Animals of the World: W

Several members of the dog family have names beginning with W. The gray wolf is a social predator that lives and hunts in packs, the ancestor of the domestic dog, and it ranges across forests and tundra of the Northern Hemisphere. The red wolf is a rarer, smaller species native to North America that has been the subject of intensive recovery efforts. Both rely on cooperation within the pack to hunt prey larger than themselves.

The weasel family includes small, slender, agile hunters such as weasels and stoats, as well as the wolverine, a powerful and tenacious animal of cold northern regions known for its strength relative to its size. These predators are active and bold, and many can take prey considerably larger than themselves. The walrus is a very large marine mammal of Arctic waters, recognizable by its long tusks, which it uses on ice and in social display.

Other animals beginning with W include the warthog, a wild African pig with curved tusks and a habit of kneeling to feed on grass, and the wombat, a sturdy burrowing marsupial of Australia. The orca, or killer whale, is in fact the largest member of the dolphin family, a highly intelligent ocean predator that hunts in coordinated groups. These animals span land and sea and several distinct mammal groups.

Frequently asked questions

Why do wolves hunt in packs?

Hunting cooperatively in a pack lets wolves bring down prey much larger than a single animal could manage and helps them defend territory.

Is the orca a whale or a dolphin?

The orca, or killer whale, is actually the largest member of the dolphin family. It is a powerful, social ocean predator.

What does the walrus use its tusks for?

A walrus uses its long tusks to help haul itself onto ice, in contests with other walruses, and as a sign of dominance.