Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,636 · Stories: 19,540

• Tanala Tufted-tailed Rat Eliurus tanala

  

  This Malagasy rodent is marked by a tuft of white hair at the end of its tail. A study in eastern Madagascar found it active at night and mainly associated with trees.

• Chatham Oystercatcher Haematopus chathamensis

  

  The Chatham Island Oystercatcher is a black-and-white shorebird found only on the Chatham Islands. Pairs defend coastal territories throughout the year.

• Variegated Spider Monkey Ateles hybridus

  

  The variegated spider monkey lives in forests of northern South America and uses its long limbs and grasping tail to move through the canopy.

• Dusky-brown Oriole Oriolus phaeochromus

  

  The Dusky-brown Oriole, also called the Halmahera Oriole, is a uniformly brown oriole from the North Moluccas. It uses upper forest and edges and gives a fluty call.

• South-eastern Pocket Gopher Geomys pinetis

  

  The southeastern pocket gopher spends much of its life underground in sandy soil, digging tunnels and eating roots and tubers.

• Chaetornis striata

  

  This grassland bird often remains hidden in cover. A Kerala sighting describes a fulvous-brown back with bold streaks, while a study in Nepal recorded it in riverine grasslands.

• Simon's Spiny-rat Proechimys simonsi

  Simon’s spiny-rat is a large rodent with an elongated body, long face and ears, long hind feet, and a long tail. A Peruvian reserve study found only two individuals, both in undisturbed forest.

• White-lored Spinetail Synallaxis albilora

  Field notes report this bird in the Pantanal and adjoining areas, in undergrowth of dry and gallery forests, riverine shrubs and cultivated areas. It forages among tangles and vines. Photographs show an individual with a uniformly gray crown.

• Dark Four-eyed Opossum Philander melanurus

  This opossum occurs in western Ecuador and nearby parts of northwestern South America. An older, broader classification described coastal populations as dark-coated, and a camera-trap study in one part of Ecuador suggested an association with permanent water.

• Indochinese Roller Coracias affinis

  Blue on the wings and tail becomes more visible in flight. A purple-blue breast and olive back help distinguish the Indochinese Roller.

• Buff-cheeked Gibbon Nomascus gabriellae

  A tree-dwelling gibbon with pale fur on its cheeks.

• Yellow-throated Sandgrouse Pterocles gutturalis

  The Yellow-throated Sandgrouse is marked by the male's yellow throat and eyebrow, framed by a dark neck band. In southern Africa, studies describe pairs nesting on the ground and using farmland.

• Barasingha Rucervus duvaucelii

  Barasingha deer live in wetlands and floodplains of northern and central India and southwestern Nepal. Males grow branched antlers, and herd patterns change with the season.

• Cryptic Warbler Cryptosylvicola randrianasoloi

  This small bird lives in Madagascar. A species account lists montane forest as its habitat and describes it searching for small invertebrates on branches. A separate field account records the appearance of recently fledged young.

• Malay Civet Viverra tangalunga

  The Malay civet has black spots on tawny-to-gray fur and a black-and-white banded tail. It hides in dense cover by day and is active at night.

• American Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

  A swallow that builds gourd-shaped mud nests in colonies on cliffs and beneath bridges.

• Novaes' Bald Uakari Cacajao novaesi

  This uakari is restricted to western Amazonas, Brazil. Its back is white to yellow, while the belly and limbs are reddish orange. It has been recorded in both seasonally flooded and non-flooded forest.

• Clapperton's Francolin Pternistis clappertoni

  This francolin lives in sub-Saharan Africa, using grassland and dry scrub among other open habitats. It may be seen in groups and eats seeds, berries, insects, and molluscs.

• Florida Bonneted Bat Eumops floridanus

  A large bat of southern Florida, it catches insects in flight and roosts in tree cavities and some building spaces.

• Mountain Owlet-Nightjar Aegotheles albertisi

  The Mountain Owlet-nightjar lives in New Guinea's mountain forests and is active at night. It has rufous and brown plumage forms and roosts in hollows by day.

• Black-and-white ruffed lemur Varecia variegata

  A mainly fruit-eating lemur of eastern Madagascar’s rainforests.

• Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii

  A large tern with a shaggy black crest and cap. It feeds mainly on small fish, searching from above the water and diving head-first to catch them.

• Desert hedgehog Paraechinus aethiopicus

  The desert hedgehog is a hedgehog of dry country, including northwestern Saudi Arabia.

• Black-necked Aracari Pteroglossus aracari

  Adults have a black head and throat, a red rump, and a red band across the yellow underside. This aracari searches for fruit in the canopy.