The world is house to an unlimited variety of animals; there are over 1.5 million acknowledged dwelling animal species, and certain hundreds of thousands extra nonetheless to be found and named.
Animals first appeared within the sea over 600 million years in the past, and subsequently developed to dwell within the majority of Earth’s aquatic and terrestrial (land) habitats. In the present day, animals are discovered all around the globe, from the rainforests of South America to the frozen shores of Antarctica, with each continent being house to a singular assortment of species.
On this web page is a continent-by-continent information to animals around the globe.
Scroll all the way down to view examples of animals from every continent, or use the hyperlinks beneath to go to pages containing info on animals from particular continents (and the Arctic).
Associated Pages
African Animals
Africa is the world’s second-largest continent. With habitats starting from tropical rainforest to abandon, Africa is house to lots of the world’s most well-known animals.
Probably the greatest-known animal habitats in Africa is the savanna (or savannah in British English), a woodland whose widely-spaced timber permit a carpet of grass to cowl the bottom.
The savanna is house is house to iconic African animals such because the lion, cheetah, African plains zebra, African buffalo, antelopes such because the blue wildebeest, widespread eland, impala and hartebeest; and each the white and black rhinoceros.
Different well-known African animals embody the Nile crocodile, hippopotamus, okapi, widespread and desert warthogs, meerkat, puff adder, black mamba and japanese and the western gorillas.
Mendacity off the coast of East Africa is the island nation of Madagascar. Separated from the mainland, it’s house to many animals which might be discovered nowhere else on Earth, together with all 100 or so species of lemur.
Antarctic Animals
Antarctica is an unlimited frozen continent on the far south of the world. The world’s fifth-largest continent, it’s coated in a thick layer of ice, and surrounded by the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.
Antarctica has little or no precipitation, both within the type of rain or snow, and is technically a desert. It’s the world’s coldest, driest and windiest continent.
Being such an inhospitable place, Antarctica is low in biodiversity. Little or no life exists within the continent’s frozen inside. Most Antarctic species are discovered on the coast, notably on the Antarctic Peninsula; the northernmost a part of Antarctica.
Animals discovered on Antarctica embody penguins such because the emperor and chinstrap penguin; seals such because the crabeater and southern elephant seal; and seabirds such because the wandering albatross and kelp gull.
Within the Southern Ocean round Antarctica are discovered cetaceans such because the Southern proper whale, blue whale, sperm whale and killer whale.
Arctic Animals
The Arctic is not a continent; it’s a area encompassing the Arctic Ocean and the northernmost elements of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Huge areas of the Arctic Ocean freeze through the winter; the resultant sea ice is a vital habitat for quite a few Arctic species, together with one of many Arctic’s best-known animals: the polar bear.
A lot of the land within the Arctic is tundra, a habitat with no timber and completely frozen soil. Many Arctic animals have developed quite a few diversifications to permit them to dwell on this inhospitable setting, together with thick coats and insulating blubber.
Arctic animals embody the polar bear, Arctic fox, muskox, caribou / reindeer, snowy owl, Arctic tern, walrus, harp seal, bearded seal, noticed seal, beluga, narwhal and killer whale / orca.
- You may see an inventory of Arctic animals on this web page: Arctic Animals
- You may see an inventory of the seals discovered within the Arctic on this web page: Arctic Seals
Asian Animals
Asia is the world’s largest continent, overlaying round 30% of Earth’s complete landmass. (In some elements of the world, Asia and Europe are thought of to be subcontinents of a fair bigger continent, Eurasia, quite than separate continents.)
Being such a big area, Asia incorporates a variety of habitats (and a correspondingly big selection of animals).
Positioned in Asia are the Himalayas Mountain Vary; the Eurasian Steppe (an unlimited grassland that stretches from East Europe to East Asia); the deserts of the Center East; and the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
Asia is house to the largest variety of people of any continent; round 60% of all people dwell in Asia. This has put strain on many Asian animals, with many species turning into endangered attributable to habitat loss.
Animals that dwell in Asia embody the large panda, crimson panda, tiger, snow leopard, the three species of orangutan, saltwater crocodile, Komodo dragon, nice hornbill and peacock.
Australian Animals
Australia will be the world’s smallest continent, however the nation of Australia (which incorporates mainland Australia, the island of Tasmania, and different smaller islands) is the world’s sixth-largest by space.
Being surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Australia is remoted from different continents. Its wildlife has due to this fact developed independently, and lots of Australian animals are discovered nowhere else on Earth.
With habitats starting from its desert inside to coastal rainforests, Australia is house to lots of the world’s most recognizable animals, together with the koala, emu, platypus, dingo, Tasmanian satan and dugong; kangaroos and wallabies; wombats, possums, bandicoots; and goannas such because the perentie.
European Animals
Europe is a continent within the Northern Hemisphere that, together with Asia, makes up the landmass often called “Eurasia”. (In some international locations, Europe is taken into account a subcontinent of the continent Eurasia, quite than a continent itself.)
Europe is the world’s second-smallest continent, being smaller than Antarctica and bigger than Australia.
Europe is house to a variety of habitats, together with taiga / boreal forest, tundra, temperate forest, steppe, the Alps, Pyrenees, and different mountain ranges; the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea, and quite a few massive rivers and lakes.
Animals that dwell in Europe embody the Eurasian brown bear, Eurasian lynx, Eurasian wolf, wild boar, European adder, gradual worm, widespread frog, hearth salamander, capercaillie, Eurasian eagle owl and golden eagle.
North American Animals
North America is the world’s third-largest continent, stretching from the Arctic within the north to tropical Central America within the south. Habitats present in North America embody Arctic tundra, prairie grasslands, deserts temperate rainforests and, in Central America, tropical rainforests.
Animals present in North America embody: the American bison, bald eagle, American alligator, American crocodile, grizzly bear, mountain lion, bobcat, monarch butterfly, wolf, coyote, groundhog, roadrunner, moose and raccoon.
South American Animals
South America is the world’s fourth-largest continent, being smaller than its neighbor North America, and bigger than Antarctica. South America is understood for its excessive biodiversity, particularly that of its rainforests, which embody the Amazon Rainforest – the world’s largest rainforest.
South American animals embody anteaters, tapirs, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, poison dart frogs, caimans, iguanas, macaws, toucans; the jaguar, maned wolf, red-eyed tree frog, inexperienced anaconda and harpy eagle.
Animals Round The World: Conclusion
From polar areas to tropical rainforests, the number of habitats on Earth is huge and the range of animal species correspondingly so. On this web page is a short overview of animals around the globe; go to the pages beneath to see extra animals from every continent and a wide range of habitats.