View source for Physical World/Animals

== Invertebrates ==
Invertebrates are divided into a number of phyla –

Sponges – have sieve-like bodies with an internal sketeton of mineral crystals. Classified as the phylum '''''Porifera''''', there are about 15,000 species

Spicules are structural elements found in most sponges. They provide structural support and deter predators

Osculum is an excretory structure in the living sponge, a large opening to the outside through which the current of water exits

Hexactinellid sponges are sponges with a skeleton made of four- and/or six-pointed siliceous spicules, often referred to as glass sponges

Cnidarians – members of the phylum '''''Cnidaria''''' are soft-bodied invertebrates that kill their prey with stinging cells. Of 11,000 known species, the vast majority are marine. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocysts (or cnidocytes), specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Includes jellyfish, corals, and anemones. Most cnidarians have a life cycle that alternates between medusa (free-swimming, bell-like shape) and polyp (static, typical of anemones)

Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their cube-shaped medusa and an ability to control the direction and speed of their movement. Box jellyfish are known for the extremely potent venom produced by some species

Sea wasp – a species of box jellyfish found in coastal waters around Australia. It has been described as the most lethal jellyfish in the world

Scyphozoa is a class within the phylum Cnidaria, sometimes referred to as the ‘true jellyfish’

Lion’s mane jellyfish, also known as hair jelly, is the largest known species of jellyfish. It is in the class Scyphozoa

Hydrozoa (hydrozoans) are a class of individually very small, predatory animals releated to jellyfish. Includes the freshwater jelly, freshwater polyps (''Hydra''), and Portuguese man o' war (''Physalia physalis'')

Portuguese man o’war is generally assumed to be a single organism but is actually a colony of symbiotic hermaphrodite animals

Sea anemones are a group of water dwelling, predatory filter feeding animals of the order Actinaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. As cnidarians, sea anemones are closely related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones and Hydra

Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual ‘polyps’. The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. A coral ‘head’ is a colony of myriad genetically identical polyps

Types of coral – hard (hermatypic) and soft (ahermatypic)

Brain coral – so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain

Dead Man’s Fingers – a type of coral

Staghorn coral exhibits the fastest growth of all known western Atlantic fringe corals. It is an important Caribbean coral in terms of its contribution to reef growth and fishery habitat

Polyp – a coelenterate, such as a hydra or coral, having a cylindrical body and an oral opening usually surrounded by tentacles

Sea pens are colonial animals with multiple polyps. Named after their feather-like appearance reminiscent of antique quill pens

Sea fans are closely related to coral. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan

Flatworms – numbering about 20,000 species, the phylum '''''Plathelminthes''''' contains animals with flat, paper-thin bodies, and a distinguishable head and tail. With no blood system and no organs for breathing, they use their entire body surface to absorb oxygen from moisture outside. Includes flukes and tapeworms

Common liver fluke – infects grass-eating cattle via freshwater snails, and feeds from the host’s liver

Roundworms – the phylum '''''Nematoda''''' contains simple cylindrical roundworms . Their bodies are coated in a tough layer, called a cuticle

Nematode worm was the first animal to have its genetic code completely listed

Segmented worms – with about 15,000 species, the phylum '''''Annelida''''' contains worms whose sinuous bodies are divided into ring-like segments. Their blood circulates in vessels and they have a firm sac of fluid (the coelom) running the length of the body. Includes earthworms, ragworms and leeches

Polychaeta are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms

Lugworm or sandworm is a large marine worm of the phylum Annelida. Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide

Pompeii worm – found only at hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean. The worms have been found to thrive at temperatures of up to 80°C. Member of Polychaeta class

Clitellata are a class of annelid worms, characterized by having a clitellum

Clitellum is a thickened glandular and non-segmented section of the body wall near the head in earthworms and leeches, that secretes a viscid sac in which the eggs are deposited

Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of the subclass Oligochaeta

Earthworm has five hearts

Common earthworm  (''Lumbricus terrestris'')

Leeches comprise the subclass Hirudinea

European medicinal leech (''Hirudo medicinalis'')

Nereididae – family of ragworms

Velvetworms have tiny eyes, antennae, multiple pairs of legs and slime glands

'''''Tardigrades''''' (also known as water bears or moss piglets) are a phylum of water-dwelling, segmented micro-animals, with eight legs. They can go without food or water for more than 10 years, drying out to the point where they are 3% or less water

Rotifers ('''''Rotifera''''', commonly called wheel animals) make up a phylum of microscopic animals. They were first described by Rev. John Harris in 1696, and other forms were described by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1703. Rotifers have a ciliated wheel-like organ for feeding and locomotion

Arthropods – The phylum '''''Arthropoda''''' is the largest in the animal kingdom, with over a million species identified. Arthropods are coated by an exoskeleton made of chitin. Includes insects, crustaceans, arachnids, centipedes, and millipedes

'''''Myriapoda''''' is a subphylum of arthropods including millipedes and centipedes. Myriapods range from having over 750 legs to having fewer than ten legs

Centipedes (class Chilopoda) have one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300

Forcipules – front legs of centipedes. Act as pincers. Centipedes are predatory carnivores

Millipedes (class Diplopoda) have two pairs of legs on most body segments. They are vegetarian

Pill millipedes are capable of rolling into a ball when disturbed

Subphylum '''''Chelicerata''''' constitutes one of the major subdivisions of the phylum Arthropoda, and includes Arachnids (scorpions, spiders, mites, harvestmen and ticks), sea spiders and horseshoe crabs

Chelicerae are claw-like mouthparts of the Chelicerata. Additionally, some chelicerae, such as those found in spiders, are hollow and contain (or are connected to) venom glands, and are used to inject venom into prey

Arachnids are a class ('''''Arachnida''''') of joint-legged invertebrates in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs. Between their legs and chelicarae, arachnids have a pair of limb-like pedipalps. These are modified into grasping pincers in scorpions

Scorpions are known to glow when exposed to certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light

Anatomically, spiders differ from other arthropods in that the usual body segments are fused into two tagmata, the cephalothorax and abdomen

Adult male spider has no penis

Black widow spider eats her mate. Genus ''Latrodectus''. The female's venom is at least three times more potent than that of the males

Redback spider resembles the black widow

False widow spider can inflict a painful bite to humans

Atracinae are commonly known as Australian funnel-web spiders. The bite of ''Atrax robustus'' is potentially deadly

Bolas spider – lasoo of silk

Tarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and very large arachnids belonging to the Theraphosidae family of spiders, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some species are known as ‘bird eaters’

Baboon spider – type of tarantula

''Bagheera kiplingi'' – only herbivorous spider, found in Central America

Jumping spider family (Salticidae) contains more than 500 described genera

Zebra spider is a common jumping spider. Like other jumping spiders, it doesn't build a web

''Portia'' is a genus of jumping spider which feeds on other spiders. They are remarkable for their intelligent hunting behaviour

Spitting spiders are members of the family Scytodidae. Scytodidae catch their prey by spitting a fluid that congeals on contact into a venomous and sticky mass

European garden spider – ''Araneus diadematus''

Huntsman spiders are called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance

Opiliones are an order of arachnids commonly known as harvestmen. Opiliones are colloquially known by the name ‘daddy longlegs’ in USA

Mites, along with ticks, belong to the subclass Acari

Ticks are ectoparasites (external parasites), living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. Ticks are vectors of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease

Sea spiders are small marine arthropods. Instead of claw-like mouthparts they have a stabbing proboscis which they use to suck fluids from their invertebrate prey

Horseshoe crabs (class '''''Merostomata''''') are living fossils. Unlike mammals, horseshoe crabs do not have haemoglobin in their blood, but instead use hemocyanin to carry oxygen. Because of the copper present in haemocyanin, their blood is blue

Horseshoe crabs resemble crustaceans, but belong to subphylum, Chelicerata, and are closely related to arachnids

Atlantic horseshoe crab (''Limulus polyphemus'')

Crustaceans (subphylum '''''Crustacea''''') form a very large group of arthropods, which includes crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles

The body of a crustacean is composed of body segments, which are grouped into three regions: the head, thorax and abdomen. The head and thorax may be fused together to form a cephalothorax, which may be covered by a single large carapace. The crustacean body is protected by the hard exoskeleton, which must be moulted for the animal to grow

Crustaceans have many unique features, including double antennae and two-pronged limbs

'''''Malacostraca''''' are the largest of the six classes of crustaceans, containing over 25,000 extant species. Its members include crabs, lobsters, shrimp, krill, woodlice and mantis shrimp

Crabs are decapod crustaceans. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and are armed with a single pair of chelae (claws). Crabs moult. Females carrying eggs are called ‘berried’ since the eggs resemble round berries

Diogenidae is a family of hermit crabs, sometimes known as ‘left-handed hermit crabs’ because in contrast to most other hermit crabs, it is the left chela that is enlarged instead of the right

Coconut crab (''Birgus latro'') is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It is a derived hermit crab which is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It is sometimes called the robber crab or palm thief because some coconut crabs are rumoured to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. Able to climb trees

Fiddler crabs (genus ''Uca''). The male has an oversized chela which he holds like a violin

Ghost crabs, also called sand crabs, are crabs of the genus ''Ocypode''

Christmas Island red crab (''Gecarcoidea natalis'') is a species of terrestrial crab endemic to both the Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The crabs are famous for their annual migration to the sea in order to lay their eggs in the ocean         

Japanese spider crab is a marine crab and is the largest arthropod in the world

Edible crab or brown crab (''Cancer pagurus'') is a species of crab found in the North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean

European freshwater crab (''Potamon potamios'')

Chinese mitten crab is named for its furry claws, which resemble mittens. It has been introduced to Europe and North America where it is considered an invasive species

Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Clawed lobsters are not closely related to spiny lobsters or slipper lobsters, which have no claws (chelae). Lobsters have 10 walking legs; the front two adapted to claws

''Nephrops norvegicus'', known variously as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, langoustine, or scampi, is a slim, orange-pink lobster, and is the most important commercial crustacean in Europe

American lobster (''Homarus americanus'')

European lobster (''Homarus gammarus'')

Crayfish are small, mostly nocturnal, freshwater relatives of true lobsters

Crayfish – largest UK freshwater crustacean

True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water

Common shrimp (''Crangon crangon'')

Most Aesop shrimps start life as males but change sex to females at 12–15 months

Mantis shrimps are sometimes referred to as ‘thumb splitters’, because of the animal's ability to inflict painful gashes

Mantis shrimp has the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom

Prawns are edible, shrimp-like crustaceans, belonging to the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. They are distinguished from the superficially similar shrimp by the gill structure which is branching in prawns (hence the name, dendro – tree; branchia – gill), but is lamellar in shrimp

Common prawn (''Palaemon serratus'')

Krill are small crustaceans found in all the world's oceans. Feed on plankton

Woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs. Woodlice in the genus ''Armadillidium'' can roll up into an almost perfect sphere as a defensive mechanism; hence some of the common names such as pill bug or roly-poly

Woodlice are within the order Isopoda, which have seven pairs of legs

Members of the '''''Branchiopoda''''' are unified by the presence of gills on many of the animals' appendages, including some of the mouthparts. Includes fairy sprimp, brine shrimp, and water flea (''Daphnia'')

Sea-Monkeys is the brand name for the ''Artemia'' sold in hatching kits as novelty aquarium pets. They are a variety of brine shrimp

Acorn, Goose – types of barnacle

Barnacles probably have the largest penis to body size ratio of the animal kingdom

Insects – class '''''Insecta'''''. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae

Silverfish or fishmoth is a small, wingless insect. Its common name derives from the animal's silvery light grey and blue colour, combined with the fish-like appearance of its movements. Silverfish can live without food for a year

Bristletail – silverfish

Mayflies or shadflies – adults are short-lived, from a few minutes to a few days

Mayfly (''Ephemera danica'')

'''''Odonata''''' is an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing dragonflies and damselflies

Dragonfly has large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body

Emperor Dragonfly – known as Blue Emperor

Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest

'''''Phasmatodea''''' order contains stick insects and leaf insects. From Greek word for ‘phantom’

Earwig – common name given to the insect order '''''Dermaptera''''' characterized by membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings. Earwigs are characterized by the cerci, or the pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomen

Common earwig (''Forficula auricularia'')

Praying mantis (''Mantis religiosa'') – female bites off the male’s head during sex

'''''Orthoptera''''' order contains grasshoppers, crickets and locusts

Katydid – large green long-horned grasshopper of North America. Males produce shrill sounds by rubbing together special organs on the forewings

Grasshopper creates mating call by rubbing its legs together

Cricket creates mating call by the friction of its flightless wings

Common field grasshopper (''Chorthippus brunneus'')

Desert locust (''Schistocerca gregaria'') is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances

Madagascan hissing cockroach is characterized by its hissing sound, produced when it forces air through spiracles found on each segment of the abdomen

American cockroach (''Periplaneta americana)'' is the largest species of common cockroach

Termites are insects of the order '''''Isoptera'''''. While termites are commonly known, especially in Australia, as white ants

'''''Hemiptera''''' – order of true bugs. Includes cicadas and aphids. They share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. Many species are plant pests

Rostrum – the piercing mouthparts of insects of the order Hemiptera

Water boatman is the loudest animal on Earth relative to its body size.Scientists have recorded the aquatic animal ‘singing’ at up to 99 decibels. It makes the sound by rubbing its penis against its abdomen in a process known as ‘stridulation’

Jesus bug – water strider, can ‘walk on water’. Also known as pond skater

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood. ''Cimex lectularius'' is the common bed bug

''Magicicada'' is the genus of the 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas of eastern North America

Froghoppers are best known for the nymph stage, which produces a cover of frothed-up plant sap resembling spit; the nymphs are therefore commonly known as spittlebugs and their froth as cuckoo spit or frog spit

Leafhoppers are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees

Giant water bugs are the largest insects in the order Hemiptera. They are fierce predators which stalk, capture and feed on aquatic crustaceans, fish and amphibians

Shield bugs have stink glands which produce a foul smelling liquid

Assassin bugs use a long rostrum to inject a lethal saliva that liquefies the insides of the prey, which are then sucked out

Louse is the common name for members of over 3000 species of wingless insects. They are ectoparasites, living on the bodies of birds and mammals

Head louse (''Pediculus humanus capitis)''

Body louse (''Pediculus humanus humanus)''

Crab louse (''Pthirus pubis)'' is also known as the pubic louse

Phylloxera – tiny, pale yellow sap-sucking insects, related to aphids, attack the roots of grape vines. Devastated vineyards in the 1870s

The insect order '''''Neuroptera''''', or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings

Green lacewings known as common lacewings

Owlfly – dragonfly-like insect with large bulging eyes and long knobbed antennae

Antlion – large, day-flying insect

'''''Coleoptera''''' is the largest insect order commonly known as beetles. Means ‘sheathed wing’, because most beetles have two pairs of wings, the front pair, the elytra, being hardened and thickened into a sheath-like, or shell-like, protection for the rear pair, and for the rear part of the beetle's body

Sexton beetle – also known as ‘burying beetle’ as it buries the carcasses of small animals and the female lays an egg on it

Stag beetle is the largest terrestrial insect in Europe. It has antler-like jaws

Common furniture beetle or common house borer is a woodboring beetle

Deathwatch beetle (''Xestobium rufovillosum'') is a woodboring beetle. To attract mates, these woodborers create a tapping or ticking sound that can be heard in the rafters of old buildings on quiet summer nights

Click beetles are characterized by the unusual click mechanism they possess

Wireworm – click beetle larvae

Whirligig beetles (family Gyrinidae) get their common name from their habit of swimming rapidly in circles when alarmed

Cockchafer (colloquially called May bug) was a major pest

Goliath beetles are among the largest insects on Earth. Found in many of Africa's tropical forests, where they feed primarily on tree sap and fruit

Rove beetles are primarily distinguished by their short elytra that leave more than half of their abdomens exposed

Devil’s coach horse beetle, also known as the cocktail beetle, is a rove beetle

Bark beetles are major pests of conifer forests in North America. Includes the elm bark beetle (genus ''Scolytus'')

Mountain pine beetle is a type of bark beetle which may be causing the largest forest insect blight ever seen in North America

Bombardier beetles eject a hot noxious chemical spray from the tip of their abdomen, with a popping sound

Rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Other common names are Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles

In Ancient Egypt, the dung beetle now known as ''Scarabaeus sacer'' was revered as sacred

Longhorn beetles are typically characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than the beetle's body

Lampyridae is a family of insects in the order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Their larvae emit light and often are called ‘glowworms’

Spanish fly is an emerald-green blister beetle. Cantharidin, produced by the beetle, is claimed to have aphrodisiac properties

Ladybirds – family Coccinellidae. Ladybird was named in honour of the Virgin Mary

UK ladybird has seven spots

Harlequin ladybird (Asian lady beetle) spread to UK in 2004

Many weevils are damaging to crops. The grain or wheat weevil (''Sitophilus granarius'') damages stored grain. The boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis'') attacks cotton crops. It lays its eggs inside cotton bolls, and the young weevils eat their way out

Fleas form the order '''''Siphonaptera'''''. They are wingless, with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of mammals and birds

True flies are insects of the order '''''Diptera''''' (from the Greek ''‘''two wings’). A typical fly possesses a pair of flight wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres (small knobbed structures modified from the hindwings) on the metathorax

Yellow fever mosquito (''Aedes aegypti'')

Only female mosquitoes bite

Tsetse include all the species in the genus ''Glossina''. Tsetse are biological vectors of trypanosomes

House fly (''Musca domestica'')

Bluebottle (''Calliphora vicina'')

Some midges, such as many Phlebotominae (sand fly) and Simuliidae (black fly), are vectors of various diseases

Crane fly is known as daddy-long-legs in the UK

Leatherjacket – larvae of crane fly

Fruit fly (''Drosophila melanogaster'')

Larvae of hover flies prey on aphids

Horse flies are also known as clegs

Larvae of bot flies are internal parasites of mammals

Gadfly is a fly that annoys horses and other livestock, usually a horse fly or a bot fly

Caddisflies are an order of insects also called sedge-flies or rail-flies. They are small moth-like insects having two pairs of hairy membranous wings. They are closely related to Lepidoptera

Larvae of caddisflies make protective cases of silk decorated with gravel, sand, twigs or other debris

'''''Lepidoptera''''' is an order containing moths and butterflies. The term was coined by Linnaeus and is derived from Ancient Greek ‘scale wing’. All species have scales covering their bodies and wings, and a proboscis

Most butterflies have thin slender filamentous antennae which are club-shaped at the end. Moths, on the other hand, often have comb-like or feathery antennae. Most moth caterpillars spin a cocoon made of silk within which they metamorphose into the pupal stage. Most butterfly caterpillars form an exposed pupa, also termed a chrysalis

Mother Shipton – a day-flying moth

Atlas moth (''Attacus atlas'') is the largest moth in the world

Noctuidae or owlet moths constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera

''Thysania agrippina'' is a large moth in the family Noctuidae. It has numerous common names, including white witch, birdwing moth, and ghost moth. It is the lepidopteran with the biggest wingspan

Madagascan sunset moth is a day-flying moth with iridescent wing scales

Hercules moth is the largest moth found in Australia

Luna Moth has a wingspan of up to 114mm, making it one of the largest moths in North America

Silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of the domesticated silkmoth (''Bombyx mori''). It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk. A silkworm's preferred food is white mulberry leaves

Hummingbird hawk moth hovers like a hummingbird and sips nectar on the wing

Elephant hawk moth is spectacularly coloured, seeming to shimmer with green and red when in motion

Woolly bear caterpillar in Antarctica lives for 14 years. It survives winter freezes by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues

Witchetty grubs – large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths. Particularly it applies to the larvae of the cossid moth, which feeds on the roots of the Witchetty bush

Common clothes moth is a species of fungus moth

It is commonly believed that the word ‘butterfly’ is a derived from ‘butter-coloured fly’ which is attributed to the yellow of the male Brimstone butterfly. The group comprises the true butterflies, the skippers and the moth-butterflies

UK has 59 species of butterfly

Red Admiral (''Vanessa atalanta'')

Caterpillar of the Red Admiral feeds on stinging nettles

White Admiral  (''Limenitis camilla'')

Painted Lady (''Vanessa cardui'') is known in North America as the Cosmopolite. It is one of the most widespread of all butterflies, found on every continent except Antarctica

''Apatura'' is a genus of butterflies commonly known as the emperors

Small white (''Pieris rapae'')

Cabbage white (''Pieris brassicae'')

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (''Ornithoptera alexandrae'') is the largest butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans of 31 cm. It is restricted to the forests of Papua New Guinea

Goliath Birdwing (''Ornithoptera goliath'') is a birdwing butterfly found in New Guinea. It is the second largest butterfly in the world

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colourful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species, including the birdwings and the dragontails

Swallowtail butterflies feed on Milk Parsley

Female of the Adonis Blue butterfly is chocolate brown

Caterpillars of Large Blues are looked after by red ants

Monarch butterfly (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly

Duke of Burgundy was formerly known as the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary

''Argynnis'', commonly known as fritillaries, is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae

Owl butterfly has huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes

'''''Hymenoptera''''' (Greek for ‘membrane wing’) are one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. Over 150,000 species are recognized. The hind wings are connected to the fore wings by a series of hooks called hamuli. Females typically have a special ovipositor for inserting eggs into hosts or otherwise inaccessible places. The ovipositor is often modified into a stinger

Sawflies are distinguishable from most other Hymenoptera by the broad connection between the abdomen and the thorax, and by their caterpillar-like larvae. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay their eggs

Horntail or wood wasp is a type of sawfly

Hornet (''Vespa crabro'') is the largest European wasp

Common wasp (''Vespula vulgaris'')

Ichneumon wasps are parasitoids; the larvae feed on or in another insect which finally dies. Most have extremely long ovipositors for laying eggs

Some species of paper wasps produce honey

Bees have five eyes (two compound, and three small eyes called ocelli)

Cuckoo bee – a variety of different bee lineages which have evolved the habit of laying their eggs in the nests of other bees, reminiscent of the behavior of cuckoo birds

Carpenter bees – nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers

Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus ''Apis''

Honey bee workers' stings are strongly barbed, and lodge in the flesh of mammals upon use, tearing free from the honey bee's body, leading to the bee's death within minutes

European honey bee – (''Apis mellifera'')

A bumblebee is any member of the bee genus ''Bombus''

All species of army ant are members of the true ant family, Formicidae

''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants. The type species of genus ''Formica'' is the European red wood ant ''Formica rufa''

'''''Nemertea''''' is a phylum of invertebrate animals also known as ribbon worms. They are voracious predators, seizing their prey with a proboscis and swallowing it whole or sucking its fluids

'''''Bryozoa''''', commonly as moss animals, are a phylum of aquatic invertebrate animals. They are filter feeders that sieve food particles out of the water. Individuals in bryozoan colonies are called zooids, since they are not fully independent animals. Many bryozoans resemble coral

Brachiopods, phylum '''''Brachiopoda''''', are marine animals that have hard ‘valves’ (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Two major groups are recognized, articulate and inarticulate. They are often known as lamp shells

Lingula – brachiopod which has been known since the Tertiary

'''''Mollusca''''' is the largest marine phylum. The three most universal features defining modern molluscs are a mantle with a significant cavity used for breathing and excretion, the presence of a radula, and the structure of the nervous system

'''''Bivalvia''''' is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs with laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell in two hinged parts. Bivalves include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. The majority are filter feeders and have no head or radula. Some bivalves attach to rocks and hard surfaces by a bundle of tough threads, called a byssus. Water is pumped in and out of bivalve shells through tubes, called siphons

The order Ostreoida includes the true oysters and scallops

European flat oyster or edible oyster (''Ostrea edulis'') is a species of oyster native to Europe

Spats – baby oysters

Great scallop or king scallop (''Pecten maximus'')

Blue mussel (''Mytilus edulis''), also known as the common mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the order Mytiloida

Freshwater mussels of the order Unionoida are the only exclusively freshwater order of bivalves

Long-siphoned bivalves of the order Myoida burrow in mud or through wood or rock. Includes the piddock, soft shell clam, and shipworm

The largest order of bivalves, the Veneroida includes the cockles, Venus clams and tellins

Common edible cockle (''Cerastoderma edule'')

Razor shell is also called razor clam or razor fish

Giant clam (''Tridacna gigas'') is the world’s largest bivalve

The class '''''Gastropoda''''' (Greek for ‘stomach foot’) is the largest class of molluscs and includes snails and slugs of all kinds and all sizes from microscopic to large. There are many thousands of species of sea snails and sea slugs, as well as freshwater snails, freshwater limpets, land snails and land slugs

Limpet is an inexact term, used as part of the common name of a wide variety of different marine and freshwater gastropod species, some of which have gills and some of which have a lung. The name is given on the basis of a limpet-like or ‘patelliform’ shell. The phrase ‘true limpets’ is used only for marine limpets in the order Patellogastropoda

Some species of limpets return to the same spot on the rock known as a ‘home scar’ just before the tide ebbs

Common limpet (''Patella vulgata'')

Abalone – any of various large edible marine gastropods of the genus ''Haliotis'', having an ear-shaped shell lined with mother-of-pearl

Caenogastropoda order contains many families of shelled marine molluscs including the periwinkles, cowries, wentletraps, amd moon snails. About 60% of all living gastropods belong to the Caenogastropoda

Common periwinkle (''Littorina littorea'')

Common northern whelk (''Buccinum undatum'')

Dog whelk (''Nucella lapillus'')

Whelk – known as a buckie

Cone snails are all venomous. They use a hypodermic-like modified radula tooth and a poison gland to attack and paralyze their prey before engulfing it

Common river snail (''Vixiparus vixiparus'')

Sea slug is an informal name for a group of gastropods which look similar. Includes sea butterflies and sea angels

Nudibranchia (‘naked gills’) are the largest group of sea slugs

Spanish dancer is a giant sea slug. Its red mantle is said to resemble the ruffled skirt of a flamenco dancer

Great pond snail (''Lymnaea stagnalis)''

Stylommatophora is an order of land air-breathing slugs and snails that breathe air using a lung in the mantle cavity. They have eyes of the tips of their tentacles. They fire ‘love darts’ when copulating. They possess both male and female sex organs

Great grey slug or leopard slug (''Limax maximus'')

Leopard slug leaves its penis in its partner to prevent other slugs from mating

Garden snail (''Helix aspersa'') is a species of land snail in the family Helicidae, the typical snails

European black slug or large black slug (''Arion ater'')

'''''Cephalopoda''''' (Greek for ‘head feet’) – these exclusively marine animals in the mollusc phylum are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles (muscular hydrostats) modified from the primitive molluscan foot. The class contains two, only distantly related, extant subclasses: Coleoidea, which includes octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish; and Nautiloidea, represented by ''Nautilus''

Octopuses, cuttlefish and squid have three hearts. Two branchial hearts feed the gills, each surrounding the larger systemic heart that pumps blood around the body. Blood contains the copper-rich protein hemocyanin for transporting oxygen

An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the centre point of the arms

Common octopus (''Octopus vulgaris'')

Deep water squid have the greatest known penis length relative to body size of all mobile animals, second in the entire animal kingdom only to certain sessile barnacles

Common squid (''Loligo vulgaris'')

Vampire squid (''Vampyroteuthis infernalis'') is a small, deep-sea cephalopod. The animal's dark colour, cloak-like webbing, and red eyes give the vampire squid its name – it does not feed on blood

Colossal squid, sometimes called the Antarctic or Giant Cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species

Giant squid – animal with the largest eye

Humboldt squid are cannibalistic. Although Humboldt Squid are generally found in the warm Pacific waters in the Sea of Cortez, off Baha California, recent years have shown an increase in northern migration

Hawaiian bobtail squid lives in a symbiotic relationship with the bioluminescent bacteria ''Vibrio fischeri'' which inhabits a special light organ in the squid's mantle. The bacteria are fed a sugar and amino acid solution by the squid and in return hide the squid's silhouette when viewed from below

Cuttlefish are cephalopods of the order Sepiida. ‘Cuttle’ is a reference to their unique internal shell, the cuttlebone. Cuttlefish have eight arms, and two tentacles furnished with suckers

Common cuttlefish (''Sepia officinalis'')

Cuttlefish mate head to head. Cuttlefish eggs are known as sea grapes

Cuttlefish are sometimes called the chameleon of the sea because they are able to change their skin colour. This colour-changing function is produced by groups of pigmented chromatophores

Chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius'') is the best-known species of nautilus

Nautilus – has no lens in the eye

Chitons are marine molluscs commonly known as sea cradles or ‘coat-of-mail shells’

Echinoderms are members of the phylum '''''Echinodermata''''' (‘spiny-skinned’). Phylum contains about 7000 species. Adults are recognizable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include such well-known animals as starfish, sea urchins, crinoids, and sea cucumbers. Echinoderms are the largest phylum that has no freshwater or terrestrial representatives. Echinoderms have a mesodermal skeleton composed of calcareous plates or ossicles

Crinoids are marine animals. Sea lilies refer to the crinoids which, in their adult form, are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk. Feather stars refer to the unstalked forms

Sea urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea. The shell, or ‘test’, of sea urchins is round and spiny. The name ‘urchin’ is an old name for the round spiny hedgehogs which sea urchins resemble

Heart urchins are also known as sea potatoes

Sand dollar is a flattened sea urchin. To beachcombers of the past, this suggested a large, silver coin, such as the old Spanish or American dollar

Sea cucumbers have a leathery skin and an elongated body

Edible sea cucumber (''Holothuria edulis'')

Brittle stars are closely related to starfish. They are named for the fact that their five long, thin arms easily break off

Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. They typically have a central disc and five arms. The upper surface is covered with overlapping plates. Starfish have tube feet operated by a hydraulic system and a mouth at the centre of the oral or lower surface

Starfish turns itself inside out to grab prey

Common starfish (''Asterias rubens'')

Crown-of-Thorns starfish (''Acanthaster planci'') is a large nocturnal sea star that preys upon coral polyps

Sunstars are large spiny starfish with many arms


Tunicates, lancelets and hagfishes evolved before the vertebrates. They are chordates, but do not have vertebrae

A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata which is part of the Chordata. They are marine filter feeders. During their mobile larval stage, they possess a notochord or stiffening rod and resemble a tadpole

Sea squirts are tunicates

Salp – filter feeder that eats phytoplankton. Type of tunicate

Lancelets, also known as amphioxus, comprise some 22 species of fish-like marine chordates. They have a notochord throughout life. They split from vertebrates 520 million years ago. Their genomes hold clues about evolution, particularly how vertebrates have employed old genes for new functions

Hagfish, the class Myxini, are eel-shaped, slime-producing, marine fish (occasionally called slime eels). They are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column

== Fish ==
A fish is any member of a group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic craniate animals that lack limbs with digits. Most fish have sensitive receptors that form the lateral line system, which detects gentle currents and vibrations, and senses the motion of nearby fish and prey. Many bony fish have an internal organ called a swim bladder that adjusts their buoyancy through manipulation of gases. Dorsal fins are located on the back, the caudal fin is the tail fin, paired pectoral fins are located on each side, pelvic fins located below the pectoral fins, and the anal fin is located on the ventral surface behind the anus

Coarse fish – those types of freshwater fish other than game fish (trout, salmon and char)

Fish are divided into three extant classes –

Class one – Jawless fishes ('''''Agnatha''''') – 

Lampreys (sometimes also called lamprey eels) are an order of jawless fish, the adult of which is characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Lampreys are well known for those species which bore into the flesh of other fish to suck their blood

Traditionally hagfishes and lampreys were classified together, separate from jawed vertebrates

Class two – Cartilaginous fishes ('''''Chondrichthyes''''') – 

Cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nares, scales, a heart with its chambers in series, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. The class is divided into two subclasses: Elasmobranchii (sharks, rays and skates) and Holocephali (chimaeras). They have toothlike scales called dermal denticles. All Chondrichthyes breathe through five to seven pairs of gills

Subclass one – Elasmobranchii

Sharks (superorder '''''Selachimorpha''''') are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago. Since that time, sharks have diversified over 440 species. They generally do not live in freshwater although there are a few known exceptions, such as the bull shark and the river shark, which can survive in both seawater and freshwater

Sharks are split across eight orders – 

'''''1.Hexanchiformes''''': Examples from this group include the cow sharks and frilled shark, which somewhat resembles a marine snake. Hexanchiform sharks have only one dorsal fin, either six or seven gill slits, and no nictitating membrane in the eyes

Bluntnose sixgill shark is a member of the Hexanchidae family. Many of its relatives are extinct. The living species that are closest genetically include the dogfish, the Greenland shark, as well as other six- and sevengilled sharks. There are more closely related relatives in the fossil record than living species

'''''2.Squaliformes''''': Members of the order have two dorsal fins, which usually possess spines, no anal fin or nictitating membrane, and five gill slits. This group includes the bramble sharks, dogfish, lantern, sleeper, rough, kitefin, and prickly sharks

Prickly shark is a species of large bottom dwelling shark from the Pacific Ocean. It has two small spineless dorsal fins set far on the back by the tail

Cookiecutter shark – also called the cigar shark. The name cookiecutter shark refers to its feeding habit of gouging round plugs, like a cookie cutter, out of larger animals

Greenland sharks are slow-swimming and live farther north than any other shark species. The shark is often colonized by a parasite that eats the shark's corneal tissue, rendering them blind

Rock salmon – spiny dogfish, which is a small shark

Mermaid’s purse – egg case of skate, ray and dogfish

'''''3.Pristiophoriformes''''': These are the sawsharks, with an elongated, toothed snout that they use for slashing their prey

'''''4.Squatiniformes''''': Also known as angel sharks, they are flattened sharks with a strong resemblance to stingrays and skates. They have gill slits on the side of their large head, which distinguishes them from rays, which have gills underneath

'''''5.Heterodontiformes''''': They are generally referred to as the bullhead or horn sharks

Port Jackson shark is a bullhead shark that produces corkscrew shaped eggcases

'''''6.Orectolobiformes''''': They are commonly referred to as the carpet sharks, because many members have ornate patterns reminiscent of carpets. Includes the nurse, zebra, epaulette, wobbegong, and whale shark

Sometimes the term ‘carpet shark’ is used interchangeably with wobbegong. The word wobbegong is believed to come from an Australian Aboriginal language, meaning ‘shaggy beard’

Epaulette shark is capable of surviving complete anoxia for an hour without ill effects. Rather than swim, epaulette sharks "walk" by wriggling their bodies and pushing with their paired fins

Whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving filter feeding shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 m and a weight of more than 21.5 metric tons

Nurse shark is a nocturnal animal

'''''7.Carcharhiniformes''''': Commonly known as groundsharks, the species include the blue, tiger, bull, grey reef, blacktip reef, Caribbean reef, blacktail reef, whitetip reef and oceanic whitetip sharks (collectively called the requiem sharks) along with the houndsharks, catsharks and hammerhead sharks. They are distinguished by an elongated snout and a nictitating membrane which protects the eyes during an attack. Largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. Members of this order are characterized by two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits

Blue shark is the most fished shark

Whitetip reef shark hunts fish at night

Tiger shark – known as the ‘rubbish bin of the sea’ as it has a reputation for eating anything. The tiger is second on the list of number of recorded attacks on humans, with the great white shark being first. Named for its stripes

Hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks in the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a hammer shape called a cephalofoil

Bull sharks can live in fresh water and salt water. Along with tiger sharks and great white sharks, they are among the three shark species most likely to attack humans

Bull shark has the highest level of testosterone of any living creature

Lemon shark is a ground shark and is vivaporous

Silky shark is a large pelagic shark of tropical and warm temperate seas. This shark has a large 'typical' shark body, slender with 'silky' smooth skin

Swellshark is biofluorescent

'''''8.Lamniformes''''': They are commonly known as the mackerel sharks. They have cylindrical bodies and conical heads

Great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias'') is in the order of mackerel sharks. Mature individuals growing up to 6.4 m in length

Porbeagle is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere

Shortfin mako shark is the fastest species of shark

Goblin shark is a “living fossil”. This pink-skinned animal has a distinctive profile with an elongated, flattened snout, and highly protrusible jaws containing prominent nail-like teeth

Basking shark is the second largest fish, after the whale shark. It is found in all the world's temperate oceans, and is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder

Thresher sharks are large lamniform sharks of the family Alopiidae. Named for and easily recognised by their exceptionally long, thresher-like tail or caudal fins which it lashes to stun fishes

'''''Batoidea''''' is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as rays and skates. They are in the fish subclass Elasmobranchii, along with sharks, to which they are closely related. Rays are distinguished by their flattened bodies, enlarged pectoral fins that are fused to the head and gill slits that are placed on their ventral surfaces. Divided into four orders – 

'''''1.Myliobatiformes''''': includes stingrays, ribbontail rays, butterfly rays, and eagle rays

Common stingray (''Dasyatis pastinaca'')

Manta ray is the largest of the rays and has the largest brain of any fish. It is in the family of eagle rays

Rays are viviparous

Giant oceanic manta ray can grow to a width of 9 m. They feed on plankton which they scoop up with their large mouths

''Mobula'' is a genus of ray in the family of eagle rays. They are known as "flying rays", due to their propensity for breaching. The devil fish can weigh over a ton

'''''2.Rajiformes''''': include skates, guitarfishes, and wedgefishes. They are distinguished by the presence of greatly enlarged pectoral fins

Skates are oviparous and have fleshy tails which lack spines

Common skate or blue skate (''Dipturus batis'') is the largest skate in the world attaining a length of more than 250 cm

'''''3.Torpediniformes''''': includes electric rays, which have electric organs in their pectoral fin discs that generate electric current. The best known members are those of the genus ''Torpedo'', after which the device called a torpedo is named. They are capable of producing an electric discharge up to 220 volts

'''''4.Pristiformes''''': includes sawfishes which are are shark-like in form, having tails used for swimming and a tough blade-like snout with regular-sized teech on both edges

Subclass two – Holocephali

'''''Chimaeras''''' are known informally as ghost sharks, ratfish, spookfish or rabbitfishes. They have fused plate-like teeth

Class three – Bony fishes ('''''Osteichthyes''''') – 

Group of fish that have bone, as opposed to cartilaginous, skeleton. Divided into two subclasses – 

Subclass one –Ray-finned fish ('''''Actinopterygii''''') possess lepidotrichia or ‘fin rays’, their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (‘rays’). Actinopterygians are the dominant class of vertebrates, comprising nearly 99% of the over 30,000 species of fish

'''''Acipenseriformes''''' are an order of primitive ray-finned fishes that includes the sturgeons and paddlefishes

Several species of sturgeons are harvested for their roe, which is made into caviar

The gars are members of the '''''Lepisosteiformes'''''. Gar bodies are elongated, heavily armored with scales, and fronted by similarly elongated jaws filled with long, sharp teeth. Alligator gar is the largest species of gar

Eels ('''''Anguilliformes''''') have long, thin, snake-like bodies with smooth skin 

European eel (''Anguilla anguilla'') migrates across the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and then die

Moray eels are the only animals that use pharyngeal jaws (a second set of jaws) to actively capture and restrain prey

Ribbon eel is a species of moray eel. Blue males change sex and become yellow females

European conger (''Conger conger'') is the largest eel in the world

'''''Clupeiformes''''' is the order of ray-finned fish that includes the herring family, Clupeidae, and the anchovy family, Engraulidae

Sardines, or pilchards, are common names used to refer to various small, oily fish within the herring family of Clupeidae. In the UK a sardine is a young pilchard

Shads are members of the Clupeidae family

Atlantic herring (''Clupea harengus'') is one of the most abundant fish species in the world

'''''Cypriniformes''''' order includes the carps, minnows, loaches and relatives. They have a single dorsal fin

Roach, chubb, dace and bream are members of the carp family (Cyprinidae)

Common carp (''Cyprinus carpio'')

Goldfish (''Carassius auratus auratus'')

The type species of ''Barbus'' is the common barbel (''Barbus barbus'')

''Rhodeus'' is a genus of cyprinid fish called bitterlings

Tench (''Tinca tinca'')

Zebrafish is named for the five uniform, pigmented, horizontal, blue stripes on the side of the body

Minnow – 4'''-'''10 cm, smallest member of carp family

'''''Characiformes''''' order includes the piranhas and tetras. All piranhas have a single row of sharp teeth in both jaws; the teeth are tightly packed and interlocking

Red-bellied piranha or red piranha (''Pygocentrus nattereri'') is a species of piranha native to South America

Goliath tigerfish (''Hydrocynus goliath'') can reportedly reach an adult weight of over 150 pounds, and is found in the Congo River system and Lake Tanganyika

Nursehound – also known as the large-spotted dogfish and greater spotted dogfish

X-ray tetra has a visible backbone

Catfishes (order '''''Siluriformes''''') are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers. Can produce an electric shock of up to 350 volts using electroplaques

Candiru (also known as the toothpick fish) is attracted to blood and urine, and will enter the body by swimming up the penis. It can only be removed by surgery

Salmonidae is the only living family currently placed in the order '''''Salmoniformes'''''. It includes salmon, trout, chars, freshwater whitefishes and graylings

Salmon are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and Pacific Ocean (genus ''Oncorhynchus''). Salmon are anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce

Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'')

Kelt – salmon in fresh water

Salmon life cycle – alevin, fry, parr, smolt, adult

Trout life cycle – alevin, fry, parr, adult

Alevin – a newly spawned salmon or trout still carrying the yolk

Rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America

Arctic char – no other freshwater fish is found as far north

Vendace – whitefish found only in Derwent Water

Gwyniad – whitefish native to Bala Lake

'''''Esociformes''''' are a small order of ray-finned fish, with two families, the Umbridae (mudminnows) and the Esocidae (pikes)

Pike – largest freshwater fish in Britain

Bombay duck or bummalo (''Harpadon nehereus'') is a lizardfish in the order '''''Aulopiformes'''''

Lanternfish is a member of the order '''''Myctophidae'''''. It has a number of photophores

Electric eel (''Electrophorus electricus'') is an electric fish, and is capable of generating powerful electric shocks of up to 600 volts. Despite its name, it is not an eel, but rather a knifefish in the order '''''Gymnotiformes'''''

Smelts resemble small, slim salmon and are members of the order '''''Osmeriformes'''''

Giant oarfish is the longest bony fish alive, growing to up to 11 metres in length. Member of the order '''''Lampriformes'''''

Anglerfishes are members of the teleost order '''''Lophiiformes'''''. They are bony fishes named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a fleshy growth from the fish's head (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure. Includes batfishes, frogfishes, and seadevils

The angler ''Lophius piscatorius'' is a monkfish

'''''Gadiformes''''' order includes the cod and its allies

Atlantic cod (''Gadus morhua'')

Burbot is the only gadiform (cod-like) freshwater fish

Pollock is the common name used for either of the two species of fish in the ''Pollachius'' genus. Both ''P. pollachius'' and ''P. virens'' are commonly referred to as pollock. The lack of a chin barbel and protruding lower jaw help distinguish this fish from cod

Haddock (''Melanogrammus aeglefinus'') – member of the cod family. Haddock is easily recognized by a black lateral line running along its white side

Grenadiers are also known as rattails

Pearlfish lives up sea cucumber’s bottom. Member of the order '''''Ophiidiformes'''''

Mullets or grey mullets are a family and order ('''''Mugiliformes''''') of ray-finned fish. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times. Mullets are distinguished by the presence of two separate dorsal fins

Toadfishes in the order '''''Batrachoidiformes''''' are benthic ambush predators, known for their ability to produce sound with their swim bladders

Midshipman fish belong to the genus of toadfishes. They are distinguished by having photophores and four lateral lines

'''''Beloniformes''''' are an order of freshwater and marine ray-finned fish, including the needlefish and Exocoetidae (flying fishes)

Needlefish closely resemble North American freshwater gars in being elongated and having long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth, and some species of needlefishes are referred to as garfish

Flying fish have unusually large pectoral fins, which enable the fish to hide and escape from predators by leaping out of the water and flying through air a few feet above the water's surface. Their flights are typically around 50 m

'''''Cyprinodontiformes''''' order includes many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and live-bearers. Known as toothcarps

''Anableps'' – genus of four-eyed fishes

Poeciliidae is a family of freshwater fishes including the guppy, molly, and swordtail

Guppy (''Poecilia reticulata'') was discovered by Robert Guppy in Trinidad

John Dory, also known as St Pierre or Peter's Fish, refers to fish of the genus ''Zeus'', especially ''Zeus faber'' in the order '''''Zeiformes'''''

'''''Beryciformes''''' order fishes are nocturnal. Includes squirrelfish, pineapplefish, fangtooth, soldier fish and roughy

Flashlight fish are named for their large bioluminescent organs. These are located beneath the eyes and contain luminous bacteria. Includes the lanternfishes

'''''Gasterosteiformes''''' is an order of ray-finned fishes that includes the sticklebacks and seamoths

Three'''-'''spined stickleback is the largest stickleback

The male stickleback takes care of the developing eggs by fanning them, to bring oxygenated water to the eggs

Clingfishes are fishes belonging to the order '''''Gobiesociformes'''''. They possess a sucker formed from modified pelvic fins with which they cling to rocks

'''''Syngnathiformes''''' is an order of ray-finned fishes that includes the pipefishes and seahorses. These fishes have elongate, narrow, bodies surrounded by a series of bony rings, and small, tubular mouths

Leafy sea dragon is a marine fish related to the seahorse

Pipefish look like straight-bodied seahorses with tiny mouths. Pipefishes, like their seahorse relatives, leave most of the parenting duties to the male

Seahorse is the title given to 54 species of marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''

Seahorses rise by expelling water from a swim bladder

The slowest-moving fish in the world is the dwarf seahorse

When mating, the female seahorse deposits up to 1500 eggs in the male's pouch. The male carries the eggs for 9 to 45 days until the seahorses emerge fully developed, but very small

Pygmy seahorse is usually less than 2 cm in size and lives exclusively on fan corals

Trumpetfish are long bodied fish that often swim vertically while trying to blend with vertical coral, like sea rods, sea pens, and pipe sponges. Trumpetfish are closely related to cornetfish

A flatfish is a member of the order '''''Pleuronectiformes'''''. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development. Many important food fish are in this order, including the flounders, soles, turbot, plaice, and halibut. Some flatfish can camouflage themselves on the ocean floor

Halibut is a flatfish, genus ''Hippoglossus'', from the family of the right-eye flounders. The name is derived from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), for its popularity on Catholic holy days. Halibut is the  largest flatfish

Common sole or Dover sole (''Solea solea'')

European plaice (''Pleuronectes platessa'')

Brill, dab, and megrim – species of flatfish

Most fish in the order '''''Tetraodontiformes''''' are marine and dwell in and around tropical coral reefs. Forms range from nearly square or triangular (boxfishes), globose (pufferfishes) to laterally compressed (filefishes) and triggerfish

Boxfishes have poisonous skin

Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second-most poisonous vertebrates in the world, after the golden poison frog. Certain internal organs, such as liver, and sometimes the skin, contain tetrodotoxin and are highly toxic to most animals when eaten; nevertheless, the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in Japan (as fugu)

Pufferfish can fill its extremely elastic stomach with water (or air when outside the water) until it is much larger and almost spherical in shape. Even if they are not visible when the puffer is not inflated, all puffers have pointed spines

Porcupinefish are similar to pufferfish, but have sharper spines. Porcupinefish have the ability to inflate their bodies by swallowing water or air, thereby becoming rounder

Lagoon triggerfish is also known as the Picasso triggerfish

Filefish have laterally compressed bodies and rough, sandpapery skin

Ocean sunfish (''Mola mola'') is the heaviest bony fish and can weigh 2300 kg

Fishes in the order '''''Scorpaeniformes''''' are carnivorous, mostly feeding on crustaceans and on smaller fish. They have a large spiny head with a unique bony strut across the cheek. Most species have sharp spines in their dorsal fins and are camouflage experts

Red scorpionfish has venonous spines

Flying gurnard spreads its ‘wings’ (pectoral fins), which are semi-transparent but tipped with a phosphorescent bright blue colouration (designed to scare away predators)

Red lionfish (''Pterois volitans'') is a venomous, coral reef fish. It is natively found in the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive problem in the Caribbean Sea, as well as along the East Coast of the United States

Stonefishes are venomous, dangerous, and even fatal to humans

'''''Perciformes''''' are the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ‘perch-like’. The order contains about 160 families and 10,000 species. The dorsal and anal fins are divided into anterior spiny and posterior soft-rayed portions

European seabass is also known as the sea dace. It is often marketed as Mediterranean seabass, bronzini, or branzini

Sparidae family are commonly called sea breams and porgies (North America)

Some species of cardinalfish and jawfish brood their eggs inside the mouths of the males

Red mullets are two species of goatfish in the genus ''Mullus''

Archer fish – a family (Toxotidae) of fish known for their habit of preying on insects and other small animals by shooting them down with water droplets from their specialized mouths

European perch (''Perca fluviatilis'') is a predatory species of perch found in Europe and Asia

A male sea goldie retains a harem of five to 10 females, but when the male dies, one of the females will undergo sex reversal and take the place of the missing male

Groupers are teleosts, typically having a stout body and a large mouth. They are not built for long-distance fast swimming. They can be quite large, and lengths over a metre and weights up to 100 kg are not uncommon

Giant grouper is the largest bony fish found in coral reefs. It reaches up to 2.7 m in length and 400 kg in weight

Weaverfish have poisonous spines on their first dorsal fin and gills. Weavers are unusual in not having a swim bladder

Sandeel – vital food source for sea birds

Atlantic wolffish's distinguishing feature, from which it gets its common name, is its extensive teeth structure

Wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly coloured. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species. Sex change in wrasse is generally female-to-male, but experimental conditions have allowed for male-to-female sex change

Cleaner wrasse live in a cleaning symbiosis with larger, often predatory fish, grooming them and benefiting by feeding on what they remove. Cleaner wrasses are usually found at cleaning stations

Parrotfish – subfamily of wrasses. Their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak with which they rasp algae from coral (which contributes to the process of bioerosion)

Antarctic ‘icefish’ survive in the waters of the Southern Ocean because of the presence of an antifreeze glycoprotein in blood and body fluids

Patagonian toothfish and Antarctic toothfish are species in the genus of cod icefishes

Trevally – fish found on the Great Barrier Reef

Clownfish or anemonefish are from the subfamily Amphiprioninae. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones

Cichlids are one of the largest vertebrate families. Cichlids are among the most popular freshwater fish kept in the home aquarium

''Pterophyllum'' is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as ‘angelfish’

Green chromide is a species of cichlid fish from freshwater and brackish water in southern India and Sri Lanka. It is also known as the pearlspot or karimeen

Stargazers are a family, Uranoscopidae, of perciform fish that have eyes on top of their heads

Blennies are generally small fish, with elongate bodies (some almost eel-like), relatively large eyes and mouths

Many gouramis have an elongated ray at the front of their pelvic fins

Siamese fighting fish, also sometimes colloquially known as the betta, is a species of gourami

Kissing gourami has large lips lined with horny teeth

Surgeonfishes have scalpel-like spines, one or more on either side of the tail (‘thorn tails’), which are dangerously sharp

Mandarinfish is one of the most colourful of all tropical reef fish

Sailfishes have a characteristic sail (dorsal fin) on top, which often stretches the entire length of the back. Another notable characteristic is the elongated bill, resembling that of a swordfish. Individuals have been clocked at speeds of up to 68 mph, making them the fastest fish in the ocean

Barracudas are elongated fish in the ''Sphyraena'' genus, with a pike-like in appearance, and prominent, sharp-edged, fang-like teeth. Some species can reach up to 2.1 metres in length. Known as ‘the tiger of the sea’

Scombridae family contains mackerel and tuna

Atlantic mackerel ''(Scomber scombrus)'', is a pelagic schooling species of mackerel found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. The species is also called Boston mackerel, or just mackerel

Yellowfin tuna (''Thunnus albacares'')

Atlantic bluefin tuna (''Thunnus thynnus'')

Albacore tuna (''Thunnus alalunga'')

Gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2000 species in more than 200 genera

Mudskippers are members of the family Godidae

Snoek is a long, thin, species of snake mackerel found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is also known in Australasia as barracouta though it is not related to the barracuda. Used as a foodstuff in the Second World War

Swordfish (''Xiphius gladius''). The ‘sword’ is not used to spear, but instead may be used to slash at its prey to injure the prey animal, to make for an easier catch

Subclass two – Lobe-finned fishes ('''''Sarcopterygii''''') have fins that resemble primitive limbs, with a fleshy base preceeding the fin membrane. The fins of lobe-finned fishes differ from those of all other fish in that each is borne on a fleshy, lobelike, scaly stalk extending from the body. The living sarcopterygians are the coelacanths, lungfish, and the tetrapods

Coelacanths constitute a rare order of fish that includes two extant species in the genus ''Latimeria'': the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (''Latimeria chalumnae''), sometimes known as the African coelacanth, and the Indonesian coelacanth (''Latimeria menadoensis''). First discovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938

Lungfish (also known as salamanderfish) are freshwater fish. Lungfish have the ability to breathe air. All lungfish have two lungs, with the exception of the Australian lungfish, which only has one

== Amphibians ==
Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class '''''Amphibia'''''. The three modern orders of amphibians are Anura (the frogs and toads), Caudata (the salamanders), and Gymnophiona (the caecilians). The total number of known amphibian species is approximately 7000, of which nearly 90% are frogs.

Frogs are amphibians in the order '''''Anura''''' (meaning ‘tail-less’, from Greek)

True frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family

Goliath frog (''Conraua goliath'') is the world’s largest frog. Lives in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea

Common frog (''Rana temporaria'') is also known as the European common frog

Edible Frog is also known as the Common Water Frog or Green Frog

Pool frog is endemic to Norfolk

American bullfrog (''Lithobates catesbeianus'') is a true frog

Glass frog – the internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract, are visible through this translucent skin, hence the common name

South American horned frogs are known as Pacman frogs due to their characteristically large mouth and abdomen

Mediterranean painted frog (''Discoglossus pictus'') gets its name from its bright colouration

''Xenopus'' – African clawed frog. ''Xenopus'' embryos and eggs are a popular model system for a wide variety of biological studies. ''Xenopus'' ''laevis'' is also notable for its use in the first well-documented method of pregnancy testing when it was discovered that the urine from pregnant women induced ''X. laevis'' oocyte production

Eleutherodactylidae is a family of direct-developing frogs. They are sometimes known under common name rain frogs. There is no free-living tadpole stage, instead, eggs develop directly into small froglets

Darwin's frog (''Rhinoderma darwinii'') has a unique form of parental care – the young develop from egg to froglet in their father’s vocal sac

Poison dart frog (also poison frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. Many poison dart frogs secrete lipophilic alkaloid toxins through their skin. The most toxic of poison dart frog species is the golden poison frog (''Phyllobates terribilis'')

Strawberry poison frog (''Oophaga pumilio'') has dual parental care. The males defend and water the nests, and the females feed the tadpoles their unfertilized eggs

Marsupial frogs are so-called because they possess a dorsal brood pouch. In some species the eggs are fertilized on the female's lower back, and are inserted in her pouch with the aid of the male's toes. The eggs remain in contact with the female's vascular tissue, which provides them oxygen

Hylidae is the family of ‘true’ tree frogs

Common tree frog (''Hyla arborea'')

Paradoxical frog – tree frog that is so named because it grows into a very large tadpole, which in turn becomes an ordinary-sized frog

Pinocchio frog – tree frog that has the ability to enlargen and inflate its nose

Some flying frogs lay their eggs in aerial foam nests; upon hatching, tadpoles drop to the water under the nest and complete their development there

African bullfrog (''Pyxicephalus adspersus'') is the only frog where the male is larger than the female

Midwife toads (''Alytes'') are a genus of frogs. Characteristic of these toad-like frogs is their parental care: the males carry a string of fertilised eggs on their back, hence the name ‘midwife’

Common midwife toad (''Alytes obstetricans'')

Oriental fire-bellied toad (''Bombina orientalis'') is a small semi-aquatic frog species found in Korea

True toads are the family Bufonidae. The bufonids now comprise more than 35 genera, ''Bufo'' being the most widespread and well known

European common toad (''Bufo bufo'')

Natterjack toad (''Epidalea calamita''), formerly ''Bufo calamita''. Distinguished from common toads by a yellow line down the middle of the back

Cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), formerly ''Bufo marinus'', was imported from South America into Australia to control cane beetles. Also known as the marine toad

Mexican burrowing toad is a burrowing animal (fossorial), and it spends a large part of its life underground

Spadefoot toads are burrowing animals

Salamanders are any of the extant and all the extinct species of amphibians within the order '''''Caudata'''''. Unique among vertebrates, they are capable of regenerating lost limbs. Members of the Salamandridae family are mostly known as newts. In about 90% of all species, fertilisation is internal. The male typically deposits a spermatophore on the ground or in the water according to species, and the female picks this up with her vent

''Siren'' is a genus of aquatic salamanders

Fire salamander (''Salamandra salamandra'') is possibly the best-known salamander species in Europe. It is black with yellow spots or stripes

''Necturus'' is a genus of aquatic salamander only found in the eastern United States and Canada. They are commonly known as Waterdogs and Mudpuppies

Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are by far the largest group of salamanders in terms of number of species. They conduct respiration through their skin, and the tissues lining their mouths

Cryptobranchidae are commonly known as the giant salamanders. A single species, the hellbender (''Cryptobranchus alleganiensis'') occurs in the eastern United States, while Asian species occur in both China and Japan. They are the largest living amphibians known today. The Japanese giant salamander (''Andrias japonicus''), reaches up to 1.44 m.  The Chinese giant salamander (''Andrias davidianus'') can reach a length of 1.8 m

Mole salamanders include the axolotl (''Ambystoma mexicanum'') and the tiger salamander (''Ambystoma tigrinum'')

Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that they reach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. Instead of developing lungs and taking to land, the adults remain aquatic and gilled. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs. Axolotls were also sold as food in Mexican markets and were a staple in the Aztec diet

Smooth newt (''Lissotriton vulgaris'') is also known as the common newt

Northern crested newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is also known as the great crested newt or warty newt

Caecilians are an order ('''''Gymnophiona''''') of amphibians that superficially resemble earthworms or snakes. Caecilians completely lack limbs. They mostly live hidden in the ground. Eggs are fertilized internally. Some species lay eggs, but in others the eggs are retained inside the female’s body, emerging as gilled larvae or as small adults

== Reptiles ==
Reptiles, the class '''''Reptilia''''', comprise turtles, crocodilians, snakes, lizards and tuatara, as well as many extinct groups. A reptile is any amniote (a tetrapod whose egg has an additional membrane, originally to allow them to lay eggs on land) that is neither a mammal nor a bird. Unlike mammals, birds, and certain extinct reptiles, living reptiles have scales or scutes (rather than fur or feathers) and are cold-blooded

Several living subgroups are recognized: Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises): approximately 400 species; Sphenodontia (tuatara): 2 species; Squamata (lizards, snakes, and worm lizards): over 9600 species; Crocodilia (crocodiles, gavials, caimans, and alligators): 25 species

'''Turtles''' are reptiles of the order '''''Chelonii''''' or '''''Testudines''''' characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield. In North America, all chelonians are commonly called turtles, including terrapins and tortoises. Not all species can retract the head into the shell – the side-necked turtles tuck their head along one shoulder under the edge of the shell

Alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America. It is a larger and slightly less aggressive relative of the Common snapping turtle

Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), are sometimes called marine turtles

Leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea'') can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. It is capable of maintaining an elevated body temperature, which allows it to swim in cold waters. It is the largest of all living turtles

Loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world

Green sea turtle – common name derives from the usually green fat found beneath the carapace. Only sea turtle to bask on land. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''

Hawksbill sea turtle uses its horny jaws to forage for mollusks and other prey

Kemp's ridley (''Lepidochelys kempii'') is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. It is the smallest sea turtle species

Olive ridley (''Lepidochelys olivacea'') is a species of sea turtle

Emydidae, commonly called the pond turtles or marsh turtles, are a family of turtles

Diamondback terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') or simply terrapin is a member of the Emydidae family

Geoemydidae family includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles

Tortoises are the family Testudinidae

Giant tortoises have an average lifespan of 100 years or more

Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea''), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world

Galapagos tortoise or Galapagos giant tortoise (''Chelonoidis nigra'') is the largest living species of tortoise, reaching weights of over 400 kg and lengths of over 1.8 m

Angonoka tortoise is a critically endangered species of tortoise endemic to Madagascar. It is also known as the ploughshare tortoise

Tuatara are reptiles endemic to New Zealand and which, although resembling most lizards, are part of a distinct lineage, order '''''Rhynchocephalia'''''. The two species of tuatara are the only surviving members of their order, which flourished around 200 million years ago. The name ‘tuatara’ derives from the Māori language, and means ‘peaks on the back’. The two extant species in the family Sphenodontidae are ''Sphenodon punctatus'' and the much rarer ''Sphenodon guntheri''

'''Lizards''' are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, ranging across all continents except Antarctica. All lizards are ectothermic. Many lizards can detach their tails to escape from predators, an act called autotomy. Vision, including colour vision, is particularly well developed in most lizards. Snakes evolved from lizards during the mid-Cretaceous

Chameleons are distinguished by their zygodactylous feet; their separately mobile, stereoscopic eyes; their very long, highly modified, rapidly extrudable tongues; their swaying gait; and crests or horns on their distinctively shaped heads

Namaqua chameleons use their ability to change colour to aid in controlling temperature, becoming black in the cooler morning to absorb heat more efficiently, then a lighter grey color to reflect light during the heat of the day

Many species of the Agamidae family are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards

Central (or inland) bearded dragon (''Pogona vitticeps'') is a species of agamid lizard occurring in a wide range of arid to semiarid regions of Australia

Frilled-neck lizard (''Chlamydosaurus kingii'') is an agamid lizard that is found mainly in northern Australia. When it is frightened, it gapes its mouth, exposing a bright pink or yellow lining; the frill flares out as well, displaying bright orange and red scales. This reaction is often used to discourage predators or during courtship

Gekkonidae are the largest family of geckos consisting of over 950 described species

All geckos lack eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane, which they lick to clean. About 60% of gecko species have adhesive toe pads

Satanic leaf tailed gecko is a species of gecko endemic to the island of Madagascar

Iguana can range from 1.5 to 1.8 m including the tail. The two species of lizard within the genus ''Iguana'' possess a dewlap, a row of spines running down their backs to their tails, and a parietal eye, visible as a pale scale on the top of the head. Behind their necks are small scales which resemble spokes, known as tuberculate scales

Green iguana or common iguana (''Iguana iguana'') is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard

Helmeted iguana (''Corytophanes cristatus'')

Green basilisk is known as the Jesus Christ lizard as it can run across water

Anole – small, arboreal, insectivorous lizard

With more than 1500 described species, the skinks (family Scincidae) are the most diverse family of lizards. Skinks look roughly like true lizards, but most species have no pronounced neck and their legs are relatively small

Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards or true lizards

Sand lizard (''Lacerta agilis'') is a lacertid lizard distributed across most of Europe

Many species of rock lizard are in the Lacertidae family

Although they are lizards, slow worms have lost their limbs completely and are often mistaken for snakes

Slow worm (''Anguis fragilis'') is a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It is also sometimes referred to as the blind worm

Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum'') is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. A heavy, slow-moving lizard, up to 60 cm long, the Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the United States and one of only two known species of venomous lizards in North America, the other being its close relative, the Mexican beaded lizard (''H. horridum''). The name ‘Gila’ refers to the Gila River Basin in Arizona

Monitor lizards, family Varanidae, are the largest of all living lizards. They have elongated bodies and strong legs, and many produce toxic saliva

Goanna – Australian monitor lizard

Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis'') is the largest living lizard, growing up to a length of 3 m. Named after an island in Indonesia. Largest animal to undergo parthenogenesis

Worm lizards (Amphisbaenia) are subterranean, and are characterized by long bodies, reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. They are carnivorous, able to tear chunks out of larger prey with their powerful, interlocking teeth

'''Snakes''' are elongated, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder '''''Serpentes''''' that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with many more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung, which is elongated. The eyelids of a snake are transparent ‘spectacle’ scales, which remain permanently closed, also known as brille

Snakes use Jacobson’s organ to sense prey, sticking their forked tongue out to gather scents and touching it to the opening of the organ when the tongue is retracted

Poisin is ingested into the system; venom is injected directly by fangs of snakes

All snakes employ internal fertilization. This is accomplished by means of paired, forked hemipenes, which are stored, inverted, in the male's tail

Pit vipers, pythons, and some boas have infrared-sensitive receptors in deep grooves on the snout, which allow them to ‘see’ the radiated heat of warm-blooded prey mammals. In pit vipers (Crotalinae) the grooves are located between the nostril and the eye, in a large ‘pit’ on each side of the head

Boidae is a family of non-venomous snakes which includes the anaconda

Common boa (''Boa constrictor''). Native to Central and Southern America. Gives birth to live offspring

Green anaconda (''Eunectes murinus'') is a boa species found in South America. It is the largest, heaviest, and second longest (behind the reticulated python) known extant snake species

Colubridae is the largest family of snakes, with over 1900 species

Garter snake (''Thamnophis'') is a slightly venomous colubrid snake genus common across North America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptiles in North America

Kingsnakes are colubrid snakes, members of the genus ''Lampropeltis'', which also includes the milk snake

Some milk snakes have a striking resemblance to coral snakes, but they are non-venomous

Brown tree snake is an invasive species responsible for devastating the majority of the native bird population in Guam

Boomslang – tree snake found in southern Africa

Grass snake (''Natrix natrix'') is also known as ring or water snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Largest UK snake

Smooth snake (''Coronella austriaca'') is rare in UK

Elapidae is a family of venomous snakes. Includes the cobras

Hydrophiinae, also known as coral reef snakes or sea snakes, are a subfamily of venomous elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives

Dubois' seasnake is the secondmost venomous snake

Coral snakes are a large group of venomous elapid snakes notable for their red, yellow/white, and black coloured banding

Desert death adder is a species of snake native to Australia and is one of the most venomous land snakes in the world

''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes known as cobras. Several other genera include species commonly called cobras, for example the King cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') and the rinkhals, or ring-necked spitting cobra found in South Africa

Egyptian cobra (''Naja haje'') was Cleopatra’s asp

Indian cobra or spectacled cobra (''Naja naja'')

Monocled cobra (''Naja kaouthia)''

King cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.7 m

Eastern brown snake is considered to be the second most venomous terrestrial snake 

Mambas are fast-moving, terrestrial, venomous snakes of the genus ''Dendroaspis'' (literally ‘tree asp’) in the family Elapidae

Black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Its combination of speed, unpredictable aggression, and potent venom make it an extremely dangerous species

Python is any snake in the family Pythonidae. Pythons are non-venomous and kill by constriction

In the United States, an introduced population of Burmese pythons (''Python molurus bivittatus'') has existed as an invasive species in the Everglades National Park since the late 1990s

Indian python (''Python molurus'')

Reticulated python (''Python reticulatus'') is the world’s longest reptile, growing up to 7 m

Sunbeam snake is iridescent

Viperidae (vipers) are a family of venomous snakes

Fer-de-lance or Martinique lancehead (''Bothrops lanceolatus'') is a venomous pit viper species generally considered endemic to the island of Martinique

Copperhead is endemic to North America, a member of the Crotalinae (pit viper) subfamily

Viper in USA is also known as cottonmouth or water moccasin

Common European adder or common European viper (''Vipera berus'') is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and as far as East Asia

Puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') is responsible for causing the most snakebite fatalities in Africa

Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae. There are 32 known species of rattlesnakes. Rattlesnake bites are the leading cause of snakebite injuries in North America. The rattle is composed of a series of hollow, interlocked segments made of keratin

Diamondback (''Crotalus adamanteus'') is a rattlesnake found in southeastern USA

Sidewinder – horned rattlesnake

Inland taipan (''Oxyuranus microlepidotus'') or fierce snake is considered the most venomous snake in the world; based on the median lethal dose value in mice. Endemic to Australia

Coastal taipan (''Oxyuranus scutellatus'') or common taipan is the third-most venomous land snake

Big Four are the four venomous snake species responsible for causing the most snake bite cases in South Asia (mostly in India). The Big Four snakes cause far more snakebites because they are much more abundant in highly populated areas. They are the Indian cobra, common krait, Russell's viper and the Saw-scaled viper

'''''Crocodilia''''' are an order of large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles. They appeared 83 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period and are the closest living relatives of birds. The order Crocodilia includes the true crocodiles (family Crocodylidae), the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae), and the gharial and false gharial (family Gavialidae). Crocodilians are found mainly in lowlands in the tropics, but alligators also live in the southeastern United States and the Yangtze River in China

Crocodiles are recognised by exposure of fourth tooth of the jaw when mouth is closed

Gharial – crocodile-like reptile with long, narrow jaws. Found in India. Also known as gavial

Saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is largest reptile and the most dangerous breed of crocodile

The largest number of attacks comes from the Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') which is the second largest reptile

Cuban crocodile (''Crocodylus rhombifer'') is a small but aggressive species of crocodile found only in Cuba

There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''Alligator sinensis)'' which is extremely endangered

Caimans inhabit Central and South America. They are relatively small crocodilians

Spectacled, broad-snouted, dwarf – species of caiman

== Birds ==
Birds (class Aves) ranks as the tetrapod class with the most living species, approximately 10,000. Extant birds belong to the subclass Neornithes, living worldwide and ranging in size from the 5 cm bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds emerged during the Jurassic period

Birds are divided into two superorders – Palaeognathae, which contains the tinamous and ratites, amd Neognathae which contains 27 orders

Speculum – a patch, often distinctly coloured, on the wings of some birds

Ground-dwelling tinamous from Central and South America resemble partridges, but they are most closely related to ratites. Tinamou eggs have a porcelain-like gloss

Ratites are flightless and strong footed. They do not have a keel on their sternum that anchors powerful flight muscles in other birds, but they still have wings

Ostrich (''Struthio camelus'') can run at speeds of about 40 mph, the top land speed of any bird. The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird species. Ostrich has just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof. Native to Africa, it shares the order '''''Struthioniformes''''' with the kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries

Emu is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''

Cassowaries are ratites in the genus ''Casuarius'' native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands, and northeastern Australia

Cassowary is the most dangerous bird in the world

Southern Cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius'') is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu

There are two extant species of rhea, both native to South America: the greater or American rhea and the lesser or Darwin's rhea

Kiwi are endemic to New Zealand, in the genus ''Apteryx'' and family Apterygidae. Kiwi is the only ratite that does not have a reduced number of toes. Kiwis lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. Kiwi is the smallest living ratite. The largest species is the Great Spotted Kiwi

Southern Brown Kiwi, Tokoeka, or Common kiwi (''Apteryx australis'') is a species of kiwi from New Zealand's South Island

'''''Galliformes''''' is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds commonly known as gamefowl or gamebirds

Megapodes are stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet. Megapodes are mainly solitary birds that do not incubate their eggs with their body heat as other birds do, but bury them. Their eggs are unique in having a large yolk

Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken

Maleo is endemic to Sulawesi. It is found in the tropical lowland and hill forests, but nests in the open sandy areas, volcanic soils or beaches that are heated by the sun or geothermal energy for incubation

Guineafowl are members of the family Numididae. The guineafowl are native to Africa, but the Helmeted Guineafowl has been domesticated

Phasianidae are a family which includes pheasants, partridges, chickens, and peafowl

Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail (native to the Americas) are found in the family Odontophoridae

Quail is Britain’s only migrant game bird. Smallest member of partridge family

Common quail (''Coturnix coturnix'')

Japanese quail (''Coturnix japonica'')

According to Greek legend, the first partridge appeared when Daedalus threw his nephew, Perdix, off the sacred hill of Athena in a fit of jealous rage

Grey partridge (''Perdix perdix'') is also known as the English Partridge

''Tympanuchus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse family. They are commonly referred to as prairie chickens

Capercaillie is a corruption of Scottish Gaelic meaning ‘horse of the woods’

Western Capercaillie (''Tetrao urogallus''), also known as the Wood Grouse, is the largest member of the grouse family

Rock ptarmigan (''Lagopus muta'') is a medium-sized gamebird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in the UK and in Canada, and colloquially as the snow chicken in the United States. Rock ptarmigan is seasonally camouflaged; its feathers moult from white in winter to brown in spring or summer

Ptarmigan is the only British bird to change plumage between winter and summer

Red grouse (''Lagopus lagopus scotica'') is a medium-sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland. It is usually classified as a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan but is sometimes considered to be a separate species, ''Lagopus scotica''. It is also known as the moorfowl or moorbird

The word ‘pheasant’ is derived from the ancient town of Phasis, the predecessor of the modern port city of Poti in Georgia

Common pheasant (''Phasianus colchicus'') is native to Asia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird

Golden pheasant or Chinese pheasant (''Chrysolophus pictus'') is native to forests in China, but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. They are ound in East Anglia in the dense forest landscape of the Breckland

Lady Amherst's pheasant is named after the wife of the Governor General of Bengal, who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828

Peafowl are two Asiatic and one African species of flying bird in the genus ''Pavo'' of the pheasant family, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail covert feathers, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female peafowl is grey and/or brown

White peacocks are not albinos; they have a genetic mutation that is known as Leucism, which causes the lack of pigments in the plumage

Species of peafowl: Congo Peafowl (''Afropavo congensis''), Green Peafowl (''Pavo muticus''), Indian Peafowl (''Pavo cristatus'')

Chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird

In the UK adult male chickens over the age of 12 months are primarily known as cocks, whereas in America, Australia and Canada they are more commonly called roosters. Males less than 1 year old are cockerels. Castrated roosters are called capons. Females over a year old are known as hens and younger females as pullets

Plymouth Rock – breed of chicken

Turkey is a large bird in the ''Meleagris'' genus, which is native to the Americas. One species, the Wild Turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo''), is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species. The other living species is the Ocellated Turkey (''Meleagris ocellata''), native to the forests of the Yucatan Peninsula. Males of both turkey species have a distinctive fleshy wattle or protuberance that hangs from the top of the beak, known as a snood

Norfolk black – oldest UK turkey

'''''Anseriformes''''' order comprises about 150 living species in three families: Anhimidae (the screamers), Anseranatidae (the Magpie Goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the geese, swans and ducks. All species are web-footed

'''Geese''' are waterfowl belonging to the tribe Anserini of the family Anatidae. This tribe comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese), ''Branta'' (the black geese) and ''Chen'' (the white geese). A number of other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have ‘goose’ as part of their name

Greylag goose (''Anser anser'')

Barnacle goose (''Branta leucopsis'')

Canada goose (''Branta canadensis'') has a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brown body. Largest of the ''Branta'' species

Nene, also known as Hawaiian goose (''Branta sandvicensis'') is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian name Nene comes from its soft call

Snow goose (''Chen caerulescens'')

'''Swans''' are birds of the genus ''Cygnus''

Whooper swan (''Cygnus cygnus'')

Mute swan (''Cygnus olor'')

Black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') breeds mainly in Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced

Bewick's swan (''Cygnus'' ''columbianus'' ''bewickii)'' is a subspecies of Tundra swan. Named after Thomas Bewick, the author of ''A History of British Birds''

Trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is the largest native North American swan and only swan species found solely in North America

Black-necked swan (''Cygnus melancoryphus'') is the largest waterfowl native to South America

Sawbills – '''ducks''' with serrated bills

Dabbling ducks – feed mainly on vegetable matter by upending on the water surface, or grazing, and only rarely dive

''Anas'' is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera

Mallard or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') lives in wetlands. Male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage

Eurasian teal or Common teal (''Anas crecca'') is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. Smallest extant dabbling duck

Pintail or Northern pintail (''Anas acuta'') – name refers to the pointed tail of the male in breeding plumage

Northen shoveler (''Anas clypeata'') is unmistakable in the northern hemisphere due to its large spatulate bill. The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head

Almost all of the varieties of domesticated ducks are descended from the Mallard, apart from the Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'')

Bronze-winged duck (''Speculanas specularis'') also known as the Spectacled duck, is a dabbling duck. Also known as a dog-duck, after the harsh barking call of the female

Common pochard (''Aythya ferina'') is a medium-sized diving duck. The adult male has a long dark bill with a grey band, a red head and neck, a black breast, red eyes and a grey back

Stiff-tailed ducks are freshwater diving ducks. Includes the Ruddy duck

Tufted duck has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name

Shelducks are a group of larger often semi-terrestrial waterfowl, which can be seen as intermediate between geese and ducks. They were originally known as sheldrakes

Mandarin duck (''Aix galericulata'') is a perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood duck.The adult male has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and ‘whiskers’. The breast is purple with two vertical white bars

Common Eider (''Somateria mollissima'') lines its nest with eiderdown, plucked from the female's breast

St Cuthbert’s duck – Common Eider duck from Farne Islands. Known as ‘Cuddy’s duck’

''Dendrocygna'' – genus of whistling ducks

The drake Smew has a 'cracked ice' and 'panda' appearance

Goldeneye and Whistler are common names for a species of small tree-hole nesting northern hemisphere seaducks belonging to the genus ''Bucephala''

''Mergus'' is the genus of the typical mergansers, fish-eating ducks in the seaduck subfamily

'''Penguins''' – order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae

With about 18 million individuals, the Macaroni penguin (''Eudyptes chrysolophus'') is the most numerous penguin species

Emperor penguin (''Aptenodytes forsteri'') is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species

King penguin (''Aptenodytes patagonicus'') is the second largest species of penguin

Adelie penguin – in 1840, French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville named them for his wife, Adele

Galapagos Penguin (''Spheniscus mendiculus'') is the only penguin to live in northern hemisphere

The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue penguin (''Eudyptula minor''), also known as the Fairy penguin

Rockhopper, chinstrap – types of penguin

Gentoopenguins have orange beaks

Jackass penguin is the only penguin to breed in Africa

Humboldt penguin breeds in coastal Peru and Chile

Magellanic penguin breeds in Falkland Islands

Loons (North America) or '''divers''' (UK/Ireland) are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'' in the order Gaviiformes

Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels. Formerly called Tubinares and still called tubenoses in English, they are often referred to collectively as the '''petrels'''

Gooney bird – common name for the albatross

A breeding season for an albatross can take over a year from laying to fledging, with a single egg laid in each breeding attempt

Wandering Albatross is the largest member of the genus ''Diomedea'' (the great albatrosses), one of the largest birds in the world

The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. The Northern Fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis'') or just Fulmar lives in the north Atlantic and north Pacific, whereas the Southern Fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialoides'') is a bird of the southern oceans. These birds look superficially like gulls, but are unrelated, and are in fact petrels

Fulmars produce foul-smelling stomach oil this is used against predators, and is also an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights

Southern Giant Petrel (''Macronectes giganteus'')

Snow Petrel is one of only three birds that breed exclusively in Antarctica

Prions – subgroup of petrels also known as whalebirds

Shearwaters fly with stiff wings and use a ‘shearing’ flight technique to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight. Shearwaters are member of the the genus ''Puffinus'', but are unrelated to puffins, which are auks

Sooty Shearwater (''Puffinus griseus'') has a very long annual migration

Manx Shearwater ''(Puffinus puffinus'') migrates over 10,000 km to South America in winter

Storm Petrels are the smallest of all the seabirds

'''Grebes''' are member of the order Podicipediformes. Grebes are migratory, and make floating nests of plant material concealed among reeds on the surface of the water. Uniquely in birds, the oil gland produces a secretion that is 50% paraffin. May be related to flamingos

Great Crested, Black-Necked, Red-Necked – species of grebe

Little Grebe, also known as Dabchick, is the smallest European member of the grebe family

'''Flamingos''' are a type of wading bird in the genus ''Phoenicopterus'' (from Greek for ‘purple wing’). They filter-feed on brine shrimp and blue-green algae. Their beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down. They live on salty lagoons and alkaline lakes

Young flamingos hatch with grey plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red, due to carotenoid proteins in their diet of animal and plant plankton. Zoo-fed flamingos, which often lack the colour enhancer in their diet, may be given food with the additive canthaxanthin

Greater Flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family

Lesser Flamingo (''Phoenicopterus minor'') is the smallest species of flamingo

Traditionally, the order '''''Ciconiiformes''''' has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, and spoonbills. At present the only family retained in the order is the storks, Ciconiidae

White Stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a long-distance migrant

Marabou Stork (''Leptoptilos crumeniferus'') breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips. It is sometimes called the ‘Undertaker Bird’ due to its shape from behind

Herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 64 recognised species (some are called egrets or bitterns instead of heron). Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes

Grey Heron (''Ardea cinerea'')

Egret – any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless plume hunting

Great egret (''Ardea alba'') also known as common egret, large egret or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret

Cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them

Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of the heron family

Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern (''Botaurus stellaris'') is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. The mating call or contact call of the male is a deep, sighing fog-horn or bull-like boom

Ibises all have long, down-curved bills, and usually feed as a group, probing mud for food items, usually crustaceans

Brilliant scarlet colouration makes the Scarlet Ibis (''Eudocimus ruber'') unmistakable

African Sacred Ibis (''Threskiornis aethiopicus'') was venerated and often mummified as a symbol of the god Thoth. It has an all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black

Glossy Ibis is the most widespread ibis species

Spoonbills have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side

Eurasian Spoonbill or Common Spoonbill (''Platalea leucorodia'') is all white except for its dark legs, and black bill with a yellow tip. It has a crest in the breeding season. This is the most widespread species of spoonbill

'''''Pelecaniformes''''' is an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Many species have been reclassified into the order Suliformes. Most have a bare throat patch (gular patch), and the nostrils have evolved into dysfunctional slits, forcing them to breathe through their mouths. They feed on fish

Blue-footed Booby (''Sula nebouxii'') lives on the Galapagos Islands

Red-footed Booby (''Sula sula'') is the smallest of all boobies

''Fregata'' is the genus of frigatebirds. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. The males have a red gular pouch that is inflated during the breeding season to attract a mate

Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'', in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads; long, pointed wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to two metres

Gannet is the largest UK seabird

Northern Gannet (''Morus bassanus'') is also known as Solan Goose

Cormorants catch fish in China

There is no consistent distinction between cormorants and shags. They range in size from the Pygmy Cormorant (''Phalacrocorax pygmaeus'') to the Flightless Cormorant (''Phalacrocorax harrisi'')

European Shag or Common Shag (''Phalacrocorax aristotelis'') develops a frontal crest when breeding. Nests on ledges of rocky coasts

Brown Pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a small pelican found in the Americas. Unlike other pelicans, it plunge-dives for fish

American White Pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') is a large aquatic soaring bird. During the breeding season, it develops a flat ‘horn’ on its bill

'''Birds of prey''', also known as raptors, hunt and feed on other animals

Hawks, eagles, kites, buzzards, harriers and Old World vultures are included in the family Accipitridae

''Accipiter'' is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks

Northern Goshawk (''Accipiter gentilis'') is referred to as the ‘goshawk’

The goshawk is found in considerable numbers in Kielder Forest

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the Northern Sparrowhawk or simply the Sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey

Red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the chickenhawk

Sparrowhawk and goshawk are the only true UK hawks

''Aquila'' is the genus of true eagles

Golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is the most widely distributed species of eagle

A sea eagle (also called erne, mostly in reference to the White-tailed Eagle) is any of the birds of prey in the genus ''Haliaeetus''

White-tailed Eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla)''

White-tailed eagles were successfully reintroduced to the Isle of Rum in Scotland in 1975, and now breeds throughout the Western Isles

Bald Eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') makes the largest nest. It is the only sea eagle native to USA. Bald eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of ‘white headed’

''Circaetus'', the snake eagles, are mainly resident African species

Red Kite (''Milvus milvus'')

Black Kite (''Milvus migrans'')

In the Old World, members of the genus ''Buteo'' are called ‘buzzards’, but ‘hawk’ is used in North America

Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia

Buzzard is most common bird of prey in UK. Sometimes mistaken for an eagle in Scotland

Most harriers are placed in the genus ''Circus'', the scientific name arising from the circling movements that female and male make when courting. The young of the species are sometimes referred to as ring-tail harriers

Montagu’s Harrier (''Circus pygargus'') commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu

Hen Harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is also known as Northern Harrier

Marsh harrier is associated with marshland and dense reedbeds

Old World vultures are not closely related to the superficially similar New World vultures and condors, and do not share that group's good sense of smell. The similarities between the two groups of vultures are due to convergent evolution rather than a close relationship

Egyptian vultures feed on the eggs of other birds, breaking larger ones by tossing a large pebble onto them

Griffon Vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture

New World vulture or condor family Cathartidae contains seven species including the Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, California Condor, and Andean Condor

Andean Condor (''Vultur gryphus'') is the largest flying land bird in South America

Condor is the heaviest bird of prey

Falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae

True falcons native to Britain – kestrel, hobby, peregrine and merlin

The traditional term for a male falcon is tercel (British spelling) or tiercel (American spelling)

Kestrels require a slight headwind in order to hover, hence a local name of ‘Windhover’ for Common Kestrel (''Falco tinnunculus'')

Kestrel is most common bird of prey in Europe

Gyr Falcon – the largest of all falcon species. Breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia

Pygmy falcon is the smallest raptor found in Africa

Eurasian Hobby (''Falco subbuteo''), or just simply Hobby, is a small slim falcon

Peregrine Falcon (''Falco peregrinus'') is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom

Bornean falconet – smallest bird of prey

Merlin (''Falco columbarius'') – smallest British bird of prey

Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are comparatively slow and are often scavengers

Osprey (''Pandion haliaetus'') is sometimes known as the sea hawk, fish eagle or fish hawk. It has been given its own genus, ''Pandion'' and family, Pandionidae

Secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') looks like it has quill pens tucked behind the ear. It is a bird of prey endemic to Africa and kills snakes

'''''Gruiformes''''' are an order of birds containing cranes, crakes and rails and many other birds

Bustards make up the family Otididae and are mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. Bustards are all fairly large with the two largest species, the Kori Bustard (''Ardeotis kori'') and the Great Bustard (''Otis tarda''), being frequently cited as the world's heaviest flying birds

Kagu – a crested, long-legged, and bluish-grey near-flightless bird endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia

Cranes are a clade (Gruidae) of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the group Gruiformes. Unlike the herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back

Red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis'') is famous for dances during the breeding season. Heaviest species of crane

Sarus crane (''Grus antigone'') is the tallest of the flying birds

Common crane (''Grus grus''), is also known as the Eurasian crane

Brolga (''Grus rubicunda''), is also known as the Australian crane. Brolgas are well known for their ritualised, intricate mating dances

Rails are a large cosmopolitan family which exhibits considerable diversity and also includes the crakes and coots. Many species are associated with wetlands. In the Old World, long-billed species tend to be called rails and short-billed species crakes

Corncrake or Landrail (''Crex crex'') is a bird in the rail family. Makes a rasping sound

''Porzana'' genus contains 13 species of crakes

Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens or river chickens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula''. They are close relatives of coots

Common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus'') has dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield

Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra'') is also known as Coot, and is largely black except for the white frontal shield

Trumpeters are a family of birds restricted to the humid forests of the Amazon. They are named for the trumpeting or cackling threat call of the males

'''''Charadriiformes''''' is a diverse order of birds. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals. The order was formerly divided into three suborders: waders, gulls, and auks

'''Waders''' – about 210 species, most of which are associated with wetland or coastal environments

Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe

Snipes are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage (camouflage). The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution

Great Knot and Red Knot are species of sandpipers

Ruff is a species of sandpiper. Male has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts

Curlew – largest European wader

Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long down-curved bills

Common or Eurasian curlew (''Numenius arquata'')

Stone-curlews are also known as Thick-knees

Turnstones readily turn stones or seaweed looking for hidden invertebrates

Oystercatcher doesn’t catch oysters. Old name – Sea Pie

Godwits – a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory waders. Their long bills allow them to probe deeply in the sand for aquatic worms and molluscs

The longest nonstop flight for a bird ever recorded was taken by a Bar-tailed Godwit, which flew 7145 miles from Alaska to New Zealand in nine days

Wrybill is a species of plover endemic to New Zealand. It is unique in that it is the only species of bird in the world with a beak that is bent sideways (always to the right)

Lapwing – crested plover, genus ''Vanellus''

Northern Lapwing (''Vanellus vanellus''), also known as the Peewit (imitative of its cry), Green Plover (emphasising the colour of the plumage) or (in the British Isles) just Lapwing (which refers to its peculiar, erratic way of flying), is a bird in the plover family. The male has a long crest and a black crown

Dotterel – type of plover

Common Ringed Plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') breeds on beaches or flats across northern Eurasia and in Arctic northeast Canada

Redshanks – Eurasian wader with red legs

Avocets have long legs and long, thin, upcurved bills (giving their genus name ''Recurvirostra'') which they sweep from side to side when feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer

Pied Avocet (''Recurvirostra avosetta'') is the emblem of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Stilts have extremely long legs, hence the group name, and long thin bills. They are in the same family as the avocets

Jacanas (sometimes referred to as Jesus birds or lily trotters) are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes. Males look after the chicks

Dunlin is a small wader

Woodcocks are a group of of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. Woodcocks are woodland birds

'''Gulls''' or seagulls are seabirds of the family Laridae in the sub-order Lari. They are most closely related to the terns

Herring Gull (''Larus argentatus'') is the most common British gull

Great Black-Backed Gull is the largest species of gull

Arctic Tern (''Sterna Paradisaea'') migrates up to 40,000 miles

Caspian Tern is world’s largest tern

Skimmers are the only birds with distinctive uneven bills with the lower mandible longer than the upper. This adaptation allows them to fish in a unique way, flying low and fast over streams

Brown Noddy or Common Noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird from the tern family Sternidae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related Black Noddy by its larger size and plumage

Black-legged Kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') is most abundant species of gull

Red-legged Kittiwake is a localised subarctic Pacific species

'''Auks''' are birds of the family Alcidae

Great Auk – last known specimen killed on St Kilda in 1844, mistaken for a witch

Black Guillemot is a member of the Auk family

Skuas are known as jaegers in America

Razorbill has black and white plumage

Razorbill is the largest living member of the Auk family

Common Murre or Common Guillemot (''Uria aalge'') is a large auk. They do not make a nest, and their single egg is incubated on a bare rock ledge on a cliff face

Puffin – also known as sea parrot

Atlantic Puffin (''Fratercula arctica''), also known as the Common Puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the Tufted Puffin and the Horned Puffin, are found in the northeastern Pacific

'''Sandgrouses''' are ground dwelling birds restricted to treeless, open country, such as plains, savannahs and semi-deserts. Not related to grouse. The feathers of the belly are specially adapted for absorbing water and retaining it, allowing adults, particularly males, to carry water to chicks that may be many miles away from watering holes

'''Pigeons''' and '''doves''' constitute the bird clade '''''Columbidae'''''. Unlike most birds, both sexes of doves and pigeons produce ‘crop milk’ to feed to their young

Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon (''Columba livia'') is often simply referred to as the ‘pigeon’. The species includes the domestic pigeon (including the fancy pigeon), and escaped domestic pigeons have given rise to feral populations around the world

Common Wood Pigeon (''Columba palumbus'') is the largest pigeon in Britain. It is distinguished by white on its neck and wing

Nicobar Pigeon may be related to the dodo

Wonga Pigeon is a pigeon that inhabits areas in eastern Australia

Mesites are near-flightless birds endemic to Madagascsar

Crowned Pigeons (''Goura'') consists of three species. They are natives of New Guinea

Bronzewing pigeons are a group of pigeons native to Australia which have distinctive iridescent wing patches that appear bronze or green-brown in dull light, but flash in many bright colours in the sun as the bird moves

European Turtle Dove or Turtle Dove (''Streptopelia turtur'') is an emblem of devoted love

Common Emerald Dove (''Chalcophaps indica'') – back and wings are bright emerald green

'''Parrots''' make up the order '''''Psittaciformes''''', found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoidea ('true' parrots), the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos) and the Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots)

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong, curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet

Hanging parrots, genus ''Loriculus'', are unique among birds for their ability to sleep upside down

Macaws are long-tailed, large-beaked, often colourful New World parrots

Hyacinth Macaw (''Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus'') is the largest flying parrot species

Parakeet – a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot that generally have long tail feathers

Ring-necked parakeet is the UK's only naturalized parrot. Also known as Rose-ringed parakeet

Lories and lorikeets (tribe Lorini) are small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries

Budgerigar (''Melopsittacus undulatus'') is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot

Lovebird, genus ''Agapornis'', is a social and affectionate small parrot

African Grey Parrot is prized for its ability to mimic human speech

Sulphur-crested cockatoo is found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea

Galah is also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo or ‘Pink and Grey’

Cockatiel (''Nymphicus hollandicus'') is a member of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia

Kakapo (''Strigops habroptilus'') is the world’s only flightless parrot, from New Zealand. Also called the owl parrot, it is nocturnal

Kea (''Nestor notabilis'') is parrot found in forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. The Kea is one of the few recorded alpine parrots in the world. Destroys rubber parts of cars

'''Cuckoos''' are a family, Cuculidae, named for the Common Cuckoo of Europe. The order '''''Cuculiformes''''', in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos and the unique Hoatzin. Many species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species, but the majority of species raise their own young

Common Cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'') is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa

Coucals are members of the cuckoo family, but they are not brood parasites

Couas are large, mostly terrestrial birds of the cuckoo family, endemic to Madagascar

Roadrunner is a fast-running ground cuckoo that has a long tail and a crest. It is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, usually in the desert

Greater Roadrunner (''Geococcyx californianus'')

Turacos make up the family Musophagidae (literally ‘banana-eaters’), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as louries. Turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments giving them their bright green and red feathers

Go-away-birds are named after their distinctive call

Hoatzin, also known as the Stinkbird, or Canje Pheasant, is found in swamps in South America. It is notable for having chicks that possess claws on two of their wing digits. The taxonomic position of this bird has been greatly debated

True '''Owls''' or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae)

Owl has asymmetrical ears which help to pinpoint its prey. Owls can swivel their heads by up to 270<sup>o</sup>

Barn owl (''Tyto alba'') has a blood-curdling screech and a Heart-shaped facial disc. Most widespread species of owl

Scops owls are Strigidae mostly belonging to the genus ''Otus''

Screech owls are Strigidae belonging to the genus ''Megascops''

Members of the genus ''Strix'' and have round faces and no ear-tufts. Includes wood owls

Pygmy owls are members of the genus ''Glaucidium''. They live mostly in the west of the United States

American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus ''Bubo''

Eurasian Eagle-Owl (''Bubo bubo'') has ear tufts

Spectacled Owl has distinctive white facial markings

Fish owls are a group of Asian owls in the genus ''Bubo''

Little Owl (''Athene noctua'') is the smallest UK owl

Long-eared Owl (''Otus asio'') has orange eyes

Short-eared Owl (''Asio flammeus'')

Great Grey Owl (''Strix nebulosa'')

Snowy Owl (''Neytea scandiaca'')

Tawny owl (''Strix aluco'') makes ‘Tu-whit, Tu-who’ call

There are five species of owl in Britain: British Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Little Owl, Short-eared Owl and Long-eared Owl

In terms of length, the Great Grey Owl is believed to exceed the Eurasian Eagle-Owl and the Blakiston's Fish Owl as the world's largest owl. The Great Grey is outweighed by those two species as well as several others

Elf Owl – world’s smallest owl

Morepork is also called the Tasmanian spotted owl

'''''Caprimulgiformes''''' is an order of birds that are generally insectivorous and nocturnal. The order gets its name from the Latin for ‘goat-sucker’, an old name based on an erroneous view of the European Nightjar's feeding habits

Nightjars are medium-sized birds in the family Caprimulgidae, characterized by long wings, short legs and very short bills. Some New World species are called nighthawks Nightjars usually nest on the ground

European Nightjar (''Caprimulgus europaeus'')

Common Nighthawk (''Chordeiles minor'')

Common Poorwill (''Phalaenoptilus nuttallii'') is unique as a bird that undergoes a form of hibernation

Oilbirds are the only nocturnal flying fruit-eating birds in the world. Oilbirds are cave nesters. The nest is a heap of droppings

Potoos are sometimes called Poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a tree stump

Frogmouths are named for their large flattened hooked bills and huge frog-like gape, which they use to capture insects

Swifts are superficially similar to swallows but are actually not closely related; swifts are in the separate order '''''Apodiformes''''' (‘without feet’), which they share with hummingbirds

Swifts have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces. Swifts build their nests of air-borne material caught in flight, bonded with their saliva

Swifts often form ‘screaming parties’ during summer evenings

Common swift (''Apus apus'') has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang

White-throated Needletail (''Hirundapus caudacutus''), also known as Needle-tailed Swift or Spine-tailed Swift, is the fastest-flying bird in flapping flight

Hummingbirds are New World birds that constitute the family Trochilidae. The smallest extant bird species is the 5 cm Bee Hummingbird (''Mellisuga helenae''). Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any homeothermic animal

Sword-billed hummingbird is the only species of bird to have a bill longer than the rest of its body

Trogons and quetzals are birds in the order '''''Trogoniformes'''''. Trogons are the only type of animal with a heterodactyl toe arrangement, where digits 3 and 4 point forward and digits 1 and 2 point back

Resplendent Quetzal (''Pharomachrus mocinno'') is Guatemala's national bird

'''''Coraciiformes''''' (‘raven-like’) are a group of colourful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 and 4 fused at their base)

The kingfishers group is treated either as a single family, Alcedinidae, or as a suborder Alcedines containing three families, Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers)

Common Kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis'') is also known as Eurasian Kingfisher, or River Kingfisher

Laughing Kookaburra (''Dacelo novaeguineae'') is a carnivorous bird in the family Halcyonidae. Native to eastern Australia. Known for its laughing call. Previously known as the Laughing Jackass

Woodland Kingfisher (''Halcyon senegalensis'') is a tree kingfisher

Rollers are an Old World family, Coraciida. The group gets its name from the aerial acrobatics some of these birds perform during courtship or territorial flights. Rollers resemble crows in size and build

Dollarbird is a bird of the roller family, so named because of the distinctive blue coin-shaped spots on its wings

Bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects. While they pursue any type of flying insect, honey bees predominate in their diet

Motmots have a colourful plumage, a relatively heavy bill, and relatively long tails that in some species have a distinctive racket-like tip

Todies are tiny, green kingfisher-like birds from the Caribbean

Hornbills ('''''Bucerotidae''''', Greek for ‘cow horn’) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved heavy bill. Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together. Many hornbill species have ‘casques’, decorative growths on the upper mandible of the bill

Mouth of the hornbill nest is a small slit through which the male feeds the female

Hoopoe (''Upupa epops'') is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers

Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order '''''Piciformes''''', the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. Nearly all Piciformes have parrot-like zygodactyl feet. All nest in cavities and have altricial (helpless) young

Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae. The family includes toucans, aracaris and toucanets

Toco Toucan (''Ramphastos toco''), also known as the Common Toucan, is the largest and the best known species in the toucan family

Honeyguides, also known as indicator birds, will deliberately lead humans directly to bee colonies, so that they can feast on the grubs and beeswax that are left behind

Honeybird is a member of the Honeyguide family

Green Woodpecker (''Picus viridis''), sometimes called Yaffle, is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It occurs in most parts of Europe, and in western Asia

Great Spotted Woodpecker (''Dendrocopos major'') is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia

A '''passerine''' is any bird of the order '''''Passeriformes''''', which includes more than half of all bird species. A notable feature of passerines is the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back, known as anisodactyl) which facilitates perching. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders, with over 5000 identified species. Name derived from the scientific name of the House Sparrow

The order is divided into three suborders, Tyranni (suboscines), Passeri (oscines), and the basal Acanthisitti. Oscines have the best control of their syrinx muscles among birds, producing a wide range of songs and other vocalizations

Most passerine birds develop twelve tail feathers. The chicks of passerines are altricial: blind, featherless, and helpless when hatched from their eggs. Hence, the chicks require extensive parental care

Many manakin species have spectacular lekking courtship rituals, including ‘moonwalking’

Cotingas are brightly coloured, or decorated with plumes or wattles

Tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. Most species are associated with a ‘sallying’ feeding style, where they fly up to catch an insect directly from their perch and then immediately return to the same perch

Bowerbirds are most known for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate

A lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds that form the genus ''Menura''. They are most notable for their ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Lyrebirds are notable because of the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in display; and also because of their courtship display

Superb – commonest lyrebird

Albert’s – other species of lyrebird

A great many Australian plants are fertilised by honeyeaters

Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds in the genus ''Cracticus.'' They are native to Australasia. The Australian Magpie has recently been placed in the same genus. They get their name from their habit of impaling captured prey on a thorn, tree fork, or crevice

'''''Corvidae''''' is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids (more technically) or the crow family (more informally), and there are over 120 species. The genus ''Corvus'', including the jackdaws, crows and ravens, makes up over a third of the entire family. They are considered the most intelligent of the birds

Carrion Crow (''Corvus corone'')

Hooded Crow (''Corvus cornix'') has a grey body

Raven (''Corvus corax'') is the largest member of crow family and largest passerine

Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'')

Jackdaw (''Corvus monedula'') is the smallest species of crow

Eurasian Jay (''Garrulus glandarius'') has pinkish plumage and buries acorns

Blue Jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is native to North America

Common Magpie or Eurasian Magpie (''Pica pica'')

Two species of chough constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae family. These are the Red-billed Chough (''P.'' ''pyrrhocorax'')  and the Alpine or Yellow-billed Chough (''P. graculus''). Choughs have black plumage and brightly coloured legs, feet, and bills

Red-billed Chough appears on the Cornish Coat of Arms

Drongo – small, insectivorous Australasian bird

Some shrikes are known as ‘butcher birds’ because of their feeding habits

The tits, chickadees, and titmice, family '''''Paridae''''', are a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa

Great Tit (''Parus major'') has a black head and neck, prominent white cheeks, olive upperparts and yellow underparts

Blue Tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'' or ''Parus caeruleus'') has an azure blue crown and dark blue line passing through the eye, and encircling the white cheeks to the chin

Coal Tit (''Periparus ater'') is the smallest British tit

Willow Tit and Marsh Tit are often confused

Long-tailed tit is the only bird known to build a hanging nest, which is constructed from four materials – lichen, feathers, spider egg cocoons and moss, with over 6000 pieces used for a typical nest. The nest is a flexible sac with a small, round entrance on top, suspended either low in a gorse or bramble bush or high up in the forks of tree branches

Bearded reedling is known as the bearded tit

Chickadees are a group of North American birds in the tit family included in the genus ''Poecile''

Birds-of-paradise are members of the family '''''Paradisaeidae'''''. The majority of species are found in New Guinea

Magnificent, Ribbon-tailed – types of bird-of-paradise

The first footage of the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise ever to be filmed was recorded in 1996 by David Attenborough

Waxwings are characterized by soft silky plumage

Larks are passerine birds of the family '''''Alaudidae'''''. They have more elaborate calls than most birds, and often extravagant songs given in display flight

Eurasian Skylark (''Alauda arvensis'')

Woodlark (''Lullula arborea'')

The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family '''''Hirundinidae''''' which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding. They have long wings and forked tails. They build mud nests or use tree holes or tunnels in banks

Swallow or barn swallow (''Hirundo rustica'')

Sand Martin (''Riparia riparia'') is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family

House Martin (''Delichon urbicum'') builds a closed cup nest from mud pellets under eaves or similar locations on buildings

Babblers are a family related to warblers. Includes the Laughing Thrush, Parrotbill, Minla and Sibia

Treecreepers climb over the surface of trees in search of food

Typical warblers are small birds belonging to the genus ''Sylvia'' in the Old World warbler family '''''Sylviidae'''''

Eurasian Blackcap (''Sylvia atricapilla'') usually known simply as the Blackcap, is a common and widespread typical warbler. Females have a brown cap

Garden Warbler (''Sylvia borin'')

Dartford Warbler (''Sylvia undata''). Type locality is Provence

Reed Warbler (''Acrocephalus scirpaceus'')

Chiffchaff – a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands

Goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Smallest European bird

Firecrest (''Regulus ignicapilla'') superficially resembles the Goldcrest, which largely shares its European range, but the Firecrest's bronze shoulders and strong face pattern are distinctive

Nuthatches forage for insects hidden in or under bark by climbing along tree trunks and branches, sometimes upside-down – it is the only bird able to do this

Eurasian nuthatch (''Sitta europaea'') a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe

Wrens are mostly small, brownish passerine birds in the mainly New World family '''''Troglodytidae'''''. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens. Only the Eurasian Wren occurs in the Old World

Eurasian Wren (''Troglodytes troglodytes'') is commonly known simply as the Wren

Wren is the commonest UK bird

In European folklore, the wren is the king of the birds, according to a fable attributed to Aesop by Plutarch, when the eagle and the wren strove to fly the highest, the wren rested on the eagle's back, and when the eagle tired, the wren flew out above him 

Wrens are traditionally hunted on St Stephen’s Day

Mockingbird is a member of the '''''Mimidae''''' family. Known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians

Northern Mockingbird (''Mimus polyglottos'') is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America

Starlings are birds in the family '''''Sturnidae'''''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage

European Starling or Common Starling (''Sternus vulgaris'')

Common Hill Myna (''Gracula religiosa'') is a renowned mimic in captivity. It is an important motif in Indian culture

Oxpeckers are endemic to the savanna of Sub-Saharan Africa. Their name arises from their habit of perching on large mammals such as cattle or rhinoceroses, and eating ticks, botfly larvae, and other parasites

Related to thrushes, the Old World flycatcher family '''''Muscicapidae''''' is divided into two groups: true flycatchers, with broad bills for catching insects; and chats, which include robins, nightingales, and wheatears. Some species are brightly coloured, most have grey or brown plumage

European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')

European stonechat (''Saxicola rubicola'') has a clicking call like stones knocking together

Redstarts are insectivorous ground feeding birds, most of which have the red tail which gives the group its name (start is Old English for ‘tail’)

Nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos'')

Philomel is another name for a nightingale

Bluethroat is a chat

Thrush family '''''Turdidae''''' (genus ''Turdus'') includes the Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Fieldfare and Redwing

Colley bird, ouzel, merle – names for the Blackbird (''Turdus merula'')

Mistle Thrush (''Turdus viscivorus'') is the largest member of the thrush family. Named for its liking for mistletoe berries

Throstle, mavis – old names for Song Thrush (''Turdus philomelos''). It often uses a favourite stone as an ‘anvil’ on which to break the shell of a snail before extracting the soft body

Fieldfare (''Turdus pilaris'') breeds in woodland and scrub in northern Europe and Asia

Redwing (''Turdus iliacus'') is slightly smaller than the related Song Thrush. The English name derives from the bird's red underwing

American Robin is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related

Bluebirds (genus ''Sialia'') are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. They have blue, or blue and rose beige, plumage

Indigobirds and whydahs are a family, Viduidae, of small passerine birds native to Africa. Whydahs have very long tails in the breeding male. All are brood parasites, but unlike the cuckoo, the indigobirds and whydahs do not destroy the host's eggs

Estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia

''Estrilda'' is a genus of finch known as Waxbills in the Estrildidae family

Zebra finch is found in Australia and is a common cage bird

Parrotfinch is an Estrildid finch

Sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family ''Passer''

House sparrow (''Passer domesticus''). Most common garden bird in UK. It the most widely distributed wild bird in the world

Dippers – members of the genus ''Cinclus''. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater

White-throated Dipper (''Cinclus cinclus''), also known as the European Dipper or just Dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits

Among the most conspicuous behaviours of wagtails is a near constant tail wagging

Yellow Wagtail (''Motacilla'' ''flava'')

Grey Wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea'')

Pied Wagtail (''Motacilla alba'')

Rock Pipit (''Anthus petrosus'')

Meadow Pipit (''Anthus pratensis'')

Sunbirds are in the family Nectariniidae. Similar to hummingbirds. They are territorial

Ploceidae, or weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches. These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which are from Sub-Saharan Africa. They get their name because of their elaborately woven nests. Includes Bishops and Widowbirds

Red-billed Quelea (''Quelea quelea'') is the world's most abundant wild bird species, with an estimated adult breeding population of 1.5 billion pairs. The distribution area of the Red-billed Quelea covers the majority of sub-Saharan Africa

Dunnock (''Prunella modularis'') is by far the most widespread member of the Accentor family, which otherwise consists of mountain species. Other common names of the Dunnock include the Hedge Sparrow, or Hedge Warbler. The name ‘Dunnock’ comes from the Ancient British for ‘little brown one’

True '''finches''' are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere

Greenfinch (''Carduelis chloris'')

Goldfinch or European Goldfinch (''Carduelis carduelis'') has a red face

American Goldfinch (''Spinus tristis'') male is a vibrant yellow in the summer and an olive color during the winter months,

Bullfinch (''Pyrrhula pyrrhula'') eats buds of fruit trees, which can make it a pest in orchards. The bullfinch is a bulky bull-headed bird. The adult male has red underparts, but females and young birds have grey-buff underparts

Chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs'') male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts

Siskin (''Carduelis spinus'') wings are black with a conspicuous yellow wing bar, and the tail is black with yellow sides

Linnet (''Carduelis cannabina'') derives its English name from its liking for seeds of flax, from which linen is made

Red Crossbill or Common Crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') has mandibles with crossed tips. Crossbills are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation which enables them to extract seeds from cones. Member of the finch family

Domestic Canary, often simply known as the canary, (''Serinus canaria domestica'') is a domesticated form of the wild Canary, a small songbird originating from the Macaronesian Islands (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands). While wild canaries are a yellowish-green colour, domestic canaries have been selectively bred for a wide variety of colours

Yellow Canary (''Serinus flaviventris'') is native to southern Africa

Common rosefinch (''Carpodacus erythrinus'') is the most widespread and common rosefinch of Asia and Europe

I’iwi is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the finch family. The adult I’iwi is mostly scarlet, with black wings and tail and a long, curved, salmon-colored bill used primarily for drinking nectar

New World orioles, comprising the genus ''Icterus'', are a group of birds in the blackbird family. They are not related to Old World orioles which are in the family Oriolidae, but are strikingly similar

Baltimore Oriole (''Icterus galbula'') is a small icterid blackbird that commonly occurs in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colours resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. The adult male is orange on the underparts

Grackle – type of icterid bird, found in America

New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds which make up the family Parulidae

American Redstart is a New World warbler. It derives its name from the male's red tail, ‘start’ being an old word for tail

Buntings are a group of Eurasian and African passerine birds of the family Emberizidae. They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills

American sparrows form part of the family Emberizidae

Yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella'') is a member of the bunting family

Snow Bunting – also known as a snowflake. Found in the Cairngorms

Reed Bunting is common in reedbeds

Corn bunting is a bird of open country with trees, such as farmland and weedy wasteland 

Ortolan bunting is considered a delicacy in France

Tanagers comprise the bird family '''''Thraupidae'''''. The family has an American distribution. Thraupidae is the second largest family of birds. About 60% of tanagers live in South America, and 30% of these species live in the Andes

There are 14 different species of finch on the Galapagos Islands, all with different types of beak. They are tanagers

Cardinals or Redbirds are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. They are also known as cardinal-grosbeaks and cardinal-buntings

Northern Cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis'') type species was named by colonists for the male's red crest, reminiscent of a Catholic cardinal's mitre

Pitohuis are birds endemic to New Guinea. The skin and feathers of some pitohuis contain powerful neurotoxic alkaloids

New Zealand wrens, '''''Acanthisittidae''''', are a family of tiny passerines endemic to New Zealand. They are understood to form a distinct lineage within the passerines, but authorities differ on their assignment to the oscines or suboscines


'''Mammals''' (class '''''Mammalia''''') are a clade of endothermic amniotes distinguished from the reptiles and the birds by the possession of hair, three middle ear bones, mammary glands in females, and a neocortex (a region of the brain). All female mammals nurse their young with milk, which is secreted from special glands, the mammary glands

Mammals can be divided into three groups – those that lay eggs (Prototheria), those that give birth to live young like marsupials (Metatheria) and placental mammals (Eutheria)


'''Monotremes''' (from the Greek for ‘single hole’, referring to the cloaca) are mammals that lay eggs (Prototheria)

Together with the four species of echidna, the duckbill platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus'') is one of the five extant species of monotremes. The male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers venom capable of causing severe pain to humans

Duckbill platypus has ten sex chromosomes

Echidnas, also known as spiny anteaters, belong to the family Tachyglossida

Male echidnas have a four-headed penis. Species are short-beaked and long-beaked

Puggle – baby Echidna


'''Marsupials''' (from the Latin marsuppium, meaning ‘pouch’) are characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young, often residing in a pouch with the mother for a certain time after birth

Most male marsupials, except for the two largest species of kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo and red kangaroo, have a bifurcated penis, separated into two columns, so that the penis has two ends corresponding to the females' two vaginas

'''''Diprotodontia''''' (meaning ‘two front teeth’) are a large order of marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koala, wombats, and many others Macropods (‘large feet’) are marsupials belonging to the family '''''Macropodidae''''', which includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, and pademelons

60 million kangaroos in Australia

The female '''kangaroo''' is usually permanently pregnant, except on the day she gives birth; however, she has the ability to freeze the development of an embryo until the previous joey is able to leave the pouch. This is known as diapause

Red kangaroo (''Macropus rufus'') is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial

A wallaby is any animal belonging to the family Macropodidae that is smaller than a kangaroo and hasn't been designated otherwise

Rock-wallabies are the wallabies of the genus ''Petrogale''. Rock-wallabies are nocturnal and live a fortress existence spending their days in steep, rocky, complex terrain in some kind of shelter

Tree-kangaroo inhabits the tropical rainforests of New Guinea, and far northeastern Queensland. It is the only true arboreal member of the kangaroo family

Pademelon – small marsupial, similar to a wallaby. Usually found in forests

Wallaroo is intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies

Quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal. It can be found on some smaller islands off the coast of Western Australia, in particular on Rottnest Island

Potoroidae family of Macropods includes the bettongs, potoroos, and two of the rat-kangaroos

Potoroo is a kangaroo-like marsupial about the size of a rabbit

Opossums (colloquially possums) make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere

Virginia opossum (''Didelphis virginiana''), commonly known as the North American opossum, is the only marsupial found in North America north of Mexico. In the United States it is typically referred to simply as a possum

Grey four-eyed opossum (''Philander opossum'') is an opossum species from Central and South America. It has a sharply defined white spot above each eye, hence the common name. The species is nocturnal, solitary and partly arboreal

Numbat, also known as the banded anteater, is a marsupial found in Western Australia. Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites

Bilby is an Australian desert-dwelling marsupial omnivore. Bilbies have a long muzzle and very long ears

Bandicoot is found in Australia and New Guinea. Means ‘pig rat’

Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. Many are small and mouse-like, giving them the misnomer marsupial mice, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian devil

Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) in 1936

Quoll is a carnivorous marsupial native to mainland Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania. It has a brown coat with white spots

Koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus'') is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial. Its closest living relatives are the wombats. Because their eucalypt diet has limited nutritional and caloric content, koalas are largely sedentary and sleep for up to 20 hours a day. Koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that have fingerprints. Koala fingerprints are similar to human fingerprints. Name means ‘no drink’

Common, Northern Hairy-nosed and Southern Hairy-nosed – species of wombat

Wombat is the largest burrowing mammal. Wombats dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws

Possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi. Possums have long thick tails and are typically nocturnal. Includes the pygmy possums, brushtail possums, cuscuses, ringtail possums, and gliders

Gliders have folds of loose skin running from the wrists to the ankles. They use this skin to glide from tree to tree by jumping and holding out their limbs spread-eagle. They are able to glide for distances over 140 metres

Monito del monte (Spanish for ‘little bush monkey’), is a diminutive hibernating marsupial native only to southwestern South America

Cuscus is a marsupial that lives in the Cape York region of Australia

There are two species of Marsupial Moles, found in the deserts of Western Australia


'''Eutheria''' (from Greek for ‘true beasts) are placental mammals. Eutherians are distinguished from noneutherians by various features of the feet, ankles, jaws and teeth. Placentals lack epipubic bones

Elephant shrews, or sengis, are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa. Name name comes from a fancied resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and an assumed relationship with the shrews

''Elephantulus'' is a genus of elephant shrew

Tenrecs are a family of mammals found on Madagascar and parts of Africa. Tenrecs are widely diverse, resembling hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, mice and even otters, as a result of convergent evolution. Unique among placental mammals, tenrecs have a cloaca

Lesser hedgehog tenrec bears a remarkable resemblance to a true hegehog

Common tenrec has more teats than any other mammal

Golden moles are small, insectivorous burrowing mammals native to southern Africa. They are taxonomically distinct from the true moles. The golden moles bear a resemblance to the marsupial moles of Australia

Aardvark (''Orycteropus afer'') feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites. The name comes from earlier Afrikaans and means ‘earth pig’. Aardvark is sometimes colloquially called antbear, anteater, or the Cape anteater

Dugong, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's Sea Cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century

Dugong has a fusiform body (tapered at both the head and the tail)

Dugong is distinguished from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail, but also possesses a unique skull and teeth

Manatees are sometimes known as sea cows and have a paddle-shaped tail

Manatees are members of the genus ''Trichecus''. Species are Amazonian, Antillean, and Florida

Rock and Tree – species of hyrax. Live in Africa and the Middle East

Hyraxes are often mistaken for rodents, but are more closely related to elephants

African '''elephants''' (''Loxodonta africana'') are larger than Asian elephants (''Elephas maximus''), and have larger ears

Largest land animals – African elephant, Asian elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus

Some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species

Borneo elephant is also called the Borneo pygmy elephant

The tusks of an elephant are modified incisors in the upper jaw

Twenty extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armour. The giant armadillo grows up to 150 cm, while the pink fairy armadillo has an overall length of 12–15 cm. All species are native to the Americas. Some species roll up into a ball when threatened. The North American nine-banded armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised

The order Pilosa includes the anteaters and sloths, including the recently extinct ground sloths. The name comes from the Latin word for ‘hairy’

Sloths have no incisors or canines, but instead have a number of cylindrical, rootless teeth

Three-toed sloths are tree-living mammals from South and Central America. They are the only members of the genus ''Bradypus'' and the family Bradypodidae. Generally smaller and slower moving than two-toed sloths, they have three toes on each foot

Two-toed sloths are members of the genus ''Choloepus'' and have only two toes (fingers) on their forefeet. Other distinguishing features include a more prominent snout, longer fur, and the absence of a tail

All anteaters have elongated snouts equipped with a thin tongue that can be extended to a length greater than the length of the head; their tube-shaped mouths have lips but no teeth

Giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''), also known as the ant bear, is a large insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America

Silky anteater or pygmy anteater (''Cyclopes didactylus'') is a species of anteaters from Central and South America

Tamandua is a species of anteater

'''''Lagomorpha''''' – an order of mammals of which there are two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas)

A lagomorph has four sharp incisors (two on top, two on bottom) that grow continuously throughout its life

Rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are precocial, born with hair and good vision. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, larger and longer hind legs and have black markings on their fur

European rabbit or common rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'')

Cottontail rabbits are in the genus ''Sylvilagus'', found in the Americas

Angora rabbit originated in Ankara (historically known as Angora)

Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus ''Lepus''

European hare (''Lepus europaeus''),is also known as the brown hare

Blue hare or mountain hare (''Lepus timidus'')

Jackrabbits have distinctive long ears

Pika (genus, ''Ochotona'') is also known as the ‘whistling hare’ due to its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow

'''Rodents''' are mammals of the order '''''Rodentia''''' (from the Latin rodere, ‘to gnaw’), characterised by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws that must be kept short by gnawing. About 40% of mammal species are rodents

The family '''''Scuridae''''' includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots (including woodchucks), flying squirrels, and prairie dogs

Grey squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis'') is a tree squirrel. Introduced into Britain from America, where it is known as Eastern grey squirrel

Red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a tree squirrel. Isle of Wight is the largest haven of red squirrels in England

Flying squirrels glide between trees. The direction and speed of the animal in midair is varied by changing the positions of its two arms and legs, largely controlled by small cartilaginous wrist bones. This changes the tautness of the patagium

Chipmunks are small, striped rodents. All species of chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk. Cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry multiple food items to their burrows

Groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or land-beaver in some areas, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots

Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison, Utah, and Mexican. They are a type of ground squirrel

Beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. ''Castor'' genus includes two extant species, the North American beaver ''(Castor canadensis)'' and Eurasian beaver ''(Castor fiber)''. Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges (homes). They are the second-largest rodent in the world (after the capybara)

Gophers live in Central and North America. They are commonly known for their extensive tunneling activities

Dormice are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation

Hazel dormouse or common dormouse (''Muscardinus avellanarius'') is is the only dormouse native to the British Isles

Edible dormouse (''Glis glis'') is the largest of all dormice. It was accidentally introduced to the town of Tring in 1902

Kangaroo rat is a small rodent native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related

Jerboas form the bulk of the membership of the family ''Dipodidae''

Pygmy jerboa is the world’s smallest rodent

'''''Cricetidae''''' are a family of rodents, including true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and muskrats

Common vole (''Microtus arvalis'') is a European mammal

European water vole or northern water vole (''Arvicola amphibius'') is also known as a water rat

Lemmings are usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They do not commit mass suicide when they migrate

Muskrat is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America. The muskrat's name comes from the two scent glands which are found near its tail; they give off a strong ‘musky’ odour

Hamsters have elongated cheek pouches extending to their shoulders in which they carry food back to their burrows. Hamsters tend to sleep during the day and are wide awake at night

Golden hamster or Syrian hamster (''Mesocricetus auratus'') is a common pet

European hamster (''Cricetus cricetus'') also known as the common hamster, is widely considered a farmland pest

'''''Muridae''''', or murids, are the largest family of mammals, containing over 700 species found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They have been introduced worldwide. The group includes true mice and rats, gerbils, and relatives

Gerbils were once known as desert rats. The gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats

House Mouse (''Mus musculus'')

Wood Mouse (''Apodemus sylvaticus''), also known as field mouse, is the most abundant wild mouse in Europe

Eurasian Harvest Mouse (''Micromys minutus'') is the smallest mouse in Europe

Black Rat (''Rattus rattus'') is also known as ship rat. Transmitter of bubonic plague

Brown Rat (''Rattus norvegicus'') is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America

Cloud Rats are a group of arboreal and folivorous nocturnal rodents native to the forests of the Philippines

Malagasy Giant Rats can leap almost 90 cm in the air, for which reason they are sometimes called giant jumping rats

Gambian Pouched Rats are used to find land mines

Springhares resemble rabbits in size and behaviour and live in Africa

Naked Mole Rat is native to parts of East Africa. Lives underground in colonies

Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. The name porcupine comes from Middle French porc espin (‘spined pig’). A regional American name for the animal is quill pig

Crested porcupine (''Hystrix cristata'') is a species of rodent in the family of Old World Porcupines. Nocturnal, widespread across the northern half of Africa. When attacked, it rattles its quills and charges the disturber back end first trying to stab the enemy with the thicker, shorter quills

New World porcupines are large arboreal rodents with short spines and prehensile tails

Chinchillas are native to the Andes Mountains in South America. They have large hind feet and large ears

Long-tailed and short-tailed – species of chinchilla

Viscachas are closely related to chinchillas, and look similar to rabbits

Cavy family (Caviidae) is a family of rodents native to South America, including the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the capybara

Guinea Pig (''Cavia porcellus'') originated in the Andes

Long haired, rosette – breeds of guinea pig

Maras are a genus of the cavy family. They are the fourth-largest rodent in the world. Two species of maras are recognised, the Patagonian mara, and the Chacoan mara. Maras have been described as resembling long-legged rabbits

Capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent in the world, found wild in much of South America

Pacas are rodents found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. They resemble small pigs

Degu is a small rodent endemic to Chile. Also known as brush-tailed rat

Coypu (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the river rat or nutria, is a large herbivorous semiaquatic rodent. Three distinguishing features are a white patch on the muzzle, webbed hind feet, and large, bright orange-yellow incisors. Coypus were introduced to East Anglia, for fur, in 1929, but many escaped

Common Agouti designates several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to the Americas. They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar, but are larger and have longer legs

Tree shrews are small mammals native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Tree shrews have a higher brain to body mass ratio than any other mammals, including humans. Among other things, they eat ''Rafflesia'' fruit

Colugos are arboreal gliding mammals found in South-east Asia. They are also known as cobegos or flying lemurs, though they are not true lemurs. Of all the gliding mammals, the colugos have the most extensive adaptation to flight. Their gliding membrane, or patagium, is as large as is geometrically possible


A '''primate''' is a mammal of the order '''''Primates'''''. Primates are characterized by large brains relative to other mammals, as well as an increased reliance on stereoscopic vision at the expense of smell. Most also have opposable thumbs and some have prehensile tails

'''Prosimians''' are a type of primate that include lemurs, lorises, bushbabies, and tarsiers, but not simians, e.g. monkeys and apes

Galago – bushbaby. Galagos have large eyes that give them good night vision, strong hind limbs, acute hearing, and long tails that help them balance. Their ears are batlike and allow them to track insects in the dark

''Loris'' is one genus in the family Lorisidae and includes the slender lorises, while ''Nycticebus'' is the genus of the slow lorises

Slow Loris – only venemous primate. The toxin is produced by licking a gland on their arm, and the secretion mixes with its saliva to activate it. It has large eyes and two tongues, and is carnivorous. Slow lorises have a round head, narrow snout, and large eyes

Sunda, Bengal and Pygmy, Javan, and Bornean – species of Slow loris, all endangered

Slender Loris has two species – Red, and Gray

Potto is a member of the family Lorisidae

Angwantibos are known as golden pottos

Sportive is a type of lemur

Tarsier is the world’s smallest primate. Eyeball of tarsier is as large as its brain. Extant tarsiers are restricted to several Southeast Asian islands, including the Philippines, Sulawesi, Borneo, and Sumatra. Named after the elongated anklebone or tarsus

Aye-aye is a lemur native to Madagascar. World’s largest nocturnal primate

Aye-ayes tap on the trunks and branches of the trees, and listen to the echo produced to find hollow chambers inside. Once a chamber is found, they chew a hole into the wood and get grubs out of that hole with their narrow and bony middle fingers

Ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail

''Sifaka'' is a genus of lemurs. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar. The round, hairless face is always black

Indri, also called the babakoto, is one of the largest living lemurs. It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the sifakas

Bamboo lemurs almost exclusively eat bamboo. How bamboo lemurs can detoxify the high amounts of cyanide (from bamboo shoots) in their diets is unknown

Madame Berthe's mouse lemur is the smallest of the mouse lemurs and the smallest primate in the world

A '''monkey''' is a Simian, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. Old World monkeys are more closely related to hominoids than they are to New World monkeys. Most New World monkeys have prehensile tails while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all

New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America and portions of Mexico

Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today

Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae

Howler monkey has enlarged hyoid bone

Spider monkeys of the genus ''Ateles'' are New World monkeys. They have disproportionately long limbs and long prehensile tails. The hands are long, narrow and hook-like, and have an absence of thumbs

Woolly monkeys are the genus ''Lagothrix'' of New World monkeys, usually placed in the family Atelidae. The four species of woolly monkey all originate from the rainforests of South America. They have prehensile tails

Night monkeys, also known as the owl monkeys, are the only true nocturnal monkeys

Marmosets have claws rather than nails, and tactile hairs on their wrists

Pygmy marmoset is a small New World monkey native to rainforests of the western Amazon Basin. Smallest monkey in the world

Common marmoset (''Callithrix jacchus'') is a New World monkey

Emperor tamarin (''Saguinus imperator'') is a species of tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. Typically have twins

Lion tamarins are small New World monkeys named for the mane surrounding their face. Live in the eastern rainforests of Brazil. Four species – Golden, Golden-headed, Black, and Black-faced

Capuchin derives from a group of friars named the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an offshoot from the Franciscans, who wear brown robes with large hoods covering their heads. When explorers reached the Americas in the 15th century they found small monkeys who resembled these friars and named them capuchins

Capuchins have largest relative brain size of all monkeys

Common squirrel monkey (''Saimiri sciureus'') is a small New World primate

Barbary Macaque (''Macaca sylvanus'') is found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small population in Gibraltar. The Barbary Macaque is one of the best-known Old World monkey species. Besides humans, they are the only primates that live freely in Europe. It is a true monkey, not an ape

Japanese macaque is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan. It is also sometimes known as the snow monkey

Rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), often called the Rhesus Monkey, is sacred to Hindus

Mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a primate of the Old World monkey family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the drill. Its hairless face has an elongated muzzle with distinctive characteristics such as a red stripe down the middle and protruding blue ridges on the sides. The areas around the genitals and the anus are multi-coloured. Found in Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo. Mandrills live in large, stable groups called ‘hordes’. Largest of all monkeys

Drill (''Mandrillus leucophaeus'') lacks the bright blue and red on the face of a mandrill

Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Papio''. All baboons have long, dog-like muzzles, heavy, powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth, close-set eyes, thick fur except on their muzzles, and short tails

Five species of baboon – Chacma, Yellow, Hamadryas, Guinea, and Olive

Hamadryas baboon is native to the Horn of Africa. It was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians

Gelada – sometimes called the gelada baboon, is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands, with large populations in the Semien Mountains

Talapoins are the smallest Old World monkeys

Vervet is an Old World monkey native to Africa

Proboscis monkey (''Nasalis larvatus'') or long-nosed monkey, is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey that is endemic to Borneo.

Black-and-white colobuses (or colobi) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Colobus'', native to Africa. The word ‘colobus’ comes from Greek for ‘docked’, and is so named because in this genus, the thumb is a stump

Grey langurs or Hanuman langurs are a group of Old World monkeys from South Asia

'''Apes''' (superfamily '''''Hominoidea''''') are a branch of Old World tailless primates native to Africa and Southeast Asia and distinguished by a wide degree of freedom at the shoulder joint indicating the influence of brachiation. There are two main branches, the gibbons, or lesser apes, and another branch including hominids and other great apes

Lesser apes ('''''Hylobatidae''''') include four genera and sixteen species of gibbon. They are highly arboreal and bipedal on the ground. They have lighter bodies and smaller social groups than great apes

Gibbons can walk bipedally with their arms raised for balance. Gibbons are masters of their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, swinging from branch to branch

Gibbon species include the siamang, the white-handed or lar gibbon, and the hoolock gibbons

Siamang is the largest of the lesser apes

'''''Hominidae''''' include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and humans.  Alternatively, the family are collectively described as the great apes

Orangutans are the two arboreal exclusively Asian species of extant great apes. They are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. The species are Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') and the Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'')

The name gorilla is derived from Greek, meaning ‘tribe of hairy women’. The genus is divided into two species – Western Gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') and Easten Gorilla (''Gorilla'' ''beringei'')

Eastern Gorilla is the largest primate. It is subdivided into two subspecies, eastern lowland gorilla, and mountain gorilla

A silverback is an adult male gorilla, typically more than 12 years of age and named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on his back. A silverback gorilla has large canine teeth that come with maturity. Blackbacks are sexually mature males of up to 11 years of age

Chimpanzees are two extant hominid species of apes in the genus ''Pan''. The Congo River divides the native habitats of the two species: Common chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes'') is found in West and Central Africa; Bonobo (''Pan paniscus'') is found in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bonobo is also known as pygmy chimpanzee. Bonobos are the only non-human animal to have been observed engaging in face-to-face sex and oral sex

Fongoli Chimps are a group of wild chimpanzees living in the Fongoli woodland in Senegal. They break sticks to use as spears to hunt bushbabies

'''Bats''' are mammals of the order '''''Chiroptera''''' (Greek for ‘hand wing’) whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are the second largest order of mammals (after the rodents), divided into two suborders: the less specialized and largely fruit-eating megabats, or flying foxes, and the highly specialized and echolocating microbats

Bats of the genus ''Pteropus'', belonging to the megabat suborder, Megachiroptera, are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as the fruit bats or flying foxes, and have dog-like faces

Livingstone's Fruit Bat or Livingstone's Flying Fox is a bat in the genus ''Pteropus''. It is found only on two islands in the Comoros

The male of the Dayak Fruit Bat is the only known natural occurrence of paternal lactation

Microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera

The smallest bat is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, also known as the Bumblebee bat

Horseshoe bats (the Rhinolophidae family) are a large family of bats with horseshoe-shaped protuberances on their noses. They have the most sophisticated echolocation of all bats

Mouse-tailed, Slit-faced, Sheath-tailed, Naked-backed, Funnel-eared, Bulldog, Disk-winged – types of bat

New World leaf-nosed bats are found throughout Central and South America. They have large, lance-shaped noses known as ‘noseleaves’. Species include the common vampire bat (''Desmodus rotundus'')

Free-tailed bats have a distinctive tail that extends beyond the edge of the tail membrane

Vesper bats, also known as evening bats or common bats, are the largest and best-known family of bats. Includes the Noctule bats and Long-eared bats

''Pipistrellus'' is a genus of Vesper bat. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word pipistrello, meaning ‘bat’

Common pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus pipistrellus'') is the smallest bat found in Europe

In 1999, the common pipistrelle was split into two species on the basis of different-frequency echolocation calls. The common pipistrelle uses a call of 45 kHz, while the soprano pipistrelle echolocates at 55 kHz

'''Hedgehog''' is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae, which is in order Erinaceomorpha. Hedgehogs have some natural immunity against snake venom

European hedgehog (''Erinaceus europaeus)''

Gymnure, also called a moonrat, is a type of mammal in the family Erinaceidae

The order '''''Soricomorpha''''' (’shrew-form’) includes the shews in the family Soricidae, the moles in the family Talpidae, and the Solenodons

Large mole hills are known as fortresses

Eastern mole or Common mole (''Scalopus aquaticus'') is a medium-sized, overall grey North American mole

European mole (''Talpa europaea'')

Desman is an aquatic member of the mole family. Two species – Russian, and Pyrenean

The only terrestrial mammals known to echolocate are two genera (''Sorex'' and ''Blarina'') of shrews and the tenrecs of Madagascar

Common shrew (''Sorex araneus'') is the most common shrew in northern Europe

Pygmy shrew (''Sorex minutus'') is the smallest UK mammal

Etruscan shrew (''Suncus etruscus'') is one of the smallest living mammals

Eurasian water shrew is only venomous mammal in UK. Saliva is venomous

Solenodons (meaning ‘slotted-tooth’) are nocturnal, burrowing, insectivorous mammals. The solenodon is unusual among mammals in that its saliva is venomous. The two living solenodon species are the Cuban solenodon, and the Haitian or Hispaniolan solenodon

'''Pangolin''', also known as scaly anteater, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, Manidae, has one genus, ''Manis''. A pangolin has large keratin scales covering its skin. It can curl up into a ball when threatened, with its overlapping scales acting as armour. Pangolins can also emit a noxious-smelling acid. The tongue extends all the way into a cavity of the abdomen and is longer than the pangolin's entire body length, and captures prey with sticky saliva

'''Carnivore''' refers to the mammalian order '''''Carnivora'''''. While many Carnivora meet the definition of being meat eaters, not all do. Most species of bears are actually omnivorous, except for the giant panda, which is almost exclusively herbivorous, and the exclusively meat-eating polar bear, which lives in the Arctic. Characteristics commonly associated with carnivores include organs for capturing and disarticulating prey (teeth and claws serve these functions in many vertebrates) and status as a predator

Carnivores are the most diverse in size of any mammalian order, ranging from the least weasel, at as little as 25 g and 11 cm, to the southern elephant seal, whose adult males weigh up to 5000 kg and measure up to 6.9 m in length. Carnivores have a distinct set of cheek teeth known as carnassials, which are modified for cutting meat

'''''Canidae''''' is the family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid

There are three species of jackal: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of northern Africa and south-central Eurasia

Red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the most widespread carnivore

Fennec fox (''Vulpes zerda'') has distinctive ears

Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus'') has a deep thick fur which is brown in summer and white in winter

Grey wolf or timber wolf (''Canis lupus lupus'') is the ancestor of the domestic dog

Coyote (''Canis latrans'') is also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf. Coyote is a mythological character common to many Native American cultures

Dingo (''Canis lupus dingo'') is native to Australia. Subspedies of the grey wolf introduced to Australia 4000 years ago. Also known as a warrigal

Dhole (''Cuon alpinus'') is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. Also called the Asiatic wild dog or Indian wild dog

African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus'') is the only canid species to lack dewclaws on the forelimbs. Largest African dog cani and the world's second largest extant wild canid, behind only the grey wolf

Dog (''Canis lupis familiaris''). Dogs have 18 toes (including 2 redundant ones)

Basenji is the only dog that doesn’t bark

Cairn terrier – from Isle of Skye

Corgi – means ‘dwarf dog’ in Wales

Airedale – largest breed of terrier

Sealyham Terrier derives its name from Sealyham, Haverfordwest, Wales; the estate of Captain John Edwardes

Great Dane – bred in Germany to hunt boar

Chow – has a blue / black / purple tongue

Saluki – also known as the Gazelle Hound, Arabian Hound, and Persian Greyhound. An ancient breed of tall slender dog developed in Arabia and Egypt and having a smooth, silky, variously coloured coat

Lurcher – cross between a greyhound and a collie

Whippet – cross between a greyhound and a spaniel or terrier

Dandie Dinmont terrier is named after a character in Sir Walter Scott's novel ''Guy Mannering''

Deerhound – a breed of hound once bred to hunt red deer by coursing

Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are hounds that primarily hunt by speed and sight, instead of by scent and endurance as scent hounds do

Samoyeds pulled Scott’s sled

Chihuahua has an open fontanelle (molera)

Labradoodle – bred as an allergen-free guide dog

Tosa – Japanese fighting dog

Afghan hound – introduced into Europe in 18th century. The breed acquired its unique features in the mountains of Afghanistan, and Iran where it was originally used to hunt hares and gazelles by coursing them

Akita Inu is a Japanese breed of large dog. Named for Akita Prefecture, where it is thought to have originated

Vizsla is a dog breed originating in Hungary

Weimaraner is a dog that was originally bred for hunting in the early 19th century

Chinese Shar-Pei is a breed of dog known for its distinctive features of deep wrinkles and a blue-black tongue

Briard – an ancient breed of large herding dog, originally from France

Mamalute – bred in Alaska as a sled dog

Bush dog is a canid found in Central and South America. They have short legs relative to their body

Doberman Pinscher was developed by a German tax collector named Louis Doberman in the 1870s and used for protection

Dachshund bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers

'''Bears''' are mammals of the family '''''Ursidae'''''

Sun Bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is primarily found in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Malay and Indonesian name is Beruang Madu (‘Honey Bear’). Smallest bear. Also known as Dog bear and Malay bear

Polar Bears have transparent fur which reflects white light. Each hair is hollow

Polar Bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is the largest land carnivore

Spectacled Bear is also known as the Andean bear

Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus'') is also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear

Sloth Bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bears found wild within the Indian Subcontinent. Sloth Bears have long, shaggy coats that form a mane around the face

American Black Bear (''Ursus americanus'') is the world’s most common bear

Brown Bear (''Ursos arctos'')

Grizzly Bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis'') is a subspecies of Brown Bear. The word ‘grizzly’ in its name refers to ‘grizzled’ or grey hairs in its fur

A grizzly–polar bear hybrid (also Pizzly bear, Prizzly bear or Grolar bear) is a rare ursid hybrid that has occurred both in captivity and in the wild. In 2006, the occurrence of this hybrid in nature was confirmed by testing the DNA of a strange-looking bear that had been shot on Banks Island in the Canadian arctic

Giant Panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''). Means ‘black and white cat-foot’

Giant panda's paw has a ‘thumb’ and five fingers; the ‘thumb’ is actually a modified sesamoid bone, which helps the Giant panda to hold bamboo while eating

Most wild giant pandas are found in Sichuan

'''''Pinnipeds''''', colloquially known as '''seals''', are a widely distributed and diverse clade of fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (the walrus), Otariidae (the eared seals: sea lions and fur seals), and Phocidae (the earless, or true seals)

Walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is the only living species in the Odobenidae family. Subdivided into three subspecies, which live in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Laptev Sea

All true seals or earless seals are members of the family '''''Phocidae'''''. Phocids are more specialized for aquatic life than otariids. They lack external ears and have sleek, streamlined bodies. A smooth layer of blubber lies underneath the skin. Inhabit cool temperate and polar waters

Harbour seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped

Weddell seals have the most southerly distribution of any mammal

Ross seal hunts squid beneath Antarctic pack ice

Leopard seal is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the Southern Elephant Seal). Orcas are the only natural predators of leopard seals

Harp seal has black harp or wishbone-shaped markings on the back

Crabeater seal is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica

Nerpa seal is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal, the world's largest fresh water lake by volume

Caspian seal (''Pusa caspica'') is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family and unique in that it is found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the grey seal breeds in several colonies on and around the coasts

Bearded seal has conspicuous and very abundant whiskers

Southern elephant seal (''Mirounga leonina'') gets its name from its great size and the large proboscis of the adult males, which is used to make loud roaring noises. It is the largest carnivore alive, with males even larger than the polar bear

Ringed seal has a distinctive patterning of dark spots surrounded by light grey rings. It is the most abundant and wide-ranging ice seal in the northern hemisphere

Baikal seal is one of the smallest true seals and the only exclusively freshwater pinniped species

An eared seal or otary is any member of the marine mammal family '''''Otariidae'''''. They are commonly known either as sea lions or fur seals. They are adapted to a semiaquatic lifestyle, feeding and migrating in the water, but breeding and resting on land or ice. Otary come from the Greek otarion meaning ‘little ear’, referring to the small but visible external ear flaps (pinnae), which can be used to distinguish them from the phocids

Fur seals belong to the genus the genus ''Arctocephalus''

Steller sea lion is the largest of the eared seals. Also known as the Northen sea lion

California sea lion is a ‘performing seal’

Baby seals under 12 days old are known as whitecoats

'''Skunks''' were formerly classified as a subfamily within the family Mustelidae. However, recent genetic evidence suggests that the skunks are not as closely related to the mustelids as previously thought; they are now classified in their own family, Mephitidae, from the Latin for ‘bad smell’

Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') – also known as the ‘cat bear and ‘lesser panda’

'''''Procyonidae''''' is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It includes the raccoons, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, olinguitos, and ringtails. Many procyonids have long banded tails and are generally omnivorous

Raccoon (''Procyon lotor'') is native to North America. Its greyish coat mostly consists of dense underfur which insulates against cold weather

Coatis are members of the genus ''Nasua''. The tail can be as long as the body

Kinkajou (''Potos flavus'') is also known as the Sugar Bear, Honey Bear, or Cat-Monkey. It is a nocturnal rainforest mammal

Olingos are native to the rainforests of Central and South America. They are arboreal and nocturnal, and closely resemble the kinkajou

Olinguito (Spanish for ‘little olingo’) is a mammal of the raccoon family that lives in montane forests in the Andes of western Colombia and Ecuador. The species was described as new in 2013

Ringtail is also known as Ring-tailed cat, although it is a member of the raccoon family

'''''Mustelidae''''' (from Latin mustela, ‘weasel’) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including the otters, badgers, weasels, martens, ferrets, minks and wolverines. Mustelids are diverse and the largest family in the order Carnivora

European otter (''Lutra lutra'')

Giant otter inhabits South America, especially the Amazon River basin

Sea otters live along the Pacific coast of North America. Heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals

European badger (''Meles meles'')

American badger (''Taxidea taxus'')

Ratel (''Mellivora capensis'') is also known as the Honey Badger, It is the most fearless animal in the world. It does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical similarities to weasels

Least Weasel (''Mustela nivalis'') is the smallest member of the genus ''Mustela'', and indeed in the entire order Carnivora. Known as weasel in the UK

In American usage, the term ‘weasel’ can refer to any member of the genus, or to the genus as a whole

Stoat (''Mustela erminea'') is also known as the short-tailed weasel and the ermine as it has a white winter coat

Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large paws with partially retractible claws

Pine Marten (''Martes martes'') lives in the Highlands

Sable is a species of marten which inhabits forest environments, primarily in Russia. It has historically been harvested for its highly valued fur. Sables inhabit dense forests

Fisher – type of marten

Ferret (''Mustela putorius furo'') is the domesticated form of the European Polecat, a mammal belonging to the weasel genus

European polecat (''Mustela putorius'') is also known as fitch or foulmart

There are two species of mink – American mink (''Neovison vison'') and the European mink (''Mustela lutreola''). American mink is larger, and its fur is used in clothing

Wolverine (''Gulo gulo'') is the largest land-dwelling species of the Mustelidae (the Giant Otter is largest overall), and the only species currently classified in the genus ''Gulo'' (meaning ‘glutton’)

'''''Felidae''''' is the biological family of the '''cats'''; a member of this family is called a felid

Extant felids belong to one of two subfamilies: '''''Pantherinae''''' (which includes the tiger, the lion, the jaguar, and the leopard), and '''''Felinae''''' (which includes the cougar, the cheetah, the lynxes, the ocelot, and the domestic cat)

All felids have protractible claws

''Panthera'' is a genus which contains the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard. Only the four ''Panthera'' cat species have the anatomical structure which enables them to roar

'''Tiger''' (''Panthera tigris'')

Bengal Tiger is the most numerous tiger subspecies

Siberian Tiger (''Panthera tigris altaica'') is also known as the North China Tiger, Manchurian, Amur or Korean Tiger. It is the largest naturally occurring member of the Felidae family

Corbett’s and amoy – species of tiger

'''Lion''' (''Panthera leo'') is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia

'''Jaguar''' (''Panthera onca'') is native to South and Central America

Jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Only big cat found in Americas

'''Leopard''' (''Panthera pardus'')

Clouded Leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa)'' is distinctively marked with large, irregularly-shaped, dark-edged ellipses which are said to be shaped like clouds, hence both its common and original scientific name. It is found in southern China, the eastern Himalayas, north-east India and south-east Asia. The Bornean Clouded Leopard (''Neofelis diardi'') is a separate species found on the Malay Archipelago

Amur leopard is native to the mountainous areas of the Russian Far East. It is one of the rarest felids in the world with an estimated 30 to 35 individuals remaining in the wild

Snow leopard is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Also known as ‘ounce’

Liger – offspring of male lion and female tiger

Tigon – offspring of male tiger and female lion

A black panther is typically a melanistic colour variant of any ''Panthera'' species. Black panthers in Asia and Africa are leopards. Black panthers in the Americas are black jaguars

'''Cougar''' (''Puma concolor''), also known as puma, mountain lion, mountain cat, or panther, depending on the region, is a mammal of the subfamily Felinae, native to the Americas

Jaguarundi or eyra cat (''Puma yagouaroundi''), is a small, wild cat native to Central and South America

'''Cheetah''' (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is the fastest animal on four legs, and can reach speeds of 70 mph. It is one of a small number of species of the cat family to have semi-retractable claws

While it is often mistaken for the leopard, the cheetah does have distinguishing features, such as the long ‘tear-streak’ lines that run from the corners of its eyes to its mouth. The body frame of the cheetah is also very different from that of the leopard, most notably so in its thinner and longer tail and, unlike the leopard's, its spots are not arranged into rosettes

Iberian lynx (''Lynx pardinus'') is a critically endangered species of felid native to the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the most endangered cat species in the world

Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is native to European and Siberian forests, Central Asia and East Asia

Caracal is also known as the desert lynx. Has a long tuft on the tip of the long ears

Bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') is a North American mammal with a short ‘bob’ tail

Ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is also known as the Painted Leopard, McKenney's Wildcat or Manigordo (in Costa Rica). It is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico

Margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a spotted cat native to the Americas. Sometimes called the tree ocelot

Colocolo, oncilla – members of ''Leopardus'' genus

Serval is a medium-sized African wild cat. Servals have the longest legs of any cat, relative to their body size

Domestic '''cat''' (''Felis catus'' or ''Felis silvestris catus'')

Cats have an inner eyelid known as the nictitating membrane

Burmese – a breed of domesticated cats split into two subgroups: the American Burmese and the British Burmese (and not to be confused with ‘Sacred Cat of Burma’ or Birman). Most modern Burmese are descendants of one female cat called Wong Mau, who was brought from Burma to America in 1930

Siamese cats have blue eyes

Rumpy – Manx cat

Sphynx is a breed of cat known for its lack of a coat (fur)

Wildcat (''Felis silvestris'')

Jungle cat (''Felis chaus'') is the largest of the living ''Felis'' species. It has a small tuft on the ears, a comparatively short tail, and a distinct spinal crest. Because of its long legs, short tail and tuft on the ears, the jungle cat resembles a small lynx

The family Hyaenidae has only four extant species – Spotted hyena, Brown hyena, Striped hyena, and aardwolf

Spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta'') is also known as the laughing hyena

Striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena'') is the smallest hyena

Hyenas have longer front legs than back legs. Live in clans. Bone crushing jaws

The female spotted hyena's urogenital system is unique among mammals: there is no vagina, and the clitoris is as large and as erectile as the male's penis – only the shape of the glans makes it possible to visually tell the sexes apart

Aardwolf (''Proteles cristata'') is a small, insectivorous hyena-like mammal, native to Eastern and Southern Africa. The name means ‘earth wolf’ in Afrikaans/Dutch

Eupleridae is a family of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known living species. Probably the best known species is the cat-like fossa (''Cryptoprocta ferox'')

Mongooses are species of the family Herpestidae

Indian grey mongoose (''Herpestes edwardsii'') eats snakes, including the venomous cobra, although the main part of its diet consists of small animals

Egyptian mongoose (''Herpestes ichneumon'') is also known as the ichneumon

Meerkats (''Suricata suricatta'') are members of the mongoose family native to Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa

Viverridae are a family of small to medium-sized mammals containing civets, genets, and linsangs

Asian palm civet is also called toddy cat. Kopi Luwak is coffee prepared using coffee beans that have been subjected to ingestion and fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract of the Asian palm civet

African civet has perineal glands that produce a fluid known as civetone, which it spreads on markers in its territory to claim its range. Used in the perfume industry

Genets have spotted coats, long, banded tails, small heads, and large ears. All live exclusively in Africa except for the widespread Common Genet (''Genetta genetta''), which inhabits diverse habitats and can be found in Northwest Africa and Southwestern Europe

Banded Linsang is known as the tree civet


An odd-toed ungulate is a mammal with hooves that feature an odd number of toes on the rear feet. Odd-toed ungulates comprise the order '''''Perissodactyla'''''. Odd-toed ungulates are relatively large grazers and have relatively simple stomachs because they are hindgut fermenters, digesting plant cellulose in their intestines rather than in one or more stomach chambers. Includes the horse, tapirs, and rhinoceroses

'''Rhinoceros''' horn is made of keratin. Name from Greek for ‘nose horn’. Three toes on each foot

There are five extant species of rhinoceros – 

''Sumatran'' – smallest extant rhinoceros species, as well as the one with the most hair. Two horns 

''Black'' – lives in sub-Saharan Africa. Smaller than white rhino. Two horns. Not black

''White'' – found in African savanna. Heaviest rhino. Two horns. Not white, similar grey colour to Black rhino

''Indian'' – also known as greater one-horned rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis'')

''Javan'' – one of the most endangered large mammals in the world. One horn

'''Tapir''' is a large herbivorous mammal in the genus ''Tapirus'', similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. Three toes on hind legs and four toes on front legs

There are five extant species of tapir – 

''South American'' or ''Brazilian''

''Malayan'' – largest and only Asian species

''Baird's'' – largest land mammal in South America. Named for the American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird

''Mountain'' – small tapir found in cloud forest in Andes

''Kabomani'' or ''Little Black'' – smallest tapir species. ''Tapirus kabomani'' is found in the Amazon rainforest. When it was announced in 2013, it was the first odd-toed ungulate discovered in over 100 years

'''''Equidae''''' (sometimes known as the horse family) is the family of horses and related animals, including the extant horses, donkeys, and zebra. All extant species are in the genus ''Equus''. Their legs are slender and end in a single toe, protected by a horny hoof

Domestic '''horse''' (''Equus ferus caballus'')

Przewalski's Horse, also known as the Asian Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living wild relative of the domestic horse

Clydesdale and Percheron – breeds of horse

Falabella – breed of small horse

Piebald horse is black and white

Skewbald horse is any other colour and white

Palomino has a gold coat and white mane and tail

Hinny – the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey. Donkey-like body and horse’s head

Mule – the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Built like a horse but with a donkey’s head. Usually sterile. Strong pack animal

Donkey or ass (''Equus africanus asinus'') is the domesticated form of the African wild ass (''Equus africanus'') which lives in the deserts and other arid areas of the Horn of Africa

Onager (''Equus hemionus'') is also known as the Asiatic wild ass or Asian wild ass

Persian onager (''Equus hemionus onager'') is also called the ‘gur’

Khur and Kulan are subspecies of onager

Kiang is the largest of the wild asses. It is native to the Tibetan Plateau

There are three species of '''zebras''': the plains zebra, the Grevy's zebra and the mountain zebra. The latter resembles an ass, to which it is closely related, while the former two are more horse-like

Plains zebra (''Equus quagga'', formerly ''Equus burchellii''), also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra, is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Subspecies include Grant’s zebra, Chapman’s zebra, and the extinct Quagga

Grevy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), sometimes known as the imperial zebra, is the largest species of zebra. It is found in the wild in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, and is considered endangered. The species is named after Jules Grevy, a president of France, who, in the 1880s, was given one by the government of Abyssinia

Mountain zebra (''Equus zebra'') is a threatened species found in southwest Africa. Two subspecies – Cape mountain zebra, and Hartmann’s mountain zebra


Even-toed ungulates ('''''Artiodactyla''''') are ungulates (hoofed animals) whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in odd-toed ungulates. This group includes pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, llamas, chevrotains, deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle

The ancestors of the even-toed ungulates were omnivores that preferred plant material; now, even-toed ungulates are generally herbivorous, although species in the suborder Suina (pigs and peccaries) are, like their primitive ancestors, omnivores. Larger stomachs and longer intestines have evolved because plant material is more difficult to digest than meat. They have large, broad cheek teeth to grind up their food

Peccary is found in the southwestern area of North America and throughout Central and South America. It has a two-chambered stomach

Collared, White-lipped and Chacoan – species of peccary

'''Pig''' – family Suidae, genus ''Sus''. Pig has a simple stomach

Buru babirusa is a wild pig-like animal native to the island of Buru in Indonesia. If a babirusa does not grind its tusks, they can eventually keep growing so as to penetrate the animal's own skull

Warthog or common warthog (''Phacochoerus africanus'') is a wild member of the pig family found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. The common name comes from the four large wart-like protrusions found on the head of the warthog, which serve the purpose of defence when males fight as well as a fat reserve

Eurasian wild boar (''Sus scrofa'') is the ancestor of the domestic pig

Domestic pig (''Sus scrofa domesticus'')

Musk deer are more primitive than cervids, or true deer, because they lack antlers. The musk gland is found only in adult males

Chevrotains, also known as mouse-deer, are small ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae. All species in the family lack horns, but both genders have elongated canine teeth

Java mouse-deer is world’s smallest hoofed mammal

'''Deer''' belong to the family '''''Cervidae''''', with the following subfamilies – Muntjacs, Cervinae (True Deer), Hydropotinae (Water Deer), Odocoileinae (New World Deer)

Male deer of all species (apart from the Chinese water deer) and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope. Deer antlers can grow 1cm per day. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle

Pudu, considered to be the world's smallest deer, is a native of Argentina and Chile

Muntjac are deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'', also known as Barking Deer. They are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago; 150,000 years ago in Britain

Moose (''Alces alces''), so named in North America, or elk (in Europe) is the largest member of the deer family

Reindeer (''Rangifer tarandus''), known as caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer

Siberian and American elk (''Cervus canadensis''), are the second largest species of deer in the world, after the moose. Elk are also referred to as wapiti. American elk are not to be confused with the European animal also known as the elk, which is the moose of North America

Pere David's Deer (''Elaphurus davidianus''), is a species of deer known only in captivity. These animals were first made known to Western science in the 19th century, by Father Armand David, a French missionary working in China

Sika Deer (''Cervus nippon''), also known as the spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia

Fallow deer (''Dama dama'') is the second largest in UK, after the red deer (''Cervus elaphus'')

Roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus'') is the smallest UK deer and most numerous British deer

Roe deer and red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') are the only deer species indigenous to the UK

Two subspecies of water deer (''Hydropotes inermis'') – Chinese and Korean. Does not have antlerss, but has a pair of prominent tusks (downward-pointing canine teeth)

Brocket – small South American deer

Pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Known in USA as pronghorn antelope, but is neither an antelope or a deer. Horns are shed and regrown annually

'''''Bovidae''''' are the family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes bison, African buffalo, water buffalo, antelopes, gazelles, sheep, goats, muskoxen, and domestic cattle. A member of this family is called a bovid. They have characteristic unbranching horns covered in a permanent sheath of keratin in at least the males

Bovids have four-chambered stomachs, which allow them to digest plant material, such as grass, that cannot be used by many other animals. Such plant material includes much cellulose, and no higher animal can digest this directly. However, ruminants are able to use micro-organisms living in their guts to break down cellulose by fermentation

All bovids have four toes on each foot – they walk on the central two (the hooves), while the outer two (the dew-claws) are much smaller and rarely if ever touch the ground

The largest bovid, the gaur, weighs well over a ton and stands 2.2 m high at the shoulder; the smallest, the royal antelope, weighs about 3 kg and stands no taller than a large domestic cat

''Bos'' is the genus of wild and domestic '''cattle'''

Yak (''Bos grunniens'') ia also known as the wild or domesticated Tibetan ox

Dzo is a hybrid of yak and domestic cattle

Gaur (''Bos frontalis'') is the largest species of wild cattle

European cattle (''Bos Taurus'')

Stirk – heifer or bullock, especially between one and two years old

Steer – a castrated bull (bullock)

Holstein cattle (Friesians) were bred in the Netherlands

Holstein – biggest milk-producing breed of cow in UK

Aberdeen Angus are naturally polled (do not have horns) and solid black and or red

Banteng is a species of wild cattle found in Southeast Asia

Saola – rare Asian bovid

'''Sheep''' (''Ovis aries'') are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia

Manx Loaghtan is a breed of sheep native to the Isle of Man. It is characterised by dark brown wool and usually having four or occasionally six horns

Jacob sheep is a rare breed of small piebald sheep said to have originated in Palestine

Herdwick – a breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District

Argali, or the mountain sheep (''Ovis ammon'') is a wild sheep that roams the highlands of Central Asia

Bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns

Bluefaced Leicester is a longwool breed of sheep

'''Water buffalo''' or domestic Asian water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis'') is a large bovid. The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee'') native to Southeast Asia is considered a different species but most likely represents the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo

'''African buffalo''' or Cape buffalo (''Syncerus caffer'') is a large African bovid. Owing to its unpredictable nature, which makes it highly dangerous to humans, the African buffalo has never been domesticated

The surviving species of '''bison''' are the American bison, also known as the American buffalo (although it is only distantly related to the true buffalo), and the European bison (''Bison bonasus''), or wisent

American Bison (''Bison bison'') – largest land animal in North America

'''Muskox''' (''Ovibos moschatus'') – an Arctic mammal of the family Bovidae, is noted for its thick coat and for the strong odour emitted by males

Domestic '''goat''' (''Capra aegagrus hircus'') is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bovidae and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae

Angora goat is a breed of domestic goat that is named for Ankara, Turkey, historically known as Angora. Angora goats produce the lustrous fibre known as mohair

Cashmere goat is any breed of goat that produces cashmere wool, the goat's fine, soft, downy, winter undercoat. The history of the Cashmere goat (cashmere wool) starts from region of Kashmir

Markhor is the largest species of wild goat and is found in Pakistan. It has large corkscrew horns

Ibex – wild goat

In 2000, the Pyrenean ibex became extinct, but scientists have attempted to clone DNA from one of the last females

Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), also known as the steinbock or bouquetin, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. It is a sexually dimorphic species with larger males who carry larger, curved horns

Goat has highest body temperature

Mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America

Barbary sheep is a species of caprid (goat-antelope) native to rocky mountains in North Africa. Also known as the aoudad

Chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe. Chamois leather is traditionally made from the hide of the chamois

Takin – a goat-antelope found in the eastern Himalayas

'''Antelopes''' comprise a wastebasket taxon (miscellaneous group) within the family Bovidae, encompassing those Old World species that are neither cattle, sheep, water buffalo, bison, nor goats

Giant eland (''Taurotragus derbianus''), also known as the Lord Derby eland, is an open-forest and savanna antelope. Largest species of antelope

Nilgai – largest Asian antelope. Mature male appears ox-like and is also known as the blue bull

Bongo (''Tragelaphus eurycerus'') is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate. Bongos are characterised by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiralled horns

Bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa

Duiker is a small to medium-sized antelope native to Sub-Saharan Africa. The name comes from the Dutch word for ‘diver’

Grey rhebok or grey rhebuck is a species of antelope. The Afrikaans/Dutch spelling is ‘reebok’

Waterbuck is a large antelope

''Oryx'' is a genus consisting of four large antelope species. Three of them are native to arid parts of Africa, and the fourth to the Arabian Peninsula. Their fur is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which lacks dark markings on the legs, only has faint dark markings on the head, has an ochre neck, and horns that are clearly curved

Scimitar, East African, Gemsbox, and Arabian – species of oryx

Gemsbok (''Oryx gazella'') is the largest oryx

Haartbeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus'') is an African species of grassland antelope

Wildebeest, also called the gnu is an antelope in the genus ''Connochaetes''. Two subspecies – the black wildebeest, or white-tailed gnu; and the blue wildebeest, or brindled gnu. Each year, some East African populations of blue wildebeest have a long-distance migration

Klipspringer means ’rock jumper’ in Afrikaans. Klipspringer are around 1.5 m tall and can jump 10 times their own body height. They are highest jumper among all mammals compared to body size

Springbok can reach speeds of 100 km/h

Blackbuck is native to the Indian subcontinent

Dik-diks are named for the alarm calls of the females

Thomson’s Gazelle (''Eudorcas thomsoni'') – known as Tommy, is the most common antelope in East Africa

Mountain gazelle (''Gazella gazella'')

Stotting (also pronking or pronging) is a behavior of quadrupeds, particularly gazelles, in which they spring into the air, lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously

Impala (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized African antelope. Only the males have the characteristic slender, lyre-shaped horns

'''''Giraffidae''''' family contains only two living members, the giraffe and the okapi. Both are confined to sub-Saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two species look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including long, dark-coloured tongues, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called ossicones

'''Giraffe''' (''Giraffa camelopardalis'') is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant

Masai giraffe is the largest subspecies of giraffe and the tallest land mammal

Rothschild's giraffe is named after the family of the Tring Museum's founder, Walter Rothschild. It has five ossicones

Giraffe's heart, which can weigh up to 10 kg, has to generate around double the normal blood pressure for a large mammal in order to maintain blood flow to the brain against gravity

Giraffe has seven neck (cervical) vertebrae, the same as a human

Okapi (''Okapia johnstoni'') is named after the British Governor of Uganda, Harry Johnston

Camelids are members of the biological family '''''Camelidae'''''. Dromedaries, Bactrian camels, llamas, alpacas, vicunas, and guanacos are in this group. They do not have hooves, rather they have two-toed feet with toenails and soft foot pads. Three-chambered stomach. Uniquely among mammals, their red blood cells are elliptical

Bactrian '''camel''' (''Camelus bactrianus'') is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of Central Asia. Of the two species of camel, it is by far the rarer.  The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back

Dromedary, also called the Arabian camel or the Indian camel (''Camelus dromedarius''), is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back

Llama (''Lama glama'') is a large camelid used for transportation. Derived from guanaco

Llamas have more haemoglobin and red blood cells per unit volume of blood than any other mammal

Alpaca (''Vicugna pacos'') is smaller than a llama, valued only for its wool

Vicuna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpineous areas of the Andes. Vicunas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool

'''Hippopotamus''' (''Hippopotamus amphibius''), or hippo, from the ancient Greek for ‘river horse’ is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and is the third-largest type of land mammal (after the elephant and rhinoceros) and the heaviest extant artiodactyl. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans from which they diverged about 55 million years ago

Hippopotamus skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which is red-coloured. The secretion is sometimes referred to as ‘blood sweat’

Hippos cannot swim, have no sweat glands, and have four toes on each foot

Pygmy hippopotamus is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, and is reclusive and nocturnal


The order '''''Cetacea''''' includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The body of a cetacean is fusiform (spindle-shaped). The forelimbs are modified into flippers. The tiny hindlimbs are vestigial. The tail has horizontal flukes. Cetaceans are nearly hairless, and are insulated from the cooler water they inhabit by a thick layer of blubber. They are capable of diving for long periods because of their ability to store oxygen in their muscle tissues

The order Cetacea contains about 90 species, all marine except for the freshwater dolphins. The order contains two suborders: Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales, which include dolphins and porpoises). The species range in size from Commerson's dolphin, smaller than a human, to the blue whale, the largest animal ever known to have lived

The '''baleen whales''', also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the '''''Mysticeti''''', one of two suborders of the Cetacea. Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth

Fin whale is the second largest whale and the second largest living animal after the Blue whale. Also known as finback whale

Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species. Named after the Norwegian word for ‘furrow whale’. The furrows on their throat enable them to expand the mouth white filter-feeding. They include the Blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus''), which can reach 150 tonnes, and the Humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'')

Minke whale is a baleen whale also known as lesser rorqual. Smallest rorqual

Fin whale is known as the ‘greyhound of the sea’

Humpback whale has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long flippers (pectoral fins) and a knobbly head

Largest rorquals – blue whale, fin whale, sei whale

Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus ''Eubalaena'': the North Atlantic right whale, the North Pacific right whale and the Southern right whale; and in a genus all to its own, the very closely related bowhead whale (genus ''Balaena''). They were considered the ‘right’ ones to hunt. Have areas of pale hard skin (callosities) on the head

Bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus''), also known as Greenland Right Whale or Arctic Whale, is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae. A stocky dark-coloured whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to 20 metres in length. Named after its arching lower jaw

Pygmy right whale is the smallest baleen whale

Gray whale undertakes the longest annual migration of any mammal, from the Bering Sea to Mexico

The toothed whales (systematic name '''''Odontoceti''''') form a suborder of the ceteceans. They include the Orca or Killer whale (''Orcinus orca''), Narwhal (''Monodon monoceros''), Sperm whale (''Physeter macrocephalus''), beaked whales, dolphins (Delphinidae) and porpoises (Phocoenidae)

Melon – a mass of adipose tissue found in the forehead of all toothed whales which serves to focus and modulate the animals’ vocalizations like a sound lens. It is thus a key organ involved in communication and echolocation

Monodontidae family comprises the Narwhal and the Beluga whale. They are native to coastal regions and pack ice around the Arctic Sea

Narwhal has only two teeth, one of which grows into a twisted tusk up to 3m long, which is thought to be from a unicorn

Beluga whale (''Delphinapterus leucas'') is known as the sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter and is entirely white as an adult

Sperm whale or cachalot is largest toothed animal. Atop the whale's skull is positioned a large complex of organs filled with a liquid mixture of fats and waxes called spermaceti. The purpose of this complex is to generate powerful and focused clicking sounds, which the sperm whale uses for echolocation and communication. The spermaceti organs may also help adjust the whale's buoyancy. Sperm whale has largest brain of any animal

Beaked whales possess a unique feeding mechanism known as suction feeding. Instead of catching their prey with teeth, it is sucked into their oral cavity

Northern bottlenose whale is a beaked whale in the family Ziphiidae

Mesoplodont whales are 14 species of beaked whale in the genus ''Mesoplodon'', making it the largest genus in the cetacean order

Breaching – whales jumping out of the water

Lobtailing – the act of a whale or dolphin lifting its flukes out of the water and then bringing them down onto the surface of the water hard and fast in order to make a loud slap

'''Dolphins''' are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves and are carnivores. They have a curved dorsal fin, protruding beak, and swollen forehead

Blackfish are six cetaceans commonly called whales but classified scientifically in the '''''Delphinidae''''' or oceanic dolphin family. Includes the Killer whale and Pilot whales

False killer whale is uniformly dark and feeds on cetaceans and large fishes

Pygmy killer whale is small and rarely seen

Long-finned and short-finned are species of pilot whales, which are notorious for stranding themselves on beaches

Bottlenose dolphins, the genus ''Tursiops'', are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae

Irrawaddy dolphin is a species of oceanic dolphin found in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia

Risso's dolphin is the only species of dolphin in the genus ''Grampus''. Has a distinctive rounded head

River dolphins are the five living species of dolphin that reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries

Baiji is a freshwater dolphin which was found only in the Yangtze River and is probably now extinct. Also known as Chinese river dolphin

Amazon river dolphin is also known as pink dolphin. Largest river dolphin

La Plata dolphin or Franciscana is found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. It is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that actually lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than inhabiting exclusively freshwater systems

South Asian river dolphin is a freshwater or river dolphin which is split into two subspecies, the Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin

'''Porpoises''' have shorter beaks and flattened spade-shaped teeth distinct from the conical teeth of dolphins. Like all toothed whales, porpoises are predators, using sounds (echolocation in sonar form) to locate prey and to coordinate with others. Name derived from the French for ‘pig fish’

Porpoises, divided into six species in the family '''''Phocoenidae''''', live in all oceans, and mostly near the shore. Freshwater populations of the finless porpoise also exist. Probably the best known species is the Harbour porpoise (''Phocoena phocoena''), which can be found across the Northern Hemisphere

Vaquita is a rare species of porpoise. It is endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California