{"id":39705,"date":"2024-06-27T13:36:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T11:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/0020683f-9bbb-4828-89d9-09a536f225ec"},"modified":"2024-06-27T14:27:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T12:27:36","slug":"13-animals-beginning-with-d","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/13-animals-beginning-with-d\/","title":{"rendered":"13 animals beginning with D"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover 13 animals that start with the letter ‘D’. Can you think of more? Let us know what we have missed… <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 27 June 2024 at 11:36 AM<\/p>

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From the largest pelican<\/strong> species, the Dalmatian pelican, to the strange DiCaprio\u2019s snail-eating snake, there\u2019s a diverse array of fascinating animals whose names start with the letter ‘N.’<\/strong><\/p>

Animals that start with D<\/h2>
\u00a0Darwin\u2019s frog<\/h3>
<\/div><\/figure><p>When it comes to the letter D it’s no surprise to find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/species-named-after-sir-david-attenborough\">species named after Charles Darwin<\/a>. Confusingly, \u2018Darwin\u2019s frog\u2019 and \u2018Darwin\u2019s frogs\u2019 can be used to describe both a family of frogs and separate species. The Rhinodermatidae family contains just three species across two genera, and the two belonging to Rhinoderma are known as the southern Darwin\u2019s frog (discovered by Charles Darwin and sometimes just Darwin\u2019s frog) and northern Darwin\u2019s frog (or Chile Darwin\u2019s frog).\u00a0<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dicaprio-s-snail-eating-snake\">DiCaprio\u2019s snail-eating snake<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Leonardo DiCaprio names new snake species after his mother\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/54xawh_xCjI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>One of five snail-eating snakes described by scientists published in 2023 paper, the DiCaprio\u2019s snail-eating snake is found in Panama and Columbia. It was named \u2018<em>irmelindicaprioae\u2019<\/em>\u00a0by actor and conservationist Leonardo DiCaprio in honour of his mother Irmelin DiCaprio.<\/p><p>The newly described species is known from 16 localities in Panama and Colombia. One of these is an isolated population in the Cordillera Oriental mountain range of Colombia, which occurs at higher elevations and has a slightly different pattern, and which may turn out to be a different species upon further genetic analysis.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-damselfly\">Damselfly<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Closely related to dragonflies, with whom they form the Odonata class, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/uncategorized\/understand-mating-damselfly-behaviour\">damselflies<\/a> are smaller and daintier. They typically rest with their wings together, held up above their bodies, whilst dragonflies usually rest with their wings held out to the side.\u00a0<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/how-to\/identify-wildlife\/how-to-identify-dragonflies-and-damselflies\">How to identify dragonflies and damselflies<\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dingo\">Dingo\u00a0<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2119\" height=\"1414\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2022\/11\/Dingo.-GettyImages-975944260-db9829d.jpg\" alt=\"Dingo is an animal starting with d\" class=\"wp-image-71338\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>A wild dog found in\u00a0Australia,\u00a0it is descended from a breed of domestic dog introduced to Australia roughly 4,000 years ago. Considered a pest by European colonisers who were farming the land, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/dingo-guide-dingo-facts\">dingo<\/a> was hunted and its range much reduced.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dhole\">Dhole\u00a0<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Dhole-is-an-animal-starting-with-d.jpg\" alt=\"Dhole is an animal starting with d\" class=\"wp-image-103765\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The dhole is known by a few other names including whistling dog, red dog and Asiatic wild dog. Dholes live in social groups in eastern and southern Asia across a wide variety of habitats, with large territories of up to 34 square miles (88 square kilometres).<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/wolf-vs-dog\">Wolf vs dog: what’s the difference between man’s best friend and its wild cousin?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dartford-warbler\">\u00a0Dartford warbler\u00a0<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2159\" height=\"1439\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Dartford-warbler-is-an-animal-starting-with-d.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a0Dartford warbler\u00a0is an animal starting with d\" class=\"wp-image-103766\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>A distinctive bird, the Dartford <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/warblers\">warbler <\/a>was at the brink of extinction in the UK, but its fortunes have improved over the last 50 years thanks to the work of conservationists. The species is restricted to lowland heath habitats in southern and eastern England.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dark-edged-bee-fly\">Dark-edged bee-fly<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2086\" height=\"1437\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Dark-edged-bee-fly.jpg\" alt=\"Dark-edged bee-fly is an animal beginning with d\" class=\"wp-image-103767\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The dark-edged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/bee-flies\">bee-fly<\/a> can be mistaken for a bee thanks to its colouration and fluffy body, but look out for the single pair of wings. Its larvae are parasitic, and the female can be seen throwing her eggs into the nests of solitary bees in a \u2018twerking\u2019 motion.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-diving-bell-spider\">Diving bell spider\u00a0<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2124\" height=\"1411\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Diving-bell-spider-is-an-animal-starting-with-d.jpg\" alt=\"Diving bell spider\u00a0 is an animal starting with d\" class=\"wp-image-103768\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>So-named for the bubble of air that it creates within a web of silk, the diving bell spider (or water spider) lives almost entirely under water. It returns to the safe only to replenish the oxygen supply in its diving bell.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-darwin-s-finches\">\u00a0Darwin\u2019s finches\u00a0<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2122\" height=\"1412\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Darwins-finches-are-an-animal-beginning-with-d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103782\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Also known as the Gal\u00e1pagos finches, this group of 18 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/news\/evolution-in-action\">finches<\/a> were collected by Charles Darwin during his voyage on the\u00a0<em>HMS Beagle<\/em>\u00a0to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/15-species-you-must-see-on-your-galapagos-islands-trip\">Gal\u00e1pagos Islands,<\/a> and played a vital role in his theory of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/evolution-explained\">evolution<\/a>.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dalmation-pelican\">Dalmation pelican<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Dalmation-pelican-is-an-animal-starting-with-d-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Dalmatian pelican is an animal starting with d\" class=\"wp-image-103795\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The largest pelican species \u2013 and amongst the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/heaviest-flying-bird\"> largest of living flying bird<\/a> species \u2013 the Dalmatian pelican is native to the lakes, rivers and estuaries of central Eurasia. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/fossils-guide\">Fossil<\/a> records show that it bred in Britain until <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/guide-to-britains-feudal-era-when-were-the-middle-ages-and-best-medieval-sites-to-visit\">medieval<\/a> times.\u00a0<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-donkey\">Donkey<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Donkey-is-an-animal-starting-with-d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103773\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\/do-donkeys-make-good-pets\">Donkeys<\/a> are not small <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\">horses<\/a> with big ears! Domestic donkeys originated from the African wild ass in semi-arid regions of Northeast Africa.\u00a0Clues hinting towards\u00a0their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/desert-animals\">desert\u00a0<\/a>ancestry\u00a0may\u00a0be\u00a0seen\u00a0from their coats and hair density, which\u00a0has different properties to that of the UK\u2019s\u00a0native horse and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/guide-to-britains-native-pony-breeds?\">pony breeds<\/a>\u00a0who are better adapted to colder, grassy, open landscapes.\u00a0<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\/why-donkeys-arent-waterproof\">Why donkeys aren\u2019t waterproof like horses: The real reason they can’t handle rain<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/donkey-vs-horse-whats-the-difference\">What’s the difference between a horse and a donkey?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/horses\/how-long-do-donkeys-live\">How long do donkeys live?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p>Dung beetle<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2019\/06\/Dung_beetle-576308b.jpg\" alt=\"Dung beetle rolling a ball of dung.\" class=\"wp-image-23044\"\/><\/figure><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/6-amazing-dung-beetle-facts\">dung beetle<\/a> does what it says on the tin: it uses faeces, typically from herbivores and omnivores, for food and nest sites.<br\/>There are three types of dung beetle;<\/p><p>\u00a0<strong>Rollers<\/strong>\u00a0form balls of dung that are rolled away for burial, to be used as both an egg-laying site for the female and a food source for the adults and resulting grubs<\/p><p>\u00a0<strong>Tunnellers<\/strong>\u00a0dig down into and beneath the pile of dung, burying part of it as an underground larder<\/p><p>\u00a0<strong>Dwellers<\/strong>\u00a0live and raise their offspring within the dung.<\/p><p>Dik-dik<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/06\/Dik-dik-is-an-animal-beginning-with-d.mp4\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>These miniature antelopes stand only about 16 inches tall. Small as they are, they are unsurprisingly prey animals for many carnivores in the shrublands and savannas of eastern Africa where they live.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover 13 animals that start with the letter ‘D’. Can you think of more? 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