Animal Profiles: By Common Name (2024)

Animals (Metazoa) are a group of living organisms that includes more than one million identified species and many millions more that have yet to be named. Scientists estimate that the number of all animal species—those that have been named and those that have yet to be discovered—is between 3 and 30 million species. The following is an A to Z list of animal profiles available at this site, sorted alphabetically by common name:

A

Aardvark - Orycteropus afer - An arched-backed mammal with long ears.

Adélie penguin - Pygoscelis adeliae - A penguin that gathers in huge colonies.

African elephant - Loxodonta africana - The largest living land animal.

American beaver - Castor canadensis - One of two living species of beavers.

American bison - Bison bison - The majestic herbivore of the Great Plains.

American black bear - Ursus americanus -One of three North American bears.

American moose - Alces americanus -The largest member of the deer family.

Amphibians - Amphibia - The first land vertebrates.

Amur leopard - Panthera pardus orientalis - One of the world's most endangered cats.

Animals - Metazoa - The high-level group to which all animals belong.

Arctic wolf - Canis lupus arctos - A white-coated subspecies of the grey wolf.

Arthropods - Arthropoda - A highly diverse group of invertebrates.

Asian elephant - Elephas maximus - The elephants ofIndia and Southeast Asia.

Atlantic puffin - Fratercula arctica - A small seabird of the North Atlantic.

Atlantic white-sided dolphin - Lagenorhynchus acutus - A most colorful dolphin.

Aye-aye - Daubentonia madagascariensis - An odd-looking prosimian of Madagascar.

B

Badger, European - Meles meles - The mustelids ofthe British Isles, Europe, and Scandinavia.

Baleen Whales - Mysticeti -

Bar-headed goose - Anser indicus -

Barn owls - Tytonidae -

Bats - Chiroptera -

Beaver, American - Castor canadensis -

Birds - Aves -

Birds of prey - Falconiformes -

Bison, American - Bison bison -

Black rhinoceros - Diceros bicornis -

Black-footed ferret - Mustela nigripes -

Blue-footed booby - Sula nebouxii -

Blue whale - Balaenoptera musculus -

Bobcat - Lynx rufus -

Bornean orangutan - Pongo pygmaeus -

Bottlenose dolphin - Tursiops truncatus -

Brown bear - Ursus arctos -

Burchell's zebra - Equus burchellii -

C

Caecilians - Gymnophiona -

California sea hare - Aplysia californica -

Canada goose - Branta canadensis -

Canids - Canidae -

Caracal - Caracal caracal -

Caribou - Rangifer tarandus -

Carnivores - Carnivora -

Cartilaginous fishes - Chondrichthyes -

D

Dugong - Dugong dugong -

Dusky dolphin - Lagenorhynchus obscurus -

E

Echinoderms - Echinodermata -

Eland antelope - Tragelaphus oryx -

Elephants - Proboscidea -

Eurasian lynx - Lynx lynx -

European badger - Meles meles -

European common toad - Bufo bufo -

European robin - Erithacus rubecula -

Even-toed ungulates - Artiodactyla -

F

Firefish - Pterois volitans -

Frigatebirds - Fregatidae -

Frogs and toads - Anura -

G

Galapagos land iguana - Conolophus subcristatus -

Galapagos tortoise - Geochelone nigra -

Gastropods, slugs, and snails - Gastropoda -

Gavial - Gavialis gangeticus -

Giant anteater - Myrmecophaga tridactyla -

Giant panda - Ailuropoda melanoleuca -

Giraffe - Giraffa camelopardalis -

Golden-crowned sifaka - Propithecus tattersalli -

Gorilla - Gorilla gorilla -

Gray whale - Eschrichtius robustus -

Great white shark - Carcharodon carcharias -

Greater flamingo - Phoenicopterus ruber -

Green poison dart frog - Dendrobates auratus -

Green sea turtle - Chelonia mydas -

H

Hammerhead sharks - Sphyrnidae -

Hares, rabbits, and pikas - Lagomorpha -

Hawksbill sea turtle - Eretmochelys imbricata -

Herons, storks, ibises, and spoonbills - Ciconiiformes -

Hippopotamus - Hippopotamus amphibus -

Hummingbirds - Trochilidae -

Hyenas - Hyaenidae -

I

Insects - Insecta -

Irrawaddy dolphin - Orcaella brevirostris -

Ivory-billed woodpecker - Campephilus principalis -

J

Jellyfish - Scyphozoa -

K

Koala - Phascolarctos cinereus -

Komodo Dragon - Varanus komodoensis -

L

Lava lizard - Microlophus albemarlensis -

Leatherback sea turtle - Dermochelys coriacea -

Lemurs, monkeys, and apes - Primates -

Leopard - Panthera pardus -

Lion - Panthera leo -

Lionfish - Pterois volitans -

Lizards, amphisbaenians, and snakes - Squamata -

Lobe-finned fishes - Sarcopterygii -

Loggerhead turtle - Caretta caretta -

M

Mammals - Mammalia -

Manatees - Trichechus -

Marine iguana - Amblyrhynchus cristatus -

Marsupials - Marsupialia -

Meerkat - Suricata suricatta -

Mollusks - Mollusca -

Monarch butterfly - Danaus plexippus -

Moose, American - Alces americanus -

Mountain lion - Puma concolor -

Mustelids - Mustelidae -

N

Neandertal - hom*o neanderthalensis -

Nene goose - Branta sandvicensis -

Newts and Salamanders - Caudata -

Nine-banded armadillo - Dasypus novemcinctus -

Northern cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis -

Northern gannet - Morus bassanus -

Northern bottlenose whale - Hyperoodon ampullatus -

O

Ocelot - Leopardus pardalis -

Odd-toed ungulates - Perissodactyla -

Orca - Orcinus orca -

Ostrich - Struthio camelus -

Owls - Strigiformes -

P

Panda - Ailuropoda melanoleuca -

Panther - Panthera onca -

Pelicans and relatives - Pelicaniformes -

Penguins - Sphenisciformes -

Pigeon guillemot - Cepphus columba -

Pigs - Suidae -

Polar bear - Ursus maritimus -

Primates - Primates -

Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana -

Przewalski's wild horse - Equus caballus przewalskii -

R

Rabbits, hares, and pikas - Lagomorpha -

Ray-finned fishes - Actinopterygii -

Red-eyed tree frog - Agalychnis callidryas -

Red fox - Vulpes vulpes -

Reindeer - Rangifer tarandus -

Reptiles - Reptilia -

Rhinoceros, black - Diceros bicornis -

Rhinoceros, white - Ceratotherium simum -

Rhinoceros iguana - Cyclura cornuta -

Rodents - Rodentia -

Rodriguez flying fox - Pteropus rodricensis -

Roseate spoonbill - Platalea ajaja -

Ruby-throated hummingbird - Archilochus colubris -

S

Saola - Pseudoryx nghetinhensis -

Scarlet ibis - Eudocimus ruber -

Sharks, skates and rays - Elasmobranchii -

Shoebill - Balaeniceps rex -

Siberian tiger - Panthera tigris altaica -

Skates and rays - Batoidea -

Skunks and stink badgers - Mephitidae -

Snails, slugs and nudibranchs - Gastropoda -

Snow leopard - Panthera uncia -

Somali wild ass - Equus asinus somalicus -

Southern tamandua - Tamandua tetradactyla -

Sponges - Porifera -

Spectacled bear - Tremarctos ornatus -

Squamates - Squamata -

T

Tapirs - Family Tapiridae -

Tiger - Panthera tigris -

Tinamous - Tinamiformes -

Toothed Whales - Odontoceti -

Tuataras - Sphenodontida -

Tufted titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor -

Turtles and tortoises - Chelonia

Tytonidae - Barn owls -

W

Wandering albatross - Diomedea exulans -

Waterfowl - Anseriformes -

Whale shark - Rhincodon typus -

White rhinoceros - Ceratotherium simum -

X

Xenarthrans - Xenarthra -

Animal Profiles: By Common Name (2024)

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

W

X

References