Birds
Cuckoos, owls, hornbills and parrots — birds whose voices define forests, farmland and rainforest canopies.
Common Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
The common cuckoo is a slim, long-tailed bird with grey upperparts and a barred underside that can remind people of a small hawk.
Indian Peafowl
Pavo cristatus
The Indian peafowl is a large ground-dwelling pheasant relative.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
Barn owls have a heart-shaped facial disc, pale underparts and golden-buff upper wings.
Great Hornbill
Buceros bicornis
The great hornbill is one of the largest hornbills.
Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
Scarlet macaws are large parrots with red bodies, yellow-and-blue wing patches and a bare white face.
Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
The laughing kookaburra is the largest member of the kingfisher family.
Common Loon
Gavia immer
The common loon is a heavy-bodied diving bird with a black head, a checkered black-and-white back and a dagger-shaped bill.
Common Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
The nightingale is a small, rufous-brown bird with a rusty tail.
Emperor Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri
Emperor penguins are the largest penguins.
Mammals
Big cats, wolves, elephants, primates and deer, and the roars, howls and rumbles they use to stay in touch.
Tiger
Panthera tigris
Tigers are solitary predators recognised by their orange coats with black stripes.
Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
Gray wolves live in packs that are usually families made up of a breeding pair and their offspring.
African Lion
Panthera leo
Lions live in prides, usually a group of related females with their cubs and a few males.
Asian Elephant
Elephas maximus
Asian elephants are smaller than their African relatives and have smaller ears and a rounded back.
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Howler monkeys are tree-dwelling primates known for their roaring chorus.
Red Deer
Cervus elaphus
Red deer are among the largest land mammals in Europe.
White-handed Gibbon
Hylobates lar
Gibbons are small apes that swing through the canopy using their long arms, a movement called brachiation.
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
Hippos spend the day in water to protect their skin from the sun and come ashore at night to graze on grass, sometimes walking several kilometres.
Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia
Snow leopards have thick, smoky-grey coats with dark rosettes and very long, thick tails that they wrap around themselves for warmth.
Chimpanzee
Pan troglodytes
Chimpanzees live in large communities that split into smaller parties when food is scarce.
Coyote
Canis latrans
Coyotes have expanded their range across North America even as wolves have been removed.
Indri
Indri indri
The indri is a black-and-white lemur with a very short tail, long legs and rounded ears.
Ocean
Whales and dolphins that live in a world where sound travels farther than light.
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Humpbacks are large baleen whales with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head.
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Bottlenose dolphins live in flexible groups called pods.
Beluga Whale
Delphinapterus leucas
Belugas are small, white whales with a rounded forehead called a melon.
Orca
Orcinus orca
Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest members of the dolphin family.
Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales.
Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Blue whales are the biggest animals known to have lived.
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus
Walruses are large seals with long tusks and sensitive whiskers that they use to find clams on the seabed.
Reptiles & Amphibians
Alligators, geckos, snakes and frogs — cold-blooded animals with surprisingly loud voices.
American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
American alligators have broad, rounded snouts and are dark olive to black.
Tokay Gecko
Gekko gecko
Tokay geckos are large lizards with blue-grey skin dotted with orange spots.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
This large pit viper has diamond-shaped markings on its back and a banded tail.
American Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus
Bullfrogs are green to brown with a large round eardrum behind the eye.
Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer
The spring peeper is a thumbnail-sized frog with a dark X-shaped mark on its back.
Insects
Cicadas and crickets, the tiny musicians behind summer evenings.
Periodical Cicada
Magicicada spp.
Periodical cicadas spend 13 or 17 years underground as nymphs, then emerge together in huge numbers, climb trees and become winged adults for a few weeks.
Field Cricket
Gryllus spp.
Field crickets are dark, stout insects that live in grass and under stones.
Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
A honey bee colony can hold tens of thousands of bees, with a single queen, many female workers and a smaller number of males.