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Saturday, 18 July 2026

Global Animal Guide

Order Carnivora

Animals in the order Carnivora on Global Animal Guide. The guide features 59 species in this order — each profile answers the most-searched questions first.

Adult male lion with a full mane resting on the African savanna at golden hour

Mammal

Lion

The social big cat of the African savanna

Golden retriever dog sitting on green grass in a sunny park

Mammal

Dog

Humanity's oldest animal companion

Bengal tiger walking through tall green grass, staring directly forward

Mammal

Tiger

The largest cat species on Earth

Domestic tabby cat with green eyes sitting beside a sunlit window

Mammal

Cat

The world's favorite small predator

Honey badger with grey-white mantle and black body walking across dry savanna ground

Mammal

Honey Badger

The world's most fearless animal

Arctic fox in thick white winter coat sitting on snow-covered tundra

Mammal

Arctic Fox

The white fox of the frozen tundra

Giant panda sitting and eating a stalk of bamboo in a green forest

Mammal

Giant Panda

The bamboo-eating bear of China's mountains

Gray wolf standing alert in a snowy forest, looking into the distance

Mammal

Gray Wolf

The ancestor of the domestic dog

Leopard resting on a tree branch with rosette spots in dappled light

Mammal

Leopard

The stealthy, tree-climbing big cat

Brown bear standing in a mountain meadow with forest behind

Mammal

Brown Bear

The widespread bear of the Northern Hemisphere

Polar bear walking across Arctic sea ice under a pale sky

Mammal

Polar Bear

The largest land carnivore, ruler of the Arctic

Grizzly bear standing in a shallow river with pine forest behind

Mammal

Grizzly Bear

North America's iconic brown bear

Leopard seal on Antarctic ice floe

Mammal

Leopard Seal

Antarctica's apex predator

Clouded leopard with cloud-shaped spots on a tree branch

Mammal

Clouded Leopard

The tree-climbing cat of Asian rainforests

Red panda perched on a mossy branch in a misty Himalayan forest

Mammal

Red Panda

The fiery-furred resident of the Himalayas

American black bear foraging in a deciduous forest

Mammal

American Black Bear

North America's adaptable forest bear

Male elephant seal on beach with trunk-like nose

Mammal

Northern Elephant Seal

The deep-diving seal giant

Cheetah sprinting across golden grassland with legs extended mid-stride

Mammal

Cheetah

The fastest land animal on Earth

Walrus with long tusks resting on Arctic sea ice

Mammal

Walrus

The tusked giant of the Arctic ice

African wild dog with mottled coat in savanna

Mammal

African Wild Dog

Africa's cooperative pack hunter

Eurasian lynx with tufted ears in snowy forest

Mammal

Eurasian Lynx

The tufted forest hunter of Europe and Asia

Banded mongoose troop foraging

Mammal

Banded Mongoose

The cobra's agile rival

Fennec fox in desert sand, a tiny pale fox with very large ears and dark alert eyes

Mammal

Fennec Fox

The tiny desert fox with enormous ears

Bobcat with spotted coat pausing in woodland understory

Mammal

Bobcat

North America's adaptable wild cat

Dingo with ginger coat standing alert in Australian scrub

Mammal

Dingo

Australia's wild dog of the outback

Sun bear with golden chest patch climbing in tropical forest

Mammal

Sun Bear

The smallest bear of Southeast Asia's rainforests

Wolverine with thick brown fur crossing snow in boreal forest

Mammal

Wolverine

The fierce scavenger of the boreal north

Sea otter floating on its back on calm ocean water

Mammal

Sea Otter

The tool-using keystone of the kelp forest

Domestic ferret with playful expression

Mammal

Ferret

The playful domestic mustelid

Sloth bear with shaggy black coat and long snout foraging for insects

Mammal

Sloth Bear

India's shaggy insect-eating bear

Jaguar with a rosette-patterned coat walking along a rainforest riverbank

Near Threatened

Mammal

Jaguar

The Americas' largest and most powerful cat

Spectacled bear with pale facial markings in Andean cloud forest

Mammal

Spectacled Bear

The only bear native to South America

Ocelot with rosetted coat in dappled forest light

Mammal

Ocelot

The spotted cat of the Americas

Red fox with a bushy tail standing in a snowy field looking alert

Mammal

Red Fox

The most widespread wild carnivore on Earth

Snow leopard with thick pale spotted fur standing on a rocky Himalayan slope

Mammal

Snow Leopard

The elusive ghost of the mountains

Caracal with black ear tufts crouched in dry grassland

Mammal

Caracal

The tufted hunter of Africa and Asia

Serval with large ears in golden savanna grass

Mammal

Serval

Africa's long-legged pounce specialist

Raccoon with a black mask standing on a fallen log in a forest at dusk

Mammal

Raccoon

The masked, clever-handed night raider

Fossa with long tail and short reddish coat climbing a Madagascar rainforest trunk

Mammal

Fossa

Cat-like apex predator of Madagascar

California sea lion resting on a coastal rock, showing its sleek brown fur, whiskers, and small external ear flaps

Mammal

Sea Lion

The agile, barking acrobat of the coast

Grey seal pup with white lanugo coat

Mammal

Grey Seal

The horse-faced seal of the Atlantic

Golden jackal standing alert in dry savanna grass

Mammal

Golden Jackal

The adaptable wild dog of three continents

Meerkat standing upright on sandy ground in the Kalahari at golden hour

Mammal

Meerkat

The cooperative sentinel of the Kalahari

American mink on riverbank

Mammal

American Mink

The semi-aquatic mustelid

Pine marten in woodland with creamy throat patch

Mammal

Pine Marten

The agile forest mustelid

Harbor seal resting on a sandy beach, showing its spotted silver-grey coat and large dark eyes with no external ears

Mammal

Harbor Seal

The shy, spotted true seal of northern coasts

Stoat in brown summer coat

Mammal

Stoat

The ermine in winter white

Fisher with dark brown coat and long bushy tail climbing a conifer trunk in snowy forest

Mammal

Fisher

Arboreal mustelid that can prey on porcupines

Striped hyena with pointed ears and vertical body stripes walking rocky scrub at night

Near Threatened

Mammal

Striped Hyena

Nocturnal scavenger of Africa and Asia

Aardwolf with vertical stripes and mane erect standing on short-grass savanna at dusk

Mammal

Aardwolf

Termite-eating hyena relative of African plains

Coyote standing alert in a dry North American grassland at golden hour

Mammal

Coyote

North America's adaptable 'song dog'

Bat-eared fox with oversized ears cocked forward on short arid grassland

Mammal

Bat-eared Fox

Huge-eared fox that listens for insects

Otter floating on its back in calm water with sleek wet fur and whiskers

Mammal

Otter

The playful, water-loving member of the weasel family

Cougar with tan fur crouched on a rocky outcrop in a mountainous landscape

Mammal

Cougar

The wide-ranging big cat with many names

European badger with a black-and-white striped face foraging on a woodland floor at dusk

Mammal

Badger

The striped night-digger of British woodlands

European polecat emerging from hedgerow with bandit mask and dark brown fur

Mammal

European Polecat

Wild ancestor of the domestic ferret

Spotted hyena with a sloping back and spotted coat standing alert on dry African grassland

Mammal

Spotted Hyena

The social, powerful hunter of the African savanna

Striped skunk with bold white stripes on black fur and bushy tail walking through grass

Mammal

Skunk

The black-and-white mammal with a chemical defence

Weasel standing upright on its hind legs in a grassy field showing its slender brown body and white underside

Mammal

Weasel

Britain's smallest carnivore, built for chasing prey into burrows