The bald eagle is bold, fierce, and iconic, but it is not really bald. It has a conspicuous white head that is fully feathered!
United States, Canada, Northern Mexico
Least Concern
Carnivore - Fish, mammals, birds, crustaceans, reptiles, amphibians, carrion
Diurnal
In human care: Up to 36 yrs
Wild: Up to 28 yrs
1-3 eggs per clutch
28‑38 in (71‑96 cm)
Wingspan: 168‑244 cm
2.5‑6.3 kg
About twice the size of a domestic housecat, the bobcat is a fearsome predator capable of taking down prey ten times its size.
North America
Least Concern
Carnivore - Rabbits, squirrels, and other small-to-medium prey
Nocturnal
Male: 16.8 years
Female: 18.8 years
2-4 kittens/litter average
26‑41 in
20‑30lbs on average
The cheetah is the fastest mammal on earth. Everything about it is built for speed. During a twenty-second chase, its feet barely touch the ground as it reaches a top speed of 70 mph.
Isolated populations in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly Eastern and Southern
Vulnerable
Carnivore - Small to medium sized ungulates, birds, hares, small mammals
Diurnal
In human care: Up to 19 yrs
Wild: 10‑16 yrs
1-8 per litter
44‑59 in (112‑150 cm)
77‑158 lbs (35‑72 kg)
The blue duiker is a tiny antelope about the size of a house cat.
Central and Southern Africa
Least Concern
Omnivore - Fruit, leaves, flowers, fungi, seeds, some insects and small animals
Crepuscular
Up to 10 yrs
Single offspring
1.8‑3 ft (55‑90 cm)
8‑20 lbs (3.5‑9 kg)
African elephants are the largest land animals in the world. They have the largest brains in the animal kingdom and the largest among them can top 15,000 pounds–more than four times the weight of the average car!
Central and East Africa, south of the Sahara
Endangered
Herbivore - Grasses, leaves, branches, roots, fruits, tree bark
Diurnal
About 38 years
Single young per birth (twins possible)
Male: Up to 12 ft (3‑75 m)
Female: Up to 9 ft (3 m)
Male: Up to 14,000 lbs (6,350 kg)
Female: 9,000 lbs (4,082 kg)
Also known as the American flamingo, the tall, slender, scarlet Caribbean flamingo is the most brightly colored and among the largest of the world’s six flamingo species.
Islands and mainland coasts of the Caribbean Sea
Least Concern
Omnivore - Small shellfish, fish, worms, insects, algae, aquatic seeds and plants
Diurnal - Nocturnal
In human care: Up to 60 years
Wild: Up to 40 years
1-2 eggs per clutch
Body: 47‑57 in (120‑145 cm)
Wingspan: 55 in (140 cm)
4.8‑6.1 lbs (2.2‑2.8 kg)
The giraffe is the tallest animal on earth. A male giraffe towers up to nineteen feet above the ground.
Eastern, Central and Southern Africa
Vulnerable
Herbivore - Leaves
Diurnal
In human care: Up to 25 yrs
Wild: 10‑16 yrs
Single young per birth (twins are extremely rare)
Male: 18 ft (5.5m) tall
Female: 14‑15 ft (4‑4.5 m) tall
Male: 2,425 lbs (1,100 kg)
Female: 1,540 lbs (700 kg)
A grizzly bear's claws are as long or longer than your fingers.
Parts of Russia, Central Asia, China, Canada, the United States (mostly Alaska), Scandinavia, and the Carpathian region (especially Romania), Anatolia, and Caucasus.
Least Concern - Within the continental U.S., grizzly bears, a North American subspecies of brown bear, are listed as threatened by sub-population under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Omnivore - Nuts, berries, roots, insects, honey, fish, and mammals ranging in size from pocket gophers to moose
Diurnal
Male: 21.9 yrs
Female: 26.8 yrs
1 to 3 cubs per birth on average
5‑8 ft
Male: 300‑1,200 lbs
Female: 175‑550 lbs
A leopard’s next meal probably isn’t going to know it until it’s too late. This big cat is known for stealth.
Africa and Asia
Near Threatened
Carnivore - Large and small mammals, birds, reptiles, arthropods
Nocturnal
In human care: 21‑23 yrs
Wild: 7‑9 yrs
1-3 cubs per litter
3.5 - 6.5 ft (1.0‑1.9 m)
66‑155 lbs (30‑70 kg)
The King (and Queen) of Beasts are justly named. Lions are dominant predators lording over the food chain wherever they roam. What they have over every other big cat, and over every other African predator, is strength in numbers. They know that when it comes to catching dinner, it pays to cooperate.
sub-Saharan Africa, mostly Eastern and Southern
Vulnerable
Carnivore
Nocturnal
In human care: Up to 30 yrs
Wild: 15‑16 yrs
1-6 young per litter
Male: 5.5‑8 ft (1.5‑2.5 m)
Female: 4.5‑6 ft (1.4‑2m )
Male: 330‑550 lb (150‑250 kg)
Female: 264‑400 lb (120‑181 kg)
At first glance, you would think that okapi are related to zebra. The reddish-brown and cream stripes on the okapi’s hindquarters seem like a sure giveaway. In reality, the okapi’s closest relative is the giraffe!
Congolese Rainforest in Central Africa
Endangered
Herbivore - Leaves, fruits, and seeds
Diurnal
In human care: 33 yrs
Wild: Unknown
Single young per birth
5‑5.6 ft (150‑170 cm)
462‑550 lbs (210‑250 kg)
Contrary to popular belief, an ostrich never buries its head in the sand. It doesn’t need to. It is the largest living species of bird on the planet and the fastest animal on two legs. It can’t fly, but it can sprint up to 40 mph and land a very powerful kick!
Africa, North and South of equatorial forest belt
Least Concern - Common
Herbivore - Green grass, browse on shrubs, succulents, seeds, few insects
Diurnal
In human care: Up to 40 years
Wild: 20‑30 years
Clutch averages 13
Multiple females lay in the same nest for incubation
Male: 6.5‑8 ft (2‑2.5 m)
Female: 5‑6.5 ft (1.5‑2 m)
Male: 242‑330 lbs (110‑150 kg)
Female: 198‑242 lbs (90‑110 kg)
Beautiful, mysterious, and rare, Panamanian golden frogs have been revered as good-luck tokens in their native country of Panama since pre-Columbian times.
Cordilleran mountains of Western-Central Panama
Critically Endangered - Quite possibly extinct in the wild
Carnivore - Insects and other small invertebrates
Diurnal
About 8 years
200-600 eggs per clutch
1‑2 in (2.5 - 5.1 cm)
Under 1 lb
Prairie dogs take their common name from where they live and what they sound like when alarmed. They go by many other nicknames as well, including wishtonwish, mound yapper, yaprat, yek-yek, tousa, pispiza, ping-sping-sa, and sod poodle.
Narrow bands of short-grass prairie from Central Texas north to the U.S.-Canada border
Least Concern
Herbivore - Wheatgrass, grama, buffalo grass, scarlet globemallow, rabbitbrush, prickly pear cactus, thistle
Diurnal
In human care: 5‑8 years
3-4 per litter
14‑17 in (350‑425 mm)
1‑3 lbs
Prairie dogs take their common name from where they live and what they sound like when alarmed. They go by many other nicknames as well, including wishtonwish, mound yapper, yaprat, yek-yek, tousa, pispiza, ping-sping-sa, and sod poodle.
Narrow bands of short-grass prairie from Central Texas north to the U.S.-Canada border
Least Concern
Herbivore - Wheatgrass, grama, buffalo grass, scarlet globemallow, rabbitbrush, prickly pear cactus, thistle
Diurnal
In human care: 5‑8 years
3-4 per litter
14‑17 in (350‑425 mm)
1‑3 lbs
Sitatunga are swamp antelope. They are adapted to survive where few other antelope could. Their long, splayed hooves allow them to walk across islands of floating vegetation and wet terrain without sinking. They are strong swimmers and can even hide underwater with only their nostrils (and maybe eyes) showing.
Central Africa
Least Concern
Herbivore - Reeds, sedges, grasses, leaves, fallen fruit
Crepuscular
In human care: 17‑20 yrs
Wild: 10‑15 yrs
Single young per birth
Male: 60‑67 in (152‑170 cm)
Female: 53‑61 in (135‑155 cm)
Male: 154‑275 lbs (70‑125 kg)
Female: 110‑126 lbs (50‑57 kg)
River otters are the only truly amphibious members of the weasel family.
Throughout North America
Least Concern
Carnivore - Fish, frogs, crayfish, crabs, rodents, rabbits, insects
Diurnal - Diurnal and nocturnal
In human care: 21 yrs
Wild: 8‑9 yrs
1-6 per litter
18‑32 in (460‑830 mm)
6‑31 lbs (3‑14 kg)
When warthogs run, their tails stick straight up in the air!
sub-Saharan Africa
Least Concern
Herbivore - Grass, roots, berries, bark of young trees, occasionally carrion
Diurnal
In human care: Up to 18 yrs
Wild: 12‑15 yrs
1-8 per litter
35‑59 in (900‑1500 mm)
110‑331 lbs (50‑150 kg)
The white rhino is the third largest land mammal in the world, dwarfed only by the Asian elephant and the African elephant. White rhinos weigh between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds and stand 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Their heads alone can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.
South Africa
Near Threatened
Herbivore - grasses
Diurnal
In human care: 40 yrs
Wild: 35 yrs
Single young per birth
118‑150 in (300‑380 cm)
Male: up to 6,000 lb (2,721 kg)
Female: up to 4,500 lb (2,041 kg)
To think of a zebra as a striped horse is not quite right, but not quite wrong either. Zebras are members of the horse family Equidae. Zebras are also unmistakably striped! Each zebra has a distinct pattern of stripes, as unique as a person’s fingerprints.
Eastern and Southeastern Africa
Near Threatened
Herbivore - Grasses
Diurnal
In human care: 35‑40 yrs
Wild: 15‑20 yrs
Single young per birth
Up to 59 in (1.5 m) at shoulders
500‑800 lbs (227‑363 kg)
These Arctic birds have razor-sharp talons and beaks built for ripping flesh.
Circumpolar north
Vulnerable
Carnivore
Diurnal
About 10 years
3–11 eggs per clutch
21–28 in. (52–71 cm)
3.5–6.5 lbs (1.6–3.0 kg)
The lappet-faced vulture is named for the loose, fleshy, ear-like lappets that hang from the sides of its bare pink head.
Middle East and throughout Africa, from the southern Sahara to the Sahel
Endangered
Carnivore - Mainly carrion; also bird eggs, small mammals, some insects
Diurnal
Up to 30 years
1 egg per year
31–45 inches
10–21 lbs
A white stork can regulate its body temperature by defecating on its legs, with evaporation cooling the bird.
Europe, southwestern Asia, northwest Africa, sub-Saharan Africa
Least Concern
Carnivore - Fish, small birds and mammals, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans, insects, eggs
Diurnal
About 17 years for males, about 13 years for females
3-5 eggs per clutch
Heights 3‑4 ft, wingspan 6‑6.5 ft.
5‑10 lbs
These prickly, vocal rodents are master tree climbers.
Southern half of Canada, and northern and western U.S; scattered populations throughout the eastern U.S; parts of northern Mexico
Least Concern
Herbivore - Roots, stems, leaves, berries, seeds and grasses, tree bark
Nocturnal
Up to 18 years
1
2–3 ft
11–20 lbs
The southern three-banded armadillo is one of only two armadillo species that can curl into a ball completely.
Central South America
Near Threatened
Carnivore - mainly ants and termites
Nocturnal
18–20 years
1 per year
12–14 inches
2–3 lbs
Red-tailed guenons have cheek pouches in which they can temporarily store about as much food as their stomachs will hold.
East-central Africa
Least Concern
Omnivore - Mostly fruit, also leaves and some animal prey
Diurnal
Up to 28 years
Single offspring
Female: About 13–18 in (32–46 cm)
Male: About 16–25 in (40–63 cm)
3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lbs)
Skinks are a type of lizard found on every continent except Antarctica. There are four skink species native to Maryland, and the broad-headed skink is the largest.
Central and southeastern U.S. in open and often moist wooded areas
Least Concern
Carnivore - Mainly insects, spiders, other invertebrates; occasionally mollusks, small reptiles and mammals
Diurnal
Unknown, but likely about 4 years
8-13 eggs/clutch
6‑12 in.
1‑2 oz.
The three-toed box turtle gets its name from its back feet, which have only (you guessed it) three toes.
South-central U.S. in marshes, grasses, and wetlands near shallow water
Vulnerable
Omnivore - Insects, plant matter, carrion, various small animals
Diurnal
30‑50 years on average
3-8 eggs/clutch
4.5 to 6 inches on average
1‑2 pounds
California kingsnakes are highly variable in color and appearance, but the most common “morph” is black-and-white banded.
California and neighboring states, from southern Oregon to northern Mexico
Least Concern
Carnivore - Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and eggs
Crepuscular
10‑15 years on average
3-24 eggs/clutch
2.5‑3.5 ft on average
Up to 3.3 pounds
Tarantulas may appear scary at first glance, but never fear! The venom from these large arachnids won’t harm people.
Central Pacific coast of Mexico - Arid habitats such as desert, scrubland, and dry forests