They may not be as popular as Rabbit, Rat, Robin, Rhinoceros, Rooster or Rottweiler.
But these charming animals deserve their spot on our list of animals whose names begin with the letter R.
Animals that Start with the Letter R
1. Raccoon
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are medium-sized mammals endemic to North and South America. These nocturnal is found in different habitats such as prairies, forests, marshes, and urban areas.
Raccoons are easily identified by the black markings around their eyes resembling a mask. They have clawed feet with long fingers and toes. The dense furs vary from gray to brown.
They have pointed snouts and bushy, black-ringed tails. Adults measure about 60 to 95 cm long and weigh around 1.8 to 10.4 kg.
Raccoons are omnivores; they feed on fish, frogs, mice, birds, other small mammals, plants, fruits, nuts and even human garbage. In the wild, raccoons can live from 2 to 3 years.
2. Red Uakari
The Red Uakari (Cacajao calvus), is relatively a small monkey found in the jungles of South America in particular Brazil, Columbia and Peru. It is roughly 58 cm tall and weighs around 4 kg.
The fur color varies from white to golden to red depending on the subspecies. All Red Uakaris are characterized by their shaggy coats, bald heads, pink to red faces, wide eyes and short tails.
These agile primates feed mainly on fruits, flowers, seeds as well as small animals. Their population is in a decline due to rampant hunting and habitat loss.Currently, the IUCN lists the Red Uakari as “vulnerable”.
3. Redstart
Redstarts are any of several species of small passerine birds widespread in the Western Hemisphere. Adults can reach 13-14.5 cm long with 21-24 cm wingspan and 12-20 g.
Redstarts have black faces, black bill, black legs, gray upperparts, orange breasts and long, red tail.
Most species are migratory and breed almost anywhere, including woodlands, gardens, orchards, parks and: and quarries. Redstarts are insectivores feeding mainly on insects and their larvae.
4. Redhead
The Redhead (Aythya americana) is a medium-sized diving duck found across North America, Australia and New Zealand.
These migratory birds are found in a variety of habitat, including ponds, freshwater lakes, coastal waters, marshlands and bays.
Adults grow to about 37 cm long with an 84 cm wingspan and weigh up to 0.95-1.4 kg. Redhead adult males sport reddish-chestnut head, black breast, and gray back. It has red neck, yellow eyes and blue bill.
The adult females have white breast, brown head and back. These birds find food by diving or dabbling. They feed on leaves, tubers, muskgrass, wild celery, duckweeks, bulrush seeds, water lily seeds and wild rice.
5. Redpoll
Redpolls are small passerine birds found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are three known species of redpolls namely: Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea), Lesser Redpoll (Carduelis cabaret), and the Arctic Redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni).
They are generally brown or gray-brown in color and with the distinguishable red markings on their foreheads. The bill is small and yellow.
Adults average 11.5-14.5 cm long with 20-25 cm wingspan and weigh between 12-16 g. Redpolls are generally seed-eaters but at times feed on small insects.
6. Red Brocket
The Red Brocket (Mazama americana), is a species of brocket deer widespread in the dense forests of Central and South America. These small diurnal animals inhabit swamps, rivers and marshes.
When fully-grown, Red Brocket deer measure 70-130 cm long, 69-71 cm tall, and weigh 16-25 kg. Generally, they have reddish brown coats, arched back, and a slender body.
Males sport anthers that can measure 10-13 cm 4-in length. They feed mostly on leaves, grasses, buds and fruits. Red Brocket deer are excellent swimmers.
7. Rhea
Rheas are either of two species of large, flightless birds endemic to South America. The two known extant species are the Greater Rhea (Rhea Americana) and the Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata).
Resembling an ostrich, but are smaller, Rheas have gray-brown plumage, small heads with pointed beaks, long necks, rounded bodies, and powerful long legs.
These shy, but agile birds can reach 120 cm tall and weigh up to 20 kg. They are omnivorous and feed on leaves, beetles, lizards and grasshoppers.
8. Ring-tailed Lemur
The Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a medium-sized primate native only to the African island of Madagascar. It has a distinctive long, bushy, vividly striped, black-and-white tail.
The skin is smooth and dark gray or black in color. It sports a white head marked with large, dark patches around the eyes. It also has a dark, pointed snout and a long tail longer than its body.
The ring-tailed lemur averages 39 – 46 cm in head–body length with a 56 – 63 cm tall and weighs around 2.2 kilograms. A diurnal animal, it feeds mainly on fruits, but also eat leaves, flowers and sap.
The IUCN listed the Ring-tailed lemurs as “endangered” due to habitat loss. In the wild, it has a life span of lives 16 to 19 years and can live up to 27 years in captivity.
9. Rook
Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) are small passerine birds widely distributed in north and central Europe and some parts of Asia. They prefer farmlands and wooded steppes.
They sport a distinctive all-black plumage with a gray-white face. They have black legs and feet, feathered, rounded nostrils, and strong, thin beaks.
Adults can reach 45 to 47 cm in size and weighs from about 337 – 531 grams. Rooks feed mainly on earthworms, insect larvae, other small mammals, fruits, and cereal grains.
10. Roadrunner
The roadrunners (also known as Ground Cuckoo),are two species of fast-running terrestrial birds native to North and Central America.
The two existing species of these ground foraging cuckoos are: Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) and Lesser Roadrunner (Geococcyx velox.) Their habitats include deserts, open grasslands, and thorny scrub.
Roadrunners are sprint runners that can run at speeds of up to 24 km per hour. On average, they can reach 50 -58 cm long from tail to beak.
They are known for their distinctive head crest, oversized dark bill, long legs and black-and-white, plumage. Roadrunners are and feed on anything, including fruits, insects, small reptiles, rodents, and small animals.
11. Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals found naturally in Europe, South Africa, Sumatra and Japan.
Rabbits are also often found in the desert regions of the Middle East where the rabbits inhabit the greener parts of the deserts where there is enough food and water for the rabbits to survive.
Rabbits are herbivores that feed on mainly on grass, but rabbits also eat nuts and berries and often fruit and vegetables.
Rabbits dig burrows into the ground where the rabbit hides and stores food, and also gives birth to and raises the baby rabbits.
12. Rat
The two most common species of rat are the black rat and the brown rat. Both species of rat are found in all parts of the world.
The rat is generally found in small, dark places and is thought to have originated in Asia before migrating across countries and being accidental passengers on human voyages.
The rat is now one of the most widely spread and adaptable animals in the world.
The rat is a small scavenger mammal that has proved to be a pest in both urban and rural areas where rats are normally present due to an abundance of food.
Rats are known to kill smaller livestock on farms, and there is the myth that you are only ever 5ft away from a rat at anytime.
13. Rhinoceros
The rhinoceros is a large mammal native to Africa and Asia. There are five species of rhino found in the world with 3 out of the 5 species of rhino now considered to be critically endangered.
The rhino is thought to be the second biggest land mammal in the world behind the African elephant.
The five species of rhinoceros are the white rhino (which is the largest species of rhino) and the black rhino which are both native to Africa and are only really distinguished in size as they look fairly similar.
The Indian rhino, the Sumatran rhino and the Javan rhino are all native to Asia and are much smaller in size than the white rhino and the black rhino of Africa.
14. Reindeer
The reindeer (also known as the caribou) is found in large herds in the very north of the world. Reindeer inhabit both the Arctic Tundra and the North Pole regions which include parts of North America, Europe and Asia.
The reindeers hooves adapt to the season so in the summer when the tundra is soft and wet, the reindeers footpads become sponge-like in order to get a bigger surface area on the damp group.
In the winter, the reindeers footpads shrink and tighten, exposing the rim of the hoof which cuts into the ice and crusted snow to stop the reindeer from slipping.
15. Robin
The robin is a small bird, originally found in only Europe and Asia.
The robin today can be found across the world in parts of Africa, North America and New Zealand but all of these robin species are believed to be subspecies of the European robin.
The European robin has a bright orange/red chest and is the most distinctive bird of the robin family. Despite the bright chest of the European robin, other species of female robin are fairly plain and brown in colour.
The female robin is very similar in both size and appearance to the nightingale and the two are commonly confused.