Vultures, vampire bats, and Vipers are among the animals that start with ‘v’. Want some cute ones that won’t suck your blood or tear your body for flesh? There are cute ones too like the Volpino Italiano. Read on to find out about 10 animals that start with v.
1. Vampire Bat
You can guess from the name what behavior they are named like they are. These bats are found in their original habitat in the tropical rainforests of South America. They are small bats that have a bat-like brown, grey fur and barely reach heights of 10 cm. They have vampire-like characteristics like sleeping in dark during the day and appearing when the moon shines at the night.
They find sleeping animals and then use their sensor like the skin on the nose to find where blood flows closer to the skin. Once they find it, they crawl on the animals and drink its blood as it oozes out. They are known to feed entirely on the blood of animals.
Also Read: Top 10 Largest Bats in the World
2. Vampire Squid
This squid lives in great depths of the oceans almost all over the world except at the poles. They have bioluminescent organs. They have thin webs around the tentacles which they use to propel themselves in the ocean. This appears like a vampire fluttering its cape. They are known to feed on remains of tiny sea organisms and the fecal matter of other aquatic animals. One other interesting technique that is observed is that they sometimes agitate bioluminescent protists to attract larger prey for themselves.
These innovative predation techniques are necessary if they are to survive in the deep oceans where life is scarce. When attacked by predators the organs on its body start glowing all over the body and the squid moves in a writhing and twisting motion in a random trajectory. When in extreme danger they release a barrage of bioluminescent mucus in the ocean that confuses the predator.
Image Source: Wikimedia
3. Vaquita
Scientifically they are called Phocoena sinus. This is also called little cow in Spanish which describes its appearance and behavior. They are small fish creatures in the porpoise family, one that contains big animals like dolphins and whales. However, unlike them, the vaquita is small, about half the size of a human being.
They are extremely small in number as they are only found in the northern region of the Gulf of California. Because of this, they are also in danger of extinction as they are often caught in nets meant to catch fish. Also, any disaster in those waters, for example, an oil spill, can put the fate of entire species at risk.
Image Source: SEMARNAT
4. Vicuna
They are scientifically named Lama vicugna. You may have never heard of them, but they are very important culturally in the regions where they live. The Peruvian coat of arms shows a Vicuna which is given the title of national animal too.
They are similar in appearance to llamas and alpacas and are in fact believed to be ancestors of these domesticated animals. They have a deer-like body with then legs but with a long neck like a camel. They are found on the west coast of South America in the high elevation region of the Andes.
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. Viper Shark
The technical name of the species is Trigonognathus kayak but the other common name viper dogfish does a better job at describing the eery appearance of this creature. They are found in the waters of the Pacific south of Japan and west of Hawaii. This is small sea fish reaching lengths of 54 cm only. But don’t dismiss them on account of small length only.
When looking for prey they protrude their front teeth forward and the long thin teeth tear the prey like a knife. The jaws when open sometimes are big enough to swallow fish of comparable size whole. The bodies are dark black in color including the fins, but they have bioluminescent patches scattered on the body. Two patches sit above the eyelids that make an impressive and fearful sight.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Vizsla
This is a dog breed that is also known as the Hungarian Vizsla. They are frequently found in sporting clubs and races. This variety was developed to work in fields and help in forests. They retain those characteristics as they are gentlemen with active and agile bodies.
They have a small-haired coat on their bodies that is golden in color. Owners don’t have to trim their hair every once in a while, and neither do they drop hair everywhere they sit. One other feature that acts as a signature is the color of the nose, which almost blends with that of the coat.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Vulture
This is a well-known scavenger bird. In fact, the icon bird of scavengers. Vultures are found all over the world as one species or other. Vultures that are shown in the movies have small to no feathers on the heads and neck and a thick coat from below the shoulder. This almost appears as if they are wearing a fur coat. However unlike in movies Vultures never kill or attack animals and almost solely feed on carrion of dead animals.
Seldom they may attack wounded or sick animals but that is not very common to give them a bad name. Vultures are now recognized for the essential function they perform in the wild by removing decaying organic matter that can spread diseases. Sadly, due to drugs and chemicals, the population of vultures has steeply reduced in many parts of the world.
Also Read: Top 10 Largest Birds of Prey On Planet Earth
8. Viper
This is a venomous snake. The snakes belonging to this family are found almost all over the world. Vipers do not have a smooth body as the scales have ribs along the length of the body. They also have a head that is distinctly identifiable from the rest of the body. The total body length of vipers varies from as short as about 25 cm to greater than 3m across the species in the family.
Not that you’ll get time to notice these characteristics as the venom is highly potent. They deliver the venom with the rotatable fangs attached to the upper jaw of the mouth. Not only this, but they may also choose to deliver more or less venom or none at all depending on the prey size and threat.
Also Read: Top 10 Types of Snakes In The World
9. Vervet Monkey
These monkeys have a dark black face and arms with white or off-white fur on the rest of the body. Vervet monkeys are extremely social creatures with the ability to identify not only individuals but relations and hierarchies too. These monkeys are native to the southeast region of Africa. The scientific name of the species is Chlorocebus pygerythrus. It is one of the popular monkey animals that start with v.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10. Volpino Italiano
This is a spitz dog that resembles a Pomeranian. This cute little dog has an average body length of 28 cm only and the color of the coat is bright white or reddish and is made of long hairs. It was a common dog during the renaissance period and was used as a guard dog or shepherding dog commonly. Michelangelo is also said to have one of these.
Image Source: Wikimedia
These are the list of different animals that start with v. Kindly share and do post your comments.
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