Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,584 · Stories: 19,526

• Afroalpine Vlei Rat Otomys orestes

  

  The Afroalpine Vlei Rat occurs on Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range in central Kenya. It has shaggy tawny-brown fur and creamy-buff patches behind the ears, and lives in open heath and grassland above the tree line.

• Nelson's Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus nelsoni

  

  Nelson's antelope squirrel is a small squirrel with a pale stripe along its side. It lives in dry grasslands and shrublands in California, searching for food by day and using burrow systems.

• Singing Vole Microtus miurus

  

  The singing vole occurs in alpine tundra in Alaska. The state agency's general account of voles describes related species that eat grasses and seeds and use runways and burrows.

• Matthey's Mouse Mus (Nannomys) mattheyi

  

  This small mouse has a short tail and a clear contrast between its light-brown back and whitish belly. It lives in moist savanna and grassland in West Africa.

• Forest Giant Squirrel Protoxerus (Protoxerus) stangeri

  

  This forest squirrel has a longer tail than head-and-body length in the Gabon record. The CNRS account says it often comes to the ground and eats insects, palm nuts, and leaves.

• Desert Woodrat Neotoma (Neotoma) lepida

  

  The back fur ranges from pale gray to dark or cinnamon to black; the belly and feet are white. It is mainly active at night and builds nests from sticks and cactus pieces.

• Mongolian Gerbil Meriones (Pallasiomys) unguiculatus

  The Mongolian gerbil lives in dry grassland and steppe in Mongolia, northern China, and nearby areas. It digs burrows and forages for seeds and other plant food.

• Sonoma Chipmunk Tamias (Neotamias) sonomae

  It occurs in northwestern California, in chaparral, open woodland, and brushy forest edges.

• Bryant's Woodrat Neotoma (Neotoma) bryanti

  Its range extends from coastal California to the southern tip of Baja California and includes islands. A California study recorded it on a boulder-strewn hill.

• Turkish spiny mouse Acomys (Acomys) cilicicus

  A 2017 paper reported two isolated populations between Silifke and Erdemli in southern Turkey from a 2013–2016 survey; capture sites ranged from sea level to 510 m.

• Red and White Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista alborufus

  The red and white giant flying squirrel is a large forest squirrel. It forages in trees at night and glides using the membrane between its limbs.

• Elegant Oryzomys Euryoryzomys nitidus

  The Elegant Oryzomys is a terrestrial rodent of humid forests in western Amazonia. Its tawny back and tail nearly as long as its body are noted in the species account.

• Smoky Pseudomys Pseudomys fumeus

  The smoky mouse lives in isolated populations in southeastern mainland Australia. Its dark grey fur and long pink tail are easy to distinguish.

• Hoary Marmot Marmota (Petromarmota) caligata

  The hoary marmot is a large rodent of high mountains, marked by gray shoulders and a white nose.

• Taiga Vole Microtus xanthognathus

  This vole has yellowish cheeks and a two-colored tail. It eats grasses and berries in summer and stores rhizomes for winter.

• Fat-tailed Gerbil Pachyuromys duprasi

  The fat-tailed gerbil has a round body and a short, thick, club-shaped tail. It lives in sandy areas with vegetation and digs burrows.

• Mexican Fox Squirrel Sciurus (Sciurus) nayaritensis

  The Mexican fox squirrel lives in pine-oak forests from southeastern Arizona into western Mexico. It often uses tree-rich canyon bottoms.

• Buffy-sided Oryzomys Euryoryzomys lamia

  This rodent has few known records in central Brazil. It is documented in forest and in Cerrado environments.

• Australian Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes

  This Australian rat has rounded ears and a relatively short tail. It is nocturnal and uses the understorey, with burrows under logs or rocks.

• Piute Ground Squirrel Urocitellus mollis

  The Piute ground squirrel ranges around the Great Basin and nearby arid regions. It has an unstriped back and inconspicuous ears and tail.

• Lesser Long-tailed Hamster Cricetulus longicaudatus

  This small hamster lives in dry grasslands and foothills, feeding mainly on seeds and also on insects.

• Lesser Bandicoot Rat Bandicota bengalensis

  The lesser bandicoot rat is widespread in South Asia and also occurs near farms and settlements. It digs burrows and is active at night.

• Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista leucogenys

  The Japanese giant flying squirrel is a large nocturnal squirrel of Japan's forests. It glides between trees on a membrane stretched between its fore and hind limbs and rests in tree hollows by day.

• Big-eared Climbing Rat Ototylomys phyllotis

  The big-eared climbing rat has large ears and a long tail. It moves at night among trees and rocks in tropical forest, eating fruit and leaves.