The Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. It is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The Blue whale was once abundant in nearly all the Earth's oceans until the end of the 19th century. It was hunted...
The Killer whale (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. It is the largest member of this family. The sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviors of Killer whales have been described as manifestations of...
The Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous bear found within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant land...
The narwhal, also known as a narwhale (Monodon monoceros), is a medium-sized toothed whale with a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth. It is one of two living species of whale in the family Monodontidae, along with the Beluga whale. Narwhals...
The Sperm whale or cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the...
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all...
The Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is a cetacean adapted to life in the Arctic, with anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiate it from other cetaceans. Amongst these are its all-white color and the absence of a dorsal...
The giant squid (Architeuthis dux ) is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of deep-sea gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at around 12–13 m...
The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the family...
The Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual; a member of the family Balaenopteridae. The Humpback whale is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale...
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea ), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to 1.8 metres and...
The Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. They are the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. Unlike most marine mammals, the sea...
The Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a tall and statuesque bird when wading in the water seeking its prey, and it is graceful and swift when flying with its slow deep wing beats. It is one of the most majestic wild birds in North America. This...
The False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly frequents tropical regions. The name "false killer whale" comes...
The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal that lives along its waterways and coasts. It is the only river otter that is found north of Mexico. These animals live in burrows and like most predators, prey upon the most...
The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a large plover found in the Americas. It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. The common name of this species comes from its...
The Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a species of baleen whale and the only living representative of the genus Balaena. They are the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters and are named after their characteristic massive...
The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini, formerly also Octopus apollyon ), also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. Its spatial distribution includes the coastal North...
The Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of cetacean on Earth after the Blue whale. American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale "the greyhound...
The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a colorful seabird that belongs to the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean. Although it has a large population and a wide range, the species has declined rapidly, at least in...
The Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. The common name of this whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were once called devil...
Named for its whooping sound, the Whooping crane (Grus americana) is the tallest North American bird. The elegant Whooping crane represents one of the most well-known conservation stories in the United States and thus has captured the public...
The Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) is a true seal that lives along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared seals, and true seals). Harbor seals like to...
The Common loon (Gavia immer) is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. These birds eat a variety of animal prey and swallow most of their prey underwater, where it is caught. Loons form strong pair bonds and their chicks are capable...
The Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas ), also known as jumbo squid or jumbo flying squid (EN), and Pota in Peru or Jibia in Chile (ES) is a large, predatory squid living in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only known species of the genus Dosidicus...
The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. These amazing birds perform the longest migrations known in the animal world. They have a circumpolar breeding distribution and see two summers each year. Arctic terns nest once...
The Snow goose (Anser caerulescens) is a North American species of goose whose name derives from the typically white plumage. These are birds of cold timberline that migrate more than 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from traditional wintering areas to the...
The Harp Seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. In Greek, its scientific name translates to "ice-lover from Greenland," and its taxonomic synonym, Phoca...
The American coot (Fulica americana) is a bird commonly mistaken for ducks. It is only distantly related to ducks and belongs to a separate order. Unlike the webbed feet of ducks, coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes that fold...
The Common merganser is a large seaduck that lives in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. These birds eat mainly fish and nest in holes in trees.
The Wood stork (Mycteria americana) is a large American wading bird that breeds in North America. It was formerly called the "wood ibis", though it is not an ibis. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, this stork likely evolved in tropical...
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is one of six species of sea lions. They mainly haul-out on sandy or rocky beaches, but they also frequent manmade environments such as marinas and wharves. California sea lions are particularly...
The Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is the most widely distributed of all beaked whales in the family Ziphiidae. It is smaller than most baleen whales yet large among beaked whales. Cuvier's beaked whale is pelagic and occurs in waters...
The Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has been described as a comically elegant bird. Groups of these seabirds glide above surf along western and southern coasts, gracefully echoing the waves with their rise and fall. They plunge-dive from high...
The ocean sunfish or common mola (Mola mola) is one of the largest bony fish in the world. It was misidentified as the heaviest bony fish, which was actually a different species, Mola alexandrini. Adults typically weigh between 247 and 1,000 kg (545...
The Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world. These birds have a stocky appearance as if hunched over, the head tucked down into the shoulders, and they are usually seen...
The Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. Many fishermen see in the Great cormorant a competitor for fish. Because of this, it was hunted nearly to extinction in the past but luckily due to...
The Gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless...
The Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the Blue whale and the Fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas and prefers deep offshore waters. The whale's name comes from the Norwegian word...
The Double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a water bird widely distributed across North America. It is a relative of the frigate bird and is skilled in diving for small fish. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof...
The Green heron (Butorides virescens) is a small secretive heron that lives along shaded riverbanks or quiet streams in areas of dense vegetation. It is often somewhat secretive but is sometimes to be seen crying "kyow" while flying up a creek. When...
The Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) is a species of goose that belongs to the genus Branta of black geese. Despite its superficial similarity to the Brant goose, genetic analysis has shown it is an eastern derivative of the Vackling goose lineage.
