Asian animals include mammals such as the giant panda, tiger, Asiatic lion, snow leopard, orangutan and proboscis monkey; reptiles such as the saltwater crocodile, Indian cobra and Komodo dragon, and birds such as the great hornbill, painted stork and peacock.
On this page is a list of famous (and not-so-famous) Asian animals, with pictures and interesting facts on each species.
Humans did not live with dinosaurs; many millions of years separate the last (non-avian) dinosaurs and the first humans. Dinosaurs first appeared in the Triassic Period of the Mesozoic Era, and became extinct 66 million years ago. The first modern humans (Homo sapiens) appeared around 315,000 years ago; at least 65 million years after the last dinosaurs.
Read on for interesting facts on dinosaurs and humans (and why they never crossed paths)…
Sharks are not mammals; sharks are fish. Sharks lack mammalian characteristics such as hair and lungs, and do not produce milk. Being fish, sharks have scales and fins, and breathe using gills. Sharks belong to the class Chondrichthyes, whereas mammals belong to the class Mammalia.
Although sharks do share some physical characteristics with mammals (especially marine mammals such as whales and dolphins), they are very different types of animal.
On this page you’ll discover why sharks are fish rather than mammals, and learn some amazing facts about both groups of animals along the way…
Birds are not mammals; birds belong to the class Aves and are more closely related to reptiles than to mammals. Mammals belong to the class Mammalia. Birds are the only living animals to have feathers, whereas mammals are the only animals to have hair.
All living birds are directly descended from dinosaurs; a bird is far more closely related to an alligator than it is to a bat or any other mammal!
Although both birds and mammals do share a common ancestor, the ancestors of birds split from the ancestors of mammals over three hundred million years ago.
With such a vast amount of time (and evolution) separating birds and mammals, the answer to the question “Is a bird a mammal?” is definitely “no!”.
To fully understand why a bird is not a mammal, we need to take a closer look at both groups of animals…
Animals that start with X include: mammals such as Xanthippe’s shrew and the xolo (a breed of dog); the reptile Xantus’ leaf-toed gecko (a species of lizard); fish such as the X-ray tetra and xestus sabretooth blenny; and birds such as Xantus’ Hummingbird and the xeme. On this page are pictures and facts on these …
Insects are animals. Like all animals, insects are multicellular organisms that respire using oxygen, reproduce sexually, eat and move. Insects belong to the animal class Insecta, which, with around one million living species, is by far the biggest class within the animal kingdom. Insects make up at least two-thirds–and likely a much larger proportion–of all known living animal species.
On this page you’ll find a simple, fact-filled guide to insects and why they are considered to be animals…
List of endangered animals with pictures and facts, plus links to further information. Test YOUR knowledge of endangered animals with two FREE printable worksheets.
Critically endangered species list 2022 with pictures and facts. Discover the world’s most endangered species and test your knowledge with a FREE printable worksheet.
Information, pictures and facts on every living penguin species.
Well-known types of penguin include the emperor penguin (the world’s largest penguin) and its close cousin the king penguin; the macaroni penguin (the world’s most common penguin); the chinstrap penguin (the most common penguin species in Antarctica); the little penguin (the smallest penguin); the African penguin (a species found on the coasts of Southern Africa); and the Galápagos penguin, which is found further north than any other type of penguin.
On this page is a list of all living penguin species, with pictures and facts on each. Test your penguin knowledge with a FREE printable penguin worksheet!
Examples of black and white animals include mammals such as zebras, pandas and killer whales / orcas; birds such as magpies and penguins; and insects such as the banded alder borer beetle and zebra swallowtail butterfly.
Pictures and facts on these and many other amazing black and white species can be found in the list below.
A turtle is a reptile. Turtles belong to the order Testudines, which is one of four groups of living reptiles. Turtles possess the typical characteristics of reptiles, being cold-blooded, egg-laying, scaly-skinned vertebrate animals that breathe air with lungs.
The answer to the question “Is a turtle a reptile?” is “yes”, but in order to fully understand why turtles are reptiles – and the differences between turtles and other reptiles – we need to explore the reptile family tree…