Mammal
Lion
The social big cat of the African savanna
Forest & woodland habitats
Outside wet tropics, forests still hold most terrestrial biomass. Seasonal leaf fall and snow shape food and shelter. Profiles mentioning forest or woodland (excluding rainforest-only matches when already tagged) appear here.
Quick answer
Temperate, boreal, and dry forests structure life around trees, leaf litter, and seasonal light. Deer, owls, woodpeckers, and woodland foxes use canopy, understorey, and ground layers differently.
Iconic species
Wolf, brown bear, owl, and woodland deer profiles emphasise territory, diet, and seasonal behaviour in tree cover.
Threats & pressures
Logging, fragmentation, disease, and fire-regime change alter forest wildlife communities worldwide.
How to explore further
Use rainforest for tropical wet forests and urban for edge species living near people.
- Browse forest species — Woodland profiles
- Rainforest — Tropical wet forests
- UK garden birds — Regional bird ID
- UK wildlife pack — Classroom pack
Species in forest animals
Ranked by profile popularity. An animal may also appear in other biomes if it uses multiple habitats.
Mammal
Tiger
The largest cat species on Earth
Mammal
African Elephant
The largest land animal alive today
Bird
Chicken
The world's most common bird
Mammal
Giant Panda
The bamboo-eating bear of China's mountains
Mammal
Giraffe
The tallest animal on Earth
Mammal
Pangolin
The world's only scaly mammal
Mammal
Asian Elephant
The smaller cousin of Africa's giant
Mammal
Mountain Gorilla
The gentle giant of Rwanda's volcanoes
Mammal
Japanese Macaque
The hot-spring snow monkey of Japan
Mammal
Gray Wolf
The ancestor of the domestic dog
Mammal
Leopard
The stealthy, tree-climbing big cat
Show 161 more species
Mammal
Brown Bear
The widespread bear of the Northern Hemisphere
Mammal
Gorilla
The largest living primate
Mammal
Grizzly Bear
North America's iconic brown bear
Mammal
Clouded Leopard
The tree-climbing cat of Asian rainforests
Mammal
Tasmanian Devil
Australia's feisty marsupial scavenger
Mammal
Indian Rhinoceros
The armour-plated one-horned giant
Mammal
Red Panda
The fiery-furred resident of the Himalayas
Mammal
Philippine Tarsier
The wide-eyed nocturnal primate
Mammal
American Black Bear
North America's adaptable forest bear
Mammal
Rhinoceros
The armored giant with a horn of keratin
Mammal
Black Rhinoceros
Africa's hook-lipped browser in crisis
Mammal
White Rhinoceros
The square-lipped giant of African grasslands
Mammal
Reindeer
The Arctic migrator and both-sex antlered deer
Bird
Kakapo
Flightless nocturnal parrot of New Zealand
Mammal
Elk
The bugling giant of North American meadows
Mammal
Bonobo
The peaceful ape of the Congo Basin
Mammal
Red-necked Wallaby
The rusty-shouldered grazer of eastern Australia
Mammal
Chimpanzee
Our closest living relative
Mammal
Proboscis Monkey
Borneo's big-nosed swimmer
Reptile
Black Mamba
Africa's fast and feared elapid snake
Mammal
Red Deer
The roaring stag of Eurasian woodlands
Mammal
Giant Anteater
South America's two-metre tongue specialist
Mammal
African Wild Dog
Africa's cooperative pack hunter
Mammal
Eurasian Lynx
The tufted forest hunter of Europe and Asia
Mammal
Wild Boar
The ancestor of the domestic pig
Mammal
Banded Mongoose
The cobra's agile rival
Reptile
Copperhead
Common US pit viper with hourglass bands
Mammal
Bobcat
North America's adaptable wild cat
Bird
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Australia's loud crested parrot
Mammal
Sugar Glider
Nocturnal gliding marsupial of eucalypt forests
Bird
Bald Eagle
The fish-hunting raptor and national bird of the United States
Reptile
Bearded Dragon
The friendly desert lizard and favorite pet reptile
Mammal
Wolverine
The fierce scavenger of the boreal north
Mammal
Olive Baboon
Africa's adaptable monkey
Mammal
Mule Deer
The big-eared deer of western North America
Bird
Secretary Bird
Long-legged raptor that stamps snakes
Mammal
Koala
Australia's iconic eucalyptus-eating marsupial
Mammal
Sea Otter
The tool-using keystone of the kelp forest
Mammal
Aardvark
Africa's ant-eating oddity
Mammal
Capuchin Monkey
The clever New World monkey
Mammal
Sloth Bear
India's shaggy insect-eating bear
Bird
Peach-faced Lovebird
Africa's pocket parrot that bonds for life
Mammal
Short-beaked Echidna
Spiny egg-laying anteater of Australia
Bird
Hyacinth Macaw
Largest flying parrot, cobalt blue
Mammal
Howler Monkey
The loudest land animal in the Americas
Bird
Emu
Australia's flightless giant
Mammal
Spectacled Bear
The only bear native to South America
Mammal
Ocelot
The spotted cat of the Americas
Bird
Common Pheasant
The ring-necked game bird of field and forest
Bird
Kea
Alpine parrot renowned for curiosity
Mammal
Red Fox
The most widespread wild carnivore on Earth
Reptile
Chameleon
The color-changing lizard with 360-degree eyes
Mammal
Nine-Banded Armadillo
North America's armoured digger
Mammal
Caracal
The tufted hunter of Africa and Asia
Mammal
Raccoon
The masked, clever-handed night raider
Bird
Peacock
The dazzling showman of the bird world
Mammal
Warthog
Africa's tusked savanna pig
Mammal
Fossa
Cat-like apex predator of Madagascar
Reptile
Gaboon Viper
Heavy rainforest viper with huge fangs
Mammal
Rabbit
The fast-breeding pet and classic prey animal
Reptile
Ball Python
The gentle constrictor that curls into a ball
Bird
Wild Turkey
North America's ground bird
Reptile
Eastern Box Turtle
North America's hinged turtle
Mammal
Golden Jackal
The adaptable wild dog of three continents
Reptile
Tuatara
Living-fossil reptile unique to New Zealand
Reptile
Common Garter Snake
Familiar harmless snake of North American yards
Reptile
Eastern Coral Snake
Brightly banded venomous elapid of the Southeast
Reptile
King Cobra
The world's longest venomous snake
Mammal
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Madagascar's striped-tailed, sun-bathing primate
Mammal
Numbat
Diurnal termite-eating marsupial
Mammal
Groundhog
North America's weather-watching marmot
Bird
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Europe's drumming carpenter
Mammal
North American Porcupine
The quilled climber of northern forests
Mammal
Snowshoe Hare
Colour-changing hare of northern forests
Reptile
Boomslang
Arboreal African snake with potent venom
Reptile
Komodo Dragon
The largest lizard on Earth
Reptile
Blue-tongued Skink
Stocky Australian skink with a blue tongue
Bird
Northern Goshawk
Powerful forest hawk of the north
Bird
Blue Tit
Acrobatic garden tit of Europe
Mammal
Pine Marten
The agile forest mustelid
Bird
Great Tit
Bold black-capped tit of Eurasian gardens
Mammal
White-tailed Deer
The Americas' most familiar deer
Mammal
Northern Flying Squirrel
North America's gliding rodent
Bird
European Robin
Britain's beloved red-breasted garden bird
Mammal
Stoat
The ermine in winter white
Invertebrate
Blacklegged Tick
The Lyme disease vector of eastern forests
Mammal
Fisher
Arboreal mustelid that can prey on porcupines
Bird
Nightingale
Famed nocturnal songster of European spring
Mammal
Hedgehog
The spiny night-time garden visitor
Mammal
Coyote
North America's adaptable 'song dog'
Bird
Kiwi
New Zealand's flightless nocturnal bird with nostrils at the tip of its bill
Bird
Crow
The glossy black genius of the bird world
Mammal
Common Shrew
The tiny insectivore with a fierce appetite
Reptile
Green Anole
Colour-changing lizard of southern US gardens
Mammal
Squirrel
The agile, tree-climbing rodent of parks and woods
Bird
Magpie
The bold, brilliant problem-solver of the crow family
Insect
Ladybug
The spotted beetle gardeners love
Mammal
Bat
The only mammals capable of true flight
Bird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
A tiny hovering bird with a blazing throat
Mammal
Cougar
The wide-ranging big cat with many names
Mammal
Quokka
The smiling marsupial of Western Australia
Bird
Blackbird
The glossy garden thrush with a golden song
Mammal
Moose
The largest member of the deer family
Mammal
Badger
The striped night-digger of British woodlands
Reptile
Boa Constrictor
The powerful constricting snake of the Americas
Bird
Ruffed Grouse
Drumming phantom of northern woods
Bird
Common Chaffinch
Pink-breasted songbird of European woods
Mammal
Large Flying Fox
Endangered fruit bat of island canopies
Mammal
Guereza Colobus
Black-and-white leaf monkey of African canopy
Mammal
Vervet Monkey
Alarm-calling savanna primate of Africa
Mammal
Verreaux's Sifaka
Dancing lemur of Madagascar's spiny forest
Mammal
European Polecat
Wild ancestor of the domestic ferret
Mammal
Nine-banded Armadillo
Armoured digger marching through the Americas
Mammal
Long-nosed Bandicoot
Nocturnal digger of Australian leaf litter
Mammal
Eastern Quoll
Spotted Tasmanian survivor lost from the mainland
Reptile
Coastal Taipan
Lightning-fast elapid of Australian cane fields
Reptile
Panther Chameleon
Locale-coloured chameleon of Madagascar
Amphibian
Golden Mantella
Critically Endangered orange gem of Madagascar
Amphibian
Spring Peeper
Thumb-sized herald of eastern spring
Insect
Carpenter Bee
Wood-boring giant bee of eastern gardens
Insect
Bumblebee
The fuzzy, hard-working pollinator of meadows and gardens
Insect
Wasp
The yellow-and-black predator and scavenger of summer
Mammal
Wombat
The powerful Australian digger famous for cube-shaped droppings
Mammal
Chipmunk
The striped, cheek-stuffing squirrel of North America
Insect
Firefly
The glowing beetle of warm summer nights
Insect
Asian Giant Hornet
The world's largest hornet
Reptile
Corn Snake
The gentle, colorful beginner's pet snake
Insect
Cicada
The loud summer singer with a long underground youth
Invertebrate
Jumping Spider
The big-eyed spider that pounces on its prey
Reptile
Frilled Lizard
The lizard that flares a dramatic neck frill
Mammal
Skunk
The black-and-white mammal with a chemical defence
Amphibian
Common Toad
The warty garden toad of Europe
Insect
Praying Mantis
The patient ambush predator with folded arms
Insect
Stag Beetle
The large beetle with antler-like jaws
Reptile
Garter Snake
One of North America's most common and widespread snakes
Reptile
Adder
Britain's only venomous snake
Insect
Dung Beetle
The strong beetle that rolls balls of dung
Insect
Luna Moth
The large, pale-green silk moth with long tails
Mammal
Weasel
Britain's smallest carnivore, built for chasing prey into burrows
Mammal
Opossum
North America's only marsupial
Amphibian
Gray Tree Frog
The color-changing tree frog of eastern forests
Bird
Northern Mockingbird
The bird that learns 200+ songs and sings through the night
Bird
Common Raven
One of the world's most intelligent birds
Amphibian
Spotted Salamander
The yellow-spotted salamander of eastern forests
Mammal
Mole
The tunnelling insectivore behind every molehill
Bird
Great Horned Owl
The powerful nocturnal hunter with feathered tufts
Bird
Blue Jay
The bold, noisy blue songbird of North America
Amphibian
Cane Toad
A large, toxic toad turned invasive pest
Bird
Northern Cardinal
The bright red songbird of North American gardens
Bird
American Robin
The orange-breasted herald of spring
Insect
Rhinoceros Beetle
One of the strongest animals for its size
Invertebrate
Garden Snail
The slow, shell-carrying garden mollusk
Insect
Cockroach
The hardy survivor that lives almost anywhere
Invertebrate
Sea Urchin
The spiny ball that grazes the seabed
Mammal
Impala
The acrobatic leaper of the African savanna
Amphibian
Fire Salamander
The black-and-yellow salamander of European forests
Insect
Cricket
The chirping insect of warm evenings
Amphibian
Tiger Salamander
A stout, burrowing salamander of North America
Amphibian
Wood Frog
The frog that freezes solid to survive winter
Amphibian
Eastern Newt
The newt with a bright orange land stage
Insect
Yellowjacket
The bold black-and-yellow social wasp
Frequently asked questions
What is a forest & woodland habitat?
Forests and woodlands outside the wet tropics — temperate, boreal, and dry forests — structure life around trees, leaf litter, and seasonal light. They shelter mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates that use canopy, understorey, and ground layers differently.
Which animals live in forest & woodland habitats?
Species lists on this page are drawn from Global Animal Guide profiles whose habitat facts match forest & woodland keywords. Browse the ranked list for answer-first guides covering diet, range, and conservation.
How is forest & woodland different from other biomes?
Forest & woodland is defined by climate, vegetation, and water availability that favour particular body plans and behaviours. Compare sibling biome hubs (ocean, forest, desert, and more) to see how the same animal groups specialise differently.