Animals A–Z
A picture tour of the world's wild animals, from icons to India's own
Asia's largest land animal — smaller-eared than its African cousin, and woven deep into India's forests, temples and daily life.
Photo: Thangaraj Kumaravel · CC BY 2.0
The lion of India — a little smaller than its African cousin, with a fold of belly skin, surviving in the wild only in Gujarat's Gir forest.
Photo: Rohit Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0
India's national animal and the largest cat on earth — a rusty-orange coat, black stripes unique to each animal, and a roar that carries for kilometres.
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
India's own antelope — a spiral-horned, black-and-white male famous for its blazing speed across the open plains.
Photo: Mike Prince · CC BY 2.0
The fastest land animal — a lean, spotted sprinter built for pure speed, and, since 2022, back on Indian soil after seven decades.
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
The spotted deer of India — a graceful, dappled deer of the forest, and the most common sight on almost any Indian safari.
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
The one-humped "ship of the desert" — Rajasthan's iconic working animal, built to cross sand and go days without water.
Photo: Emőke Dénes · CC BY-SA 4.0
India's National Aquatic Animal — a nearly blind freshwater dolphin that "sees" the muddy Ganga and Brahmaputra entirely by sound.
Photo: Kukil Gogoi · CC BY-SA 4.0
China's black-and-white icon — a bear that lives almost entirely on bamboo, and a symbol of wildlife conservation the world over.
Photo: Medium69 (William Crochot) · CC BY-SA 4.0
The tallest animal on earth — a patchwork coat, a two-metre neck, and a long dark tongue built to strip thorny treetops.
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
The largest of the great apes — a powerful, gentle forest giant of central Africa, and one of our closest living relatives.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
A river giant of Africa — it spends its days submerged, grazes by night, and is among the continent's most dangerous animals.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
A picture tour of the world's wild animals, from icons to India's own — browse the full picture A–Z, search any name, and see care notes for the popular fish.