Meet the world’s animals.

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• Common Swift Apus apus

  

  A summer visitor to the UK, the Common Swift spends almost all its life on the wing, catching small insects and spiders in the air.

• Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica

  A freshwater dolphin of river systems in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It has very poor sight and uses echoes from ultrasonic sounds to locate fish and other prey.

• Rifleman Acanthisitta chloris

  The Rifleman is a tiny forest bird endemic to New Zealand and feeds on insects and spiders. It keeps moving as it searches along trunks and branches.

• American beaver Castor canadensis

  An animal of North American rivers and lakes. It builds dams and lodges from branches and mud, changing its waterside habitat.

• Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

  The mountain tapir lives in the Andes of northern South America and has a thick coat suited to its cold mountain home.

• Stitchbird Notiomystis cincta

  This forest bird is endemic to New Zealand. Its naturally surviving population is on Little Barrier Island; managed populations have been translocated elsewhere.

• Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

  A bird with a raised crest, an orange-beige body, and bold black-and-white wings.

• Gerbil Mouse Malacothrix typica

  The gerbil mouse is a nocturnal rodent recorded across much of Namibia. It travels away from its burrow at night to search for food.

• Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus

  The Crowned Lapwing lives in open grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Adults have a white ring around the black head and search the ground for ants, termites, and other insects.

• Nutria Myocastor coypus

  A large, rat-like animal from South America that lives by water. It was brought to Japan for fur and has established in several prefectures.

• Greater Cane Rat Thryonomys swinderianus

  The greater cane rat is a stocky African rodent with a rounded nose and short ears. It lives near marshes and riverbanks, feeding mainly on grasses and cane.

• Golden Masked Owl Tyto aurantia

  This owl lives in New Britain's tropical forests. Its plumage ranges from pale gold to rufous, and its facial disc has a finely speckled rim.

• Short-eared owl Asio flammeus

  An owl with yellow eyes and mottled brown plumage, seen hunting over grasslands and wetlands in Britain.

• African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata

  The African palm civet is a nocturnal forest-dwelling mammal of Africa. It eats fruit often, but also takes small animals, making it an omnivore.

• Crested Satinbird Cnemophilus macgregorii

  The Crested Satinbird lives in high mountain forest. Male plumage varies by region, while females are mainly olive green.

• Asian elephant Elephas maximus

  An Asian elephant lives in South and Southeast Asia. It uses its trunk to grasp food and pour water into its mouth.

• Andean Mountain Cavy Microcavia niata

  The mountain cavy is a small rodent of high Andean grasslands. It may live in groups and eats plants.

• Finn's Weaver Ploceus megarhynchus

  Finn's Weaver is a localized weaver of grasslands in northern India and the extreme southwest of Nepal.

• Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius

  A woodland bird with a conspicuous white rump in flight. In Britain it is found widely except in northern Scotland.

• Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis

  The squirrel glider is a marsupial of eastern Australian forests. It travels between trees using its gliding membrane and is active at night.

• Chestnut-capped Flycatcher Erythrocercus mccallii

  This small bird lives at forest edges and in open woodland in west-central Africa. It has chestnut on the crown, rump, and tail, with a buff breast and white belly. It gleans insects from leaves and sometimes sallies after flying insects.

• Domestic dog Canis familiaris

  A domestic dog bred for companionship and many kinds of work. Its appearance varies greatly among breeds.

• Rüppell's Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus fumigatus

  Rüppell's horseshoe bat is a nocturnal insect-eater. Caves and rock crevices are reported as roosts.

• Gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua

  A penguin recognized by a red-orange bill and conspicuous white patches above its eyes.