Usually looks shorter-legged because of its overall build and stance

Feeds by flying low with its mouth open, letting the lower bill slice the water’s surface and snap shut when it hits prey

Even males don’t grow antlers, which surprises almost everyone who hears “musk deer”

Basically “came back from the dead” in scientific terms

A secret, fanged “mini-deer” hiding in the misty mountains of eastern China

It’s “vampire-looking” but very much vegetarian

Often prefers herbs with medicinal properties, which may help preserve its haypiles from mold and rot

It’s “deer-like,” but not a true deer in the usual sense

Big ears don’t just hear well—they can help release heat, handy in warm, humid climates

Can make steep, rocky slopes look easy, bounding across ledges like they’re using invisible stairs

Reaching roughly rabbit-kitten size compared with many of its smaller cousins

Can move in a way that looks more like a big rodent than a deer

Closer in size to a ferret than a true badger

Can be a tiny “mower” and “gardener” at once

Can look dark rufous to almost blackish-brown, but in winter it shifts to a grayer brown

Its upturned nose helps prevent frostbite in cold mountain climates

Its face looks surprisingly expressive, almost human, despite being so unusual

Can build a winter pantry that’s ridiculously big for its size

That compact body and thick fur aren’t just cute; they’re a heat-saving design for places where wind and chill can hit fast

Thrives where few mammals dare to live

One of the more “forest-edge” feeling pikas

A sneaky animal as the males will steal hay collected by other pikas in their territories!

You can be standing near one and never know it

It doesn’t hibernate—so it plans instead

Cannot swim or land on water because their feathers are not waterproof

Love standing upright on little soil piles near their burrows, like tiny sentries doing security checks

Comfortable hunting in almost complete darkness, relying heavily on their incredible hearing rather than vision alone

With toes covered in sharp spines that help grip slippery fish, giving it a natural advantage when hunting near water

Not as obsessed with hay piles as other pikas

Often watch people closely, sometimes following movement with slow head turns, as if studying what’s going on below them

A pika that lives where you “shouldn’t” find pikas

Looks so much like a snake that it is sometimes called the “sea serpent shark”

One of the largest woodpeckers in its range—about crow-sized—so when it drums, it can sound like someone hammering in the forest

Even in places where it lives, sightings can be rare because it stays hidden in dense, shady woods

When alarmed, it often points its bill straight up and stays still so it looks like just another reed stalk

People spend days in the right habitat and never spot one because it stays hidden and active in low light

Tallest flying birds on Earth

That clean white stripe up the back of its neck looks like a built-in scarf

It’s a runner before it’s a flyer

Those “peacock eyes” are camouflage and decoration

It’s the “black-billed” stork in a white suit

Can be black, can be grey but it’s the same bird

Preferred deep, cold lakes on the high Arctic tundra, far away from people and noise

Has one of the longest nonstop flights ever recorded for any bird

One of the deepest-diving ducks

Biggest “sandpiper” on the planet

It was “just a Mediterranean gull” until the 1970s

Once widespread, now very hard to find

Stays hidden until you are nearly upon it, and it bursts from the grass in a sudden flurry

Has the longest bill of any wading bird

On busy lakes, they often feed more at night, quietly cruising around to forage while everything else has calmed down

It’s technically a duck, but it’s big, upright, and long-legged enough that it often looks like a small goose

Scan the sea on a cold day, and that “black smudge” past the breakers might be a raft of scoters

Has a “bug-like” smell—possibly from their insect-heavy diet

Major seed spreaders in Eastern Himalayan forests

Used to be called one of the least-known deer in the world

Often they peek from behind branches with just their head visible, watching hikers before darting away

One of the few with webbing between its toes, helping it walk through water and grab slippery prey

Literally barks like a dog—hence the nickname “barking deer”

It runs like a pig — not a deer

One of the few ibis species that prefers dry forests over wetlands, making its ecology quite unusual

Often stop to feed in freshly plowed fields, taking advantage of insects disturbed by farming machinery

Its decline was so rapid and poorly tracked that conservationists only realized how critical the situation was in the early 2000s

Crisp-feathered, fast-flying, and fearless in icy waters

Their toes grow comblike scales in winter, helping them walk on snow

For years it was lumped into “lesser sand plover”

Its boom has been compared to blowing across the top of a giant bottle — a sound low enough to feel in your chest on still mornings

The “cheetahs” of the deep ocean

More active on overcast or slightly rainy days, when amphibians are abundant and easier to catch

It’s perfectly happy near villages, roads, and busy fields — the extrovert of the ibis world

A heavyweight champ — elegant, yes, but you don’t want to mess with that beak

For a creature barely larger than a thumb, this frog can belt out surprisingly loud calls

Among the most athletic dolphins, known for their spectacular leaps and spins that can reach several meters high

Sometimes called the “scars in the water” thanks to their many white markings

Europe’s smallest owl and one of its most fearless predators

It’s actually moustached, not bearded!

No need to double check, it is not a snake!

It’s not a snake! Can blink and hear—two things snakes can’t do

Spend considerable time basking early in the day, which makes them appear almost “sun-worshipping”

A rather odd or toad-looking reptile inhibiting the cold deserts of the Himalayas

Can “swim” through sand just like a fish moves through water!

How to express emotion? Turn brighter during excitement or darker when stressed

When you touch it (not that you should!), it feels like coarse sandpaper

Can rotate its ankles backward—just like a raccoon—allowing it to climb down trees headfirst

Often described as one of the most beautiful vipers in existence

Its fangs can rotate forward like switchblades, allowing deep, efficient strikes before folding neatly back into its mouth

Called a “mock viper” because it mimics the look and behavior of true vipers

Its distinct black-and-white pattern is a warning sign to predators—beautiful but deadly

Believed to guard hidden treasures or sacred sites due to its rare and majestic appearance

Known for its calm and shy behavior, it’s one of the most docile snakes in Asia

Has one of the most complex venoms among Asian cobras

Often mistaken for an earthworm because of its size and shiny, cylindrical body

One of the smallest turtles in Asia, with adults easily fitting in the palm of a hand

Its “eye spots” aren’t real eyes—they’re circular markings near its head that may help confuse predators or aid in camouflage

Has salt-excreting glands, allowing it to live entirely in the ocean without ever needing to come ashore

The most widespread species of snakes on earth are found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans and from Africa to Central America