{"id":40404,"date":"2024-07-22T13:21:39","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T11:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1ac12677-9508-4b40-9c54-2ccc72a465ee"},"modified":"2024-07-22T14:27:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T12:27:24","slug":"13-animals-starting-with-w","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/13-animals-starting-with-w\/","title":{"rendered":"13 animals starting with ‘W’\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover 13 animals starting with the letter ‘w’, but what have we forgotten? Let us know… <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 22 July 2024 at 11:21 AM<\/p>

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From the strange-looking warthog to the pretty wasp spider here are 13 fascinating animals starting with the letter ‘W’.<\/p>

Incredible animal facts: Discover extraordinary truths about the natural world<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
13 animals beginning with ‘W’\u00a0<\/h2>
Wombat<\/h3>
Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Wombats<\/a> are a mostly nocturnal marsupial<\/a>, endemic to Australia. They aren\u2019t exactly small, being up to a metre long and weighing up to 40kg.<\/p>
Wombats are in fact the planet\u2019s largest burrowing herbivores. They dig using their front claws and push soil backwards with their hind feet and rump. They create subterranean systems up to 30m long and several metres deep, and feature various entrances.<\/p>
- A zookeeper visited a former penal colony in Australia only to find it overrun with adorable wombats<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
  Wasp spider<\/h3>
  Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  A pretty spider named for its wasp-like colouration and stripes, the wasp spider is a relatively recent arrival in the UK and is gradually spreading northwards. Females are larger than males, allowing a male to sneak into the female\u2019s web and mate with her.<\/p>
  The wasp spider is one of the UK’s biggest spiders<\/a><\/p>
  Whale shark\u00a0<\/h3>
  Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  The whale shark<\/a> is both the largest living shark and the largest living fish on earth, growing up to 20metres in length. As a filter feeder, it feeds on tiny plankton instead hunting for fish. Its back is covered in a unique pattern of spots, allowing research to identify different individuals.\u00a0<\/p>
  White-tailed eagle\u00a0<\/p>
  Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  The white-tailed eagle<\/a> became extinct in the British Isles in 1918, but was successful reintroduced between 1975-85 to the Inner Hebrides<\/a>. Further reintroductions then took place in Scotland, and then in England on the Isle of Wight<\/a>.<\/p>
  White-tailed eagle vs osprey: what’s the difference between these two stunning birds of prey?<\/a><\/li>
  Isle of Wight eagles don’t pose threat to lambs as feared – instead they prefer fish and rabbits<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
  Wallace\u2019s sphinx moth\u00a0<\/h3>
  $\"\"$
  Esculapio, CC BY-SA 3.0 https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  The Wallace\u2019s sphinx moth is unusual in that its existence was predicted 30 years before it was discovered, first by Charles Darwin and then by Alfred Russel Wallace. Both were hypothesising that a particular species of orchid<\/a> would be pollinated<\/a> by a moth with a long proboscis \u2013 which turned out to be the now-named Wallace\u2019s sphinx moth.<\/p>
  Wren<\/h3>
  $\"\"$ <\/figure>
  Wrens<\/a> are tiny, dumpy brown birds with long legs, a fine bill, short round wings and a short, narrow tail. Wrens feed on tiny invertebrates, including spiders, flies, beetles and\u00a0ants<\/a><\/strong>, which they grab with that long, pointed bill. Because these creatures are available all year round \u2013 unlike, for example, some flying insects \u2013 wrens have little or no need to migrate.<\/p>
  \u00a0Wart-biter\u00a0<\/h3>
  $\"\u00a0Wart-biter\u00a0\"$
  Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  The wart-biter is a large green species of bush-cricket, which is found in just six sites in the UK, all in southern England. Despite having wings, the species rarely flies as it is very heavy. It is named as people used to use them for removing warts.\u00a0<\/p>
  Britain\u2019s largest insects: which insect can be crowned the UK’s largest?<\/a><\/li>
  G rasshoppers vs crickets: what’s the difference between these two jumping insects?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
  Wolverine\u00a0<\/h3>
  Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  The wolverine isn\u2019t just a fictional superhero from the Marvel comics and films, but also a real-life animal. It is the largest terrestrial species in the mustelid family. Although it can prey on large animals, it is typically a scavenger <\/a>that feeds on carrion.\u00a0<\/p>
  Weasel<\/h3>
  $\"\"$
  Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  Weasels are small, brown, fast and ferocious mustelids<\/a> with sinuous bodies and short legs. They are up to 20cm long and live in hedgerows, woodland <\/a>and rough grassy banks.<\/p>
  Stoat and weasel guide: how to identify, habitat, diet and best places to spot<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
  \u00a0Warthog<\/h3>
  Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  The warthogs are two species of wild pigs belonging to\u00a0Phacochoerus<\/em>\u00a0genus, the common warthog (widespread in sub-Saharan Africa) and the desert warthog (limited to Northern Kenya and Somalia). Both species mainly feed on plants, but will also eat insects<\/a>, eggs and carrion.\u00a0<\/p>
  White rhino<\/h3>
  $\"James$
  James Mwenda, conservationist at Ol Pejeta Conservancy with one of the two remaining northern white rhinos. \u00a9 Charlotte Lathane\/BBC<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  Found in parts of Africa, the white rhino<\/a> has two subspecies \u2013 southern and northern. Whilst the former is doing well, the northern white rhino is on the brink of extinction with only two living individuals \u2013 two related females which are kept under armed protection in Kenya.\u00a0<\/p>
  How different are northern and southern white rhinos?<\/a><\/li>
  Last male northern white rhino dies<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
  Western gorilla\u00a0<\/h3>
  Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  One of two species of gorilla<\/a>, the Western gorilla is found in Western Africa and spilt into two subspecies, the Western lowland gorilla and the Cross River gorilla. Both subspecies, and the species as a whole, are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List<\/a>.<\/p>
  Great ape guide: learn all about the different great ape species, where they live and what they eat<\/a><\/li>
  What are primates?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
  \u00a0Water vole\u00a0<\/h3>
  $\"Water$
  Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
  In the UK, the European water vole<\/a> is the largest vole species and can sometimes be mistaken for a brown rat. In the introduction of the non-nati ve American mink<\/a>, alongside habitat loss and degradation, has severely impacted the population and dedicated conservation projects have been undertaken to help the species.<\/p>
  How to tell the difference between a brown rat and a water vole<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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13 animals beginning with ‘W’\u00a0<\/h2>

Wasp spider<\/h3>