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The Living Encyclopedia
Explore our comprehensive database of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Discover detailed care guides, morph varieties, and community setups.
mammal
Short-Tailed Opossum
Monodelphis domestica
The gray four-eyed opossum is an opossum species found in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil, at altitudes from sea level to 1600 m, but generally below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Its habitats include primary, secondary and disturbed forest. It is one of many opossum species in the order Didelphimorphia and the family Didelphidae.
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mammal
Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster
Phodopus campbelli
Campbell's dwarf hamster is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It was given its common name by Oldfield Thomas in honor of Charles William Campbell, who collected the first specimen in Mongolia on July 1, 1902. It is distinguished from the closely related Djungarian hamster as it has smaller ears and no dark fur on its crown. Campbell's dwarf hamster typically has a narrow dorsal stripe compared to the Djungarian hamster and brown or gray fur on the stomach. This hamster may be raised in captivity and kept as a small pet.
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mammal
Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster
Phodopus sungorus
The winter white dwarf hamster, also known as the Russian dwarf hamster, Djungarian hamster, Dzungarian hamster, striped dwarf hamster, Siberian hamster, or Siberian dwarf hamster, is one of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. Its body is ball-shaped and typically half the size of the golden hamster, so is called a dwarf hamster along with all Phodopus species. Features of the winter white hamster include a typically thick, dark grey dorsal stripe and furry feet. As winter approaches and the days shorten, the winter white dwarf hamster's dark fur is almost entirely replaced with white fur. In captivity, this does not usually happen as animals maintained as pets are generally housed indoors and exposed to artificial light that prevents the recognition of short winter daylengths. In the wild, they originate from the wheat fields of Kazakhstan, the meadows of Mongolia and Siberia, and the birch stands of Manchuria.
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mammal
Roborovski Hamster
Phodopus roborovskii
The Roborovski hamster, also known as the desert hamster, Robo dwarf hamster or simply dwarf hamster is the smallest of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus, and is native to the deserts of Central Asia. They average 1.6 cm (0.6 in) in length at birth and grow to be 6.3 cm (2.5 in) in length and 16 g (0.56 oz) in weight in adulthood. Distinguishing characteristics of the Roborovskis are eyebrow-like white spots and the lack of any dorsal stripe. The average lifespan for the Roborovski hamster is 2–4 years, though this is dependent on living conditions. Roborovskis are known for their speed and have been said to run up to 6 miles a night. The common name and scientific name honor the Russian explorer Vsevolod Ivanovich Roborovsky, who collected the holotype of this species.
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mammal
Chinese Hamster
Cricetulus griseus
The Chinese hamster is a rodent in the genus Cricetulus of the subfamily Cricetidae that originated in the deserts of northern China and Mongolia. They are distinguished by an uncommonly long tail in comparison to other hamsters, most of whose tails are stubby. Chinese hamsters are primarily nocturnal; however, they will stay awake for brief periods, in between naps, throughout the day.
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mammal
Fat-Tailed Gerbil
Pachyuromys duprasi
The fat-tailed gerbil, also called the duprasi gerbil or doop, is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. It is the only species in the genus Pachyuromys. They are frequently kept as pets.
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mammal
Prairie Dog
Cynomys
Prairie dogs are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. There are five recognized species of prairie dog: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. In Mexico, prairie dogs are found primarily in the northern states, which lie at the southern end of the Great Plains: northeastern Sonora, north and northeastern Chihuahua, northern Coahuila, northern Nuevo León, and northern Tamaulipas. In the United States, they range primarily to the west of the Mississippi River, though they have also been introduced in a few eastern locales. They are also found in the Canadian Prairies. Despite the name, they are not actually canines; prairie dogs, along with the marmots, chipmunks, and several other basal genera belong to the ground squirrels, part of the larger squirrel family (Sciuridae).
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mammal
Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus richardsonii
Richardson's ground squirrel, also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie dogs or gophers, though the latter name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae, and the former to members of the genus Cynomys.
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mammal
Chipmunk
Tamias
Chipmunks are small, striped squirrels of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk, which is found primarily in Asia. The name "chipmunk" originated in the 19th century, and other names for this group of squirrels include chitmunk, chipmuck, chipping squirrel, and ground squirrel, though the last name can refer to squirrels of other genera.
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mammal
Flying Squirrel
Pteromyini
Flying squirrels are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they are able to glide from one tree to another with the aid of a patagium, a furred skin membrane that stretches from wrist to ankle. Their long tails also provide stability as they glide. Anatomically they are very similar to other squirrels with a number of adaptations to suit their lifestyle; their limb bones are longer and their hand bones, foot bones, and distal vertebrae are shorter. Flying squirrels are able to steer and exert control over their glide path with their limbs and tail.
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plant
Java Fern
Leptochilus pteropus
Leptochilus pteropus is a species of aquatic or semi-aquatic fern, commonly known as Java fern. It is predominantly known from Malaysia, Thailand, Northeastern India and parts of South China. It is a highly variable plant, with several different geographic varieties and physical forms that vary in leaf size, texture and shape. Found in its natural habitat growing attached to riparian roots and rocks, it can grow fully or partially submerged, provided its roots and rhizome remain wet. The plant will readily propagate asexually by producing small, adventitious plantlets from the leaf tips and margins of established, mature foliage. The small sprouts quickly develop roots of their own, and, if water currents facilitate it, may attach themselves to surrounding objects before the "mother" leaf expires. In the event that the mother leaf wilts or detaches prior to the plantlet establishing itself, the small fern will float on its own to a new location to start anew.
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plant
Anubias Nana
Anubias barteri var. nana
Anubias barteri var. nana was first described by Adolf Engler in 1899 as A. nana. The species was reduced to varietal status in 1979.
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plant
Amazon Sword
Echinodorus grisebachii
Echinodorus grisebachii or Echinodorus amazonicus is commonly known as Amazon sword plant, although other plants are also known under this common name. The aquatic plant is cultivated for and used in ponds and artificial aquatic habitats. It is native to Cuba, Central America, and South America as far south as Brazil and Bolivia. It has been sold under the name Paniculatus.
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plant
Cryptocoryne Wendtii
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Cryptocoryne wendtii, the Wendt's water trumpet, is a species of herbaceous plant and popular aquarium plant which is native to Sri Lanka. It was described by Dutch botanist Hendrik de Wit in honour of aquarium hobbyist and writer Albert Wendt.
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plant
Vallisneria
Vallisneria
Vallisneria is a genus of freshwater aquatic plant, commonly called eelgrass, tape grass or vallis. The genus is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America.
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plant
Hornwort
Ceratophyllum demersum
Ceratophyllum demersum, commonly known as hornwort, rigid hornwort, coontail, or coon's tail, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ceratophyllum. It is a submerged, free-floating aquatic plant, with a cosmopolitan distribution, native to all continents except Antarctica. It is a harmful weed introduced in New Zealand. It is also a popular aquarium plant. Its genome has been sequenced to study angiosperm evolution.
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plant
Water Wisteria
Hygrophila difformis
Hygrophila difformis, commonly known as water wisteria, is an aquatic plant in the acanthus family. It is found in marshy habitats on the Indian subcontinent in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. It grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm with a width of 15 to 25 cm.
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plant
Duckweed
Lemnoideae
Lemnoideae is a subfamily of flowering aquatic plants, known as duckweeds, water lentils, or water lenses. They float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. Also known as bayroot, they arose from within the arum or aroid family (Araceae), so often are classified as the subfamily Lemnoideae within the family Araceae. Other classifications, particularly those created prior to the end of the twentieth century, place them as a separate family, Lemnaceae.
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plant
Frogbit
Limnobium laevigatum
Hydrocharis laevigata is a floating aquatic plant, and is a member of the family Hydrocharitaceae. Common names include West Indian spongeplant, South American spongeplant and Amazon or smooth frogbit. This plant was introduced to North American waterways through use in aquariums and aquascapes.
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plant
Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes
Pistia is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe Pistieae which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, Pistia stratiotes, is often called water cabbage, water lettuce, Nile cabbage, or shellflower. Its native distribution is uncertain but is probably pantropical; it was first scientifically described from plants found on the Nile near Lake Victoria in Africa. It is now present, either naturally or through human introduction, in nearly all tropical and subtropical fresh waterways and is considered an invasive species as well as a mosquito breeding habitat. The specific epithet is derived from a Greek word, στρατιώτης, meaning "soldier", which references the sword-shaped leaves of some plants in the Stratiotes genus.
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