Animals That Start With V - Full List, Images and Facts

Welcome to animals that start with v.

Did you ever want to name animals that start with the letter V and find yourself stuck? Well, we’re here to help you out. Many animals start with V. A few of them probably live in your backyard. This list will help you identify them. Let’s go through it together then.

Overview of animals that start with v

Table of Contents show

1. Vampire Bat

Three species of vampire bats exist, but all of them are similar in one particular feature. They all feed solely on blood.

Fun Fact: Despite popular belief, Vampire bats don’t suck out the blood from their hosts. Instead, they bite the host and lap up the blood that flows out.

2. Vampire Squid

These deep-dwelling animals have jet-black or red skin, red eyes, and a membrane that spreads around their tentacles. These give it a very vampiric appearance.

Fun Fact: Vampire squids don’t feed on blood; they eat sea detritus, including fecal pellets and dead plankton.

3. Vancouver Island Marmot

These rodents are found only on Vancouver Island in Canada in the wild. Also, they are the largest members of the Squirrel family and can weigh from 3-7kg.

Fun Fact: Vancouver Island Marmots have a short gestation period of 30-35 days.

4. Variegated Squirrel

The variegated Squirrel is found in many types of South America. These diurnal animals spend their nights in nests on trees and rarely descend to the ground.

Fun Fact: Almost all squirrels hoard nuts, but you can count the Variegated Squirrel out of that activity.

5. Vaquita

Vaquitas are small sea-dwelling mammals that are closely related to whales and dolphins. They are also known as porpoises or little cows.

Fun Fact: Vaquitas give birth to live young and breathe air like any other mammal.

6. Vagrant Shrew

The tiny mammal is found in the western parts of the US and Canada. These voracious eaters can consume about 160% of the body weight in food each day.

Fun Fact: Vagrant Shrews can echolocate. Unlike bats, they don’t use it for hunting.

7. Velvet Asity

The Velvet Asity is found only in Madagascar. These birds have a dark color to their feathers, and the males have a green wattle growing above their eyes.

Fun Fact: The males are seen with yellow wingtips after molting, but these wear away.

8. Verreaux’s Sifaka

These members of the lemur family are only found in Madagascar. Also, they have white fur that makes people call them White Sifakas.

Fun Fact: Verreaux’s Sifakas are so evolved to tree-dwelling that they can’t even walk on land. They hop instead.

9. Vervet Monkey

This monkey is commonly found in Eastern Africa. They are grey or olive, with a black-tipped tail that is usually longer than their bodies.

Fun Fact: Male Vervet monkeys are easily distinguishable from females by their bright blue testicles.

10. Vicuña

Vicunas are close relatives of the llamas and alpacas, but they aren’t domesticated. These animals are timid and are quick to run when they sense danger.

Fun Fact: Vicuna wool is thin but is very effective in protecting the animal from cold. It’s no wonder it is so expensive.

11. Viper

Vipers are a family of venomous snakes that are known for their very long fangs. These snakes can open their mouths nearly 180 degrees to deliver a bite.

Fun Fact: Most vipers are ovoviviparous; this means that their young emerge after breaking out of their eggs in the mother’s body.

12. Viperfish

These deep-dwelling fishes have jaws with large teeth that look like a bear trap. Viperfish live thirty to forty years in the wild but rarely survive more than a few hours in captivity.

Fun Fact: Viperfish have photophores on their dorsal and ventral surface that it uses to lure in prey.

13. Vinegaroon

The vinegaroon or whip scorpion is closer to the spider than the scorpion. For defense, it sprays an acid that smells like vinegar.

Fun Fact: Vinegaroons are surprisingly docile to humans, so some people keep them as pets.

14. Virginia Opossum

The Virginia opossum, or just possum, is found in parts of North and South America. This makes it the northernmost marsupial in the world.

Fun Fact: In times of extreme danger, the Virginia opossum feigns death. That is where the phrase ‘playing possum’ comes from.

15. Visayan Spotted Deer

The beige spots on the coat of this animal are what give it its name. It is found in the Visayan islands of Panay and Negros.

Fun Fact: Male Visayan Spotted Deer roar to attract females for mating.

16. Visayan Warty Pig

These pigs are native to the Visayan islands in the Philippines. They got their name from the fleshy bumps on their faces.

Fun Fact: These pigs are pretty ingenious and were seen digging with tools in a French zoo.

17. Vlei Rat

These rodents are found in many parts of Africa. They have shorter faces and legs than most rodents. They also have coat colors of brown, grey, and many shades in between.

Fun Fact: Vlei rats have a lot of brown fat, which helps them break down to produce heat.

18. Volcano Rabbit

The Volcano Rabbit is the second smallest rabbit in the world. Also, these tiny rabbits are found in Mexico and nowhere else.

Fun Fact: Most rabbits thump their feet on the ground to warn of danger, but the Volcano rabbit emits high-pitched sounds instead.

19. Vole

These are small rodents found in almost every part of the world. While they may be called field mice in North America, they are more closely related to lemmings and hamsters.

Fun Facts: Voles are known to be empathic; they console one another when they’re feeling down.

20. Vulture

Their trademark bald heads, black feathers, and carrion feeding have made vultures quite popular. They are seen in many mythologies as harbingers of doom and death.

Fun Fact: Vultures gorge themselves on food, then spend long periods resting and digesting what they eat.

Full Table of Animals with Letter V

al Name	Description	Fun Fact
Vampire Bat	Bats that feed solely on blood. Contrary to popular belief, they do not suck blood but bite their hosts and lap up the blood that flows out.	Vampire bats do not suck blood but lap it up after biting their hosts.
Vampire Squid	Deep-sea creatures with jet-black or red skin, red eyes, and a membrane that spreads around their tentacles, giving them a vampiric appearance. They feed on sea detritus and do not consume blood.	Vampire squids do not feed on blood but eat sea detritus and dead plankton.
Vancouver Island Marmot	Rodents found only on Vancouver Island in Canada. They are the largest members of the Squirrel family and can weigh from 3-7 kg.	Vancouver Island marmots have a short gestation period of 30-35 days.
Variegated Squirrel	Squirrels found in various parts of South America. They are diurnal and spend their nights in nests on trees, rarely descending to the ground.	Variegated squirrels do not hoard nuts like many other squirrels.
Vaquita	Small sea-dwelling mammals closely related to whales and dolphins. They are also known as porpoises or little cows.	Vaquitas give birth to live young and breathe air like other mammals.
Vagrant Shrew	Tiny mammal found in the western parts of the US and Canada. They are voracious eaters and can consume about 160% of their body weight in food each day.	Vagrant shrews can echolocate but not for hunting like bats.
Velvet Asity	Birds found only in Madagascar with dark feathers and green wattles above the males’ eyes.	Male velvet asities have yellow wingtips after molting, but these wear away.
Verreaux’s Sifaka	Lemurs found only in Madagascar. They have white fur and are adapted to tree-dwelling, hopping instead of walking on land.	Verreaux’s sifakas are unable to walk on land due to their highly evolved tree-dwelling adaptations.
Vervet Monkey	Monkeys commonly found in Eastern Africa, featuring gray or olive fur and a black-tipped tail longer than their bodies.	Male vervet monkeys can be easily distinguished from females by their bright blue testicles.
Vicuña	Wild relatives of llamas and alpacas found in South America. They are timid animals that are quick to run when they sense danger.	Vicuna wool is thin yet effective in protecting the animal from the cold, making it highly valuable.
Viper	Venomous snakes known for their long fangs and ability to open their mouths nearly 180 degrees to deliver a bite.	Most vipers are ovoviviparous, meaning their young hatch within the mother’s body before being born.
Viperfish	Deep-sea fish with large teeth resembling a bear trap. They have photophores on their dorsal and ventral surfaces that they use to lure prey.	Viperfish have photophores that they use to attract prey in the deep-sea.
Vinegaroon	Arachnid closely related to spiders but resembling a scorpion. They spray an acid that smells like vinegar for defense.	Vinegaroons are docile to humans and are sometimes kept as pets.
Virginia Opossum	Marsupial found in parts of North and South America. The northernmost marsupial in the world.	Virginia opossums feign death as a defense mechanism when facing extreme danger.
Vanikoro Flying Fox	Large fruit bat species found on Vanikoro Island in the Solomon Islands.	Vanikoro flying foxes are large fruit bats native to Vanikoro Island in the Solomon Islands.
Visayan Warty Pig	Pig species native to the Visayan Islands in the Philippines. They have fleshy bumps on their faces and are known for their ingenuity, as they have been observed using tools to dig in a French zoo.	Visayan warty pigs are known for their fleshy bumps on their faces and have shown tool use in captivity.
Vlei Rat	Rodents found in various parts of Africa. They have shorter faces and legs compared to most rodents and come in colors ranging from brown to grey.	Vlei rats have a high proportion of brown fat, which aids in heat production.
Volcano Rabbit	The second smallest rabbit species in the world, found only in Mexico.	Volcano rabbits emit high-pitched sounds as a warning instead of thumping their feet like most rabbits.
Vole	Small rodents found in many parts of the world, closely related to lemmings and hamsters. In North America, they are often called field mice.	Voles are known for their empathetic behavior and consoling each other when feeling down.
Vulture	Large birds known for their bald heads, black feathers, and scavenging habits.	Vultures play a crucial role in ecosystems by cleaning up carrion, preventing the spread of diseases.

Summary of Animals that Start with V

And we’ve gotten to the end. We hope you enjoyed the list. These animals that start with V are unique in different ways. There are others but having introduced you to these, why not take a look at this other list of animals that start with a.

All Alphabet Animal here:

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Jan Otte

Co-Founder at Animals Around The Globe

Jan loves Wildlife and Animals and is one of the founders of Animals Around The Globe. He holds an MSc in Economics and is a passionate PADI Open Water Diver. His favorite animals are Mountain Gorillas, Tigers, and Great White Sharks. He lived in South Africa, Germany, the USA, Ireland, Italy, China, and Australia.

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