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.
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

Common Vampire Bat
Desmodus rotundus
MammalThe 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.

Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
BirdThe 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.

Vaquita
Phocoena sinus
MammalThe 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.

Velociraptor
Velociraptor mongoliensis
DinosaurVelociraptor 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.