What animal appears on the sigil of House Stark?

A direwolf appears on the sigil of House Stark. The Stark emblem is a grey direwolf on a white or pale field, matching the northern house's identity and its close association with the cold lands beyond the Neck.

Direwolves are enormous, intelligent wolves native to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. At the beginning of Game of Thrones, the Stark children discover a litter of direwolf pups near a dead adult direwolf. Each surviving pup is given to one of the Stark children, making the animal both a heraldic symbol and an important part of the family's story.

The direwolf represents the Starks' northern heritage, independence, loyalty, and connection to the wilderness. It also foreshadows the fates and personalities of several characters, especially through the names and behavior of the individual wolves.

Viewers sometimes confuse the Stark sigil with the symbols of other major houses. House Baratheon uses a crowned stag, House Greyjoy uses a kraken, and House Lannister uses a lion. The direwolf belongs specifically to House Stark.