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 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 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 Mute swan (Cygnus olor) is known as an integral feature of urban parks as well as most of the waterways in our regions. But originally this beautiful white bird was a wild animal, not always with compatible behavior and habits for life in city...
The White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla ) is one of the largest living birds of prey. It is sometimes considered the fourth largest eagle in the world and is on average the fourth heaviest eagle in the world. White-tailed eagles are considered...
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 Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American...
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 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 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 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 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 Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. It is the most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of the weasel family (Mustelidae). It is found in the waterways and coasts of Europe, many parts...
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 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.
The Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a fish-eating duck from North America. It is the second smallest species of merganser, with only the smew of Europe and Asia being smaller, and it also is the only merganser whose native habitat is...
The Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small and one of the most abundant gulls in much of Europe and Asia, and also in eastern Canada. It displays a variety of compelling behaviors and adaptations. Some of these include removing...
The Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise...
The Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a wide-ranging marine mammal of the family Delphinidae. The common bottlenose dolphin is a very familiar dolphin species due to the wide exposure it receives in captivity in marine parks and...
The Eurasian coot (Fulica atra), also known as the Common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North Africa. Similar-looking coot...
Little auks (Alle alle) are small seabirds that live on islands in the high Arctic. They can fly and are excellent swimmers (appearing to "fly") and divers, but their walking appears clumsy.
The Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is a large seabird native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest gannet and the largest seabird native to the western Palearctic. Northern gannets are known for making high-speed dives into the...
The Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus ) is the largest member of the gull family. Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "the king of the Atlantic waterfront", it is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger.
The Common eider is a large sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia.
The Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) is a small earless seal that lives in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. It is the most abundant and wide-ranging ice seal in the Northern Hemisphere. Ringed seals are one of the primary prey of Polar bears and Killer...
The Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is an aquatic diving bird noted for its elaborate mating display. It is the largest member of the grebe family found in the Old World, with some larger species residing in the Americas. These birds are...
The Northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a duck species that has a wide geographic distribution. Unusually for a bird with such a large range, it has no geographical subspecies if the possibly conspecific duck Eaton's pintail is considered to be a...
The Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae) found across many parts of the Old World. These birds live around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands. The word 'moor' as a part of their...
The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus ) is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek plegados and Latin, falcis, both meaning "sickle" and referring...
The European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) is a seabird in the northern storm petrel family, Hydrobatidae. These birds nest in crevices and burrows and sometimes share them with other seabirds or even rabbits. The adults share the lengthy...
The brant or brent goose (Branta bernicla) is a small migratory goose of the genus Branta. The Brant and the similar Barnacle goose were previously considered one species, formerly believed to be the same creature as the crustacean. That myth can be...
The Common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium-sized sea duck named for its golden-yellow eye. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name of the Common goldeneye comes from the Ancient Greek boukephalos and can be...
The Hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) is a large phocid found only in the central and western North Atlantic. Hooded seal pups are known as "blue-backs" because their coats are blue-grey on the back with whitish bellies, though this coat is shed...
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is one of the most mysterious and little known-species of dolphin with a rather unusual appearance. It is named after Antoine Risso, whose study of the animal formed the basis of the recognized description by...
The Common murre (Uria aalge) is a large auk that has a circumpolar distribution. These birds are excellent swimmers and divers (appearing to "fly" in water), but clumsy on land. They are not very agile flyers but are more maneuverable underwater....
