Most Well-Known Biblical Animals

Possibly the most famous story in the Bible is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Central to this story is the character of the serpent who tricks Eve into biting the apple. This most famous of all biblical animals has been represented in literature and art for thousands of years.

A favorite Bible story, especially among children, is the story about the prophet Jonah who disobeys God and gets swallowed by a whale.

Almost everyone has heard the story in the first chapter of the Bible about how Noah built a gigantic boat (or, ark) and took two of every kind of animal into the boat to escape the great flood that destroyed the Earth. Maybe the best-known of these animals, though, is the dove that he releases that brings back an olive branch, letting him know that land is again appearing.

One of the 10 plagues in Egypt.

One of the 10 plagues in Egypt, the story says that frogs were everywhere -- even in the Egyptians' beds.

One of the most famous stories in the Bible centers around the prophet Daniel being wrongfully accused and thrown into a lion's den to be eaten as punishment. Miraculously, angels come and close the lions' mouths all night, and he is saved. As retribution, his accusers and their families are thrown into the same lions' den and are devoured.

Another of the 10 plagues in Egypt.

Jesus casts numerous demons out of a man and sends them into a herd of swine who race headlong off a cliff into the water.

When Moses is gone too long, the people of Israel turn to Aaron and demand that he make a god for them to worship. He tells them to melt down their golden jewelry and other golden items, and he forms a calf made of gold that becomes an idol for them. Most people know this story, since the symbol of a golden calf is often used to represent idolatry.

John the Baptist famously lived on a diet of locusts and wild honey in the desert.

When Elijah goes into hiding, ravens bring him food.

In the parable of the prodigal son, when he leaves his family and wastes all his money, the prodigal son eventually must lower himself to tend to swine, even sleeping with them and sharing their food.

When the false prophet Balaam is on his way to curse the people of Israel, his ass keeps swerving to the side of the road. After Balaam has beaten his ass three times because of this behavior, the ass speaks and tells him why he swerved!

When the people of Israel complain about eating manna (a bread-like substance) every day, God sends them wave after wave of quail.

Samson famously kills 1,000 Philistines with only the jawbone of an ass.

When Elisha calls down a curse on a group of young men mocking him, a she-bear comes out of the woods and devours them.

Evil Queen Jezebel is cursed and dies, and dogs lick up her blood off the pavement.

Samson kills the lion with his bare hands and later finds that a swarm of wild bees has created a hive in the carcass.

In an act of revenge, Samson catches 300 foxes, ties their tails together in pairs, sets them on fire, and releases them into the fields of the Philistines.

I Samuel 6 tells the story of a plague of rats (or mice) that devastates the people of Ashdod when they wrongfully house the Ark of the Covenant.