Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,025 · Stories: 19,293

• Eurasian otter Lutra lutra

  

  An otter of waterways in Eurasia and northern Africa. It catches fish and other prey in water and rests in sheltered places on land.

• Short-snouted Sengi Elephantulus brachyrhynchus

  

  The short-snouted sengi has a long, narrow snout and a faint white eye ring. In southern Africa it uses grassland with trees or shrubs.

• 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.

• Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni

  

  NOAA distinguishes an Eden's whale form within Balaenoptera edeni that is smaller and more coastal.

• Amazon manatee Trichechus inunguis

  

  A manatee restricted to the fresh waters of the Amazon River system, with thick dark-gray skin and a pale belly patch.

• Madagascar Hoopoe Upupa marginata

  

  The Madagascar Hoopoe searches for small prey on the ground in dry woodland and other open habitats on the island.

• Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus

  A rare seal found in the Mediterranean and along northwest Africa; it feeds on fish, octopus and other prey.

• Texas Pocket Gopher Geomys personatus

  This rodent digs burrows in sandy soil in southern Texas and feeds underground on grass roots and other plants.

• Cuban Tody Todus multicolor

  IWEco describes this tody as endemic to Cuba. It has vivid plumage and a long bill, and digs tunnel nests in rotten wood or soil banks.

• Eastern gray squirrel Sciurus (Sciurus) carolinensis

  A tree squirrel native to eastern North America. Gray coats are typical, though dark individuals also occur.

• Cape Porcupine Hystrix (Hystrix) africaeaustralis

  A porcupine covered in long, stiff quills, native to central and southern Africa.

• White-winged Swamp Warbler Bradypterus carpalis

  This small bird inhabits papyrus swamps in central and eastern Africa. It has dark brown upperparts, a pale eyebrow, and white wing markings. In an East African survey it was recorded only in undisturbed papyrus stands.

• Black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis

  A black rhinoceros grasps vegetation with a narrow, pointed upper lip. Its upper lip is narrower than a white rhino’s.

• Nelson's Spiny Pocket Mouse Heteromys nelsoni

  Nelson's spiny pocket mouse is known from cool, wet montane slopes. A comparison with another species describes its longer skull, larger ears, and soft dorsal fur.

• Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis

  This bird uses saline and alkaline lakes and coasts in Patagonia. It has a rounded head, red eyes and pink legs. Some move from inland breeding grounds to the coast in winter.

• Domestic cat Felis catus

  A domesticated cat with many coat colors, patterns and hair lengths.

• 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.

• Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus

  The Brown Treecreeper has a pale brown back and black-and-buff barring across the breast and belly. It lives in dry forests of eastern Australia and searches for insects on trunks and on the ground.

• Plains zebra Equus quagga

  A plains zebra lives in eastern and southern African grasslands and woodlands. Family groups contain a stallion, mares and their young.

• Indus river dolphin Platanista minor

  The Indus river dolphin is a freshwater dolphin of the Indus River system. A 2021 study treated it as a species separate from the related Ganges river dolphin.

• Olive Warbler Peucedramus taeniatus

  In the southwestern U.S. mountains, the male Olive Warbler is recognizable by its copper-colored head, gray back, and white wing bars. It searches high in trees for insects and gives a soft whistled call.

• Spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris

  A long-beaked dolphin known for spinning as it leaps out of the water.

• Harbor seal Phoca vitulina

  A rounded head and short front flippers distinguish this seal. It has ears, but no external ear flaps.

• Grey-rumped Treeswift Hemiprocne longipennis

  The Grey-rumped Treeswift occurs in Southeast Asia and its islands. It uses perches and catches insects in flight.