Collecting Taxonomy...
π‘ Tip: Contribute to species pages to earn XP!
The Living Encyclopedia
Explore our comprehensive database of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Discover detailed care guides, morph varieties, and community setups.
mammal
Elephant
Loxodonta africana
African elephants are members of the genus Loxodonta comprising two living elephant species, the African bush elephant and the smaller African forest elephant. Both are social herbivores with grey skin. However, they differ in the size and colour of their tusks as well as the shape and size of their ears and skulls.
View Profile β
mammal
Rhinoceros
Ceratotherium simum
The white rhinoceros, also known as the white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros, is the largest extant species of rhinoceros and the most social of all rhino species, characterized by its wide mouth adapted for grazing. The species includes two subspecies with dramatically different conservation outlooks: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 17,464 individuals in the wild as of the end of 2023, and the northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies is critically endangered and on the brink of extinction; its last known male, Sudan, died in March 2018, leaving behind only two females. Both subspecies have faced significant threats, primarily from poaching for their horns and habitat loss, which contribute to the species' overall conservation status of Near Threatened. White rhinoceros can run up to 40Β mph (64Β km/h) for very short bursts. They can maintain speeds of around 30β31Β mph (48β50Β km/h) for a good amount of time, and they have good stamina.
View Profile β
mammal
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
The hippopotamus, often shortened to hippo, further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus. Its name comes from the Ancient Greek for "river horse" (αΌ±ΟΟΞΏΟΟΟΞ±ΞΌΞΏΟ).
View Profile β
mammal
Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
Giraffes are large African hoofed mammals. They are the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants on Earth. They are classified under the family Giraffidae, along with their closest extant relative, the okapi. Traditionally, giraffes have been thought of as one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into four extant species, with seven subspecies, which can be distinguished morphologically by their fur coat patterns. Six valid extinct species of Giraffa are known from the fossil record.
View Profile β
mammal
Zebra
Equus quagga
The plains zebra is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara. Six or seven subspecies have been recognised, including the quagga which was thought to be a separate species. More recent research supports variations in zebra populations being clines rather than subspecies.
View Profile β
D
mammal
Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
View Profile β
mammal
Moose
Alces alces
The moose or elk is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only extant species in the genus Alces. It is also the tallest, and the second-largest, land animal in North America, falling short only to the American bison in body mass. Most adult male moose have broad, palmate antlers; other members of the deer family have pointed antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose inhabit the circumpolar boreal forests or temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere, thriving in cooler, temperate areas as well as subarctic climates.
View Profile β
mammal
Elk
Cervus canadensis
The elk or wapiti is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists.
View Profile β
mammal
Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus
The reindeer or caribou is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer. More recent studies suggest the splitting of reindeer and caribou. "All caribou and reindeer throughout the world are considered to be the same species, but there are 7 subspecies."
View Profile β
mammal
Bison
Bison bison
The American bison, commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo, is a species of bison that is endemic to North America. It is one of two extant species of bison, along with the European bison. Its historical range circa 9000 BC is referred to as the great bison belt, a tract of rich grassland spanning from Alaska south to the Gulf of Mexico, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard, as far north as New York, south to Georgia, and according to some sources, further south to northern Florida, with sightings in North Carolina near Buffalo Ford on the Catawba River as late as 1750.
View Profile β
B
mammal
Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
View Profile β
A
mammal
Antelope
Antilope cervicapra
Antelope (Antilope cervicapra)
View Profile β
G
mammal
Gazelle
Gazella dorcas
Gazelle (Gazella dorcas)
View Profile β
K
mammal
Kangaroo
Macropus rufus
Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
View Profile β
mammal
Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus
The koala, sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. Its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in coastal areas of the continent's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, dark nose. The koala has a body length of 60β85Β cm (24β33Β in) and weighs 4β15Β kg (8.8β33.1Β lb). Its fur colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas from the northern populations are typically smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. These populations are possibly separate subspecies, but not all researchers accept this.
View Profile β
mammal
Wombat
Vombatus ursinus
The common wombat, also known as the bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the sole extant member of the genus Vombatus. It has three subspecies: Vombatus ursinus hirsutus, found on the Australian mainland; Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis, found in Tasmania; and Vombatus ursinus ursinus, found on Flinders Island and Maria Island in the Bass Strait.
View Profile β
mammal
Tasmanian Devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls, and distantly related to the thylacine. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant predatory land mammal. It hunts prey and scavenges on carrion.
View Profile β
mammal
Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
The Virginia opossum, also known as the North American opossum, is a member of the opossum family found from southern Canada to northern Costa Rica, making it the northernmost marsupial in the world. Commonly referred to simply as the possum, it is a solitary nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, and a successful opportunist.
View Profile β
A
mammal
Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
View Profile β
mammal
Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
The brown-throated sloth is a species of three-toed sloth found in the Neotropical realm of Central and South America.
View Profile β