Beautiful pictures of animals. Photos of animals in their natural environment. Beautiful photos of animals. Animals of North America
We present you the brightest and most impressive photos of wildlife from around the world, which won the international photo contests of the outgoing year. Let's take a look at these wonderful works together!
1. A female crocodile was photographed in India with several cubs balancing on her head.
2. Photo “Flight trajectory”. The owl hunts at night in the forests of British Columbia.
3. Fox while hunting for a mouse in the reserve Wyoming, Canada.
4. American photographer Paul Suders waited a long time for a polar bear to dive into the water off the coast of Canada.
5. In a nature reserve in the Seychelles, the size of a red-legged golden spider reaches the size of a human hand. And even birds get into their webs.
6. A female jaguar attacks a male in the Brazilian jungle.
7. Endangered green turtle, photographed off the Yucatan beach in Mexico.
8. Dutch photographer Jasper Doest captured a Japanese macaque jumping on a rock.
10. A family of gorillas in the reserve of Rwanda.
11. Zebras in Addo Park, South Africa.
Source 12 Pigs in the Bahamas who aren't afraid to swim up to tourist boats in the hope of getting a treat.
13. Macro portrait of a dragonfly.
14. Elephants in the reserve of Botswana.
15. The elephant teaches the baby how to use the trunk.
The whole living world can be divided into plants and animals. How are animals different from plants? It seemed like a very simple question. Animals are able to move, they are also not able to synthesize nutrients from inorganic compounds. Animals eat organic matter, or plants, or other animals.
The animal world is very diverse. From simple unicellular organisms to huge organisms with complex nervous systems. According to various estimates, there are from 1.5 to 2 million species of various animals on the planet. Most of all insects - the variety of their species is huge!
Animals of different continents are very diverse. On this page you will find photos of animals from all continents, as well as photos of marine animals.
Photos of African animals
The fauna of Africa itself is very diverse, as Africa is made up of very different regions. Deserts, savannahs and equatorial forests are inhabited by completely different groups of animals. You can see this by looking at the photos of African animals below.
Deserts are located in the north and south of the mainland. In the deserts of northern Africa, approximately the same animals live as in the deserts of Asia. The species of animals living in the deserts of southern Africa are very different from the inhabitants of the northern deserts. There are many endemics, and many species of turtles also live here.
The main diversity of Africa's megafauna lives in the savannas. African elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, zebras, lions, cheetahs and other large animals live here.
The African elephant is the largest land animal. Its distinguishing features are its trunk and large ears.
African elephant.
The tallest animal on our planet is the giraffe. Its height can reach 6 meters.
The famous inhabitants of the savannas are zebras. They are similar in shape to horses, but they have a striped color. Black and white stripes cover the body of zebras from the tip of the muzzle to the tail.
The largest birds on our planet are African ostriches. The height of an ostrich with a protruding neck can be two and a half meters.
One of the largest land animals is the rhinoceros. Only elephants are larger than rhinos.
In third place in terms of body size, among terrestrial animals, is the hippopotamus. He was also called a free horse, although he looks a little like horses.
Equatorial forests are not rich in terrestrial fauna. Okapi, gorillas, pygmy hippopotamus live here. In these forests there are a large number of birds.
Animals of Australia
The fauna of Australia is unique and different from the fauna of the rest of the planet, this becomes clear if you look at the photos of Australian animals. There are marsupials, no ruminants and no monkeys.
One of the most amazing animals of Australia, as well as one of its symbols, is the kangaroo. An amazing creature, seemingly assembled from parts of other animals.
The koala looks like a living teddy bear.
Another cute creature of Australia is the wombat. This animal is able to dig huge holes thanks to its huge claws.
Another amazing creation of Australia, apparently assembled from parts of other animals. A mixture of duck and beaver feels great in freshwater.
Photo of a platypus.
Cubs of marsupials are born quite crumbs - about 1.5 centimeters. They are not capable of independent life, move into the mother's bag and grow up there eating milk.
In Australia, there is a large emu bird, similar to the African ostrich. Read the description and see the photo of the emu.
Animals of North America
North America is a large continent, it is located in almost all climatic zones. This factor makes the fauna inhabiting this continent diverse.
In the north of the mainland, in the tundra, polar bears, reindeer, polar wolves and hares live. Musk oxen live on the Arctic coast.
To the south of the tunna there are taiga expanses. The fauna of these places is much more interesting. Elk is found everywhere in the taiga, there are many fur-bearing animals: merchant, mink, weasel. Skunk and otter live. Predators are represented by grizzly bears and black bears, wolverines, wolves, Canadian lynxes. Rodents are represented by such species: muskrat, musk rat and Canadian beaver. The large rodent porcupine belongs to the porcupines, it is also called the North American porcupine.
In mixed and broad-leaved forests, one can meet the virgin deer, and many small animals (squirrels, hamsters, marmots).
For example, omnivorous raccoons are very widespread in North and Central America. Very cute animals, smart and curious.
In the mountainous western regions, the cougar lives - a large predatory cat. A small population of cougars has survived in the eastern United States, in the state of Florida, but in the rest of the eastern lands the cougar has been exterminated. The cougar is also widespread in South America.
Southeast North America is different from the rest of the mainland. Here you can meet alligators and turtles. A unique representative of the fauna of this region is the bullfrog, whose length can reach up to 20 cm.
A large area of North America is covered by plains. Previously, they were inhabited by huge herds of bison, now the population of these animals has significantly decreased due to active fishing. The steppes are also inhabited by pronghorn antelope, coyote, steppe goats and rams.
Animals of South America
The fauna of South America is very rich and diverse. The climatic zones of this continent are also heterogeneous, and this leads to an increase in the diversity of animal species. The Andes mountain range forms an arid highland in the west of the continent, stretching through the Atacama Desert in Chile to its southern edge of the mainland. East and north of the Andes are tropical regions with huge rivers, endless forests and extremely abundant rains. The fauna of these places is extremely rich.
In the southern half of the mainland, the climate is already more moderate. Huge expanses covered with thickets of grass, the so-called pampa, extend far to the south of the continent. The pampa is inhabited by large running birds called nandu, they are also called American ostriches.
South America is home to the world's largest rodent, the capybara.
Another popular South American rodent is the degu squirrel.
Degu squirrels at the hole. At the junction of the Americas, noses live, one species is typical for the south of North America, the second for South America. Another name for these animals is coati.
Of the predators, it is worth noting the representatives of the cats. In the jungle you can meet puma, jaguar (picture of jaguar), jaguarundi and smaller cats.
Also in South America lives the largest snake in the world - a giant anaconda. Its length can reach five meters.
The tropical forests of this continent are inhabited by many species of snakes. There are many different types of boas, which include anacondas.
Animals of Europe
Europe has undergone significant landscape changes. Man has been active here for a long time, which leads to a reduction in the habitats of animals.
In the extreme north of the continent, millions of seabirds nest on the coast of the Northern Waters. Their colonies are securely protected by sheer cliffs. There are also colonies of pinnipeds - walruses have found their shelter and arrange rookeries. See photo of the walrus. Also in the north of Europe, large coniferous forests are still preserved, bears, deer, and lynxes live in them.
The lynx is a medium-sized cat that is a relative of domestic cats.
The peoples of Europe made up legends about wolves.
One of the endangered animal species in Europe is bison. Large artiodactyls similar to bulls, in fact, are more similar to yaks and buffaloes.
Sakhaty elk is distributed not only in Europe, but also in North America.
To the south, in the center of Europe, the climate is milder.
The deciduous forests of this climatic zone are quite rich in fauna. Here you can meet woodpeckers, squirrels, bears and wolves, martens and many other animal species.
Asian animals
Asia is the largest continent on Earth. Its spaces include a variety of habitats. Here and the Arctic belt, and taiga, and tundra, rainforests, deserts and other areas.
The fauna of Asia is very diverse. In India, for example, the Indian elephant and the Indian lion live. The snow-covered mountains are home to one of the rarest big cats not only in Asia, but also on the planet - the snow leopard. In the steppes of China and Russia, you can meet a rare wild cat manul, see photo of manul. Tigers and rare birds live in tropical rainforests.
Manul is a rare steppe cat.
In this post there will be scary, nasty, cute, kind, beautiful, incomprehensible animals.
Plus a short comment about each. They all really exist.
Watch and be amazed
SCHELEZUB- a mammal from the order of insectivores, divided into two main species: the Cuban flint tooth and the Haitian. Relatively large, relative to other types of insectivores, the beast: its length is 32 centimeters, and the tail, on average, 25 cm, the weight of the animal is about 1 kilogram, the physique is dense. 
MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. The long legs of the wolf are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to the habitat, they help the animal overcome obstacles in the form of tall grass growing on the plains. 
AFRICAN CIVETA- the only representative of the same genus. These animals live in Africa in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and eastern South Africa. The dimensions of the animal can visually increase quite strongly when the civet raises its hair when excited. And her fur is thick and long, especially on the back closer to the tail. The paws, muzzle and end of the tail are absolutely black, most of the body is spotty-striped. 
MUSKRAT. The animal is quite famous, thanks to its sonorous name. It's just a good photo. 
PROEKHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been noted. By the way, the length of the body of the prochidna reaches 77 cm, and this is not counting their cute five to seven centimeter tail. Any description of this animal is based on comparison with the echidna: the paws of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the appearance of the prochidna is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and the three-fingered forelimbs. 
CAPIBARA. Semi-aquatic mammal, the largest of modern rodents. It is the only representative of the capybara family (Hydrochoeridae). There is a dwarf variety of Hydrochoerus isthmius, sometimes considered as a separate species (capybara). 
SEA CUCUMBER. Holothuria. Sea-pods, sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrates of the echinoderm type. Species eaten are collectively called "trepang". 
PANGOLIN. This post just couldn't do without it. 
HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with the octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk in a separate order Vampyromorphida (Latin), because as soon as it has retractable sensitive bee-shaped filaments. 
AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which means "earth pig" in Russian. In fact, the aardvark in appearance very much resembles a pig, only with an elongated muzzle. The ears of this amazing animal are very similar in structure to those of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of such an animal as a kangaroo. 
JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDRA. To date, this is the largest amphibian that can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although the officially registered maximum age of a giant salamander is 55 years. 
BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the bearded pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly-haired bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi), which lives on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) and the Palawan bearded pig, which, judging by the name, live on the islands of Borneo and Palawan, as well as in Java , Kalimantan and small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in Southeast Asia. 
SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the equine-hoofed animals of the rhinoceros family. This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200 - 280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinos can weigh up to 1000 kg. 
SULAWESI BEAR CUSCOUS. An arboreal marsupial living in the upper tier of lowland tropical forests. The coat of the bear couscous consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Color ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies by geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, hairless tail is about half the length of the animal and acts as a fifth limb, which makes it easier to move through the dense rainforest. Bear couscous is the most primitive of all couscous, retaining primitive tooth growth and skull features. 
GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And the charming muzzle and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his feline trait. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible agility of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and elusive squirrel. Of course, it would be where to use their talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this little animal a little freedom and sometimes allow him to walk around the apartment, then all his quirks and talents will come true. Many even compare it to a kangaroo. 
WOMBAT. Without a photograph of a wombat, it is generally impossible to talk about strange and rare animals. 
AMAZONIAN DOLPHIN. It is the largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists call it, reaches 2.5 meters in length and weighs 2 centners. Light gray juveniles lighten with age. The body of the Amazonian dolphin is full, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the features of this species of dolphins. There is an Amazonian dolphin in the rivers and lakes of Latin America. 
FISH-MOON or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be over three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the moonfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, data on weight are not available. In shape, the body of the fish resembles a disk, it was this feature that gave rise to the Latin name. The moonfish has thicker skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony protrusions. Fish larvae of this species and juveniles swim in the usual way. Adult large fish swim on their side, quietly moving their fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish swim in this way. As an argument, they cite the fact that the stomach of fish caught on the surface is usually empty. 
TASMANIAN DEVIL. Being the largest of modern predatory marsupials, this animal is black in color with white spots on the chest and sacrum, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth, has a dense physique and a severe disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous cries at night, the massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil outwardly resembles a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, the head is large, and the muzzle is blunted. 
LORI. A characteristic feature of the loris is the large size of the eyes, which can be bordered by dark circles, there is a white dividing strip between the eyes. The muzzle of a lory can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the name of the animal: Loeris means "clown" in translation. 
GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the detachment of crocodiles. With age, the muzzle of the gharial becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located with a slight inclination for the convenience of eating. 
OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling in Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) encountered local natives more than once. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals in the jungle, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact. After some negotiations in 1900, the British were finally able to purchase parts of the skin of a mysterious beast from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where they gave the unknown animal the name "Johnston's Horse" (Equus johnstoni), that is, they identified it as a member of the horse family. . But what was their surprise when, a year later, they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and find that It looks more like a pygmy giraffe from the Ice Age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a live specimen of Okapi. 
VALABY. WOOD KANGAROO. To the genus Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) include 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchish wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow wallaby), D. Dorianus - Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibina. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are also found in Australia. Tree kangaroos live in the tropical forests of mountainous regions, at an altitude of 450 to 3000m. above sea level. The body size of the animal is 52-81 cm, the tail is from 42 to 93 cm long. Wallabies weigh, depending on the species, from 7.7 to 10 kg males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females. 
WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and dexterously. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-legged” beast, the feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely through the deep snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine climbs trees perfectly, has sharp eyesight. The voice is like a fox. 
FOSS. On the island of Madagascar, such animals have been preserved that are not found not only in Africa itself, but throughout the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest predatory mammal that lives on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the fossa is a bit unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small cougar. Sometimes the fossa is also called the Madagascar lion, since the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. Fossa has a squat, massive and slightly elongated body, the length of which can reach up to 80 cm (on average it is 65-70 cm). The legs of the fossa are long, but thick enough, with the hind legs higher than the front ones. The tail is often equal to the length of the body and reaches 65 cm. 
MANUL approves of this post and is only here because it should be. Everyone knows him. 
FENEC. STEPPE FOX. He agrees with the manula and is present here in so far as. After all, everyone saw him. 
THE NAKED DIGGER puts the manula and the fennec fox in karma and invites them to organize a club of the most feared animals in Runet. 
PALM THIEF. A representative of the decapod crustaceans. Which habitat is the western part of the Pacific Ocean and the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean. This animal from the family of land crayfish is quite large for its species. The body of an adult individual reaches a size of up to 32 cm and a weight of up to 3-4 kg. For a long time, it was erroneously believed that with its claws, it can even crack coconuts, which it then eats. To date, scientists have proven that cancer can only eat already split coconuts. They, being its main source of nutrition, gave the name palm thief. Although he is not averse to eating other types of food - the fruits of Pandanus plants, organic matter from the soil, and even their own kind.