Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,768 · Stories: 19,540

• Kerguelen Tern Sterna virgata

  

  A tern of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Observations on Kerguelen showed it feeding on fish and crustaceans at sea as well as small land invertebrates.

• Chihuahuan Grasshopper Mouse Onychomys arenicola

  This nocturnal mouse lives in deserts and dry grasslands. It mainly eats insects and also catches other small animals.

• Black-billed Weaver Ploceus melanogaster

  The Black-billed Weaver lives in dense undergrowth in African montane forest. Male yellow markings vary between its geographically separated forms: the Cameroon form has a yellow breast collar, while the eastern form has yellow on the face.

• African Palm Squirrel Epixerus ebii

  The African palm squirrel is a forest squirrel with a patchy range in West and Central Africa. It is recognizable by its gray back, orange to red underside, and patterned tail.

• Common Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis

  The Common Pauraque hides on the ground in leaf-colored plumage by day and catches flying insects at night.

• Dusky-footed Woodrat Neotoma (Neotoma) fuscipes

  The dusky-footed woodrat lives in California forests and chaparral, where it builds large houses from sticks and leaves. This entry limits its range to records within California.

• White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola

  The White-browed Fantail is a small bird with a white brow and a fan-shaped tail. It catches small flying insects in woodland and open places.

• Alpine Chipmunk Tamias (Neotamias) alpinus

  This chipmunk lives high in California's Sierra Nevada, among rocky slopes and subalpine forest.

• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi

  The White-faced Ibis probes wet mud with its long bill for food. Its plumage can shine green and purple.

• Azara's Akodont Akodon (Akodon) azarae

  Azara's Akodont lives in grasslands and wetland vegetation, and may change the sheltered sites it uses with the seasons.

• Chalk-browed Mockingbird Mimus saturninus

  The Chalk-browed Mockingbird ranges across eastern and southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It has a grey body, pale eyebrow, and white tail tips, and forages on the ground or in low bushes.

• California Ground Squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi

  A North American ground squirrel that digs burrows and is active by day.

• Eastern Orphean Warbler Curruca crassirostris

  A migratory warbler of open woodland and scrub, it feeds on small invertebrates.

• Patagonian Chinchilla Mouse Euneomys chinchilloides

  With long, dense grey-brown fur, it lives in sandy areas with rocky shelter and patches of grass or shrubs. Records are from central and southeastern Chile and adjacent Argentina.

• Javan Munia Lonchura leucogastroides

  An adult Javan Munia has a black face, throat, and upper breast that contrast with its white underparts.

• Kinabalu Squirrel Callosciurus baluensis

  This squirrel lives in the mountains of northern Borneo. It is active by day in trees, and its coat varies, often appearing reddish brown.

• Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush Catharus dryas

  The Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush lives in Central American cloud forests. Its dark face and throat, yellow-orange eye-ring, and spotted pale underparts are useful identification marks.

• Cerrado Akodont Thalpomys cerradensis

  This small rodent lives in Brazil’s Cerrado. It is terrestrial and most active after sunset and in the hours before sunrise.

• Purple-bearded Bee-eater Meropogon forsteni

  The Purple-bearded Bee-eater occurs only on Sulawesi. Adult males have long purple throat feathers that hang like a beard.

• Mentawai Flying Squirrel Iomys sipora

  The Mentawai Flying Squirrel has dark brown fur on its back and paler gray underparts. It occurs on Sipora and North Pagai islands west of Sumatra, in mature forest below 500 m.

• Crested Becard Pachyramphus validus

  Adult males have dark crowns and upperparts, while females are cinnamon-colored with gray crowns. In southern Peru's inter-Andean valleys, the account describes subspecies audax as a rare resident.

• Romanian Hamster Mesocricetus newtoni

  The Romanian hamster occurs along the Danube in northern Romania and Bulgaria. In examined animals, researchers recorded a grayish back, a dark line from the ears to the shoulders, and black stripes on the cheek pouches. It is active around dusk and at night, storing seeds and fruit in its burrow.

• Taiwan Barbet Psilopogon nuchalis

  The Taiwan Barbet lives in Taiwan’s broadleaf forest, parks, and gardens and mainly eats fruit. A historical account quoted by the museum says it can be hard to see among leaves, while its clear call can reveal it.

• Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus (Sciurus) niger

  A medium-sized North American tree squirrel, notable for its reddish-brown coat and red belly. It also occurs in open woodlands and urban areas.