Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,825 · Stories: 19,540

• Northern White-breasted Hedgehog Erinaceus roumanicus

  

  A European hedgehog with spines across its back.

• Verreaux's Coua Coua verreauxi

  Verreaux's Coua lives in southwestern Madagascar. Its grey crest and blue bare skin around the eyes are distinctive, and it often spends time in trees.

• Armored Rat Hoplomys gymnurus

  This rodent has spines on its back. In wet streamside forest, it hides in a burrow by day and searches for food at night.

• Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis

  The Carolina Chickadee is a small bird with a black cap and bib, gray back, and whitish underside. In winter it may forage in flocks with other small birds.

• Lesser Egyptian Jerboa Jaculus jaculus

  The lesser Egyptian jerboa is a small rodent that bounds on long hind legs. It is active at night in deserts and semi-deserts.

• Pink-backed pelican Pelecanus rufescens

  An African wetland pelican whose pale back can take on a pink tint.

• Short-eared Brushtail Possum Trichosurus caninus

  The short-eared brushtail possum is a nocturnal marsupial of moist forests in southeastern Australia. By day it shelters in tree hollows or fallen logs.

• Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans

  A stork of Asian wetlands whose bill has a gap between the mandibles except near the tip.

• Mountain Pocket Gopher Thomomys monticola

  A high-elevation rodent of California's Sierra Nevada. It occurs in meadows and open conifer forest, feeding on roots underground and herbaceous plants above ground.

• Cape Gannet Morus capensis

  The Cape Gannet is a large seabird that breeds off Namibia and South Africa. It has a white body, black wings and tail, and a pale yellow-orange head.

• Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus

  A North American fox that can climb trees.

• Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

  This drongo is recognized by its grey body and long, straight tail with no curled tips. It perches in forests and catches flying insects.

• Paraguayan Hairy Dwarf Porcupine Coendou spinosus

  This nocturnal porcupine moves among tree branches. Its fluffy fur can partly hide the spines, and it wraps its tail around branches as it moves.

• Moustached Tinkerbird Pogoniulus leucomystax

  This small African barbet has a white moustache-like marking. It is usually seen alone or in pairs in montane forest.

• North American river otter Lontra canadensis

  A North American otter that uses both land and water and shelters in burrows near riverbanks.

• Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus

  The Black-faced Woodswallow occurs in Australian grasslands and open woodland. Its black face and grey body stand out, and it catches insects while flying.

• Pagai Island Macaque Macaca pagensis

  This macaque has dark brown fur on its back, paler fur underneath, and cheek pouches. It is active by day and uses both the ground and trees.

• Anthony's Nightjar Nyctidromus anthonyi

  The male has a white throat but no white wing or tail patches, even in flight. In dry Pacific lowlands from western Ecuador to Peru, it catches flying insects at night.

• Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis

  A North American skunk with a black coat, white markings and a bushy tail.

• Striated Grassbird Megalurus palustris

  A large brown warbler marked with black streaks, it shows a long trailing tail and flushes from fields, scrubby edges, and dense thickets.

• Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus

  A small antelope that lives among rocks and leaps across rocky ground.

• Preuss's Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon preussi

  A swallow of West Africa that catches flying insects over open country, towns, and water.

• Sahamalaza Sportive Lemur Lepilemur sahamalaza

  The Sahamalaza sportive lemur is nocturnal and restricted to the Sahamalaza Peninsula in northwestern Madagascar.

• Purple Cochoa Cochoa purpurea

  Males show violet and purplish-brown plumage, while females are more reddish and earthy brown. A study in northeast India recorded birds feeding on fruit in the canopy.