A-Z animal index

Every animal covered in our guides, listed alphabetically with its group and a one-line description, linked to its full fact file.

Use this index to jump straight to any animal fact file. Each entry gives the animal's group and one standout fact. New animals are added regularly.

28 terms

A

African grey parrot: Bird. One of the most capable talking birds, studied for its understanding of colors, shapes and numbers. Read the guide.
Axolotl: Amphibian. A Mexican salamander that keeps its larval gills for life and can regrow lost limbs. Read the guide.

Bald eagle: Bird. A North American fish-eating eagle that made a famous recovery after the pesticide DDT was banned. Read the guide.
Barn owl: Bird. A pale owl that can catch prey in complete darkness using hearing alone. Read the guide.
Blue whale: Ocean mammal. The largest animal known to have ever lived. Read the guide.
Bottlenose dolphin: Ocean mammal. A social, intelligent dolphin that uses signature whistles and echolocation. Read the guide.

Chameleons: Reptiles. Lizards with independently moving eyes, fast projectile tongues and color-changing skin. Read the guide.
Cheetah: Big cat. The fastest land animal, built for short, explosive sprints. Read the guide.

Dragonflies: Insects. Ancient aerial hunters with some of the highest catch rates of any predator. Read the guide.

Emperor penguin: Bird. The largest penguin, which breeds on Antarctic sea ice through the winter. Read the guide.

Gray wolf: Predator. A pack-living hunter and the wild ancestor of the domestic dog. Read the guide.
Great white shark: Fish. A large predatory shark with a sense of smell and electrical sensing tuned for hunting. Read the guide.

Honey bee: Insect. A social pollinator that shares food locations with the waggle dance. Read the guide.

King cobra: Reptile. The world's longest venomous snake, which mainly eats other snakes. Read the guide.
Komodo dragon: Reptile. The largest living lizard, found on a handful of Indonesian islands. Read the guide.

Leafcutter ants: Insects. Ants that farm fungus on cut leaves in vast underground colonies. Read the guide.
Leatherback sea turtle: Reptile. The largest living turtle, which dives deep and crosses whole oceans. Read the guide.
Lion: Big cat. The only truly social wild cat, living in prides. Read the guide.

Monarch butterfly: Insect. Famous for a multigenerational migration across North America. Read the guide.

Octopus: Ocean invertebrate. A soft-bodied problem solver with color-changing skin and three hearts. Read the guide.
Orca: Ocean mammal. The largest member of the dolphin family, living in family groups with distinct cultures. Read the guide.

Peregrine falcon: Bird. Reaches the highest speeds of any animal during its hunting dive. Read the guide.
Poison dart frogs: Amphibians. Brightly colored rainforest frogs whose colors warn predators of toxins. Read the guide.
Polar bear: Predator. A marine mammal that hunts seals from Arctic sea ice. Read the guide.

Saltwater crocodile: Reptile. The largest living reptile, found from India to northern Australia. Read the guide.
Snow leopard: Big cat. A well-camouflaged cat of the high mountains of Central and South Asia. Read the guide.

Tardigrades: Micro-animals. Tiny "water bears" that can survive extreme conditions in a dried-out state. Read the guide.
Tiger: Big cat. The largest wild cat, with stripes as unique as fingerprints. Read the guide.