I often wonder if any animal starts with X. When we say names of animals, it is frequently tricky to think of one from the letter X. However, is there any? It’s hard to believe. But there are actually some animals whose names start with X.
And not just one I will tell you about nine animals that starts with X and some specific facts about them just to gain some sight of knowledge. So, let’s go through it.
1. Animals that Start with ‘X’
However, there are many animals whose name starts with X, of which the most notable creatures are listed below:
1.1. X-Ray Tetra
The X-Ray Tetra belongs to the family of Characidae, and its scientific name is Pristella Maxillaris. These are also best known for their skin cover, which is translucent, and due to this feature, the backbone of the fish can be seen.
This fish has very faint silvery and yellowish scales that shine yellow in lightning. It is found in the coastal waters of the Amazon of Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana in South America. One of its best features is its tolerance and peacefulness in its habitat.
1.2. Xerus
Xerus is a cute animal that comes from the family of Sciuridae and belongs to the Animalia kingdom. It is a species of squirrel that lives in burrows in Africa. It has a soft, medium-sized, and fluffy tail that they often use to cover themselves to protect their body from the high sunlight of Africa.
It is a native animal to Africa and is commonly called an African ground squirrel. They are known to be daytime animals and are primarily herbivores. Though they live in caves, these creatures are highly humble and social. Further, it belongs to the Chordata phylum.
1.3. Xenoceratops
Xenoceratops belongs to the family of Ceratopsidae and is scientifically known as Xenoceratops Foremostensis. It is known to be the oldest horned dinosaur that was ever found in Canada. It was a herbivore dinosaur that weighed around two tons.
They lived in Canada around eighty million years ago at the time of Late Cretaceous. It is also known to be one of the oldest dinosaurs of the same kind in North America. Further, it belongs to the class of Reptilia. Animalia is the Kingdom of this dinosaur.
1.4. Xingu River Ray
Xingu River Ray is scientifically known as Potamotrygon Leopoldi that comes from the family of Potamotrygonidae. It is a cartilaginous fish that lives in freshwater and is primarily discovered in the Xingu River basin of Brazil, also a tributary of the Amazon River.
Its spine is harder and denser than the other animals backbones that is filled of venom. Due to various human and environmental activities, these creatures are threatened even in their natural habitats. Also, the main fact is, these are only found in Xingu River may be this is the reason to have the same name as a river.
1.5. Xiaosaurus
Xiaosaurus was a variety of dinosaurs whose scientific name was Xiaosaurus Dashanpensis. It belongs to the Animalia kingdom. Also, it was known to be a lightweight and small species of dinosaurs. It is a well-known fact that Asia was home to many dinosaur species millions of years ago.
Further, the correct way to pronounce Xiaosaurus is “chow-sau-rus.” It was the most noticeable herbivore dinosaur in the continent of Asia. During the Middle Jurassic Time, this creature lived around 163-169 million years ago.
1.6. Xiaotingia
Birds are known to be the closest species to dinosaurs, however, modern day birds look nothing like ancient giant dinosaurs. Nonetheless, there are some small dinosaur creatures that some what looked like birds nowadays. One of them was Xiaotingia.
Xiaotingia belongs to the family of Anchiornithidae and is scientifically known as Xiaotingia Zhengi. Further, the name Xiaotingia is pronounced as “zhow-tin-gee-ah”.
1.7. Xenacanthus
Xenacanthus is an extinct fish that existed approximately two hundred million years ago. It was a small shark that lived in freshwater. They are known to be the prehistoric species of sharks, which is scientifically known as xénos.
Their fossils were discovered all over the world in freshwater. Compared to modern sharks, their features were unique and quite different. They were around 3-5 feet long and were carnivore creatures that mainly fed on smaller fish.
1.8. Xiphactinus
Xiphactinus lived around the Late Cretaceous that was a fish, which was scientifically known as Xiphactinus Audax. It belongs to the Ichthyodectidae family and it was known to be the leading predator and also the largest bony fish during that time.
However, this is an extinct sea specie of bony fish that belonged to the class of Actinopterygii.
1.9. Xeme
Xeme also known as Sabine’s Gull, belongs to the family of Laridae. Xema Sabini is the scientific name of this bird. It is a small gull that is mainly found in Europe and North America. During the breeding season, they prefer to live in arctics, after that they migrate over oceans and spend their winters in tropical regions.
These birds mostly fly low near the water’s surface to eat the insects and small fish from the water’s surface. It is well-known that they go after whales and seals for their scraps.
2. Final Words
You can find a huge list of animals when you have to spell them with letters like A, C, D, M, and so on. However, letters like E, Y, Z, U, and W are often found difficult to encounter with. X is the letter that confuses people and forces them to think more. Well, according to the names we have just read, it is not easy to remember them. But knowing them can help you learn something new and exciting. However, you can even find more than 50 animals started with X. Some went extinct, some are on the verge, and the rest exist in modern days.
Last Updated on by Janhavi Ramesh Kowligi