#812: Wagtail

The Wagtails are a Genus of passerine songbirds, characterised by their long tails, which he wags conspicuously and constantly. The eleven species are spread across the Old World. The willie wagtail of Australia displays similar behaviour but is not related. Wagtails follow a diet of insects, and often forage near water. This fellow is a Pied Wagtail, in his summer plumage. He is widespread across Europe, Asia and parts of North Africa. 

#811: Vulture

The Vulture may not be the prettiest bird in the world, but he is essential to the environment. He acts as nature's cleaner, scavenging the bits of the animal that no other predator can manage. Vultures will even eat blood-soaked sand. Vulture species fall into two categories: Old World and New World. The Old World species inhabit Africa, Europe and Asia. Vultures are in sharp decline, especially in India and Nepal. A drug used on animals in that part of the world, Diclofenac, is thought to be the major cause. In Africa they are also suffering from poisoning and habitat loss.


This fellow, the Ruppell's Vulture, is the highest flying bird in the world - sighted at 11, 300 m above sea level. He is Critically Endangered.

#810: Vole

There are over 150 species of Vole, small rodents similar in size to a mouse, but rounder in body. Voles breed fast and die young, producing between 5 and 10 litters a year, with up to 10 offspring each litter. Very few Voles live longer than a year. They play an important role in the food chain of many species - from owls, mustelids, foxes, cats, basically anything of medium size and carnivorous diet. Her own diet is vegetation, and she enjoys snackinmg on succulent root systems of plants, not stopping until the plant is dead. 

#809: Vleihaas

The Vleihaas, or Riverine Rabbit, is one of the rarest mammals in the world - with less than 250 adults remaining. She is found only in isolated areas of the Karoo Desert, in river basins. She browses on foliage and flowers during the night, retiring to shallow scrapes during the day. She is slow-breeding, for a rabbit, with does birthing only one or two kits a year. Her habitat is under threat from farmland conversion, and much of it lies on privately owned land.

#808: Viscacha

The Viscacha of South America may look a little like a rabbit, but it is actually a rodent, closely related to the chinchilla. Unlike its thicker-furred companion, Viscacha are not endangered. There are five species.

#807: Vireo

The Vireos are a Family of small-to-medium sized passerines, found in Central and South America. Many species can be characterised by the white markings about their eyes. He follows a diet of insects, gleaned from branches, or hawked in flight.

#806: Viperfish

The Viperfish grows between 30-60 cm in length, and makes his home in the depths of the ocean - down to 1,500 m. In this lightless environment, he lures prey towards him using his bioluminscent photophores, both the one attached to his dorsal fin and lights along his body. His fangs remain folded back in his jaw, rather like a viper's, for they are so long he would be unable to close his mouth. These are used to incapicitate his prey.