Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,673 · Stories: 19,540

• European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus

  

  An animal of European grasslands, hedgerows and gardens. Spines cover its back, and it curls into a ball when threatened.

• Silvery Gibbon Hylobates moloch

  The silvery gibbon lives in forests on Java. Its long arms help it swing from branch to branch.

• Black Butcherbird Melloria quoyi

  The Black Butcherbird has deep bluish-black plumage and a large silver-grey bill. It occurs in rainforests, mangroves, and nearby open or settled areas.

• Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus

  A pointed-winged falcon with a long tail, well known for hovering. In Britain it uses grassland, farmland and open spaces in towns.

• Mangrove Smooth-scaled Gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris

  A gecko found on Hainan Island in China.

• Cape Long-eared Bat Nycteris thebaica

  This bat ranges across Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Its large ears, divided noseleaf and T-shaped tail are distinctive, and it hunts insects and other small invertebrates.

• Guinea pig Cavia porcellus

  A domesticated rodent originating in South America and now kept worldwide. It has a compact body and stays close to companions.

• Taiwan Cupwing Pnoepyga formosana

  The Taiwan Cupwing is endemic to Taiwan's mountain forests. It keeps to dense understory near the ground, is usually solitary, and makes only short flights.

• Common Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula

  This snake sometimes moves around alligator nests.

• Eurasian wren Troglodytes troglodytes

  A tiny brown bird with a loud, extended song. In Japan it breeds in habitats such as woodland beside mountain streams.

• Natal Long-fingered Bat Miniopterus natalensis

  An insect-eating bat that roosts in caves. Seasonal movements between caves have been studied in populations in northeastern South Africa.

• Great Bowerbird Chlamydera nuchalis

  The male builds a large display structure decorated with objects. The species lives in dry woodland of northern Australia.

• Long-tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis

  A long-tailed monkey that lives in forests and mangroves around Singapore and nearby parts of Southeast Asia.

• Corn Snake Pantherophis guttatus

  This snake sometimes moves around alligator nests.

• Eastern Sucker-footed Bat Myzopoda aurita

  The eastern sucker-footed bat lives in eastern Madagascar and clings to leaves using suction-like pads on its wrists and ankles.

• White stork Ciconia ciconia

  Adults have white bodies, black wing feathers, long legs and a reddish bill. They use open wetlands in Europe and other parts of their range.

• Oilbird Steatornis caripensis

  This South American bird flies out at night to find fruit and rests in caves or rainforest canopies. It regurgitates fruit seeds and carries them through the forest.

• Milne-Edwards' Sifaka Propithecus edwardsi

  This sifaka lives in southeastern Madagascar. It clings to tree trunks and leaps between trees with its long hind legs.

• Brown rat Rattus norvegicus

  A rat widely found around human settlements, using sewers, warehouses, fields and other places with water and food.

• Yellowish White-eye Zosterops nigrorum

  This white-eye inhabits forests and wooded areas in northern and central Philippines. Its yellowish belly helps identify it, and it feeds on tiny invertebrates and fruit.

• Chinese Ferret-badger Melogale moschata

  The Chinese ferret-badger is a small badger with a white forehead, black face, and long bushy tail. It is active at night and eats insects, earthworms, and small animals.

• Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus

  A stocky black-and-white shorebird with an orange-red bill.

• Knysna Woodpecker Campethera notata

  This woodpecker is endemic to coastal South Africa. Its green back and wings have yellow marks, while the whitish underside has large black spots. It searches for ants in forest and dense scrub.

• Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec Echinops telfairi

  The lesser hedgehog tenrec is a small mammal of dry areas in southern Madagascar. Its black-and-white spines stand out, and it searches for small animals at night.