Meet the animals of planet Earth

Science — animals of the world · Ages 8–12

This section is a world atlas of 68 animals made for children: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates from every continent and from the oceans. Each animal has a profile written so that an 8-year-old can read it alone: where it lives, how big and fast it is, what it eats, whether it is in danger, and three facts worth repeating at dinner. Numbers come from the IUCN Red List and well-known natural history sources; when nobody really knows a number, we say so instead of guessing.

What's inside

• The world map. Pick a continent or the oceans and the map flies there; tap a pin to meet the animal that lives in that spot. You can switch between a flat map and a 3D globe.
• Animal profiles. Size, speed, lifespan and diet, a 'how heavy is that?' row of kids, a mini globe showing its home, a food chain and a 'compare with…' tool to put any animal next to a 10-year-old or another animal.
• Body explorers. Eight animals — elephant, lion, polar bear, golden eagle, Nile crocodile, common frog, great white shark and honeybee — with their outside, skeleton (or exoskeleton) and organs, part by part.
• Quizzes. A classic photo quiz and an 'Animal challenge' with eight kinds of games: where does it live, who am I, body parts, which is heavier or faster, sorting animals, building food chains and 'what if…?' questions.

From mammals to invertebrates

The six groups follow what primary school teaches: what makes a mammal a mammal, why birds have hollow bones, why reptiles sunbathe, how a tadpole turns into a frog, how sharks float without a swim bladder and why bees matter for the food we eat. Life cycles are shown for the frog and the monarch butterfly.

How to use it

Start on the map or with the animal of the day, open a few profiles and look inside one body. Then try the quiz: rounds are short, younger children get simpler questions and children aged 10 to 12 get harder ones with words like adaptation, ectotherm and food web. Every animal you open, region you visit and body part you discover earns a stamp in the explorer passport.

For the grown-up alongside

Ask 'why?' rather than 'what?'. Why does the polar bear have small ears? Why does the frog breathe through its skin? Why is the green sea turtle no longer endangered? Explaining an adaptation out loud sticks far better than remembering a list of facts, and every endangered animal comes with what helps it, so the conversation ends with hope rather than worry.

Frequent questions

What ages is the animals section for?

It is written for children aged 8 to 12. Younger children can explore the map and the profiles with an adult; the quiz automatically gives simpler questions to children under 10 and harder ones to children aged 10 to 12.

Which animals are included?

68 animals in six groups: 18 mammals, 12 birds, 10 reptiles, 8 amphibians, 10 fish and 10 invertebrates, chosen to cover every continent and the oceans, with some species from Spain and Catalonia such as the Hermann's tortoise, the fire salamander and the white stork.

Where do the facts come from?

Conservation status comes from the IUCN Red List. Sizes, weights and behaviour come from sources such as Animal Diversity Web, Britannica, the Smithsonian and San Diego Zoo. When a number isn't reliably known, the profile says 'not well known' instead of guessing.

Is it free, and does it need an account?

Exploring the map, the profiles, the body explorers and the quiz is free and works in the browser with nothing to install. Children with a PetMat profile also earn XP and their parents can see which animals they have discovered.

How does it fit the school curriculum?

It covers the primary-school nature topics on living things: classifying animals into groups, habitats and continents, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores, food chains, adaptations, life cycles and why some animals are endangered.

Related learning pages

• Nature · 3rd Grade
• Nature · 4th Grade
• Nature · 5th Grade
• Nature · 6th Grade