Animals That Start With M

Did you know that mice are animals that can be found on every continent? Or have you heard about the curl-horned Markhor with only 2500 individuals left in the wild? In this article, we will talk about the animals that start with M.

Let’s explore the habits, characteristics, and interesting facts of the well-known and less-known animals that start with M worldwide.

Animal Names That Start With M

1. Mouse
2. Monarch Butterfly
3. Monkey
4. Markhor
5. Macaque
6. Marble Fox
7. Man Of War Jellyfish

Well-Known Animals That Start With M

Some of the most common animals that start with M that stand out with their interesting characteristics or behavior patterns include the mouse, which is indeed a widespread rodent. 

Additionally, we’ll focus on monarch butterflies on this list, as an interesting fact about those beauties is that during the migration period, they can fly for more than 250 miles in just one day. 

Besides, it is impossible to talk about well-known animals and not mention monkeys, the animals closest to humans in their habits and characteristics.

1. Mouse

The first creature on the list of animals that start with M is a mouse. The little rodent known as a mouse has a pointed snout, a spherical body covered in fur, big ears, and a long, sometimes hairless tail. The vast majority of mice fall into one of two subfamilies: those from the Old World or those from the New World. Deer mice, house mice, field mice, wood mice, dormice, spiny mice, and zebra mice are common species.

Mice are resilient animals that can live practically anywhere and in any habitat. They may readily exist in meadows, woodlands, and man-made buildings. Mice who live in the wild usually dig tunnels underground. They are protected from predators by their burrows. Cats, birds, wild dogs, and foxes are their main predators in the wild.

The majority of wild mice are wary of people and other animals but are incredibly sociable with other mice. Domestic mice are quite sociable with people and make ideal pets for adults and kids. 

They actually enjoy eating fruits, nuts, and grains. The typical house mouse will consume almost anything made available to it and is an omnivore eater. In fact, mice will even devour one another if food is limited.

2. Monarch Butterfly

The veins and borders of the monarch’s orange wings are dark in hue. Additionally, there are white specks scattered throughout the wings’ borders or outer edges. Instead of vigorously flapping their wings when in flight, they fly slowly and sail.

The habitat of monarch butterflies is dependent on the season. While overwintering, they are considerably pickier about their habitat and will select the best conditions for survival. The most crucial aspects of their survival are to have sunlight available and access to the slow-moving waters. Those beauties are found in various places around the world, including India, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. 

Those animals that start with M also pick flora, such as trees and shrubs, to sleep on because it protects them from predators. Caterpillars are also monarch butterflies, and they usually tend to consume milkweed. Surprisingly, they cannot eat any other plants. Instead, the adults consume the nectar of flowers while the larvae consume leaves and other plant material. They also collect their water from puddles and wet foliage. Some of their favorite foods include coneflowers, horseweed, lilacs, Indian hemp, milkweed, and others.

3. Monkey

There are many different species of monkeys found throughout most tropical woods and forests. Despite their inherent diversity, most of them are threatened by human habitation, capture, and hunting. There are now two main groupings of monkeys: “old” and “new” world monkeys. Even though monkeys cannot walk on two legs, we are closely linked to them. 

Monkeys are mostly found in tropical regions, especially in forests. However, there are different settings that different species of monkeys like to live in. Baboons, for instance, inhabit more arid or dry regions in the southern nations of Africa, where it may also get chilly. 

The quantity of meat or vegetables a monkey consumes is influenced by its habitat and the season. The majority of monkeys consume both vegetables and meat, making them omnivores. In addition, bigger monkeys may steal bird eggs or consume larger prey, including lizards. A major portion of a monkey’s diet also consists of fruit, nuts, and seeds.

Monkeys may gorge themselves on grubs or consume large quantities of ripe fruit, then turn to more predictable food sources for the remainder of the year. For instance, the squirrel monkey eats primarily insects, which provide three-quarters of its nourishment.

Less Known Animals That Start With M

Less-known animals that start with M include Markhor and the beautiful marble fox – an animal that has been created with an artificial selection. Additionally, we will also explore the macaque macacas and man of war jellyfish, which are named after the warships from the 18th century.

4. Markhor

Markhor is a creature with long, grizzled hair that can be brown, gray-black, white, tan, or any combination of those colors. In the summer, it is short and silky, while in the winter it is longer and thicker. The animal’s distinctive horns, which adult males may grow to be 5 feet long, are what make it most recognizable.

The habitat of markhors can vary and depends on the species. However, those animals that start with M typically prefer to stay in the open woodlands, mountains, and scrublands of Central Asia.

Markers have almost the same eating habits as goats. Typically, their diet consists of leaves, grass, and shoots. However, when the food is abundant in winter, they browse the trees. The number of those animals has decreased a lot throughout the years. However, over the past ten years, there has been a 20% growth in the population. The IUCN Red List states that it has a Near Threatened conservation status as of 2015.

5. Macaque

Those animals that start with M are well-examined by scientists because they resemble humans. It can be challenging to distinguish between male and female macaques, despite the fact that males are often much bigger than females. Typically dark or even black in color, the four things are noticeable around the face. It is simple for them to climb trees since their arms and legs are almost the same sizes.

Macaques are very adaptable creatures that can reside in a wide range of environments. The majority of them are found in tropical areas, including the territories of Asia and North Africa. In the wild, these primates are subject to severe threats from people, including habitat degradation and poaching.

In the wild, the macaque is only sometimes attacked by crocodiles, leopards, tigers, snakes, and even birds of prey. Being largely herbivores, macaques eat leaves, flowers, tree barks, fruit, and seeds in their diet. Insects are occasionally used as a supplement, although this is unusual. If they live close to people, they rob them of agricultural crops like bananas, tomatoes, and mangoes. Additionally, they like getting free food from locals in well-known tourist areas.

6. Marble Fox

Those interesting animals that start with M are distinct species despite their peculiar looks. According to popular belief, a red and silver fox were crossed to create the marble fox. A human breeder picked this intriguing color variant when a genetic mutation occurred randomly, probably as early as 1945. They are largely domestically farmed and bred for commercial purposes. 

Foxes may be found in a variety of varied environments in the wild, including deserts, tundra, cities, woods, and mountains. Wild relatives of the marble fox are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. People also brought them to Australia. However, those animals typically live in captivity.

The fox’s normal diet in the wild would include insects, reptiles, tiny rodents, birds, and occasionally even vegetation and fruit. They are typically given prepared or processed meat while in captivity.

7. Man Of War Jellyfish

These interesting animals that start with M are not actually jellyfish, as they may look. They are considered to be siphonophores. They resemble jellyfish but are actually a colony of many creatures suspended from a single floating bladder. 

As strange as it may sound, this creature is a colony organism made from several tiny parts hanging from a bladder filled with gas as tentacles. These more compact objects, known as zooids, are all identical yet perform different, unique tasks. The zooids function as a single entity as a group.

Those creatures are mostly found in the Caribbean waters, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Even though they favor warm areas, they occasionally travel into cooler seas.

The animal prefers to eat young, recently caught baby fish of larger species. However, it may also eat the occasional huge fish by stinging them. The aquatic creature also consumes plankton, which includes tiny crustaceans and mollusks. This creature is not a hunter. Rather, the prey inadvertently swims into or near the tentacles, which then sting it. The prey that has been paralyzed is reeled in by these tentacles, which then steer it into feeding polyps.

Bottom Line – Animals That Start With M

In this article, we discussed some of the most interesting creatures living on earth. This list of animals that start with M includes rodents, insects, mammals, and fish. Each of those animals is a gift of nature and plays a vital role in the ecosystem’s functioning.