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.

• 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.

• Common Midwife Toad Alytes obstetricans

  

  This frog carries eggs wrapped around the male’s hind legs.

• White stork Ciconia ciconia

  

  Adults have white bodies, black wing feathers, long legs and a reddish bill. They use open wetlands in Europe and other parts of their range.

• Manuel's Cellar Spider Pholcus manueli

  

  Recorded widely in Asia and the United States, females of this spider have slightly more closely spaced eye groups than males.

• East African Spring Hare Pedetes surdaster

  

  The East African springhare's fur fluoresces orange to red under ultraviolet light. The examined specimens included animals from Kenya and Tanzania, but the ecological role of the glow remains unknown.

• American black bear Ursus americanus

  A bear of North American forests. Many are black, while western populations also include brown and paler individuals.

• Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni

  Hermann’s tortoise is a terrestrial turtle found in southern Europe. Its rounded carapace is domed and can range from yellow, olive, or orange to dark brown.

• Venus flytrap sea anemone Actinoscyphia aurelia

  A deep-sea anemone observed on sandy and muddy seafloors during a Gulf of Alaska survey.

• Sand Martin Riparia riparia

  A small martin with a grey-brown back, pale underside, and dark chest band. In Britain it arrives from Africa in spring to breed, digging nest burrows in sandy banks near water.

• Oriente Warbler Teretistris fornsi

  This forest-dwelling bird is endemic to Cuba; its species page says it is most often seen in the eastern half of the island. The crown and back are gray, with yellow on the face and breast.

• African Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis

  In captive trials, tadpole growth and development changed in water treated with pesticides.

• Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps

  A small toothed whale of temperate and tropical seas worldwide, with a darker back and paler underside.

• Malayan porcupine Hystrix (Acanthion) brachyura

  The Malayan porcupine is a nocturnal rodent with long spines on its back. It occurs in forests of mainland Southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo.

• Campbell's alligator lizard Abronia campbelli

  An arboreal lizard from Guatemala. In a 2009 survey, animals were found in old oak trees covered with dense plant growth.

• White wagtail Motacilla alba

  A bird that walks in search of insects along watersides and farmland in Japan. Birds commonly seen there have white faces with a dark line through the eye.

• Plains-wanderer Pedionomus torquatus

  The Plains-wanderer is a small ground-dwelling bird of scattered grasslands in southeastern Australia. It forages by day for seeds and small ground-dwelling animals.

• Japanese fire-bellied newt Cynops pyrrhogaster

  A newt of rice fields and ponds on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, with a dark back and a red belly patterned in black.

• Amazon river dolphin Inia geoffrensis

  A long-beaked dolphin that lives in freshwater in the Amazon basin.

• Peter's Disk-winged Bat Thyroptera discifera

  This small bat roosts in groups under leaves and uses suction cups on its feet and thumbs to cling to them.

• Brown Tree Lizard Anolis sagrei

  This lizard is native to Caribbean islands and parts of Central America. It is often brown, with darker markings on its back.

• Little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

  A small waterbird of lakes, ponds and slow rivers. It dives for fish and other prey and raises young on nests that appear to float.

• Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster

  This waterbird swims with its long neck above the surface and spears fish underwater with its bill. After leaving the water, it perches on rocks or other supports and spreads its wings to dry.

• European Tree Frog Hyla arborea

  In a survey in western Zealand Flanders, the maximum number of males calling in one night helped estimate the seasonal male population in pools.