Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,636 · Stories: 19,540

• Island Mouse Nesomys rufus

  

  Nesomys rufus is a ground-dwelling rodent reported across humid forests of Madagascar. Its reddish back, white-spotted underside, and white tail tip help distinguish it.

• Rufous-bellied Heron Ardeola rufiventris

  

  The Rufous-bellied Heron is a medium-sized heron with a dark slate-gray head and back and chestnut wings and belly. Its yellow bill and legs are also conspicuous.

• Ifola Tree Kangaroo Dendrolagus notatus

  

  This tree kangaroo lives in Papua New Guinea's central highlands. Its very dark chocolate coat has yellow rings at the tail base and silvery-tipped hairs on the back and limbs.

• Variable Pitohui Pitohui kirhocephalus

  

  The Variable Pitohui lives in forests of New Guinea and nearby islands. The color of its head and throat varies among subspecies, and it eats fruit and insects.

• Bidentate Yellow-eared Bat Vampyriscus bidens

  

  The Bidentate Yellow-eared Bat is a small leaf-nosed bat recorded in South American forests. In Bolivia it has been observed in primary and secondary forest, with roosts under palm or banana leaves.

• Eastern Grey Plantain-eater Crinifer zonurus

  

  The Eastern Grey Plantain-eater is a large gray bird with finely patterned plumage. It lives in open African woodland and grassland and mainly eats fruit.

• Rodrigues Flying Fox Pteropus rodricensis

  The Rodrigues flying fox is a fruit-eating bat found on Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean. Golden-looking fur may cover its head, neck, and shoulders, and males and females differ in their reported roosting patterns.

• Himalayan Owl Strix nivicolum

  The Himalayan Owl is a medium-sized owl of mountain forests from the Himalayas across East Asia. It has no ear tufts and a pale X-shaped mark across the face.

• Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Sousa plumbea

  A dolphin of the western Indian Ocean coast, with a small dorsal fin set on a large hump and a gray body.

• Black-necked crane Grus nigricollis

  A crane that breeds in high mountain regions and descends to lower wintering areas.

• Abyssinian Hare Lepus habessinicus

  The Abyssinian hare lives in open parts of East Africa. Its coat differs somewhat between Somali and Ethiopian animals.

• Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus

  A bee-eater described in a Malaysian regional profile, where it occurs around sandy coasts, riverbanks, and farmland. It catches flying insects in the air.

• Helan Shan Pika Ochotona (Pika) argentata

  This pika lives in China's Helan Shan. Its coat changes with the seasons, appearing bright red in summer and silvery gray in winter.

• Chilean Tinamou Nothoprocta perdicaria

  Its streaked grey-brown plumage blends into the ground; it feeds on plant material and small animals in grassland and fields.

• Formosan Woolly Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus formosae

  This bat has silky, glossy fur and a horseshoe-shaped noseleaf. It is endemic to Taiwan, but much of its natural history remains unknown.

• Hodgson's Treecreeper Certhia hodgsoni

  Hodgson's Treecreeper is a small bird of mountain regions from Pakistan east to China. It has a brown back and pale underside, and searches tree bark for insects and spiders.

• Formosan Ferret-badger Melogale subaurantiaca

  The Formosan ferret-badger of Taiwan has a white stripe along its back. It is usually solitary and nocturnal, eating small animals, insects, earthworms, and fruit.

• Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus

  The adult Kelp Gull is a large gull with a blackish back and dull greenish-yellow legs. It is native mainly to Southern Hemisphere coasts and also occurs around lakes, rivers and saltwater wetlands.

• Canada lynx Lynx canadensis

  A wild cat with broad paws for moving through snow and black-tipped ear tufts.

• Tiny Sunbird Cinnyris minullus

  A small sunbird of African forests and their edges. The male has green and blue-purple iridescence with a red breast band; the female is olive-brown above with a pale eyebrow.

• Yellow Mongoose Cynictis penicillata

  A mongoose of open, semi-arid habitats in southern Africa that forages for insects and other small prey.

• Verdin Auriparus flaviceps

  The Verdin is a tiny bird with a yellow head and grey body. It lives mainly among thorny shrubs in deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico.

• Bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis

  A canid of African grasslands with enormous ears, a yellow-brown body, a dark face mask and black feet.

• Black-vented Oriole Icterus wagleri

  This oriole inhabits dry forest and semi-open foothill woodland from Mexico into Central America. Adult males are conspicuously yellow and black.