Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,673 · Stories: 19,540

• Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus

  

  A forest bear of Asia with a pale crescent- or V-shaped chest marking on its dark body.

• Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythroryncha

  This bird occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and feeds on ticks and flies while clinging to large mammals such as giraffes and cattle. Southern African accounts also describe nesting in tree cavities and, in some cases, helpers that assist a pair with chick care.

• Mountain goat Oreamnos americanus

  A white-coated ungulate that lives on steep North American mountains.

• Common Pochard Aythya ferina

  The breeding male is a diving duck with a striking reddish-brown head.

• Northern Shriketit Falcunculus whitei

  An arboreal bird of northern Australia, with a striking black-and-white head and a deep hooked bill.

• African forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis

  The African forest elephant lives in dense tropical forests of western and central Africa.

• Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus

  A whale with a streamlined body and a dorsal fin set well back. The lower jaw has different colors on each side.

• Great Thrush Turdus fuscater

  A large thrush common in Andean highlands, it is brown with an orange bill and legs. Males have a yellow eye-ring.

• Honey Possum Tarsipes rostratus

  The honey possum is a small marsupial that feeds only on nectar and pollen from native flowers. Its long tongue gathers pollen from inside flowers.

• Eurasian coot Fulica atra

  A swimming waterbird of lakes and ponds with a conspicuous white forehead.

• Red-browed Pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus

  This pardalote occurs in Australia. Gould’s early description notes a vivid orange spot before the eye, while a regional account from the southern Carnarvon Basin reports it mainly in eucalypt canopies.

• Eastern gorilla Gorilla beringei

  A large ape with black fur that travels through forests in groups.

• Ringed seal Pusa hispida

  A small seal of the seasonally ice-covered seas around the Arctic. It keeps breathing holes open in the ice.

• Spot-crowned Barbet Capito maculicoronatus

  A barbet of forests from Panama to northwestern Colombia. A Panama breeding study followed an adult pair as they excavated a cavity in a dead tree and raised nestlings.

• Pen-tailed Tree Shrew Ptilocercus lowii

  The pen-tailed tree shrew is nocturnal and has a tuft of white fur at the end of its tail.

• Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus

  A small bird with a blue crown and yellow underside, found from woodland to parks and gardens.

• Black-legged Seriema Chunga burmeisteri

  A gray, ground-dwelling bird with long legs and tail, it often runs while searching for food.

• Cape Golden Mole Chrysochloris asiatica

  The Cape golden mole lives by digging underground tunnels. It has a pointed head and sturdy forefeet, and inhabits sandy areas of southwestern South Africa.

• Aardvark Orycteropus afer

  An African mammal that searches for ants and termites on the ground at night and uses burrows as shelter.

• Plains-wanderer Pedionomus torquatus

  The Plains-wanderer is a small ground-dwelling bird of scattered grasslands in southeastern Australia. It forages by day for seeds and small ground-dwelling animals.

• East African Potto Perodicticus ibeanus

  This primate moves slowly through trees at night. It has large round eyes and an arrow-shaped head, and eats fruit, insects, and other foods.

• Little egret Egretta garzetta

  A white heron that catches fish in shallow watersides. A black bill and legs with yellow feet are identifying features.

• Fan-tailed Berrypecker Melanocharis versteri

  This bird lives in New Guinea’s mountains. Males have white pectoral tufts, females are olive-colored, and the species eats small berries and arthropods.

• Aye-aye Daubentonia madagascariensis

  A nocturnal lemur of Madagascan forests. Its long thin middle finger helps it locate insects inside wood.