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.
Habitat · 81 species
Animals of coasts and reefs
Animals of beaches, rocky shores, estuaries and coral reefs, from seals and puffins to crabs and clownfish.
Species profiles
Reptiles
Aldabra giant tortoise
Aldabrachelys gigantea
The Aldabra giant tortoise is one of the world's largest tortoises, living over 100 years on a remote Seychelles atoll. Size, diet, tortoise turf and status.
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
American flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
The American flamingo is the brightest pink flamingo, a filter feeder of Caribbean lagoons. Facts on its size, color, diet, mud nests, range and lifespan.
Crustaceans
American lobster
Homarus americanus
The American lobster is a big-clawed crustacean of the northwest Atlantic and the heaviest on record. Its claws, size, diet, molting, colors and long life.
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.
Crustaceans
Atlantic blue crab
Callinectes sapidus
The Atlantic blue crab is a swimming crab of Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with blue claws and paddle legs. Its size, diet, molting and life cycle.
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.
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.
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.
Fish
Basking shark
Cetorhinus maximus
The basking shark is the second-largest fish, usually 7–8.5 m (23–28 ft) long. Facts on its plankton diet, migrations, summer sightings and Endangered status.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Birds
Common raven
Corvus corax
The common raven is a huge all-black songbird of the Northern Hemisphere, famous for deep croaks, play and problem-solving. Size, diet, nests, lifespan, myths.
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.
Mollusks
Garden snail
Cornu aspersum
The garden snail is a brown land snail from the Mediterranean and western Europe, now found worldwide. Facts on its shell, diet, slime, mating and lifespan.
Fish
Giant oceanic manta ray
Mobula birostris
The giant oceanic manta ray is the world's largest ray, up to about 7 m (23 ft) across. Its size, plankton diet, big brain, slow breeding and Endangered status.
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.
Mammals
Gray whale
Eschrichtius robustus
The gray whale is a mottled North Pacific baleen whale that sucks prey from the seafloor and migrates between Arctic seas and Mexico. Size, diet and threats.
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.
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.
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 flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
The greater flamingo is the largest and most widespread flamingo, found from Spain and France to Africa and India. Its size, diet, colonies and lifespan.
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.
Reptiles
Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
The green sea turtle is a large, plant-eating sea turtle of warm seas, named for its green body fat. Its size, seagrass diet, migrations, nesting and status.
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.
Reptiles
Hawksbill sea turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
The hawksbill is a Critically Endangered reef turtle with a hawk-like beak and a richly patterned shell. Its size, sponge diet, nesting, range and main threats.
Birds
Herring gull
Larus argentatus
The herring gull is the large gray-backed seagull of European coasts and towns. Facts on its size, plumage, diet, rooftop nests, chicks, lifespan and decline.
Mammals
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
The humpback whale is a 14–17 m baleen whale famous for its long flippers, breaching, bubble nets and male song. Facts on size, diet, migration and recovery.
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
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.
Reptiles
Marine iguana
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
The marine iguana is the only lizard that feeds in the sea, diving for algae off the Galápagos. Size, salt-sneezing, El Niño famines and Vulnerable status.
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.
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
North Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
The North Atlantic right whale is a rare baleen whale of the western Atlantic with no dorsal fin. Its size, copepod diet, calving, threats and survival odds.
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.
Fish
Ocellaris clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
The ocellaris clownfish is an orange-and-white reef fish that lives inside sea anemones. Its size, range, diet, sex change, egg care and the real Nemo story.
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.
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
Purple sea urchin
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
The purple sea urchin is a spiny grazer of Pacific kelp forests and tide pools. Facts on its size, teeth, rock burrows, lifespan, predators and urchin barrens.
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
Rock pigeon
Columba livia
The rock pigeon is the wild cliff bird behind every city pigeon and homing pigeon. Facts on its size, range, nests, crop milk, intelligence and history.
Insects
Sacred scarab
Scarabaeus sacer
The sacred scarab is a black ball-rolling dung beetle of the Mediterranean and North Africa, revered in ancient Egypt. Size, dung balls, larvae 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.
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.
Other Invertebrates
Staghorn coral
Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral is a fast-growing, antler-shaped reef builder of Florida and the Caribbean. How it feeds, grows and spawns, and why it is Critically Endangered.
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.
Mammals
West Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus
The West Indian manatee is a gentle, plant-eating sea cow of Florida and the Caribbean. Size, diet, warm-water needs, breeding, threats and Vulnerable status.
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.
Fish
Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
The whale shark is the largest fish, recorded at about 18.8 m (62 ft). Facts on its spots, plankton diet, warm-sea range, gatherings and Endangered status.
Fish
White-spotted puffer
Arothron hispidus
The white-spotted puffer is a common Indo-Pacific pufferfish that inflates with water, has a beak of fused teeth and carries tetrodotoxin. Size, diet and range.
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.