The Complete List of Mammals That Start With W

This collection presents 42 Mammals that start with W, spanning from “Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat” to “Woylie”. They include small bats and rodents as well as large marine and terrestrial species, useful for reference, education, and quick content planning.

Mammals that start with W are species whose common English names begin with the letter W. Notable examples include the whale, important in many cultures, and the woylie, a distinctive Australian marsupial.

Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Order, and Habitat.

Common name: The everyday English name people use for the species, so you can quickly identify and search for each mammal.

Scientific name: The accepted Latin name (genus and species) that you can use for precise identification and literature searches.

Order: The taxonomic order shows broader biological grouping, helping you compare related species and understand evolutionary context.

Habitat: A concise habitat label (forest, marine, desert, urban, etc.) that helps you locate species by environment and region.

Mammals that start with W

Common name	Scientific name	Order	Habitat	Description
Walrus	Odobenus rosmarus	Carnivora	marine	Large Arctic pinniped with long tusks and whiskers; hauls out on ice and beaches. Vulnerable locally from hunting and sea-ice loss.
Weddell seal	Leptonychotes weddellii	Carnivora	marine	Antarctic seal that dives under fast ice for fish and squid; breeds on pack ice. Stable but sensitive to climate change.
Wolverine	Gulo gulo	Carnivora	tundra/forest	Powerful, solitary mustelid with vast territories; scavenges and hunts in cold regions. Low densities; some populations threatened by development.
Warthog	Phacochoerus africanus	Artiodactyla	grassland	Savanna pig with curved facial tusks that often backs into burrows; grazes and roots for food. Common across sub‑Saharan Africa.
White-tailed deer	Odocoileus virginianus	Artiodactyla	forest	Widespread North American deer known for its white tail flash; adaptable to forests and suburbs. Important game species and browsers.
White-beaked dolphin	Lagenorhynchus albirostris	Cetacea	marine	Robust North Atlantic dolphin with pale beak; favors cool coastal and shelf waters. Social and often seen in small groups.
White-footed mouse	Peromyscus leucopus	Rodentia	forest	Common North American mouse with white feet and belly; forages in woodlands and suburban areas. Reservoir for some tick‑borne diseases.
Wood mouse	Apodemus sylvaticus	Rodentia	forest	Common European woodland rodent with large eyes and ears; nocturnal seed‑eater that adapts to hedgerows and gardens.
Woodland vole	Microtus pinetorum	Rodentia	forest	Small burrowing vole of eastern North American forests; short tail and secretive habits. Important prey for many predators.
Water vole	Arvicola amphibius	Rodentia	freshwater	Semiaquatic Eurasian rodent with blunt nose; lives along rivers and marshes. Declining in areas due to habitat loss and invasive mink.
White-lipped peccary	Tayassu pecari	Artiodactyla	forest	Social, herd‑living peccary of Neotropical forests that shapes understorey vegetation. Declining from hunting and habitat fragmentation.
White-tailed jackrabbit	Lepus townsendii	Lagomorpha	grassland	Large prairie hare with long ears and seasonal coat color change; swift runner adapted to open plains and prairies.
White-bellied pangolin	Phataginus tricuspis	Pholidota	forest	Arboreal African pangolin with pale belly scales; nocturnal ant‑eater. Heavily targeted by poaching and listed as threatened.
Wild boar	Sus scrofa	Artiodactyla	forest/shrubland	Widespread wild ancestor of domestic pigs; highly adaptable omnivore. Native populations managed for hunting; invasive where introduced.
Wild yak	Bos mutus	Artiodactyla	tundra	Large high‑altitude bovine of the Tibetan Plateau with long coat and big horns; grazes alpine meadows. Vulnerable from hunting and competition with livestock.
West Indian manatee	Trichechus manatus	Sirenia	freshwater	Gentle, slow‑moving sirenian of Caribbean coasts and rivers that grazes seagrass. Vulnerable to boat strikes and habitat degradation.
Water opossum	Chironectes minimus	Didelphimorphia	freshwater	Only semiaquatic opossum of Central and South America with webbed hindfeet; hunts aquatic prey and is largely nocturnal.
White-faced capuchin	Cebus capucinus	Primates	forest	Central American monkey with pale face and dark body; intelligent and social, sometimes uses tools. Locally impacted by pet trade.
Western gorilla	Gorilla gorilla	Primates	forest	Large African ape of western forests; intelligent and social. Critically Endangered from hunting, disease and habitat loss.
White-handed gibbon	Hylobates lar	Primates	forest	Agile brachiating ape of Southeast Asian forests with loud morning calls; monogamous pair bonds. Endangered due to deforestation.
Wild water buffalo	Bubalus arnee	Artiodactyla	wetland	Large swamp‑dwelling Asian buffalo; endangered from habitat loss, hunting and hybridization with domestic buffalo.
White-tailed antelope squirrel	Ammospermophilus leucurus	Rodentia	desert	Small diurnal desert ground squirrel of the American Southwest with pale tail underside; forages for seeds and insects.
White-nosed coati	Nasua narica	Carnivora	forest	Central American coati with pale snout; social and omnivorous, often forages in groups during the day.
Wildcat	Felis silvestris	Carnivora	forest	Medium‑sized wild felid across Europe, Africa and Asia; striped and largely solitary. Threatened by habitat loss and hybridization with domestic cats.
White rhinoceros	Ceratotherium simum	Perissodactyla	grassland	Large African grazer with broad mouth adapted for grazing; includes near‑threatened and critically endangered subspecies.
Wapiti	Cervus canadensis	Artiodactyla	forest	Also called elk; large North American and Asian deer with impressive antlers. Important game species with regional conservation concerns.
Water deer	Hydropotes inermis	Artiodactyla	wetland	Small East Asian deer lacking antlers but with prominent tusks in males; prefers marshy and riparian habitats. Locally rare.
Water shrew	Neomys fodiens	Eulipotyphla	freshwater	Semiaquatic European shrew that hunts in streams and ponds; feeds on aquatic invertebrates and small fish.
Western spotted skunk	Spilogale gracilis	Carnivora	shrubland	North American skunk with spotted pelage and tail bands; uses musk spray as defense. Population trends vary regionally.
Western grey kangaroo	Macropus fuliginosus	Diprotodontia	grassland	Large Australian macropod common in southern grasslands; grazes nocturnally. Abundant in much of its range.
Woylie	Bettongia penicillata	Diprotodontia	shrubland	Small Australian bettong (woylie) that digs for fungi and tubers; critically endangered with active recovery programs.
White-headed langur	Trachypithecus leucocephalus	Primates	forest	Rare leaf‑eating langur from China with pale head; highly localized and Critically Endangered due to habitat loss.
Woolly mammoth	Mammuthus primigenius	Proboscidea	tundra	Iconic extinct Ice Age elephant with shaggy coat and curved tusks; disappeared around 4,000 years ago.
Woolly rhinoceros	Coelodonta antiquitatis	Perissodactyla	tundra	Extinct Pleistocene rhinoceros with thick fur adapted to cold steppe‑tundra; vanished at the end of the Ice Age.
White-eared opossum	Didelphis albiventris	Didelphimorphia	forest	South American opossum with pale ear edges; nocturnal omnivore that tolerates disturbed habitats.
White-throated woodrat	Neotoma albigula	Rodentia	desert	Nocturnal packrat of the American Southwest that builds large middens and stores vegetation; locally common.
Waterbuck	Kobus ellipsiprymnus	Artiodactyla	grassland	Large African antelope often found near water; has a distinctive white rump ring. Vulnerable in some regions to hunting.
Woolly opossum	Caluromys philander	Didelphimorphia	forest	Arboreal Neotropical marsupial with dense fur and nocturnal habits; feeds on fruit and insects. Not globally threatened.
Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat	Epomophorus wahlbergi	Chiroptera	forest	African fruit bat that feeds on figs and fruit; males display white “epaulettes” during courtship. Common in many woodlands.
White-winged vampire bat	Diaemus youngi	Chiroptera	forest	Neotropical vampire bat recognizable by pale wing patches; feeds mainly on bird and small mammal blood.
Western lowland gorilla	Gorilla gorilla gorilla	Primates	forest	Subspecies of western gorilla in central African rainforests; critically endangered from hunting and disease.
Western chimpanzee	Pan troglodytes verus	Primates	forest	West African subspecies of chimpanzee known for tool use and cultural behavior; highly endangered from hunting and habitat loss.