Can you think of any animals whose names begin with the letter U? It’s hard to believe, but there are numerous animals with names that start with the letter U. And in this article, we have created a list of some of the more common ones. Let’s go and have a look at them.
Animals that Start with U
- Uakari
- Uaru Cichlid
- Uguisu
- Uinta Ground Squirrel
- Uintatherium
- Umbrellabird
- Unau (Linnaeus’s Two-Toed Sloth)
- Underwing Moth
- Upland Sandpiper
- Ural owl
- Urechis unicinctus (Penis Fish)
- Urial
- Uromastyx (Spiny-Tailed Lizard)
- Urutu Snake
- Utonagan
1. Uakari
Uakari, or Cacajao, are native to the Amazon rainforest in South America. The bald face of the uakari, which often falls in pink to deep red tones, is its most recognizable feature. Its typical body length is approximately 17 inches, and its weight ranges from 2.75 to 3.45 kg.
Fun Fact: The tails of uakari are shorter than any other monkeys. Their tail is 6 inches long, less than half its total length.
2. Uguisu
Uguisu is found in many far-eastern countries, including Taiwan, China, and Japan. The Uguisu bird, often called the Japanese Bush-Warbler, is so named for its stunningly unique sound. This is a small perching bird with long, clawed toes like other small perching birds. The Uguisu has a straight, tan-coloured beak and small, dark eyes with white stripes above each one.
Fun Fact: Guano, the term for the Uguisu bird’s excrement, is frequently found in skin-whitening solutions.
3. Unau
Unau, the two-toed sloth, sometimes known as Linnaeus’ sloth, is a nocturnal animal. It has a small neck and four long, equally-sized limbs that all culminate in curved claws around 3 to 4 inches in length. The head is short and round, with a snub nose, minimal ear structure, and bulging eyes.
Fun Fact: It is known for its aggression and can move quickly. Yet the fastest it can go is 0.17 mph.
4. Uaru Cichlid
Uaru Cichlid is a freshwater fish found only in South America’s Upper Orinoco and Amazon basins. This swiftly swimming fish has a deep body and an oval disc form. It can grow to 12 inches (30 cm) in the wild but only 10 inches (25.5 cm) in an aquarium. Unlike any other fish in the cichlid family, it is well-known for its distinctive colours.
Fun Fact: Uaru cichlids undergo a colour shift during the mating season.
5. UmbrellaBird
Umbrellabird is a native of Central and South American rainforests. This vast tropical species is one of the biggest ones in the cotinga family. Umbrella birds, roughly the size of crows, enjoy feasting on giant insects and spiders. They use their broad, curved beaks to snag berries and other treats off the branches of trees.
Fun Fact: The wattle that extends from the neck of a umbrellabird helps amplify its echoing sounds.
6. Upland Sandpiper
Like the curlews, the upland sandpiper is a large species of sandpiper. These birds’ long necks, tails, and short beaks are all distinctive features. You can see the dark brown and white spots all over their body. They favour rural places with plenty of long grass for cover.
Fun Fact: While foraging on the grass, they move in jerky, erratic patterns.
7. Ural Owl
The Ural owl is found in the coldest climates of Eurasia. This nocturnal specie is vast, with a long tail, a round face, and a generally pale appearance. Its small, dark brown eyes are characteristic of its slightly nocturnal habits. Along with the enormous ears, the facial disc is well-developed, highlighting the value of hearing to owls who hunt in the boreal regions.
Fun Fact: The head of the ural owl can rotate up to 270 degrees.
8. Uromastyx Lizards
Uromastyx lizards have big, spiky tails that they use for defence and come in a wide variety of vibrant colours and eye-catching designs. Spiny-tailed lizards are popular among reptile enthusiasts who care for unusual species. Their scales can be mottled red, orange, green, or yellow in addition to the standard grey.
Fun Fact: After consuming salty desert plants, spiny-tailed lizards “sneeze” clear fluid containing salt from their nasal glands and dries into a white powder.
9. Union Jack Butterfly
Union jack butterfly is native to northern Australia, New Guinea and neighbouring islands. Because of their distinctive colouring, which resembles the British flag, the Union Jack Butterflies have earned their name. In contrast to the vivid red and yellow that may be found on the underside, the colouring is almost entirely white. Females, however, have more significant regions of black colour.
Fun Fact: The only plants the butterfly lays her eggs on are mistletoe plants, the only plants that the larvae eat.
10. Unicorn Fish
Unicorn fish is a marine-water fish found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. The fish also has a long spike, known as a frontal horn, that protrudes from its forehead and a pair of sharp, forward-facing spines that protrude from the side of its tail shaft. Besides their flattened shape, unicorn fish can also take on thin, tubular shapes.
Fun Fact: Depending on its surroundings and its emotions, this fish has the extraordinary ability to change its color nearly immediately.
11. Uganda Woodland Warbler
Uganda woodland warblers are native to Uganda and Equatorial Guinea. A tiny, energetic songbird that inhabits the lowland and mid-elevation forests. The Uganda woodland warblers are little birds with unique flight abilities. These birds are green from above and grey from below and have distinct pale eyebrows.
Fun Fact: The birds are instantly recognised for their cacophony of frantic, high-pitched songs. Moreover, their singing speed is the same as their flying speed.
12. Ucayali Spiny Mouse
Ucayali spiny mice are commonly found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. However, they are native to the Amazon rainforests. This long-nosed mouse’s head and body length are between 3.1 and 3.5 inches, and it has a long tail. Their coat is made up of both fine hairs and larger, flattened spines.
Fun Fact: They use distinctive self-defence strategies to fend off predators. These spiny mice shed their skin and flee when attacked.
13. Ultramarine Flycatcher
Ultramarine flycatcher is found in the foothills of the Himalayas and southern India. The magnificent, electric blue feathers that give these tiny birds their name are only seen on the males; the female ultramarine flycatchers are greyish-brown. The female ultramarine flycatcher has a slightly rusty patch on the forehead, whereas males have short white eyebrows.
Fun Fact: The ultramarine flycatcher has a lovely ‘trrr’ chirp that it uses for communication.
14. Uluguru Blue-Bellied Frog
Uluguru blue-bellied frog, or Hoplophryneuluguruensis, is native to Tanzania. It prefers moist lowland forests and montane forests, both in subtropics and tropics. Frogs of this species can grow to a maximum size of 2.5 cm in length, and their vivid blue bellies are easily distinguishable from their olive-green backs. Unfortunately, this species is on the verge of extinction.
Fun Fact: This frog is commonly called a “narrow-mouthed frog” because of its tiny mouth and massive, fatty body.
15. Ulysses Butterfly
Often referred to as the “mountain blue butterfly,” this species of swallowtail butterfly can be spotted in suburban gardens and tropical rainforests. Like many others in the swallowtail family, the Ulysses butterfly has long, trailing streamers at the end of its hind wings. The species is well-known for its impressive size, brilliant blue hue, and eye-catching appearance.
Fun Fact: The average size of its wing span is 5.5 inches.
16. Ultramarine Lorikeet
Ultramarine Lorikeet is only found in UaHuka, French Polynesia. The ultramarine lorikeet is covered in blue, orange, and green hues, making it one of the brightest parrots currently living. They weigh about 1.2 ounces and reach a maximum length of about seven inches. This bird eats various fruits and insects, although it likes eating coconut palm blooms.
Fun Fact: There are only about 2000 ultramarine lorikeets left, and they are in danger of going extinct.
17. Urchin
Urchin, or Echinoidea, are found intertidal to the deep ocean. The urchin is linked to starfish and sea cucumbers. Although it is possible to feed them with specially prepared pellets, their primary diet consists of algae and other small animals. Its spines have two purposes: defence and propulsion. Pedicellariae, calcium carbonate-packed spines, aid in protection from predators.
Fun Fact: Urchins are fantastic additions to an aquarium because of their kind temperament despite their intimidating appearance.
18. Undulated Antpitta
Undulated antpitta lives in montane forests that range from subtropical to tropical, including Polylepis woodlands, and it frequently coexists with Chusquea bamboo thickets. These birds occasionally bounce around on the ground for food, although they prefer to dwell in high elevations.
Fun Fact: Its look is best described as chubby, with a mustard underbelly and a back that is smoky grey.
19. Uinta Ground Squirrel
Uinta ground squirrels are commonly found in the Green River, southwestern Montana, and northern and central Utah. Western North America and southwestern Canada are also home to this rodent species. The Uinta ground squirrel grows to a maximum length of 10 inches, has a light brown tint, and has distinct reddish-brown stripes along its back. These squirrels eat many plants, nuts, insects, and small animals.
Fun Fact: It can climb trees and hibernate for up to seven months of the year, making it a resourceful and adaptable animal.
20. Underwood’s Bonneted Bat
Underwood’s bonneted bat is native to Cuba. The Underwood’s bonneted bat is an insectivore, which means that insects make up its main diet. Additionally, pollen, nectar, and fruit are part of its diet. Underwood’s bonneted bat is regarded as highly endangered due to its constrained range.
Fun Fact: Human activities like deforestation and habitat destruction have significantly reduced their number.
21. Unstriped Tube-Nosed Bat
The unstriped tube-nosed bat, or Paranyctimene raptor, is found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. This species of megabat is notable for its size and fruit-centric diet. They’re easily identifiable by the light patches on their ears and wings and the dark stripe across their bodies. The total length of these bats is around 5.5 inches. Human danger has long been associated with megabats like the unstriped tube-nosed bat.
Fun Fact: They could carry viruses, and consuming them might make you sick.
22. Uganda Clawed Frog
Uganda clawed frogs’ native environments include moist lowland forests in the subtropics and tropics, intermittent freshwater marshes and extensively degraded formerly forested areas. Frogs utilise their little, non-webbed fingers to shovel food into their mouths. Their hind legs are broad and webbed, and the tips of the three inner toes on each foot are cornified to resemble claws.
Fun Fact: Uganda clawed frog, like many amphibians, is polyploid, having 12 chromosomes rather than the usual two.
23. Ulrey’s Tetra
Ulrey’s tetra fish species typically inhabits ponds, lakes, and marshes with low water velocities. Silvery overall characterises this species with black dots on the fins and tail. Eyes are small and positioned closely on either side of its skull, and its mouth is wide and projecting.
Fun Fact: As they age, they may switch to eating smaller fish, further solidifying their position as a critical predator in the marine food web.
Wrapping Up!
We hope this blog’s post on animals starting with the letter U was very informative for you.
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