Animals that begin with the letter w are featured with images and facts. Wolves, wallabies, walruses, whale sharks, and wolverines are among the amazing creatures featured in Discover.
Animals That Start With W: Pictures & Facts
You may see a list of creatures beginning with w, as well as images and fascinating facts about each species on this web page.
Individual species (e.g., Groups of known species (e.g., wolves) and poorly understood groups Whales whose names begin with the letter W. Each of the individual species has a scientific name and is listed as endangered or not.
List of Animals Beginning With W
Wahoo
- Scientific Name: Acanthocybium solandri
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
The wahoo, which can swim at speeds of up to 60 mph (97 km/h), is one of the world’s fastest fish. Together with mackerels, tunas, and bonitos, this swift-moving predator belongs to the Scombridae family.
Wahoo may be found in tropical seas all around the globe. With a long, streamlined body and a strong forked tail, it is designed for speed. It has razor-sharp teeth in its beak-like mouth.
Wallaby
The family Macropodidae (kangaroo family) includes the mid-sized marsupials known as wallabies. The word “wallaby” refers to macropods (members of Macropodidae) that are, in general, smaller than kangaroos. There is no scientific distinction between wallabies and kangaroos; the term “wallaby” is simply used to describe them.
Wallabies have lengthy tails, strong hind limbs, and extremely short forelimbs, like other kangaroos. Rather than walking, they leap about.
The world’s tiniest macropod is the dwarf wallaby. Wallabies that live in rocky environments are excellent climbers.
Walrus
- Scientific Name: Odobenus rosmarus
- Conservation Status: Vulnerable
In the Arctic, you’ll find a walrus. It is classified as a pinniped, which is a group of marine creatures that includes both seals and walruses. The Odobenidae family contains just one species: the walrus.
Walruses have long, curving tusks, both male and female. Tusks on a male walrus can stretch to 1 m (3.3 ft). Tusks are only found in walruses, so if you encounter a big, seal-like creature with two wicked-looking white tusks, then you know it’s a walrus!
Wandering Albatross
- Scientific Name: Diomedea exulans
- Conservation Status: Vulnerable
The wandering albatross has the biggest wingspan of any bird, measuring around 11 ft. (3.3 m). The Southern Ocean is home to this species. The wandering albatross is known to fly around the southernmost point of the globe three times each year, which is exactly what its name implies.
Fish, squid, jellyfish, and other marine species are eaten by the wandering albatross. Long-line fishing techniques are often used by fishermen to capture the species. The bird’s vulnerable status is primarily due to this factor.
Wasp
The Apocrita suborder of insects includes wasps, ants, and bees. There are approximately 100,000 wasp species identified to date, with many more to be identified and named. During the Jurassic Period, Wasps first appeared.
Yellowjackets and hornets, for example, are wasp species that live in colonies with an egg-laying queen, female workers who don’t reproduce, and male drones at certain times of the year.
Water Boatman
Aquatic insects in the family Corixidae are known as “water boatmen,” while the species Notonecta glauca is known as “water boatman” in the United Kingdom.
Ponds and streams are home to members of the Corixidae family. They use oar-shaped hind legs to push themselves underwater. The majority of the family’s 500 species eat vegetation and algae.
Notonecta glauca, a species that swims upside-down just under the water’s surface, It’s a mosquito larval preysp on predatory insect.
Weever Fish
The family Trachinidae contains nine species of weever fish. Just behind the head, they all feature a cluster of poisonous spines. Only their eyes are visible as weever fish bury themselves in the sand or mud. The weever fish darts out to capture prey, which includes shrimp and tiny fish, as soon as it enters its range.
A weever fish sting may be very uncomfortable, but it is seldom, if ever, fatal.
Weevil
Weevils are tiny beetles that feed on plants. The snouts are long, and the antennae are clubbed. Weevils number in the thousands. Because of the harm they may cause to crops, many are considered pests.
West Indian Manatee
- Scientific Name: Trichechus manatus
- Conservation Status: Vulnerable
In the coasts and river systems of North and South America, the West Indian manatee is a aquatic mammal. It’s a huge, lumbering herbivore (plant eater). It’s been dubbed a “sea cow” as a result of this.
The Sirenia order’s largest member is the West Indian manatee. The Amazonian manatee, West African manatee, and dugong are the only other animals in this group.
Western Gorilla
- Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla
- Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
The other gorilla species is the eastern gorilla, which is found in the west. Africa is home to both of these species. The western gorilla is the world’s second-largest great ape, being slightly smaller than its eastern counterpart.
Gorillas live in troops, which range from small to moderate in size. Several females and either one or a small number of males make up a typical troop. A powerful male, dubbed a silverback on account of the patch of lighter hair on his back, leads the troop.
The species is endangered in the west. The species’ illegal hunting for bushmeat by local residents is primarily to blame for this.
Whale
Whales are massive aquatic creatures that may be discovered across the globe’s oceans. Cetacea is a group of animals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Toothed whales (Odontoceti) and baleen whales (Mysticeti) are the two main types of whale.
Toothed whales have teeth, as the name suggests. Sperm whales and beaked whales, as well as dolphins and porpoises, are among the species represented in this group.
Filter feeders such as baleen whales Baleen plates, which have hair-like fingers that separate food from the water, are structures found in their mouths. The humpback whale, the fin whale, and the enormous blue whale are among the most well-known baleen whales on Earth.
Whale Shark
- Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus
- Conservation Status: Endangered
The world’s biggest fish is the whale shark. Its whale-like proportions give it the name. It may be found in tropical seas all around the globe.
A filter feeder such as the whale shark It eats plankton, which it extracts from the water using filter pads, which are sort of sieve-like structures. The basking shark and the megamouth shark are the only other sharks that feed this way.
Whip-Scorpion
Arachnids that look like scorpions are whip scorpions. They are eight-legged and can walk on six of them. Sensory organs can be found on the forelegs. They also feature pincers and a long whip-like tail, in addition to having a pair. Whip-scorpions come in over 100 different species.
Due to the stench of the liquid they release when they are threatened, whip scorpions are also known as vinegaroons.
White-Tailed Eagle
- Scientific Name: Haliaeetus albicilla
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
The family Accipitridae includes the white-tailed sea eagle, a huge bird of prey. It’s closely related to the bald eagle of North America, and it can be found in Europe and Asia. The species has a distinctive short white tail and brown plumage.
The wingspan of the white-tailed eagle may reach 8 feet. The eagle has the world’s fourth biggest wingspan, and it is the most widespread of any eagle species.
Wild Boar
- Scientific Name: Sus scrofa
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
Europe, Asia, and Africa are all home to wild boar. It is the progenitor of the domesticated pig and belongs to the Suidae family of pigs.
Wild boar are inquisitive and adaptable, just like pigs. It’s native to a variety of environments, including woodlands and forests. Omnivorous (in this case, that means “omnivore”). It eats both meat and plants, and rummaging in the dirt is a common way for it to find nourishment such as roots, bulbs, worms, and insects.
Wildebeest
The hooved mammal family Bovidae includes Wildebeests. The black wildebeest and the somewhat bigger blue wildebeest are the two species of wildebeests. Savanna in Sub-Saharan Africa is home to both. Brown hair colors the black wildebeest, whereas dark grey and striped hair colors the blue wildebeest.
The Great Migration, a lengthy, circular migration that takes place every year in East Africa’s Serengeti region, attracts over a million wildebeest.
Wildebeests are also known as gnus.
Wolf (Gray / Grey)
- Scientific Name: Canis lupus
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
The largest member of the Canidae family is the gray (spelt grey in British English) wolf. North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa are all home to wolves. The domestic dog and the dingo are two of the 38 subspecies.
Wolves live in packs, with a male, female, and their offspring from previous years making up the pack. Young wolves leave the pack after a period of about a year to establish their own families.
One of the leading causes of mortality in the wild is fights over territorial rights, which are highly territorial.
Wolves eat a diverse range of animals. Wolves may take down prey significantly bigger than themselves, such as moose and reindeer, while hunting in a pack. Yet they will consume little creatures like hares and mice as well.
Wolverine
- Scientific Name: Gulo gulo
- Conservation Status: Least Concern
Wolverines live in the Arctic and subarctic areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Among the Mustelidae (some otter species are bigger), it is the biggest land animal.
The wolverine is a tough hunter noted for its tenacity and power. Squirrels, beavers, and deer are among the animals it preys on.
Wolverines have been known to fight off bigger animals trying to steal their food, and they share their habitat with big predators such as wolves and bears.
Wombat
Marsupials (pouched mammals) that look like little, fluffy bears are wombats. Wombats, on the other hand, can be dangerous if they perceive danger.
The Common wombat, Northern hairy-nosed wombat, and Southern hairy-nosed wombat are the three types of wombats found in Australia. All of them are found only in the region. Australia is the only place where they can be found. Just around 80 individuals remain in the wilds of Australia’s northern hairy-nosed wombat, which is critically endangered.
Burrowing creatures such as wombats exist. The female’s pouch opens at the rear of the body, unlike most marsupials. To stop soil from entering the pouch while the animal is digging, this adaptation has evolved.
Woodpecker
The majority of woodpeckers, who dwell and forage among trees, belong to the Picidae family of birds.
For their forest and woodland-dwelling existence, woodpeckers have a variety of adaptations. Their feet are set up with two front-facing toes and two back-facing toes, and they have small legs with short legs.
This allows them to climb vertically up tree trunks, in addition to having stiff tail feathers. When they hammer on the tree trunk with their sturdy bills, it also gives them leverage.
The sound produced by woodpeckers drilling is also used as a territorial call, and they don’t just peck at tree trunks to find food.
Wrasse
Wrasses are tropical and subtropical fish that can be found in the ocean. Wrasses are known as “Lippfische” in Germany, which means “lip fish.” Wrasses have prominent lips. The colors of many wrasse are vivid.
The endangered humphead wrasse is the biggest species of wrasse.
Some wrasse species’ females may transform into males when they reach maturity.
Animals That Start With W: Conclusion
Beginning with the letter w, we hope you’ve discovered some fantastic new animals.