Habitat · 147 species
Animals of forests
Animals of temperate and boreal forests, from deer, foxes and owls to woodpeckers and bears.
Species profiles
African buffalo
Syncerus caffer
The African buffalo is a huge wild bovine of sub-Saharan Africa, one of the Big Five. Facts on its horns, size, herds, diet, lions, forest buffalo and status.
African bush elephant
Loxodonta africana
The African bush elephant is the largest land animal, with bulls weighing about 5–7 tonnes. Facts on its size, tusks, herds, diet, calves, range and threats.
African gray parrot
Psittacus erithacus
The African gray parrot is a gray, red-tailed parrot of Central and West African rainforests, famed for its intelligence and speech. Size, diet and threats.
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.
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.
American bison
Bison bison
The American bison is North America's heaviest land animal, a grazing giant of prairies and Yellowstone. Size, hump, herds, diet, near extinction and recovery.
American black bear
Ursus americanus
The American black bear is North America's most common bear, a tree-climbing omnivore of forests from Alaska to Mexico. Size, colors, diet, denning and cubs.
American crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
The American crow is a glossy black, highly intelligent bird found across North America. Facts on its size, calls, diet, family life, roosts and lifespan.
American robin
Turdus migratorius
The American robin is North America's most widespread thrush, known for its orange breast and blue eggs. Facts on its size, diet, nests, song and range.
American toad
Anaxyrus americanus
The American toad is the common warty toad of eastern North America: its size, colors, long musical trill, garden and woodland habitat, breeding and lifespan.
Asian elephant
Elephas maximus
The Asian elephant is Asia's largest land animal, smaller-eared than African elephants and Endangered. Facts on its size, tusks, diet, herds, range and threats.
Atlas moth
Attacus atlas
The Atlas moth is a giant silk moth of Asian forests with a wingspan of about 25 cm. Its snake-head wingtips, mouthless adults, huge caterpillars and silk.
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.
Black-capped chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
The black-capped chickadee is a tiny, bold North American songbird with a black cap and bib, noted for its alarm calls, food caching and surviving hard winters.
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.
Brown bear
Ursus arctos
The brown bear is the most widespread bear, found across North America, Europe and Asia, and includes grizzly and Kodiak bears. Size, diet, dens, life, status.
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.
Brown-throated sloth
Bradypus variegatus
The brown-throated sloth is the most common three-toed sloth of Central and South America. Facts on its size, leaf diet, green fur, slow life and lifespan.
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Bombus terrestris
The buff-tailed bumblebee is one of Europe's commonest bumblebees: an early-flying pollinator with a yearly colony, used in greenhouses and invasive abroad.
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.
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.
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.
Cane toad
Rhinella marina
The cane toad is a huge, toxic toad native to the Americas that became a notorious invader in Australia, Florida and Pacific islands. Size, toxins, life cycle.
Central bearded dragon
Pogona vitticeps
The central bearded dragon is a spiny Australian lizard of dry woodland and desert. Facts on its size, beard display, arm-waving, diet, breeding and range.
Chimpanzee
Pan troglodytes
The chimpanzee is an endangered great ape of equatorial Africa and, with the bonobo, our closest relative. Facts on size, diet, tools, social life and range.
Common earthworm
Lumbricus terrestris
The common earthworm, or nightcrawler, is a large European worm that digs burrows up to 2 m deep. Facts on its body, ten hearts, diet, mating and role in soil.
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.
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.
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.
Common harvestman
Phalangium opilio
The common harvestman is a long-legged arachnid, not a spider: one-piece body, two eyes, no silk, no venom. Size, diet, range, life cycle and detachable legs.
Common pill bug
Armadillidium vulgare
The common pill bug is a land crustacean, not an insect, that rolls into a ball and eats dead leaves. Facts on its looks, range, diet, breeding and lifespan.
Common pipistrelle
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
The common pipistrelle is a tiny European bat weighing 3.5–8.5 g that eats up to thousands of midges a night. Facts on its size, calls, roosts and protection.
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.
Common swift
Apus apus
The common swift is a dark, sickle-winged bird that feeds, drinks and sleeps on the wing for most of the year. Size, diet, nesting, migration and decline.
Common toad
Bufo bufo
The common toad is Europe's familiar warty brown toad, up to 12 cm long. Its copper eyes, skin toxins, night hunting, spring migrations, spawn and lifespan.
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.
Common warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
The common warthog is a wild African pig of savannas, with facial warts, curved tusks and a habit of grazing on its knees. Size, diet, burrows and predators.
Common wasp
Vespula vulgaris
The common wasp is Europe's black-and-yellow yellowjacket. Facts on its size, paper nests, one-year colony cycle, diet, sting and spread to New Zealand.
Common wombat
Vombatus ursinus
The common wombat is a stocky burrowing marsupial of southeastern Australia and Tasmania, famous for cube-shaped droppings. Size, diet, burrows and lifespan.
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.
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.
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.
Eastern box turtle
Terrapene carolina
The eastern box turtle is a small land turtle of eastern US woods that can shut its hinged shell tight and may live 100 years. Size, diet, range and threats.
Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
The eastern chipmunk is a small striped ground squirrel of eastern North America that hoards seeds in its burrow. Size, diet, pouches, winter torpor and calls.
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.
Eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
The eastern cottontail is North America's most common wild rabbit. Facts on its cotton-ball tail, size, diet, grass nests, fast breeding, lifespan and enemies.
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.
Eastern gorilla
Gorilla beringei
The eastern gorilla, home of mountain and Grauer's gorillas, is the largest living primate. Facts on its size, diet, family groups, range and Critical status.
Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
The eastern gray squirrel is the familiar park squirrel of eastern North America, invasive in Britain and Italy. Size, diet, nut caching, nests and lifespan.
Eastern subterranean termite
Reticulitermes flavipes
The eastern subterranean termite is North America's most widespread termite. Facts on its castes, swarmers, king and queen, colonies and its gut microbes.
Eurasian blue tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
The Eurasian blue tit is a tiny blue-and-yellow songbird of European woods and gardens, famous for acrobatic feeding and huge clutches. Size, diet, nesting.
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.
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.
Eurasian magpie
Pica pica
The Eurasian magpie is a long-tailed black-and-white crow of Europe and Asia. Facts on its size, diet, domed nests, intelligence, lifespan and famous myths.
European badger
Meles meles
The European badger is a stocky, black-and-white striped mammal that lives in family clans in underground setts and eats mostly earthworms. Size, diet, range.
European bison
Bison bonasus
The European bison, or wisent, is Europe's heaviest land animal. Wiped out in the wild by 1927 and saved from 12 zoo animals, it now roams forests again.
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.
European hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
The European hedgehog is a small spiny insect-eater of Europe's gardens and hedgerows. Facts on its spines, diet, hibernation, hoglets, lifespan and decline.
European hornet
Vespa crabro
The European hornet is Europe's largest social wasp, up to 35 mm long. Facts on its colors, hollow-tree nests, insect hunting, night flights and sting risk.
European rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
The European rabbit is the wild ancestor of every domestic rabbit breed. Facts on its size, warrens, diet, breeding, lifespan and Endangered status in Iberia.
European robin
Erithacus rubecula
The European robin is a small orange-breasted songbird of Europe's gardens and woods. Facts on its size, song, fierce territories, nests, lifespan and range.
European stag beetle
Lucanus cervus
The European stag beetle is Europe's largest land beetle. Facts on the males' antler-like jaws, years of larval life in dead wood, brief adult life and decline.
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.
Galápagos giant tortoise
Chelonoidis niger
The Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living tortoise and can live over 100 years. Island forms, domed and saddleback shells, size, diet and recovery.
Giant African millipede
Archispirostreptus gigas
The giant African millipede is the largest living millipede, up to 33.5 cm long. Its legs, slow detritus diet, curling defense, mites and lifespan explained.
Giant anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
The giant anteater is a toothless, ant-eating mammal of Central and South America. Facts on its size, long tongue, huge claws, babies, range and its status.
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.
Giant panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
The giant panda is a black-and-white bear from the mountains of China that eats almost nothing but bamboo. Size, diet, cubs, lifespan and conservation status.
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.
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.
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is a nocturnal, tree-dwelling sloth of Central and South America. Facts on its size, claws, diet, babies, lifespan and how it lives.
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.
House centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata
The house centipede has 15 pairs of long legs, runs about 0.4 m (1.3 ft) per second and hunts insects in homes. Its size, eyes, venom, range and lifespan.
Indian peafowl
Pavo cristatus
The Indian peafowl is the peacock of India and Sri Lanka, famous for the male's eyespot train. Facts on its size, calls, diet, breeding, lifespan and range.
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.
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.
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.
Leafcutter ant
Atta cephalotes
The leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes farms fungus on chewed leaves in giant underground nests. Facts on its castes, colonies, range, fungus gardens and role.
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.
Leopard slug
Limax maximus
The leopard slug is a large spotted land slug of Europe, now also in North America. Facts on its size, hidden shell, diet, mating on a slime rope and lifespan.
Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
The little brown bat is a small North American insect-eating bat that can live over 30 years. Size, echolocation, colonies, hibernation and white-nose syndrome.
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.
Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
The monarch is an orange-and-black milkweed butterfly famous for flying up to 4,800 km to winter in Mexico. Its looks, size, life cycle, toxins and status.
Nine-banded armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
The nine-banded armadillo is an armored, insect-eating mammal and the only armadillo in the US. Its shell, size, diet, quadruplet births and spread north.
North American beaver
Castor canadensis
The North American beaver is the largest rodent in North America, a dam-building wetland engineer. Its size, teeth, lodges, bark diet, family life and comeback.
North American porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
The North American porcupine is a large, tree-climbing rodent covered in about 30,000 barbed quills. Its size, bark diet, salt cravings, predators and range.
North Island brown kiwi
Apteryx mantelli
The North Island brown kiwi is New Zealand's most common kiwi: a flightless, nocturnal bird with nostrils at its bill tip, a giant egg and Vulnerable status.
Northern cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
The northern cardinal is a crested red songbird of eastern North America and the state bird of seven US states. Facts on its size, song, diet, nests and range.
Northern giant hornet
Vespa mandarinia
The northern giant hornet, or Asian giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. Facts on its size, range, sting, honey bee raids and stay in North America.
Northern walkingstick
Diapheromera femorata
The northern walkingstick is a wingless stick insect of eastern North American woods. Its twig camouflage, leaf diet, falling eggs, outbreaks and giant kin.
Panther chameleon
Furcifer pardalis
The panther chameleon is Madagascar's most colorful chameleon. Facts on its color forms, rival displays, tongue, eyes, size, short wild life and breeding.
Periodical cicada
Magicicada septendecim
Magicicada septendecim, the 17-year periodical cicada, lives underground for 17 years, then emerges by the millions in the eastern US. Broods, song, life cycle.
Pileated woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
The pileated woodpecker is North America's largest common woodpecker, a crow-sized bird with a red crest. Facts on its size, carpenter ant diet, nests, range.
Red squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
The red squirrel is Eurasia's native tree squirrel, with ear tufts and a red to near-black coat. Size, diet, nests, lifespan and why it declined in Britain.
Red wood ant
Formica rufa
The red wood ant builds large thatched mounds of pine needles in European woodlands. Its size, colonies with many queens, formic acid, diet and conservation.
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.
Ring-tailed lemur
Lemur catta
The ring-tailed lemur is an Endangered primate from southern Madagascar with a black-and-white striped tail. Size, troops led by females, diet, stink fights.
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird that breeds in eastern North America. Facts on its size, wingbeats, diet, nest, migration and lifespan.
Scarlet macaw
Ara macao
The scarlet macaw is a large red, yellow and blue parrot of tropical American forests. Facts on its size, diet, clay licks, nesting, lifespan and conservation.
Seven-spot ladybug
Coccinella septempunctata
The seven-spot ladybug is a red beetle 5–8 mm long with seven black spots that hunts aphids. Its life cycle, defenses, winter clusters and spread to America.
Short-beaked echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
The short-beaked echidna is a spiny, egg-laying mammal of Australia and New Guinea that eats ants and termites. Size, spines, puggles, hibernation and lifespan.
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.
Southern cassowary
Casuarius casuarius
The southern cassowary is a huge flightless rainforest bird of New Guinea and Queensland with a blue neck, a tall casque and a dagger claw. Size, diet, habits.
Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
The striped skunk is North America's familiar black-and-white skunk. Facts on its warning display, spray, size, omnivorous diet, dens, predators and lifespan.
Sunda pangolin
Manis javanica
The Sunda pangolin is a scaly, ant-eating mammal of Southeast Asia that rolls into a ball when threatened. Facts on its scales, diet, young and illegal trade.
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.
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.
Toco toucan
Ramphastos toco
The toco toucan is the largest toucan, a black and white South American bird with a huge orange bill. Facts on its size, beak, fruit diet, nesting and range.
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.
Virginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana
The Virginia opossum is North America's only marsupial north of Mexico. Size, 50 teeth, prehensile tail, playing possum, diet, babies on the back and lifespan.
Western gorilla
Gorilla gorilla
The western gorilla is a Critically Endangered great ape of Central African rainforests. Facts on its size, diet, silverback-led groups, range and threats.
Western honey bee
Apis mellifera
The western honey bee is a social bee that lives in colonies of up to 80,000. Facts on its queen, workers and drones, comb, waggle dance, honey and spread.
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
The white-tailed deer is the most widespread deer in the Americas, named for the white tail it flashes when alarmed. Size, antlers, fawns, diet, rut and range.
Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
The wild turkey is North America's largest game bird and ancestor of the farm turkey. Facts on its size, snood and beard, gobbling, flight, diet and comeback.
Wood frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
The wood frog is a masked brown frog of North American forests that survives winter frozen. Its size, range to Alaska, vernal pool breeding, calls and life.