In today’s article, we are going to answer one of the most sought questions, Which animals start their name with ‘sh’? Therefore, without further ado, let’s get going with this article, Best 10 Animals that start with “sh” (Pictures & Facts 2022).
1) Sharp-shinned Hawk
The Sharp-shin Hawk is one of the smallest Hawk species, with males being around 23-30 cm and weighing around 100 gm. Adults have short, rounded wings and slaty blue-gray upper feathers with horizontal, narrow red-orange stripes on the breast.
Interesting fact: These hawks do not dive and can maneuver extremely well in dense woods.
Type of Animal: Predatory Bird
Location: North and South America
Diet: Small bird species like songbirds, wrens, finches, etc.
2) Short-tail Stingray
The nest animal in this list of animals that start with sh is the Short Tail Stingray. This species has a massive, plain-colored body with a pectoral disc that is angular, wide, and rhombic.
The largest stingray species is the short-tail stingray, which may grow to be at least 2.1 m (6.9 feet) wide, 4.3 m (14 feet) long, and 350 kg (770 lbs) in weight.
Interesting fact: They do not have a bony skeleton and hunt using electromagnetic pores
Type of Animal: Cartilaginous fish
Location: Temperate waters of the Indo-West Pacific
Diet: Benthic bony fishes and crustaceans.
3) Shortfin squid
Short-fin squids are medium-sized squids, with females having a mantle length of 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 inches) and males having a shorter mantle length of 18–27 cm (7.1-10.6 in).
These squids are migratory species with a lifespan of less than a year. Short-fin squid can alter their body color much like other squid species.
Interesting fact: Short-fin squids grow 1 millimeter per day.
Type of Animal: Marine invertebrate (Cephalopods)
Location: Northern Atlantic Ocean
Diet: Fish and crustaceans.
4) Shark
Next up in our list of Animals that start with sh are Sharks, one of the most ferocious predators that rule the oceans. Sharks have a cartilaginous skeleton, with 5-7 gill slits on their sides.
There are around 500 shark species that range from the largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark (12 m), to the dwarf lantern shark (6.7 in only).
Interesting fact: Sharks are survivors of five mass world extinctions and are even older than trees.
Type of Animal: Fish
Location: Worldwide
Diet: Species dependent (Some are plankton feeders, while others feed on fish, mollusks, squids, and other marine mammals).
5) Shelduck
Shelducks belong to the duck family with short bills, erect legs, and a physique that resembles that of a goose. They are typically 50 to 60 cm tall semi-terrestrial ducks. Shelducks bear a distinctive coloration, with green flight feathers and white forewings.
Interesting fact: Shellducks use burrows made by other animals, like rabbits, to make their nests.
Type of Animal: Bird
Location: Africa, Europe, Australasia, and Asia
Diet: Seeds, berries, fish, mollusks, worms, larvae, etc.
6) Short-nose Gar
Short-nose gars are prehistoric-looking large, cylindrical fish, having a long snout, with numerous teeth. Ganoid Scales, which are tough and diamond-shaped, cover the body.
The Short-nose Gar gets its name from its broad, somewhat short snout, which separates them from other Gars.
Although they can reach a height of 35 inches, people typically measure 22 to 24 inches. It differs from other gar species in that it has a single row of teeth instead of multiple rows.
Interesting fact: Gars have been living in the world for more than 100 million years, with almost no change.
Type of Animal: Fish
Location: Rivers, backwaters, and oxbow lakes of Mississippi and Missouri Water Basins
Diet: Carnivore; ambush predator and feeds mainly on fish, invertebrates, and carrion.
7) Sheep
The next animal on our list of Animals that starts with sh is Sheep. I guess there isn’t anyone who has not come across a sheep in their lifetime, as they are one of the most common domestic animals in the world.
Apart from meat, milk, hides, and bones, Sheep are crucial for the clothing industry, as they supply them with wool.
Interesting fact: Sheep can remember the faces of at least 50 other sheep and even humans’ for years.
Type of Animal: Mammal
Location: Worldwide
Diet: Herbivore, mainly hay and grasses.
8) Shrimp
Shrimp have long, musculoskeletal abdomens and are slim. They have pleopods in their lower abdomens that are well-suited for swimming. Shrimp are abundant, exist in all oceans, and can be found in rivers, lakes, and near the seafloor along the majority of coastlines and estuaries.
Many species are valued commercially as food. They are a crucial link in the food chain and a major source of nutrition for larger species like fish, whales, and even people.
Interesting fact: Shrimps have their hearts in their heads.
Type of Animal: Crustacean (Invertebrates)
Location: Worldwide
Diet: Omnivorous, mainly scavengers.
9) Shrew
Shrews are small rat-like creatures with elongated noses and spiny teeth. With nearly 385 species, Shrews are the fourth most diverse species in the animal kingdom.
They lack proper eyesight, so they take shelter in crevices and holes filled with obstacles. These animals are one of the most common animals that you might encounter in your daily life.
Interesting fact: Short-tailed shrews use echolocation and have a heartbeat between 800-1200 times per minute.
Type of Animal: Mammals
Location: Worldwide distribution
Diet: Omnivorous, may feed on insects, worms, etc.
10) Shoebill
The shoebill is incredibly fascinating to watch, standing taller than a mailbox and having an 8-foot wingspan! This large bird is unique to the swamps and wetlands of Central and East Africa and is known for its gray plumage.
Its enormous, bulbous beak is the third largest among all birds, measuring over 7 inches (19 cm) long and almost as wide. It serves to catch fish or as a container to bring water to its nest.
Interesting fact: Since the feces of this bird are in a liquid form, they use their poop to cool themselves!
Type of Animal: Bird
Location: East African Swamps
Diet: Lungfish, Bichir, Catfish, small reptiles, frogs, etc.
Here, we come to the end of our article on Best 10 Animals that start with “sh” (Pictures & Facts 2022). Stay tuned for many such interesting articles.
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A zoology student turned writer. Nature has always been a magnet to me, and to unearth some of its secrets through my articles is my prime intention. If not engaging myself with nature and anime content, you can always find me going through some Bengali classics or filling the air with some soulful Tabla beats. An artist, trying to throw some colors to my blank canvas of life.