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Animals That Start With V

Discover 4 animals whose common name begins with the letter V, from Common Vampire Bat to Velociraptor. This includes 2 mammals, 1 bird, and 1 dinosaur. Browse photos, taxonomy, habitat, diet, and conservation status for each species. 1 of these species is classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.

Total Species
4
Most Popular
Velociraptor
Rarest
Velociraptor
Endangered
1

About Animals That Start With V

Diet among these species breaks down as 3 carnivores and 1 omnivore. They live across forest, rainforest, grassland, desert, and ocean habitats, and are native to South America, North America, and Asia. Body weight varies across the group, ranging from 0.015kg to 55kg.

V Animals

A photo of Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus)
Least Concern

Common Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

Mammal

The common vampire bat is one of only three bat species that feeds exclusively on blood, mainly targeting livestock across Latin America under cover of darkness.

A photo of Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Least Concern

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

Bird

The turkey vulture is a widespread scavenger found across the Americas, playing a critical ecological role by cleaning up carrion using one of the keenest senses of smell in the bird world.

A photo of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)
Critically Endangered

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus

Mammal

The vaquita is the world's smallest and most endangered cetacean, found only in a small area of the northern Gulf of California in Mexico. Fewer than a handful of confirmed individuals are believed to remain in the wild, making it one of the most critically threatened marine mammals on Earth.

A photo of Velociraptor (Velociraptor mongoliensis)
Extinct

Velociraptor

Velociraptor mongoliensis

Dinosaur

Velociraptor was a small, fast, feathered predatory dinosaur that lived in the arid deserts of what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period, around 75 to 71 million years ago — far smaller than its famous Hollywood depiction. It belongs to the Dromaeosauridae, a family of small-to-medium theropod dinosaurs closely related to modern birds, and most of what scientists know about it comes from fossils recovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, including one of the most famous dinosaur fossils ever found: the 'Fighting Dinosaurs,' discovered in 1971, which captures a Velociraptor locked in combat with a Protoceratops at the moment both animals died.

Alphabetical List

Interesting V Animal Facts

  • Common Vampire Bat: It's one of the very few mammals that can walk, run, and even jump on the ground.
  • Turkey Vulture: It's one of the few birds with a strong sense of smell, used to locate carrion.
  • Vaquita: The vaquita is the smallest of all cetaceans, and also the most endangered.
  • Velociraptor: It was roughly the size of a turkey, much smaller than film depictions suggest.

V Animals FAQs

How many animals start with the letter V?

This page currently features 4 animals whose common name starts with V, and more are added regularly.

What is the most popular animal starting with V?

Velociraptor is the most popular animal starting with V on this site.

What is the rarest animal starting with V?

Velociraptor has the most severe conservation status (Extinct) among animals starting with V.

Are any animals starting with V endangered?

Yes — 1 animal starting with V is classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.

Explore Other Letters