Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,673 · Stories: 19,540

• European wildcat Felis silvestris

  

  The European wildcat is a wild cat associated mainly with European forests. Rodents, especially voles, are common prey.

• 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.

• California Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus californicus

  This small rodent is known for white, grooved spines on its rump and a tufted tail. At night it carries seeds in its cheek pouches and stores them in burrows.

• Chamois Rupicapra rupicapra

  A mountain animal with horns in both sexes and hooves suited to rocky ground.

• Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii

  Cook’s Petrel breeds on islands off New Zealand and ranges widely over the open ocean outside the breeding season.

• Laotian Rock Rat Laonastes aenigmamus

  The Laotian rock rat has long whiskers and a densely furred tail, and lives in limestone forests. In a study in central Vietnam, it hid in rock crevices by day and foraged on the forest floor at night.

• Eurasian elk Alces alces

  A Eurasian elk is a deer with long legs and a large muzzle. It uses forests and waterside habitats in places such as northern Europe.

• Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens

  The Yellow-breasted Chat has an olive back, yellow breast, and white face markings. During the spring breeding season, males sing with a varied set of sounds.

• Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine Coendou mexicanus

  This porcupine ranges from southeastern Mexico through Central America to western Panama. Long quills hide beneath coarse black hairs, and its long tail can grip branches.

• Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni

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

• Swamp Grass Babbler Laticilla cinerascens

  The Swamp Grass Babbler lives in wet grasslands from northeastern India to northern Bangladesh and searches for insects in pairs or family parties. It has a long tail, a pale spot in front of the eye, and a narrow pale eye-ring.

• Cape Pangolin Smutsia temminckii

  A ground-dwelling pangolin of savannas and open woodland.

• Common dolphin Delphinus delphis

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

• Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis

  The Australian Bustard is a large bird of dry plains, grassland, and open woodland. It eats both plant and animal foods.

• Big hairy armadillo Chaetophractus villosus

  The big hairy armadillo lives in grasslands, forests and other habitats in South America. Flexible bony plates cover its back, with hair beneath the plates and along the sides of the body.

• Domestic dog Canis familiaris

  A domestic dog bred for companionship and many kinds of work. Its appearance varies greatly among breeds.

• Dusky-faced Tanager Mitrospingus cassinii

  This bird is recorded in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. Its dark face, pale eyes, and long, pointed bill stand out. The account describes lowland settings that include riverside forest, forest edges, secondary growth, and cacao plantations.

• Black Spotted Cuscus Spilocuscus rufoniger

  The black-spotted cuscus is an arboreal marsupial with black-and-red fur and different back patterns in males and females. It occurs in forests of northern New Guinea.

• European polecat Mustela putorius

  A slender mustelid of freshwater margins and forest edges.

• Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii

  The Ibisbill searches for food along stony rivers with its long, down-curved red bill. It may feed alone beside highland rivers and streams.

• Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus

  An egg-laying mammal that forages in Australian rivers.

• Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx

  A wild cat of Europe and Asia, with black ear tufts and a prominent ruff around its cheeks.

• Kagu Rhynochetos jubatus

  The flightless Kagu lives in the humid forests of New Caledonia's Grande Terre. During the day it searches leaf litter and soil for small live prey.

• Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista nobilis

  The Bhutan giant flying squirrel is a large gliding squirrel reported from the eastern Himalaya. It has a deep reddish-brown body and a lighter gliding membrane; its tail tip is often black.