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Pacific Ocean, and the Great Barrier Reef. You can find them also in Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Indo-Malaysian region.

They live at the bottom of shallow seas, or lagoons, and around corals. Their natural habitat is colorful, and so they are.

Clownfish have distinctive vertical stripes. The fish is orange, and it has black and white stripes. The white stripes are dominant, and the black ones are slimmer. Their unique pattern makes them attractive and one of the prettiest fishes in the world.

Ladybug

One of the cutest insects in the whole world is a ladybug, and there are 5,000 different species of them known to us. They all have different vibrant colors and unique patterns.

But there’s one pattern that we all know and think about when a ladybug comes to our mind. It’s a red body with seven black spots.

These bright-colored spots have a primary function, and that is to warn off potential predators, also known as aposematic coloration. Ladybugs are usually found in forests, grasslands, cities, and rivers, and they can live for up to 3 years which is incredible for an insect.

Butterfly

Another beautiful animal that has patterns is butterflies. And its beauty lies in mesmerizing colorful patterns on its wings.

Can you believe that there are around 17,500 different species of butterflies worldwide? And all of them have different and unique patterns.

But they all have something in common; their patterns are stunning. Another thing that each butterfly has in common is the reason for having patterns, and that is camouflaging protection from predators.

There are simple butterflies, small ones,  giant ones, and the most interesting can be found inside a rainforest.

Cheetah

Another big cat with an interesting pattern is a cheetah. Cheetahs’ magnificent fur is full of dark black spots, and there are more than 2000 of them.

Their spots also help them camouflage into their surroundings, which is helpful when it comes to stalking the prey. Even though they are the fastest land mammals, cheetahs will wait for the perfect opportunity before running to target.

Cheetahs live in the savannas and grasslands of Africa, but there are some species in Asia. It’s the fastest cat of them all, and in the wild, it can live for around 12 years.

Related: Animals With Paws

Zebra

These mammals are well-known for their incredible patterns and can be found in eastern and southern Africa, Ethiopia, Northern Kenya, Angola, and Namibia.

Zebras look like horses, but they have a specific black and white pattern that makes them special. And did you know that there aren’t two zebras with the same pattern?

It’s similar to human fingerprints; every zebra has different patterns, and there are no two identical prints. The stripes have their purpose, and they repel insects and leeches.

Giraffe

Another animal with a distinctive pattern is a giraffe native to Africa. Their coat has interesting spots that make every giraffe distinctive. The same as zebras, there are no two giraffes with the same pattern.

The purpose of patterns, as in many animals of prey, is to protect them against predators by camouflaging in the environment they live.

However, another recent study explains that giraffes’ patterns can be used for a calf to trace its mother. Which further is associated with calf survival for the first couple of months. (source)

Tiger

This large carnivorous mammal, a distant cousin to the domesticated cat, has one of the most fascinating patterns. Across the world, there are many fashions and even interior designers using the distinctive pattern of a tiger in their designs, and it’s been like that for decades now.

The main reason tigers have stripes is that this adaptation helps the animal to blend with the environment. Unlike lions, tigers are solitary and stealthy animals, so they use camouflage as a preferred method of hunting.

There are many different tiger species, and they can be found in India, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Laos, Bhutan, and even Russia. Most of them are orange, but there are also white tigers.

However, their distinctive pattern is brown and white stripes, no matter the tiger species. Interestingly, tigers are the only cats with their pattern even on their skin.

Dalmatian

Dogs are men’s best friends, and many dogs have different and unique patterns. But one that we had to mention is the Dalmatian breed. This species is also best known because it was featured in a very popular cartoon.

Adult dogs are white with black or brown spots that vary in size. Like many other animals with patterns, there are also no two Dalmatians that are the same. They all have different numbers of spots, sizes, and locations.

What’s interesting about them is that the newborn puppies are not born with spots. They are entirely white, and they develop spots after 10 days. The new spots are not that vibrant, and there are not too many of them. But as they mature, new spots are starting to occur.

The best-known are the Dalmatians with black spots, but some have orange and almost yellow spots.

Read Also: Animals With Hands

Snakes

Snakes are some of the most intimidating animals, and some of them are some of the most dangerous animals in the world. There are more than 3,900 species of snakes all around the world.

There are snakes on every continent except Antarctica. Interestingly, there are a few islands where snakes don’t live, and those are New Zealand, Ireland, and Iceland. And besides land, snakes also live in the sea.

And we can say that snakes are the absolute kings of patterns because most of them have magnificent and fascinating patterns. The most exciting snakes with unique patterns are the feathered tree viper, boa constrictors, Somalia boeleni, green tree python, emerald tree boa, the Brazilian rainbow boa, and milksnake.

There are many more snakes with exciting patterns, but we need to dedicate a whole article only to them.

Gecko

Lizards are fascinating creatures, and many of them have amazing patterns. You may know about the chameleon, a color and pattern-changing lizard. They’re famous all around the world for what they can do.

But today, we want to talk about geckos. They are small lizards that live in warmer climates worldwide, in rainforests, jungles, mountains, and even deserts.

They have the unique patterns of all lizards, and there are 1,000 species of geckos in the world. A few of them are common pets, and they can live up to 20 years in captivity.

Some of the geckos with the most exciting patterns are the leopard gecko, tokay gecko, rough knob-tailed gecko, and giant day gecko.

Peacock

Birds are some of the most beautiful and glorious creatures, and many of them have patterns. We could also have a whole article solely about bird patterns. But there’s one bird that’s known for its mesmerizing tail full of vibrant colors and patterns.

Peacock is a male bird, and it’s known for its magical tail. The peacock’s tail has a distinctive pattern that looks like a piece of art.

The pattern on the tail of a peacock is used to attract females so that the males can show off. And when you look at their tails, you can see that they have something to show off.

A fun fact is that the peacock is a common name given to the male peafowl native to Asia. Peacocks are birds from the Pheasant family, and they are the largest flying birds alive.

Sea Turtle

Another aquatic animal with majestic patterns is the sea turtle. These prehistoric beauties are found in almost every world’s ocean; however, they prefer tropical and subtropical areas for nesting.

Besides the unique pattern designs and colors on their scutes, the number of scutes and the shapes among sea turtles also vary among species. Most sea turtles have a total of 13 scutes; however, patterns are arranged in a unique way.

Sea turtles’ scutes are made of keratin, and their purpose is to protect the vital organs of the animal. Unfortunately, due to their beautiful patterns, demand for scutes used for jewelry, bow parts, and eyeglasses frames pushes a few sea turtle species near extinction.

Okapi

Okapis also referred to as zebra giraffes, are herbivores mammals found in central Africa. Despite having black and white markings that resemble those of a zebra, they are closely related to giraffes. In fact, giraffes and okapis are the only extant species of the Giraffidae family.

White horizontal stripes on their legs and rear allow these creatures to blend into the background of the dense forests of their habitat. In other words, it helps the animal stay safe and unseen from lurking predators.

However, distinctive patterns are not the only adaption these animals have. A long tongue, a strong sense of hearing, and night vision are other traits that help this prey animal to survive in the wilderness.

Jaguar

At first glance, you may even confuse a jaguar with a cheetah, but jaguars have a very different pattern. The name of the pattern jaguars has called a rosette.

The jaguars’ coat is orange and similar in color to cheetahs and tigers, but what’s specific about their coat are the black spots formed in rosettes.

These beautiful large cats are native to rainforests in North, Central, and South America. And they can live for up to 15 years in the wild or 25 in captivity.

For many decades, their coat pattern is also often used in fashion and interior design.

Blue Sea Dragon

A blue sea dragon is a sea slug, and many other names know it; some are dragon slug, blue ocean slug, sea swallow, and blue angel. These sea slugs are found on the Coast of Australia, the Gulf of California, Africa, and other oceans.

The exciting names are there because this sea slug has a beautiful appearance. It looks like something that’s out of this world.

Their dominant color is gray with hints of dark and pale blue color. It has six appendages, and all of them have these magnificent patterns. Some would say they look like they’ve come from out of space.

Angelfish

If you ever visited your local aquarium store, you must have seen angelfish. These freshwater species of cichlid are probably the most popular tropical pet fish.

The reason is not only in their marvelous patterns, stripes, and spots but because they are also a pleasure to raise. There are 70 different kinds of angelfish, all found throughout the Amazon River.

The most common types of angelfish include Black Lace Angelfish, Albino Angelfish, Blushing Angelfish, Clown Angelfish, and Gold Angelfish. If you are looking for beautiful colorful fish, look no more.

Greater Kudu

The last members on our list of animals with patterns are greater kudus. These big-eared animals live throughout eastern and southern Africa.

Their usual coat color is brown to reddish-brown. However, they also have between 4 and 12 white stripes running down their backs.

These markings on their torso protect kudus by allowing them to blend with their environment. When they sense the danger, kudus stand still and are extremely difficult to spot.

Conclusion

Do you like our list of animals with patterns? We gave our best to include the most exciting and beautiful animals with exciting patterns. Do you agree with us, and is there any animal you will add to our list?

Anyway, besides the beauty part, patterns play a significant role for various animals. While some use this gift of nature to hunt, others utilize this characteristic to avoid being captured. In some rarer scenarios, colorful stripes are used for attracting a mate.

And that’s about it. Thank you for reading. We hope you’ve learned something new about these animals with patterns.

And at the very least, you’ve upgraded your wildlife knowledge for the next quiz with your friends in a local pub.

If you liked this article, we would like to recommend you a similar read: Animals With Thick Fur