Welcome to the Active Wild Online Zoo, a virtual zoo for kids (& adults). Discover amazing animals from all over the world without leaving your home!
- View incredible animal pictures and videos;
- Discover amazing animals from all over the world;
- Talk about each species with other animal fans in the comments section on every page;
- Share the incredible species you’ve discovered with your friends on social media: you’ll find share buttons on every page!
- New animals added regularly – be sure to visit often to see the new arrivals!
- Download FREE printable worksheets for use with the Online Zoo here: Free Printable Worksheets.
- You can learn more about the animal kingdom here: Animals: The Ultimate Guide.
Online Zoo Quick Search
Click on the pictures below to see all of the animals in that group, or scroll down to browse all of the animals in the zoo.
Click on the photos to learn more about the animals!
Amphibians
Birds
Fish
Invertebrates
Mammals
Carnivora
Bears
Cats
Dogs
Pinnipeds (seals, sea lions & walruses)
Cetaceans (whales, dolphins & porpoises)
Ungulates (hoofed mammals)
Elephants
Marsupials
Monotremes
Primates
Rodents
Online Zoo Reptiles
Crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators & gharials)
Sea Turtles
Snakes
Online Zoo: A Virtual Zoo For Animal Fans All Around The World
Click on the pictures to discover more about any of the animals in the virtual zoo; you’ll find facts, pictures, information and videos!
Amphibians
Amphibians are animals that begin life in water, then move onto land when they mature. In order for amphibians to make this lifestyle change, their bodies undergo a transformation known as ‘metamorphosis’.
During metamorphosis, amphibians switch from breathing with gills to breathing with lungs. There are exceptions: some amphibians never lose their gills and live their whole lives in the water.
Axolotl – an amphibian that doesn’t grow up!
The fire salamander’s bright colours warn potential predators that it is poisonous.
Red eyed tree frog – a well-known rainforest frog.
The Golden Poison Frog is one of the world’s most poisonous animals!
Online Zoo Amphibian Links
Birds
- Download a free printable birds worksheet here.
Scientists now believe that birds are the living descendants of dinosaurs. Birds have wings and feathers, and hatch from eggs.
Birds are found on every continent on Earth. The smallest bird is the bee hummingbird, the largest is the ostrich.
Most birds can fly, but some, such as ostriches and penguins, have lost this ability.
Adélie Penguin: lives and breeds on Antarctica
African Grey Parrot: a highly intelligent bird.
Common ostrich: the world’s largest and heaviest bird
Harpy Eagle – the largest bird of prey in the Americas.
Emperor Penguin: the world’s biggest species of penguin.
Southern Cassowary: an amazing flightless bird from Australia
Online Zoo Bird Links
Fish
Fish are aquatic animals with organs called gills that allow them to breathe underwater. Fish are streamlined, and have fins to propel them through the water. There are two main types of fish: cartilaginous and bony fish.
The skeletons of cartilaginous fish are made of a substance called cartilage, which is more flexible than bone. Sharks, rays and skates are all cartilaginous fish.
Bony fish such as cod have skeletons that are made of bone. There are more species of bony fish than any other type of vertebrate. (A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone).
The electric eel has the extraordinary ability to generate potentially dangerous amounts of electricity!
Great white shark: one of the most feared ocean predators.
The Ocellaris clownfish lives in a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones.
Tiger Shark: every bit as dangerous as the great white shark!
Online Zoo Fish Links
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals that don’t have a backbone. Animals such as insects, crustaceans (e.g. crabs and lobsters), arachnids (e.g. spiders and mites), snails and worms are all invertebrates.
In fact, over 95% of all animals are invertebrates!
Bullet Ant: its bite is the most painful of all insect bites and stings!
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing: The world’s largest butterfly!
Redback Spider: can deliver a potentially deadly bite!
Mexican Redknee Tarantula: often used in horror films!
Online Zoo Invertebrate Links
Mammals
Mammals evolved from reptiles around 195 million years ago. Characteristics shared by all mammals include: being warm-blooded; feeding their young with milk produced by the mother; and having hair.
Most mammals (but not all, as we’ll discover with the monotremes) give birth to live young.
There are many different types of mammal. In this online zoo they have been separated into a number of groups. We start with the Carnivora …
Carnivora
- Download a free printable Carnivora worksheet here.
Members of the Carnivora order* are mammals that all stem from a common, meat-eating ancestor. They all have a certain type of tooth, which evolved to cut through meat.
* An order is a big group of related animals that can contain many different animal families and species.
Members of the Carnivora order are called Carnivorans. They are also known as ‘carnivores’, but this word can also apply to any meat-eating animal.
Remember, not all carnivores (meat-eaters) are carnivorans (members of the carnivore order)!
Carnivora is split into two smaller groups, or suborders, called feliforms and caniforms.
Feilforms are ‘cat-like’ carnivorans. As well as cats, this group includes animals such as hyenas and mongooses.
Caniforms are ‘dog-like’ carnivorans. This group includes dogs, and animals such as bears and seals.
Carnivora: Bears
Bears are large, powerful animals that are found in many habitats around the world. Most are omnivores, eating anything from nuts and berries to meat. The polar bear is the only bear that is almost entirely carnivorous. By contrast, the giant panda is almost entirely herbivorous.
Giant Panda: a bear whose diet consists almost entirely of plants
Grizzly Bear: a subspecies of brown bear found in North America
Polar Bear: a fearsome Arctic hunter
Online Zoo Bear Links
Carnivora: Cats
Cats are expert predators. They are fast and agile, and have excellent senses of sight and hearing. All cats are almost entirely carnivorous, and most of the ‘big cats’ sit at the very top of the food chain.
Cheetah: the world’s fastest land animal.
Clouded leopard: mysterious jungle cat.
Jaguar: a strong and stealthy rainforest predator
Leopard: a strikingly beautiful big cat.
Lion: one of the best-known of all animals
Tiger: the biggest member of the cat family. These stunning animals are endangered, and desperately need our help.
Online Zoo Cat Links
Carnivora: Dogs
Members of the dog family Canidae, which includes wolves, foxes and jackals, are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Highly intelligent, with acute senses of smell and hearing, dogs are excellent predators. Some, such as wolves, live in packs, and hunt cooperatively.
African Hunting Dog (African Wild Dog)
African Wild Dog: a ferocious pack animal
Coyote: the wolf’s smaller cousin
Eurasian Wolf: a European subspecies of gray wolf.
Online Zoo Dog Links
Carnivora: Pinnipeds
Pinnipeds are mammals that have special adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle. They have flippers and streamlined bodies for swimming, and are slow and clumsy on land.
Leopard seal: named on behalf of its leopard-like black spots.
Southern Elephant Seal: the world’s largest carnivoran.
Walrus: the only species in the Odobenidae family.
Online Zoo Pinniped Links
Cetacea: Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises
Cetaceans are members of a group of mammals that have evolved to live in the water. Although fish-like in appearance, cetaceans are warm-blooded, give birth to live young, and breathe air.
Cetaceans evolved from even-toed ungulates: the group of hooved mammals that includes pigs and hippopotamuses.
Blue Whale: the world’s biggest animal.
Orca: apex predator of the seas.
Online Zoo Cetacean Links
Ungulates (Hoofed Animals)
Ungulates are mammals that have hoofs, and are therefore also known as ‘hoofed animals’. There are two main types of ungulate:
Even-toed ungulates bear their weight on their third and fourth toes. This group contains animals such as pigs, hippopotamuses and deer.
Odd-toed ungulates bear their weight on their third toes, or have an odd number of toes. Animals in this group include horses, tapirs and rhinoceroses.
Other types of ungulate include the Tubulidentata (aardvarks), and Sirenia (dugongs and manatees).
Aardvark: an expert at digging.
Hippopotamus: the world’s third largest type of animal.
Zebra: a distinctive African herd animal
Online Zoo Ungulate Links
Elephants
Elephants are large, powerful mammals with trunks, tusks, and thick grey skin. The African bush elephant is the largest land animal in the world.
We used to think that there were two species of elephant: the African elephant and the Asian elephant. Scientists now think that the African elephant can be divided into two species (African bush elephant and African forest elephant), taking the total number of elephant species to three.
African Bush Elephant: one of two species of African elephant.
Indian Elephant: an Asian elephant subspecies
Online Zoo Elephant Links
Mammals: Marsupials
- Download a free printable Marsupials & Monotremes worksheet here.
Marsupials are also known as ‘pouched mammals’. When born, their young are undeveloped, and continue to grow in a special pouch in their mother’s body. Most of the world’s marsupials live in Australia, although some are found in the Americas.
Koala: this furry marsupial is asleep for much of the time.
Tasmanian devil: has the strongest bite (for its weight) of any animal!
Red Kangaroo: the biggest species of kangaroo.
Wombat: a burrowing marsupial from Australia
Online Zoo Marsupial Links
Mammals: Monotremes
- Download a free printable Marsupials & Monotremes worksheet here.
Monotremes are probably the strangest mammals in the online zoo! What makes them different to other mammals is that they lay eggs, rather than giving birth.
There are only five species of monotreme alive today: four of these are echidnas and the other is the platypus.
Echidna
Platypus: looks like a mixture of other animals.
Online Zoo Monotreme Links
Mammals: Primates
Primates are mammals whose ancestors lived in trees. Primates have forward-facing eyes to judge distances, flexible limbs for climbing, and hands (and sometimes feet) that can hold onto objects.
If you look in a mirror, you’ll see a primate! Humans are members of a group of primates called the great apes. Other types of primate include monkeys, gibbons, and lemurs.
Bonobo: closely related to the chimpanzee, and to humans!
Common chimpanzee: with the bonobo, the most intelligent primate.
Howler Monkey
Mountain Gorilla: an endangered African primate.
Online Zoo Primate Links
Mammals: Rodents
There are around 2,000 species of rodent, and together they make up around 40% of all mammals. Most rodents are small animals with long tails. All have long incisor teeth that never stop growing. This allows the rodent to gnaw on tough plants with no danger of their teeth wearing down.
Capybara: the world’s biggest rodent.
North American Beaver
Online Zoo Rodent Links
Reptiles
Most reptiles are four-legged, cold-blooded, egg-laying animals, although there are many variations. Snakes, for example don’t have any limbs, but evolved from animals with four legs.
Some reptiles – most vipers, for example – give birth to live young.
- Download a free printable Reptiles worksheet here.
Crocodilians
Crocodilia is a group of carnivorous reptiles that includes the crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials.
Crocodilians are more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles such as lizards.
Caiman
Gharial: a critically endangered Indian reptile.
Nile Crocodile: Africa’s largest reptile.
Saltwater Crocodile: the world’s biggest reptile.
Online Zoo Crocodilian Links
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are reptiles that are adapted to a marine lifestyle. After hatching from eggs laid on the beach, they make their way to the sea. The males will never set foot (or flipper) on dry land again.
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle: its mass emergences from the sea are a famous natural spectacle.
Online Zoo Sea Turtle Links
Snakes
Snakes are reptiles with scales, and long slender bodies. Snakes don’t have limbs, and move by bending and flexing their bodies in a number of ways.
There are over 3,000 species of snake, the longest being the reticulated python, and the heaviest being the green anaconda.
Boa Constrictor: rainforest predator and popular pet.
Green Anaconda: the world’s heaviest snake.
Online Zoo Snake Links
Active Wild Online Zoo
We hope that you’ve enjoyed your visit to the online zoo. Be sure to tell your friends, and share on social media using the share buttons at the top of the page!
You can learn more about the animal kingdom here: Animals: The Ultimate Guide.
What’s your favorite animal? If it’s not already in the online zoo, we’ll try to include it!
Let us know below!
The Active Wild Team
I like clownfish 🙂 I don’t like spiders 😈
Clownfish are great but we think spiders are awesome too!
i really love cats like lions but really once you get to know there soft side there like house cats…
Hi Gracey,
Thank you for your comment. You’re right, big cats are similar to domestic cats in many ways. I wouldn’t want a pet lion though!
i like seals and sea lions,but i HATE sharks