Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,038 · Stories: 19,488

• North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis

  

  A stocky black whale without a dorsal fin, found mainly in North Atlantic coastal waters.

• Linné’s two-toed sloth Choloepus didactylus

  

  A sloth that hangs from high branches in tropical forests, feeding and resting in the trees.

• Brown Firefinch Lagonosticta nitidula

  

  This very small finch can be hard to see in dense thickets. Southern African records are associated with riverine vegetation.

• Common Raven Corvus corax

  

  A large black raven that lives widely across the Northern Hemisphere.

• Southern tamandua Tamandua tetradactyla

  

  An anteater that forages both in trees and on the ground, with a tail that can grip branches.

• Somali Ostrich Struthio molybdophanes

  

  Male Somali Ostriches have blue-grey necks and legs, while females have dull pinkish necks and legs. They use dry habitats such as grassland and thorn scrub and may occur in small groups.

• African wild dog Lycaon pictus

  A wild canid of African grasslands and open woodland. Its patches of black, white and tan differ between individuals.

• Malabar Spiny Dormouse Platacanthomys lasiurus

  Its back has broad, flat, stiff spines mixed through the fur, and the tail is brush-tipped. It climbs in forests of southern India and is thought to be mainly active at night.

• South Island Takahe Porphyrio hochstetteri

  The South Island Takahe is a large flightless rail with stout red legs and a strong bill. In the wild it feeds on grassland plants and may move into forest when snow is deep.

• Northern shoveler Spatula clypeata

  A duck with a broad, shovel-shaped bill. The large bill gathers tiny food items from the water.

• Lowland paca Cuniculus paca

  A spotted forest rodent that feeds on fallen fruit.

• Mountain Trogon Trogon mexicanus

  This trogon lives in highlands from Mexico into Central America. The checklist lists pine, pine-oak, and montane evergreen forests as its habitats.

• Cape Hare Lepus capensis

  The Arabian hare is recorded around AlUla in north-western Saudi Arabia. In this region, its grayish coat and black ear tips are noted.

• Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii

  A wetland antelope adapted to life among swamp vegetation.

• Eastern Chat-Tanager Calyptophilus frugivorus

  A chocolate-brown back and bright yellow skin around the eye help identify this bird. In Hispaniola's mountain forests, it searches leaf litter for small animals and seeds.

• Common Linnet Linaria cannabina

  The Common Linnet is a slim finch that eats small seeds. Breeding males show red foreheads and breasts, and the birds may gather in winter flocks.

• Mainland leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis

  A small wild cat of mainland Asia and some nearby islands. It has dark body spots, with coat colour and pattern varying by region.

• Ochre-breasted Catbird Ailuroedus stonii

  The Hides Ridge field guide places the Ochre-breasted Catbird in lowland forest in southern New Guinea and describes foraging in lower layers and sometimes on the ground. Within its study area, it lists the bird only at Arakubi.

• Common dolphin Delphinus delphis

  A dolphin with contrasting patches along its sides that form an hourglass-like pattern.

• White-nosed coati Nasua narica

  A long-tailed coati that searches for insects with its snout close to the ground.

• Sooty Bushtit Aegithalos fuliginosus

  A small bird of the mountains of central China, it has grey cheeks, a dark breast band and a white collar. It searches among foliage for insects and berries.

• Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

  A pigeon-sized hawk with a conspicuous pale eyebrow marking.

• Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena

  A hyena with a mane-like ridge along its back and dark stripes across its coat.

• Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis

  The female has a more vivid reddish-brown head and breast than the male. This bird searches for food in muddy freshwater wetlands.