Birds
African penguin
Spheniscus demersus
The African penguin is the only penguin that breeds in Africa and is now Critically Endangered. Its looks, braying calls, colonies, diet, breeding and threats.
Diet · 141 species
Carnivores
Animals that eat mainly other animals, including hunters, fish-eaters and scavengers.
Species profiles
Mammals
African wild dog
Lycaon pictus
The African wild dog, or painted wolf, is an endangered pack hunter of Africa's savannas. Its coat, pack life, hunting, pups, range and why so few remain.
Reptiles
Alligator snapping turtle
Macrochelys temminckii
The alligator snapping turtle is North America's largest freshwater turtle. Facts on its ridged shell, worm-like tongue lure, size, lifespan, range and threats.
Reptiles
American alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
The American alligator is a large crocodilian of southeastern US wetlands. Facts on its size, diet, nesting, gator holes and its comeback from near extinction.
Amphibians
American bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus
The American bullfrog is North America's largest true frog, up to 20 cm long and 500 g. Its size, deep call, diet, tadpoles, range and spread as an invasive.
Reptiles
American crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
The American crocodile lives in coastal mangroves from south Florida to Peru and Venezuela. Facts on its size, salt tolerance, nesting and Florida recovery.
Birds
Andean condor
Vultur gryphus
The Andean condor is a huge South American vulture with a wingspan near 3 m (10 ft). Facts on its size, soaring flight, diet, breeding, long life and status.
Mammals
Arctic fox
Vulpes lagopus
The Arctic fox is a small fox of the Arctic tundra with some of the warmest fur of any mammal. Facts on its size, color morphs, range, diet, cubs and lifespan.
Birds
Arctic tern
Sterna paradisaea
The Arctic tern is a small gray-and-white seabird that flies from the Arctic to Antarctica and back each year. Facts on its size, diet, colonies and lifespan.
Fish
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a giant, warm-bodied ocean fish of up to 679 kg (1,496 lb). Its size, migrations, spawning, diet and recovery from overfishing.
Other Invertebrates
Atlantic horseshoe crab
Limulus polyphemus
The Atlantic horseshoe crab is an ancient arthropod closer to spiders than crabs. Facts on its shell, blue blood, Delaware Bay spawning and Vulnerable status.
Birds
Atlantic puffin
Fratercula arctica
The Atlantic puffin is a small North Atlantic seabird with a bright breeding bill. Facts on its size, burrows, fish diet, chick, lifespan and Vulnerable status.
Fish
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
The Atlantic salmon hatches in cold rivers, grows up at sea and leaps home to spawn. Its life cycle, size, diet, ocean journeys, threats and current status.
Other Invertebrates
Australian box jellyfish
Chironex fleckeri
The Australian box jellyfish is a cube-shaped, fast-swimming jellyfish of northern Australia with 60 tentacles, 24 eyes and a sting that can kill in minutes.
Amphibians
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
The axolotl is a Mexican salamander that keeps its gills and lives in water for life. Facts on its size, colors, diet, regeneration and endangered status.
Birds
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The bald eagle is North America's sea eagle and the US national bird. Facts on its size, white head, fish diet, giant nests, range, lifespan and DDT recovery.
Mammals
Beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas
The beluga is a white Arctic whale with a bulging melon, a bendy neck and a huge range of calls. Its size, color change, diet, range, lifespan and threats.
Reptiles
Black mamba
Dendroaspis polylepis
The black mamba is Africa's longest venomous snake, usually 2–3 m long and gray-brown, not black. Facts on its size, real speed, habitat, diet and venom.
Reptiles
Boa constrictor
Boa constrictor
The boa constrictor is a large, nonvenomous snake of tropical America, usually 1.8–3 m long. Facts on its size, red tail, habitat, diet, birth and taxonomy.
Birds
Brown pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
The brown pelican is the smallest pelican and the only one that plunge-dives for fish. Facts on its size, pouch, colonies, range and recovery from DDT.
Arachnids
Brown recluse
Loxosceles reclusa
The brown recluse is a shy, six-eyed spider of the south-central US with a violin mark and tissue-damaging venom. Its real range, habits, life cycle and bites.
Fish
Bull shark
Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark is a stocky coastal shark that can swim far up rivers into fresh water. Its size, diet, river nurseries, risk to people and Vulnerable status.
Reptiles
Burmese python
Python bivittatus
The Burmese python is a giant constrictor of Southeast Asia that can top 5 m. Facts on size, ambush hunting, egg brooding and its invasion of the Everglades.
Birds
California condor
Gymnogyps californianus
The California condor is North America's largest flying land bird, a bald-headed scavenger saved from extinction by captive breeding. Size, diet and threats.
Mammals
California sea lion
Zalophus californianus
The California sea lion is a clever, noisy eared seal of the Pacific coast. Its size, diet, breeding, barking, toxic algae threats and Least Concern status.
Mammals
Canada lynx
Lynx canadensis
The Canada lynx is a long-legged wild cat of northern forests with huge snowshoe paws and black ear tufts. Facts on size, range, hare diet, kittens and status.
Arachnids
Carolina wolf spider
Hogna carolinensis
The Carolina wolf spider is North America's largest wolf spider, a burrowing night hunter with no web. Its size, range, eyeshine, egg sacs and real bite risk.
Mollusks
Chambered nautilus
Nautilus pompilius
The chambered nautilus is a shelled Indo-Pacific cephalopod with up to 90 suckerless tentacles, pinhole eyes and a gas-filled shell. Its size, life and threats.
Amphibians
Chinese giant salamander
Andrias davidianus
The Chinese giant salamander is one of the largest amphibians on Earth, up to 1.8 m long. Its mountain streams, diet, crying calls, farming and Critical status.
Mammals
Common bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
The common bottlenose dolphin is a large, social toothed whale of warm and temperate seas. Facts on its size, whistles, hunting, lifespan, range and threats.
Mollusks
Common cuttlefish
Sepia officinalis
The common cuttlefish is a European cephalopod that changes color, pattern and skin texture in under a second. Size, cuttlebone, hunting, range and lifespan.
Insects
Common eastern firefly
Photinus pyralis
The common eastern firefly is North America's best-known lightning bug, a beetle that draws J-shaped flashes at dusk. Facts on its light, larvae and lifespan.
Reptiles
Common European adder
Vipera berus
The European adder is Britain's only venomous snake and the world's most widespread viper. Facts on its zigzag pattern, size, habitat, venom and life cycle.
Amphibians
Common frog
Rana temporaria
The common frog is Europe's most widespread frog, from Ireland to the Urals and beyond the Arctic Circle. Its colors, spawn, tadpoles, diet and winter habits.
Reptiles
Common garter snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
The common garter snake is a striped, harmless snake found across most of North America. Facts on its size, color forms, diet, live birth and winter dens.
Birds
Common kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
The common kingfisher is a sparrow-sized blue and orange bird of rivers in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Its size, fishing dives, burrow nests and lifespan.
Birds
Common loon
Gavia immer
The common loon, or great northern diver, is a large diving bird of northern lakes famous for its haunting calls. Size, diving, nesting, range and lifespan.
Mollusks
Common octopus
Octopus vulgaris
The common octopus is a clever, eight-armed mollusk of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Its size, three hearts, camouflage, diet, dens and short life.
Mammals
Common vampire bat
Desmodus rotundus
The common vampire bat is a small Latin American bat that feeds only on blood, mostly from livestock. Facts on its size, heat-sensing nose, range and colonies.
Reptiles
Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
The copperhead is a camouflaged pit viper of the eastern US. How to identify its hourglass bands, plus its size, range, diet, live young and real bite risk.
Reptiles
Corn snake
Pantherophis guttatus
The corn snake is a harmless orange-red rat snake of the southeastern US, usually 0.6–1.2 m long. Facts on its colors, range, habitat, diet, eggs and lifespan.
Reptiles
Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
The cottonmouth, or water moccasin, is a venomous semi-aquatic pit viper of the southeastern US. Its size, white-mouth display, fish diet, live young and range.
Reptiles
Eastern coral snake
Micrurus fulvius
The eastern coral snake is a shy, venomous elapid of the southeastern US. Its red, yellow and black rings, size, range, snake-eating diet, eggs and real risk.
Reptiles
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
The eastern diamondback is the largest rattlesnake: a heavy pit viper of southeastern US pine forests. Size, diamond pattern, diet, birth, venom and decline.
Fish
Electric eel
Electrophorus electricus
The electric eel is an air-breathing South American knifefish, not a true eel, that stuns prey with shocks of hundreds of volts. Size, habitat, diet and life.
Birds
Emperor penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri
The emperor penguin is the largest penguin and the only bird that breeds on Antarctic sea ice in winter. Size, diving, huddles, chicks, range and threats.
Birds
Eurasian eagle-owl
Bubo bubo
The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest owls on Earth, with orange eyes, ear tufts and a wingspan near 1.9 m. Size, diet, range, breeding and status.
Mammals
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
The Eurasian lynx is Europe's largest wild cat, a spotted forest hunter with black ear tufts that preys on roe deer. Size, diet, range and its return to Europe.
Mammals
Eurasian otter
Lutra lutra
The Eurasian otter is a sleek, fish-eating member of the weasel family found on rivers and coasts from Ireland to Asia. Size, diet, holts, spraints, recovery.
Fish
European eel
Anguilla anguilla
The European eel grows up in rivers from Iceland to North Africa but is born in the Sargasso Sea. Its life cycle, size, diet, lifespan and why it is endangered.
Arachnids
European garden spider
Araneus diadematus
The European garden spider is a harmless orb weaver with a white cross on its back. Its size, webs, silk, autumn peak, risky courtship and life cycle explained.
Amphibians
Fire salamander
Salamandra salamandra
The fire salamander is Europe's black-and-yellow salamander of damp forests: toxic skin, live-born larvae and a long life, now Vulnerable due to Bsal fungus.
Arachnids
Giant house spider
Eratigena atrica
The giant house spider is a big, fast but harmless funnel weaver of European homes, also found in Canada and the US Northwest. Size, webs, speed and lifespan.
Mollusks
Giant Pacific octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini
The giant Pacific octopus is the world's largest octopus, a clever North Pacific mollusk. Its size, range, dens, diet, brooding mothers and 3 to 5 year life.
Mollusks
Giant squid
Architeuthis dux
The giant squid is a deep-sea squid up to 12–13 m long with tentacles and eyes as big as dinner plates. Its real size, diet, sperm whale foes and first films.
Reptiles
Gila monster
Heloderma suspectum
The Gila monster is a slow, venomous lizard of the US Southwest and Mexico with beaded pink and black skin. Size, venom, diet, habitat, lifespan and protection.
Birds
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
The golden eagle is the most widespread eagle in the world, a dark brown hunter of hares and ground squirrels with 2 m wings. Size, range, diet and threats.
Arachnids
Goliath birdeater
Theraphosa blondi
The Goliath birdeater is the heaviest spider on Earth, a South American tarantula of up to 175 g (6.2 oz). Facts on its size, burrows, diet, hairs and lifespan.
Reptiles
Grass snake
Natrix natrix
The grass snake is Europe's harmless, water-loving snake with a yellow collar. Its size, frog diet, compost-heap eggs, playing dead and the 2017 species split.
Birds
Great blue heron
Ardea herodias
The great blue heron is North America's largest heron. Facts on its size, slow flight, fish diet, treetop colonies, the white Florida form, migration and range.
Amphibians
Great crested newt
Triturus cristatus
The great crested newt is Britain's largest newt, with warty dark skin, an orange belly and a jagged male crest. Its size, ponds, life cycle and legal status.
Fish
Great hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
The great hammerhead is the biggest hammerhead shark, up to 6 m (20 ft) long. Its T-shaped head, stingray diet, warm-sea range and Critically Endangered status.
Birds
Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
The great horned owl is a big, tufted owl found from Alaska to Central America. Facts on its size, deep hoots, strong grip, skunk-eating diet and winter nests.
Fish
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
The great white shark is the largest predatory fish, reaching about 6 m (20 ft). Its size, warm body, seal hunting, range, long life and Vulnerable status.
Birds
Greater roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
The greater roadrunner is a fast-running ground cuckoo of the US Southwest and Mexico. Facts on its speed, size, diet of lizards and snakes, nesting and status.
Reptiles
Green anaconda
Eunectes murinus
The green anaconda is the world's heaviest snake, a giant boa of South American swamps and rivers. Facts on its size, hunting, breeding balls and live birth.
Fish
Green moray
Gymnothorax funebris
The green moray is the largest moray eel of the tropical Atlantic, up to 2.5 m long. Why it looks green, how it breathes and hunts, and how dangerous it is.
Fish
Greenland shark
Somniosus microcephalus
The Greenland shark is a slow, cold-water giant of the Arctic and North Atlantic that may live for centuries. Its size, diet, eye parasites, range and threats.
Mammals
Harbor porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
The harbor porpoise is a small, shy toothed whale of cool coastal seas. Its size, clicks, diet, North Sea and Baltic range, short lifespan and bycatch threats.
Mammals
Harbor seal
Phoca vitulina
The harbor seal is a spotted true seal of northern coasts in Europe, North America and Asia. Its size, fish diet, pups, diving, threats and conservation status.
Birds
Harpy eagle
Harpia harpyja
The harpy eagle is a huge rainforest eagle of Central and South America that hunts sloths and monkeys. Facts on its size, talons, diet, breeding and status.
Amphibians
Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
The hellbender is North America's largest salamander: a flat, wrinkly, fully aquatic amphibian of clean, rocky Appalachian and Ozark streams, now Vulnerable.
Mammals
Honey badger
Mellivora capensis
The honey badger, or ratel, is a tough mustelid of Africa and southern Asia. Facts on its loose skin, size, diet of snakes and bee larvae, range and lifespan.
Fish
Humpback anglerfish
Melanocetus johnsonii
The humpback anglerfish is a small deep-sea fish with a glowing lure, a huge toothy mouth and tiny males. Its size, depth, diet, mating and first live filming.
Reptiles
Inland taipan
Oxyuranus microlepidotus
The inland taipan has the most toxic snake venom in mouse tests, yet it is shy and rarely seen. Size, color change, outback range, rat diet and real risk.
Reptiles
King cobra
Ophiophagus hannah
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, usually 3–4 m long. Facts on its size, hood and growl, snake-eating diet, nests, range and status.
Birds
King penguin
Aptenodytes patagonicus
The king penguin is the second-largest penguin, with bright orange ear patches and huge sub-Antarctic colonies. Size, diving, diet, chicks, range and status.
Reptiles
Komodo dragon
Varanus komodoensis
The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard, found only on a few Indonesian islands. Facts on its size, hunting, venom, virgin births and Endangered status.
Birds
Laughing kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
The laughing kookaburra is a giant Australian kingfisher famous for its laughing call. Facts on its size, family groups, diet of snakes and lizards, and range.
Mammals
Least weasel
Mustela nivalis
The least weasel is the world's smallest carnivoran, weighing as little as 25 g. Its size, vole hunting, white winter coat, breeding, range and status.
Reptiles
Leatherback sea turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
The leatherback is the largest living turtle, with a leathery shell, a jellyfish diet and dives past 1,000 m. Facts on size, migrations, nesting and threats.
Fish
Lined seahorse
Hippocampus erectus
The lined seahorse is a western Atlantic seahorse found from Nova Scotia to Brazil. Its size, armor, upright swimming, diet, courtship, pregnancy and threats.
Reptiles
Loggerhead sea turtle
Caretta caretta
The loggerhead is a big-headed, Vulnerable sea turtle that crushes crabs and whelks with huge jaws. Its size, diet, ocean migrations, nesting and threats.
Other Invertebrates
Magnificent sea anemone
Radianthus magnifica
The magnificent sea anemone is a large Indo-Pacific reef anemone and clownfish host. Its size, colors, algae partners, movement, bleaching and new name.
Arachnids
Mexican red-knee tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii
The Mexican red-knee tarantula is a burrowing spider of Mexico's Pacific slopes: its orange knees, slow growth, decades-long female lifespan and protection.
Other Invertebrates
Moon jellyfish
Aurelia aurita
The moon jellyfish is a clear, saucer-shaped jelly with four ring-shaped gonads and a very mild sting. Its size, diet, life cycle, blooms and where it lives.
Reptiles
Nile crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest reptile and second-largest crocodile. Its size, range, hunting, nesting, danger to people and the West African split.
Mammals
North American river otter
Lontra canadensis
The North American river otter is a playful, fish-eating otter of rivers, lakes and coasts in Canada and the US. Its size, fur, diet, family life and comeback.
Mammals
Northern elephant seal
Mirounga angustirostris
The northern elephant seal is a giant true seal of the eastern Pacific. Its size, trunk-like nose, harems, record dives, molt and comeback from near extinction.
Reptiles
Northern water snake
Nerodia sipedon
The northern water snake is a harmless banded snake of ponds and streams in eastern North America. Its size, range, fish diet, live young and cottonmouth ID.
Fish
Ocean sunfish
Mola mola
The ocean sunfish is a giant, disc-shaped bony fish with no true tail. Its size, deep dives for jellyfish and other prey, record egg count, range and threats.
Other Invertebrates
Ochre sea star
Pisaster ochraceus
The ochre sea star is the purple or orange starfish of North America's Pacific shores. Facts on its size, mussel diet, keystone role, lifespan and disease.
Amphibians
Olm
Proteus anguinus
The olm is a blind, pale salamander of flooded caves in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. Facts on its gills, senses, diet, century-long lifespan and conservation.
Crustaceans
Peacock mantis shrimp
Odontodactylus scyllarus
The peacock mantis shrimp is a colorful Indo-Pacific reef crustacean with a club strike of up to 23 m/s and complex eyes. Facts on size, diet, burrows and life.
Birds
Peregrine falcon
Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on Earth, diving at over 300 km/h. Facts on its size, bird diet, worldwide range, city nests and recovery from DDT.
Mammals
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
The polar bear is the largest land carnivore, a marine mammal that hunts seals from Arctic sea ice. Size, fur and black skin, dens, range, threats and status.
Other Invertebrates
Portuguese man o' war
Physalia physalis
The Portuguese man o' war is a floating colony, not a jellyfish, with a gas-filled sail and stinging tentacles up to 30 m long. Size, diet, range and sting.
Fish
Red lionfish
Pterois volitans
The red lionfish is a striped, venomous reef fish of the Indo-Pacific that now invades Atlantic and Caribbean reefs. Its size, hunting, breeding and impact.
Birds
Red-tailed hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
The red-tailed hawk is North America's most common large hawk. How to identify it, plus facts on its size, rodent diet, nests, migration, scream and lifespan.
Reptiles
Reticulated python
Malayopython reticulatus
The reticulated python of Southeast Asia is the world's longest snake, measured at almost 7 m in the wild. Facts on its size, net-like pattern, diet and range.
Reptiles
Saltwater crocodile
Crocodylus porosus
The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile. Its size, range from India to Australia, life at sea, hunting, nesting, recovery and the risk to people.
Birds
Secretary bird
Sagittarius serpentarius
The secretary bird is an African bird of prey with an eagle's body on crane-like legs that kills prey by stamping. Facts on its size, diet, nesting and status.
Fish
Shortfin mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
The shortfin mako is a fast, warm-bodied ocean shark found worldwide, usually 2–3.2 m long. Its speed, leaps, diet, slow breeding and Endangered status.
Mammals
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
The snow leopard is a big cat of the high mountains of Central and South Asia. Facts on its thick fur, long tail, size, prey, voice and Vulnerable status.
Arachnids
Southern black widow
Latrodectus mactans
The southern black widow is a shy, glossy black spider of the southeastern US with a red hourglass and potent venom. Its size, web, life cycle and real risk.
Fish
Southern stingray
Hypanus americanus
The southern stingray is a diamond-shaped ray of the warm western Atlantic. Its size, sand-burying habits, buried prey, tail barb, Stingray City and status.
Mammals
Sperm whale
Physeter macrocephalus
The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale, with males about 16 m (52 ft) long. Its huge head, record brain, deep squid dives, clicks and Vulnerable status.
Mammals
Spotted hyena
Crocuta crocuta
The spotted hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore, a skilled hunter living in female-led clans. Facts on its size, bite, diet, calls and lifespan.
Mammals
Tasmanian devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
The Tasmanian devil is the largest living carnivorous marsupial, a noisy scavenger found only in Tasmania. Size, bite, diet, young and facial tumor disease.
Fish
Tiger shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark is a large striped shark of warm seas, usually 3.3–4.7 m long. Its turtle-cutting teeth, huge diet, long migrations, big litters and real risk.
Reptiles
Timber rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
The timber rattlesnake is a large, calm pit viper of eastern US forests. Facts on its color phases, size, range, winter dens, slow breeding and protection.
Birds
Turkey vulture
Cathartes aura
The turkey vulture is the most widespread vulture in the Americas. Facts on its bare red head, wobbly soaring, keen sense of smell, diet, range and lifespan.
Birds
Wandering albatross
Diomedea exulans
The wandering albatross has the longest wings of any living bird, about 3 m (10 ft) across. Facts on its soaring flight, slow breeding, long life and threats.
Fish
West Indian Ocean coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
The coelacanth is a deep-water lobe-finned fish thought extinct for 66 million years until 1938. Size, caves, live birth, long life and why it is endangered.
Reptiles
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
The western diamondback is the big coon-tailed rattlesnake of the US Southwest and Mexico. Size, ID, desert habitat, rodent diet, dens, behavior and venom.
Birds
White stork
Ciconia ciconia
The white stork is a tall black-and-white bird that nests on rooftops and migrates from Europe to Africa. Facts on its size, diet, bill-clattering and comeback.
Arachnids
Zebra jumping spider
Salticus scenicus
The zebra jumping spider is a small black-and-white hunter of sunny walls in Europe and North America, with big eyes, sharp vision and accurate leaps.