#805: Viper

The Vipers are a Family of venomous snakes, widespread across the world. She comes equipped with a long pair of fangs, hinged for deep penetration. These fangs are hollow, and are generally folded back into a sheath, revealed when the snake is hunting or threatened. Vipers do not always inject venom - venom production is energy-expensive, and can take time to replenish. Venom is generally injected when they seek to immobolize prey.

#804: Violin Beetle

The Violin Beetles are five species of terrestrial beetle occuring in Southeast Asia. His leaf-shaped body and cryptic colouration allows him to camouflage against the forest floor and his flattened shape means he is able to squeeze into narrow crevices. Larvae are commonly found in the layers of bracket fungus. Both larvae and adult beetles are predators, hunting insect larvae. If threatened, he excretes butyric acid.

#803: Violet Sea Snail

I confess, I initially chose the Violet Sea Snail merely for its name and because I never have enough invertebrates for this alphabet. But once I started learning about it, I realised that here was another awesome animal I had never heard of before.

The Violet Sea Snail is a marine mollusc with an unusual hunting technique. He excudes mucus, trapping bubbles of air to create a "raft", to which it clings, upside down. He then travels with the waves and the wind, preying on - get this! - free-floating hydrozoans, such as the Portugese man o' war. All Violet Sea Snails begin life as a male, changing to a female as she ages. Eggs are retained by the female until the larvae hatch.

#802: Vicuña

The Vicuña is a member of the camelid Family. Like her cousin, the guanaco, she lives in the high alpine regions of South America. She is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic alpaca. Vicuña produce a very fine wool, perfect for keeping her warm when the high altitude temperatures reach freezing point. This wool is one of the most expensive fibres available, as wild Vicuña can only be shorn every three years. Once, hundreds were poached and killed for it.

#801: Viciria

Viciria are a Family of jumping spiders, characterised by their slender abdomens. Like all spiders, he is carnivorous, feeding on insects.

This species is Viciria praemandibulari, the wide-jawed viciria, and this is a male.The female is more brightly coloured. Like many jumping spiders, Viciria display a level of maternal care, with the female tending to her eggs and newly hatched offspring. The wide-jaws viciria lives in Indonesia, Singapore, Sulawesi and Sumatra.

#800: Vesper Rat

The Vesper Rats are two species of New World Rat found in Central America. She leads an arboreal lifestyle, foraging through the branches for fruit and seeds. During the day, she sleeps in a nest constructed from twigs and leaves. She breeds throughout the year, constructing the nest with the assistance of her mate and birthing up to three offspring. Infants are born partially furred and blind; they remain attached to the mother's teats for the first two weeks, and are weaned at three weeks.

#799: Vesper Bat

The Vesper Bats are the largest Family of Bats, spread across every continent excluding Antarctica. They are predominantly insectivorous, using echolocation to pinpoint their prey with accuracy. Some of the larger species have techniques for hunting fish and even birds. Many species are colony roosters, with caves being a popular residence, although some favour hollow trees or animal burrows. This fellow is a Pallid Bat, found in western North America and Cuba.

Other species of Vesper Bat in this blog:
Noctule