World Wildlife
Mammals | Birds | Other Animals
Animals are interesting, no matter what species they are. Animals that live out in the wild, I think, are the most intriguing.
If you have ever seen a Wildlife documentary on TV, then you would know how amazingly adaptable wild animals are in their own unique environments whether it be elephants in the savannas, zebras on the plains or gorillas in the Virunga Mountains. Each and every one of the wildlife mammals, reptiles and birds on our planet have an individual and unique survival plan. Each different species of wildlife animal have their own hierarchies and family structures, diets and mating rituals, just to name a few behaviours. Most animals featured here come from Africa, Asia, America and Australia. For animals from the British Isles, you can visit our new section, British Wildlife.
With the ever increasing amount of wildlife animals becoming endangered species and their survival threatened daily, awareness must be spread.
Wildlife at Animal Corner hopes to help spread awareness as well as providing valuable and interesting wildlife animal information. By looking through our wildlife section, you can discover specific animal diets, reproduction and behaviour and which animals are constantly struggling to survive and what conservation programs are in progress to try and help those animals, some which are on the verge of extinction.
Mammals
The Addax is a critically endangered mammal which is found in several isolated areas in the sahara desert in Northern Africa.
The African Wild Dog is known by other names such as the Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog and Painted Wolf. In Swahili it is referred to as ‘Mbwa mwilu’.
Anteaters are specialist carnivorous predators of termites and ants. They detect anthills and termite mounds with their acute sense of smell.
Armadillos have a wide variety of warm habitats depending on species. Habitats can range from tropical rainforests to grasslands, dry deserts and savannas.
Bison are huge, powerful, aggressive bovine mammals with solid muscular heads and necks which are covered with brown shaggy fur.
Camels are humped mammals native to the dry desert areas of western Asia and central and east Asia.
Although the Caracal is considered a small cat compared to other wild cats, it is among the heaviest and fastest.
The Caribou is a wild species of deer often called reindeer when domesticated. They belong to a large group of hoofed ungulate mammals called artiodactyls which also includes camels and giraffes.
The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest terrestrial animal in the world and is a unique member of the cat family ‘felidae’.
The Chickaree is a lively, noisy little squirrel that is quite human fearless.
The name ‘Chinchilla‘ means ‘Little Chincha’, named after the Chincha people of the Andes.
Chipmunks are lively little creatures that are found mostly in North and West America with one species (Asia’s Tamias sibiricus) native to Eurasia. The Coyote is also known as the Prairie Wolf and is found throughout North and Central America.
Dingoes have features that resemble both dogs and wolves, although dingoes have a longer muzzle, longer canine teeth and a flatter skull.
Most Elephants live in the grasslands of Africa and in the forests of Asia although elephants can live in nearly any habitat that has adequate quantities of food and water.
Elks are native to North America and East Asia although they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced.
The Fennec Fox is a small canid which is native to the deserts of North Africa.
The Thomson’s Gazelle is the smallest, daintiest and fastest of all gazelles and sometimes referred to as ‘Tommy’.
Gemsbok are distributed around deserts, scrublands and brushlands in South Western Africa.
Gerenuks have small heads in comparison to their body size, however, their eyes and ears are quite large.
The Giant Sable Antelope is one of the larger antelopes and a rare sub-species of the Sable Antelope. These magnificent and graceful antelopes are found in South-Central Africa.
The Giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species.
Gorillas are generally quiet animals, however, they communicate with each other using many complicated sounds and gestures.
Grizzly bears prefer dense boreal forest areas, alpine tundra regions and river valleys.
The Hippopotamus is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant, and three or four recently extinct, species in the family ‘Hippopotamidae’.
Ibexes are found on craggy terrains between the timber and snow lines above the alpine forests of the European Alps.
The Impala is one of a number of antelopes that live on the African savanna and are found in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Southern Angola to northern South Africa.
A Jackal is a small to medium sized canid found in Africa, Asia and southeastern Europe.
The Koala is an Australian arboreal marsupial which is native to parts of Australia. It spends most of its life up in eucalyptus trees eating the leaves and 18 hours a day resting.
The komodo dragon is a member of the monitor lizard family and is the largest living species of lizard.
Lemmings migrate sporadically every few years when their is a population explosion. During mild winters when food is abundant, reproduction is fast resulting in a summer soaring of Lemming numbers.
The Lion is the second largest cat, after the tiger. Lions are unique in that they are the only cats to live in groups (prides).
Lynx cats prefer cold, wilderness areas and high altitude forests with dense coverings of grass, reeds and shrubs.
The Markhor is the largest of the goat family and is found in the rugged mountains of central Asia, from Southern Russia to the sparse woodland of the West Himalayas.
The Meerkat is a small member of the mongoose family whose range extends from South West Angola to South Africa.
The Mountain Goat resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach.
Monkeys are divided into two geographically separate groups – the New World Monkeys of South America and the Old World Monkeys, found in Africa and Asia.
Moose are the worlds largest deer species and are found in northern forests in North America, Europe, and Russia.
The Musk Ox is a huge hoofed mammal with a heavy bony plate across the forehead. The Musk Ox, along with Yaks of Central Asia, have the longest fur of any other animal.
Opossums have lived in the Americas for around 55 million years probably evolving from the basic South American marsupials of the late Cretaceous period.
The Oryx prefers hot and arid environments such as steppes, deserts and semi deserts. They are well adapted to cope with the extremely hot climate. Pandas are easily recognized by their large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears and across their round body.
Peccaries live in desert areas rich in vegetation or areas with canyons and cliffs where water is nearby. The Peruvian Fox is a desert dwelling animal and lives in dens dug into the ground. Other habitats that this fox inhabits are forests, scrub, plains, grasslands and Arctic snow. Polar Bears Have a thick fur coat either white or cream in color, which helps them blend into their surroundings and stay hidden from prey although their black noses sometimes gives them away. Porcupines are the third largest members of the rodent family that are covered with spines or quills. The Puma has an extensive habitat range. It prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but it can also live in open plains, coniferous and tropical forests, swamps and deserts. Quolls are generally ground-dwelling creatures, however, they have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. They are usually seen scuttling along the ground, but they also climb trees. Raccoons have a very distinctive facial mask whereby they have an area of black fur around the eyes which contrasts with the surrounding white face coloring. Ratels can be found on arid grasslands, moist savannas, montane forests and semi-deserts. They are adapted to surviving in both wet and dry habitats. Red Kangaroos are marsupials, a type of mammal that gives birth to under-developed young (joeys). The Rhinoceros, often called ‘rhino’ for short, is one of five surviving species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Snow Leopards are opportunists when it comes to feeding. They are strictly carnivores and eat whatever meat they can find. The Snowshoe Hare is found in alpine regions of North America, Alaska and Canada. The Spectacled Bear is the only living bear species native to South America. The Spectacled Bear is the closest living kin of the short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age. The Striped Hyena is a medium sized, scavenging mammal found in Africa, the Middle East, West India and the Arabian Peninsula. A Wallaby is a marsupial or pouched animal that is a member of the kangaroo family. Wildebeest are one of the most abundant large mammals in Africa and there is thought to be around 1.5 million migratory individuals in the Serengeti alone forming the greatest concentration of wild grazing animals on Earth. Wolves are very intelligent creatures whose upright ears, sharp teeth, pointed muzzles, inquiring eyes and other facial features instantly convey this quality. The Wolverine is the largest and fiercest member of the weasel family. The wolverine is native to northern regions of North America, Europe and Asia. Wombats are small bear-like marsupials found throughout south eastern Australia and Tasmania. They are more closely related to the Koala Bear, however, they are unable to climb trees. Zebras are very courageous animals and are not afraid to confront predators. Zebras also have a powerful kick which can cause serious injury to a predator such as a lion, hyena or African wild dog.
Birds
Cardinals belong to the family Cardinalidae and to the order: Passeriformes which is by far the largest order of birds Emus have strong long legs and although they cannot fly, they can run at speeds of 50 kilometres per hour (31 miles per hour). The Golden Pheasant, also known as the ‘Chinese Pheasant’ is one of the more popular species of pheasant which is native to the mountainous forests of Western and Central China. The Kea Parrot is native to the mountains of New Zealand’s South Island. The Ostrich is the worlds largest flightless bird which is native to the savannas and grasslands of South Africa. Peacocks are well known for their magnificent, beautiful tail feather displays during courtship while Peahens have a more duller appearance which is common in many other bird species. The Secretary Bird is a large raptor related to hawks and eagles. This large, terrestrial bird of prey is endemic to the open grasslands in sub-saharan Africa.
Other Animals
The African Spurred Tortoise is the third largest tortoise in the world and the largest mainland tortoise.