Open the map to discover the amazing animals that share our world.

POLAR BEAR

ATLANTIC PUFFIN

WILD BOAR

HIPPOPOTAMUS

LION

PANTHER CHAMELEON

Equator

Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Capricorn

NILE CROCODILE

BACTRIAN CAMEL

BORNEAN ORANGUTAN

GIANT PANDA

DUGONG

RED KANGAROO SOUTHERN CASSOWARY

THORNY DEVIL

LEAFY SEADRAGON

GROUPING ANIMALS CHANGING WORLDScientists classify animals based on what they look like, how they live, and how they are related to others. All animals are part of the biological kingdom called Animalia. They are then divided in various ways. Some animals have a backbone — they are vertebrates, while invertebrates have no backbone.

Animal species don’t stay the same, but gradually change over time to meet new challenges and become better suited to the conditions in which they live. This process is known as evolution.

VERTEBRATES

UNDER THREAT PROTECTING OUR PLANET

INVERTEBRATES

FIT FOR PURPOSESome vertebrates are warm-blooded (can control their own body temperature); others are cold-blooded (change temperature with their environment). Vertebrates include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Group names such as ‘mammal’ or ‘bird’ are given to animals that share basic features and developed from the same ancestors.

Sudden changes to an environment may cause a species to become extinct (die out) if it can’t adapt quickly enough. Five times in the past, conditions have changed so dramatically that many species of plants and animals died out at the same time. These mass extinction events changed the path of evolution. The most recent was 66 million years ago. It killed the dinosaurs and enabled the rise of mammals, including us.

The sixth mass extinction event has already started, caused by humans. To prevent it, we must stop harming the natural environment. This means moving away from burning fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, that release gases that trap heat near the Earth, making the world hotter. We must also stop using plastics, which can be harmful to animals if swallowed, and stay in the environment for thousands of years.

The invertebrate group is made up of many species, both on land and in water, including insects, spiders, crustaceans, worms, molluscs (like snails and slugs) and echinoderms (such as sea stars).

Life is tough. Animals constantly struggle against each other for

living space, food, to stay alive and to find a mate. They compete with

different species and members of their own species. Only those best adapted to the conditions

will survive to breed, passing on their characteristics to the next

generation. Over time, new species emerge, as animals evolve to suit

the types of food available, the climate, the landscape, and to escape predators or trap prey.Arthropods are a group of

invertebrates with a hard, jointed exoskeleton (outer covering).

Sometimes, very different animals evolve in similar ways. This is called convergent evolution. Birds and bats both fly, but they developed flight separately.

Mammals have body hair, most give birth to live young, and all

make milk for their young.

Birds have a beak, wings and feathers, and lay eggs.

Although they all have wings, they don’t all fly.

Reptiles are cold-blooded, and have dry, scaly skin.

Most lay eggs.

Amphibians have wet skin. They are cold-blooded and lay eggs that must stay wet. Usually, the young are larvae with gills for breathing underwater, but change into an air-breathing adult form.

Fish live in the water and have gills and scaly skin.

They can lay eggs or give birth to

live young.

WALRUS

THE SNOW FOREST LIFE AT THE TOPWinter in the taiga is dark and cold — and can last up to nine months. Parts of Canada see 13 m (43 ft) of snow a year, so it’s no wonder the taiga is also called ‘snow forest’. The animals that live here are adapted to deal with the extreme cold and deep snow.

To live at the top of a mountain, where vegetation is sparse and the weather extreme, animals must be hardy and resourceful.

Central Canada

BEAR NECESSITIES

CAREFUL HOARDER

KEYSTONE PREDATOR

MASTER BUILDER

NATIONAL SYMBOL

GREAT MIGRATIONS

SWAMP LIFE

THE GREAT ADAPTOR

The Rocky Mountains

The Great Lakes

Brackendale, Canada

Mexico

The EvergladesBrown bears are the most widely distributed bear in the world. They live in Europe, Russia, and China as well as North America. In the taiga they eat roots, nuts, berries, insects, small rodents and fish. In fact, they will eat almost anything — which means they can live in many habitats.

A small ball-of-fluff rodent, the pika spends the summer darting around the upper slopes of the Rockies collecting a store of plants for winter. Some of the plants it gathers are poisonous, but the toxins slowly break down over winter, so the pika can safely eat the plants when other food is scarce.

Wolves were hunted almost to extinction through most of the USA, as farmers saw them as a threat to their livestock. They were wiped out in Yellowstone National Park in the 1920s, but reintroduced in 1995. They are a keystone predator, which means they restrict populations of prey animals, such as deer and elk. The wolves benefit the park’s ecosystem by preventing these animals overgrazing the vegetation.

Beavers, which live in ponds, lakes and rivers across North America, dramatically shape their environments. They use branches to construct dams which provide them with both easy access to food and a safe environment in which to build their homes, known as lodges.

The national bird of the USA, the bald eagle is a large bird of prey found throughout much of North America. It lives near water, including oceans, rivers and lakes. Here it hunts fish and water birds, spotting prey with eyesight four times sharper than that of a human.

Every autumn, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies fly south from the USA and Canada. They arrive in Mexico’s forests after a journey of up to two months and 4800 km (2980 mi). Masses of their tiny, fragile bodies weigh down the branches of the trees (left), and their wings sound like the patter of rain.

The American alligator prowls the swamps of the Everglades. This giant reptile is one of the area’s top predators. Its varied diet includes fish, frogs, birds and mammals, which it hunts both in the water and at its edge. It ambushes larger creatures that come to drink, dragging them underwater to drown.

The great horned owl is an extremely adaptable

bird, thriving everywhere from tropical rainforest to Arctic

tundra. Its colouring varies to suit the area where it lives. The owls feed on small

rodents, such as mice and voles, swooping down and grabbing them with their long, sharp claws.

Brown bears often catch

salmon, snapping them from the water

with their jaws.

The owl’s ‘horns’ are actually tufts

of hair,

called ‘plumicorns’,

which it probably uses fo

r signallin

g to other o

wls.

A pika gathers plants for its larder. Pikas don’t hibernate, but dig tunnels through the snow so they can continue to forage for food in winter.

Beaver lodges may look like messy piles of sticks, but they are carefully constructed.

Bald eagles build the biggest single tree nests of any species – up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) wide and 4 m (13 ft) deep.

Monarch butterflies can travel up to 160 km (100 mi a day).

Alligators can lie almost completely hidden, just below the surface, waiting for prey to attack.

The brown bear sleeps during the coldest part of winter, building a den in a cave, a hollow log or underground. It emerges again when the weather warms.

BROWN BEARUrsus arctosLENGTH: Up to 2.8 m (9.2 ft)DIET: Plants, animals, fishSTATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Tundra, forest (taiga & temperate), grasslands

GREAT HORNED OWLBubo virginianusWINGSPAN: Up to 1.4 m (4.6 ft)DIET: Mainly small mammalsSTATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Arctic, forest (taiga, temperate & tropical), grasslands, desert

AMERICAN PIKAOchotona princepsLENGTH: Up to 22 cm (8.6 in)DIET: Plants STATUS: Least concernHABITAT: Alpine tundra

AMERICAN BEAVERCastor canadensisLENGTH: Up to 1.2 m (4 ft)DIET: Plants, mainly barkSTATUS: Least concernHABITATS: River, ponds and streams in forests (temperate & taiga) and wetlands

BALD EAGLEHaliaeetus leucocephalusWINGSPAN: Up to 2.3 m (7.5 ft)DIET: Small mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibiansSTATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Taiga, temperate forest

MONARCH BUTTEFRLYDanaus plexippusWINGSPAN: Up to 1O cm (4 in)DIET: NectarSTATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Forests (tropical and temperate), grasslands

AMERICAN ALLIGATORAlligator mississippiensis

LENGTH: Up to 4.6 m (15 ft)DIET: Fish, birds, mammals

STATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Wetlands,

including rivers and lakes

GREY WOLFCanis lupusLENGTH: Up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft)DIET: Meat, mainly medium to large hoofed mammalsSTATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Tundra, forest (taiga & temperate), grasslands, desert

North American range

North American range

North American range

North American range

North American range

North American range

North American range

North American range

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ACTUAL SIZE BEAR CLAW!

Wolves live in various habitats, including mountains.

THE FROZEN NORTH WINTER FOREST DEEP IN THE WOODSEverywhere within the Arctic Circle in the far north, there is at least one day a year when the sun is always above the horizon (in summer) and at least one when it never rises (in winter). Most of Greenland, and parts of Norway, Finland and Sweden are inside the Arctic Circle, as well as northern parts of Canada and Russia.

The taiga stretches right across northern Europe and Asia, from Finland to the Pacific coast of Russia. In mid-winter, the temperature falls to −25 °C (−13 °F) and sometimes even lower.

South of the taiga, much of Europe’s mid section is covered in temperate forests of conifers and broad-leaved trees. Birds, squirrels and bats make their homes in the trees. Thick undergrowth provides cover for small ground-dwelling animals, and a deep layer of leaf-litter is alive with arthropods, worms, molluscs and other tiny creatures.

Svalbard, Norway Bergslagen, Sweden Białowieża Forest, Poland

UNDER THE ICE

ROOTING AROUND

WORKING TOGETHERDOWN IN THE DAMP

GIANT LONERS

TINY HUNTERS

IN THE SNOW

ON THE ICE

The streamlined ringed seal is well adapted to its life in the Arctic.

A thick layer of blubber insulates it against the cold. The adults

are solitary animals, only coming together during the

breeding season. Females give birth to a single pup.

The ancestors of domestic pigs, wild boar have a coat of wiry fur, and a very large, solid head with a snout adapted to rooting in the ground. They use their head like a plough, digging up tubers by forcing their snout through the earth.

The honey bee visits flowers of many types in meadows, heath, grassland and woodlands . The honey bee and the flowers have evolved together. While collecting nectar and pollen for its own use, the bee transfers pollen between flowers, fertilizing them so that they can grow seeds.

Newts are amphibians that live in damp places and breed in lakes and pools. The female lays around 250

eggs in batches during a year, which hatch into tadpoles.

These metamorphose, slowly growing legs and changing from breathing through gills underwater to breathing through lungs in air.

Eurasian elk (known as moose in North America) are the largest members of the deer family. Unlike most other deer, they live alone and rarely form herds. The males

have huge, branching antlers that weigh up to 30 kg (66 lb) and can be 2 m (6.5 ft) across. They use these to push against other males as they fight over females.

Also known as a stoat, the short-tailed weasel changes

its colour with the seasons, like some other Arctic animals.

In winter its coat is white, keeping it hidden against

the snow.

The snowy owl lives and breeds in the Arctic tundra, sometimes coming a little further south in winter. Its plumage is good camouflage and

the thick feathers on its legs provide insulation in the cold. It’s a savagely

protective parent, and it will defend its chicks even

against wolves.

Polar bears are the largest land-based carnivores. Their fur helps them blend in against the snow and

ice, and the hairs of their coat are hollow, insulating them in the freezing weather. Female bears dig dens

beneath the snow where they overwinter, giving birth to their cubs.

POLAR BEARUrsus maritimusLENGTH: Up to 3 m (9.8 ft)DIET: Seals, fish, baby whales, carrionSTATUS: VulnerableHABITATS: Arctic tundra, oceans

SNOWY OWLBubo scandiacusWINGSPAN: Up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft)DIET: LemmingsSTATUS: VulnerableHABITAT: Tundra

RINGED SEALPhoca hispida

LENGTH: Up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) DIET: Fish, small

invertebratesSTATUS: Least concern

HABITATS: Arctic tundra, sea ice, oceans

EURASIAN ELKAlces alces

LENGTH: Up to 3.1 m (10 ft)DIET: Leaves, stems,

roots, aquatic plantsSTATUS: Least concern

HABITAT: Forest

WILD BOARSus scrofa

LENGTH: Up to 2 m (6.6 ft)DIET: Fruit, leaves, tubers,

roots, carrion, small mammals and reptiles STATUS: Least concern

HABITATS: Forest, temperates grasslands

EURASIAN LYNXLynx lynx

LENGTH: Up to 1.3 m (4.2 ft)DIET: Small and medium-

sized mammals, birdsSTATUS: Least concern

HABITATS: Tundra, forest, woodland

CARPATHIAN NEWTLissotriton montandoniLENGTH: Up to 10 cm (4 in)DIET: Small crustaceans, insects, slugs, spiders STATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Freshwater in woodland and meadows

SHORT-TAILED WEASEL Mustela ermine

LENGTH: Up to 46 cm (18 in)DIET: Rodents, reptiles, birds, eggs,

amphibians, earthwormsSTATUS: Least concern

HABITATS: Forest, tundra

GOLDEN EAGLEAquila chrysaetos

WINGSPAN: Up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft)DIET: Small to medium-sized mammals and birds, carrion

STATUS: Least concern HABITATS: Rocky outcrops, moorland, edge of forests,

mountainous country up to 3600 m (12,000 ft)

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PADDING SOFTLY

SOARING ABOVE THE TUNDRA

Carpathian Mountains

The Alps, France

Half of Europe’s large carnivores — bears, lynx and wolves — live in the forests of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains . The lynx is a stealthy hunter and can take down animals three times its own size.

Golden eagles build huge nests, up to 3 m (10 ft) across, in trees and on high, rocky outcrops. Each bird has a range of 200 sq km (77 sq mi) in which it soars high above the ground, searching for small mammals such as hares and ground squirrels. It catches its

prey with its sharp talons, which can be up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long.

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Polar bear

Snowy owl

Ringed seal

Golden eagle

Eurasian elk

Short-tailed weasel

Honey bee

Wild boar

Eurasian lynx

Carpathiannewt

European range European range

European range

Astonishingly, elk lose their massive antlers every winter and regrow them in summer.

Carpathian newts can often be found on the forest floor, hiding under logs and leaves.

Boars are one of the widest-ranging large mammals, found in many parts of the world.

This is how we see a flower. Lift the flap to see how the bee sees it.

Bears wait by a hole in the sea ice for a

seal to come up for air, so they can drag

it from the water.

ACTUAL SIZE EAGLE CLAW!

The Sahara is a vast desert stretching across northern Africa. It has environments ranging from rolling sand dunes through bare rocky mountains to sparse grasslands. The deathstalker scorpion can live in even the hottest, driest parts of the desert.

The coast around the volcanic Comoro Islands has many deep-

sea caves where marine animals can hide. Among those lurking there are

the coelacanth, which hides by day and hunts at night.

Mangrove forest grows where the river meets the sea. To cope with changing water levels, trees have thin roots that lift them off the ground like stilts. Mangrove forest provides an environment for many animals, including mudskippers.

Although much of Botswana is taken up by the Kalahari desert, it also has great swathes of grassland. The largest concentrations of African elephant live here, clustering in the wettest areas as they need lots of water.

Dry savannah covers more than a third of South Africa. Grasses are the main plants, but

there are also a few trees and shrubs in areas that receive enough rainfall. Birds such as the

sociable weaver bird build their nests in taller trees —

and on telegraph poles.

SAHARAHot desert

COMORO ISLANDS

Ocean

ZAMBEZI DELTA Mangroves

BOTSWANA Tropical grasslands

KALAHARI, SOUTH AFRICA

Tropical grasslands/desert

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AFRICAN ELEPHANT

MUSDKIPPER

SOCIABLE WEAVER BIRD

DEATHSTALKER SCORPION

COELACANTH9

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special onesAfrica is a vast continent with many unique environments, some of which provide a home to species found nowhere else on Earth. But, as in many areas, much of this wildlife is under increasing threat from poaching and habitat destruction.

GEOMETRIC TORTOISEPsammobates geometricusLENGTH: Up to 12 cm (4.7 in) DIET: Grass, herbs, small succulents, shrubsSTATUS: Critically endangeredHABITATS: Coastal lowland, fynbos scrub

COELACANTHLatimeria chalumnaeLENGTH: Up to 2 m (6.5 ft)DIET: Fish, squidSTATUS: Critically endangeredHABITATS: Underwater caverns, reefs and volcanic slopes at depths of 150–700 m (490–2300 ft)

SOCIABLE WEAVER BIRD Philetairus socius

LENGTH: Up to 14 cm (5.5 in)DIET: Insects, seeds

STATUS: Least concernHABITATS: Dry savannah,

desert with scattered trees

SHELL SHOCK

ANCIENT ANCESTORS

FAMILY LIFE

South African fynbos

Comoro Islands

Kalahari desert

The geometric tortoise is found only in the fynbos of South Africa. Its high, domed shell is patterned with striking geometric markings in yellow and black. The female lays one or more small clutches of eggs in spring or early summer. Typically,

these hatch after the first winter rains when plants begin

to grow. The coelacanth is a type of fish that was thought to be extinct until 1938. With strange limb-like fins, the coelacanth is related to the creatures that first left the sea and evolved into land-going tetrapods (animals with four feet) 375 million years ago.

Sociable weaver birds build giant communal nests which can be more than 6 m (20 ft) wide and 3 m (10 ft) tall. Generations of birds build and use them over 100 years or more, adding new compartments for each couple. Every bird has its own entrance at the bottom of the nest, which is edged with downward-pointing spiky straws to keep snakes out.5

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WHO’S WHO: Jane Goodall

Beginning in the 1960s, the British scientist Jane Goodall (b. 1934) spent several decades studying chimpanzees in Tanzania. She made many important breakthroughs, such as discovering that chimps use tools – using twigs to fish termites out of nests.

A geometric tortoise feasts on fynbos flowers.

HABITAT KEY:

Tropical Forest

Chaparral

Tropical Grasslands

Tropical Wetlands

Mangroves

Desert

Rivers & Lakes

Mountains

A tree groans under the weight of a sociable weaver

bird nest.

Afric

an ra

nge

African range

African range