This list provides all the basic details about each animal type that can be used as a hunter's pet. Each animal type is described briefly, then lists the skills they have access to, their stats (compared to the normal levels), the food they will eat, and what type of pet they are considered (DPS, Tank, or All Purpose).

The animal types that are available as pets are as follows:

Bats are a DPS type pet that has increased DPS but does not suffer any penalties to armor or health. They can learn all the basic abilities plus dive and screech. The one real issue with bats is the same as any other flying pet, they tend to get in the way a lot. They are fairly selective on the food you can feed them as well, only enjoying two kinds of food.

Skills: Bite, Cower, Dive, Growl, Screech
Stats: +7% Damage, Normal Armor, Normal Health
Food: Fruit, Fungus
Type: DPS

Bears are among the most popular of hunter pets due to a few key factors. Firstly, like bears in real life, bears will eat just about anything. Secondly, Bears have a huge health pool and good armor. While they suffer in damage output, their survivability makes up for it as a tanking pet.

The only pets that are potentially more popular than a bear is a cat, ravager or boar.

Skills: Bite, Claw, Cower, Growl
Stats: -9% Damage, +5% Armor, +8% Health
Food: Bread, Cheese, Fish, Fruit, Fungus, Meat
Type: Tank

Boars are very popular pets due to their high armor, health and due to not being picky eaters (they are pigs after all). They are very similar to bears in many ways, but have slightly lower base damage. They more than make up for this though by having access to several additional special attacks. These include Charge, Dash and Gore which make them viable as DPS and PvP pets. This all purpose nature makes them many hunters first choice as a pet.

Skills: Bite, Charge, Cower, Dash, Gore, Growl
Stats: -10% Damage, +9% Armor, +4% Health
Food: Bread, Cheese, Fish, Fruit, Fungus, Meat
Type: Tank

Carrion birds are scavengers and as such eat fairly easy to find items. They are also fairly uncommon pets, which attracts some hunters to use them. As with any flying pet though they tend to get in the way or you looking around and targeting. They are considered an all purpose pet since they have all normal or better stats, they don't really excel at anything though.

Skills: Bite, Claw, Cower, Dive, Growl, Screech
Stats: Normal Damage, +5% Armor, Normal Health
Food: Fish, Meat
Type: All Purpose

Cats are probably the most used pet in the game. If it was not for the release of Ravagers with the Burning Crusade I would suspect that they would have a health lead on every other pet, but ravagers pulled some cat people over to them. Cats are all out DPS pets with high damage output, good abilities and very little down side. They also make excellent PvP pets due to their Prowl (stealth) ability, especially when controlled by a Night Elf with their own Shadow Meld (stealth like) ability.

Skills: Bite, Charge, Claw,
Cower, Dash, Growl, Prowl
Stats: +10% Damage, Normal Armor, -2% Health
Food: Fish, Meat
Type: DPS

Crabs are a very strong choice if you are looking for a tanking pet due to their very high armor value. They are however not very popular due to the low number of skills they can learn. If you can get past the poor choice of skills though, there is a lot to like about crabs. Crabs eat a lot of different foods, are uncommon choices (making yours even more unique), and are very low to the ground (making them very easy to see over and around).

Skills: Claw,
Cower, Growl
Stats: -5% Damage, +13% Armor, -4% Health
Food: Bread, Fish, Fruit, Fungus
Type: Tank

Crocolisks are very similar to crabs, and as such pretty much the same can be said about them. They are a very strong choice if you are looking for a tanking pet due to their very high armor value. They are however not very popular due to the low number of skills they can learn. They have the same things to like about them as crabs. They eat common foods, are uncommon choices (making yours even more unique), and are very low to the ground (making them very easy to see over and around).

Skills: Bite,
Cower, Growl
Stats: Normal Damage, +10% Armor, -5% Health
Food: Fish, Meat
Type: Tank

Many hunters choose dragonhawks while leveling because of their appearance, they are overall a bad pet choice though due to being caster based. While they will do at lower levels, at max level they just do not cut it.

Skills: Bite,
Cower, Dive, Fire Breath, Growl
Stats: Normal Damage, Normal Armor, Normal Health
Food: Fish, Fruit, Meat
Type:All Purpose