Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,636 · Stories: 19,540

• Daurian Hedgehog Mesechinus dauuricus

  

  Daurian hedgehogs studied at Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in Mongolia often used rocky areas and sparse shrubland. In samples compared at the same reserve, they tended to have greater girth and weight than long-eared hedgehogs.

• Pacific Diver Gavia pacifica

  

  The Pacific Diver breeds on Arctic lakes and moves to Pacific coastal waters for winter; it is an accomplished diver.

• Pygmy Spotted Skunk Spilogale pygmaea

  

  A small skunk from Mexico’s Pacific coast, with white stripes on a black coat that break into spots toward the rear.

• Cuban Tody Todus multicolor

  

  IWEco describes this tody as endemic to Cuba. It has vivid plumage and a long bill, and digs tunnel nests in rotten wood or soil banks.

• Black Spotted Cuscus Spilocuscus rufoniger

  

  The black-spotted cuscus is an arboreal marsupial with black-and-red fur and different back patterns in males and females. It occurs in forests of northern New Guinea.

• Blue-masked Leafbird Chloropsis venusta

  

  The Blue-masked Leafbird is a small bird of humid montane forest in the foothills of Sumatra. Males show violet-blue and deep indigo markings, while females have bright blue markings on the face and throat.

• Western Tree Hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis

  This hyrax has short ears and legs and thick fur ranging from gray-brown to black. It feeds at night on leaves, fruit, and other plant material and usually lives alone.

• White-rumped Snowfinch Onychostruthus taczanowskii

  This bird lives in high mountains around the Tibetan Plateau. Its dark-mottled back contrasts with a white rump that stands out in flight. In the breeding season it is found near pika colonies.

• Chinese Dormouse Chaetocauda sichuanensis

  The Chinese dormouse was described from subalpine forest in northern Sichuan. Its original description notes large eyes and a tail ending in a tuft of dense fur.

• Cricket Warbler Spiloptila clamans

  The Cricket Warbler is a pale, long-tailed bird of the Sahel. It lives in dry acacia scrub and savanna, often in pairs or small family groups.

• Bay Duiker Cephalophus dorsalis

  The Bay Duiker is a forest antelope with a chestnut body, black legs, and a dark line along its back. It is mainly nocturnal and is associated with lowland tropical forest.

• Thick-billed Berrypecker Rhamphocharis crassirostris

  The Thick-billed Berrypecker is a berrypecker described from the Arfak Mountains of north-western New Guinea. The early description of the adult male records olive-green upperparts and pearly-grey underparts. The species account classifies it as a forest-dwelling fruit eater.

• Caspian Seal Pusa caspica

  The Caspian seal lives only in the Caspian Sea. Newborn pups have a white coat, and many are born on winter ice in the north.

• Pitta-like Ground Roller Atelornis pittoides

  The Pitta-like Ground Roller lives in forests of eastern Madagascar and the central High Plateau. Its blue head and black eye mask stand out, while it searches the leaf litter for prey.

• Broad-striped Malagasy Mongoose Galidictis fasciata

  The broad-striped Malagasy mongoose lives in forests of eastern Madagascar. It is mainly active on the ground at night.

• Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant Myiornis atricapillus

  The adult male Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant has a black crown and white spectacles. The species uses humid lowland forest canopy, edges, clearings, and some second growth.

• Stoliczka's Asian Trident Bat Aselliscus stoliczkanus

  Stoliczka's trident bat has a three-pointed noseleaf and has been recorded roosting in caves in Yunnan.

• Neblina Tapaculo Scytalopus altirostris

  Endemic to Peru, this gray tapaculo has variable rufous markings and forages near the ground in humid montane forest and scrub with bunchgrass.

• Mexican Mouse Opossum Marmosa (Exulomarmosa) mexicana

  The Mexican mouse opossum is a small marsupial recorded from eastern Mexico through much of Central America to eastern Panama. A dark mask surrounds its large eyes.

• Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia emiliana

  This dove has a rusty-brown body and a paler, yellowish head. It forages quietly in the middle and lower forest, eating fruits and seeds.

• Gray Monk Saki Pithecia irrorata

  The gray monk saki lives in South American forests. Its gray coat and white hands and feet stand out.

• African Blue Flycatcher Elminia longicauda

  This blue flycatcher occurs in wooded habitats of West and Central Africa. It perches among foliage and makes short flights to catch small arthropods.

• Greater Naked Bat Cheiromeles torquatus

  The greater naked bat is mostly hairless, with a ring of black bristles around its neck. It occurs in Southeast Asia and hunts insects at night.

• Madagascar Flufftail Sarothrura insularis

  This rail hides in dense vegetation around wet grassland and woodland edges in Madagascar. The male has a rufous head and breast and pale streaks on the dark back.