Animal/Gallery

The biodiversity of animals is mind-boggling.

(CC) Photo: Richard Ling Smaller fish surround a grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) in an ocean reef cave.     The cells of this hermaphrodite nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) are stained so that their nuclei glow red.     (CC) Photo: Kenny Murray In one of the many unique ways animals obtain food, rancher ants drink sugary juice from aphids (Aphis fabae) in return for the aphids' protection, an example of symbiosis and mutualism.     (CC) Photo: Ken Ichi This red beard sponge (Microciona prolifera) washed up onshore. Sponges attach to the ocean floor and passively filter feed on plankton that pass through them.     (CC) Photo: Richard Ling This granulated sea star (Choriaster granulatus) is just one of the many animals that populate the Great Barrier Reef.     (CC) Photo: Fauxto Digit One of the many thousands of ant species crawls on a peony fruit. Ants are essential in redistributing resources and aerating the soil in every continent except Antarctica.     (CC) Photo: Gerald Yuvallos Insects reproduce in countless ways. These two mating tortoise beetles give an example of internal fertilization.     Most frogs and toads undergo holometabolism: frog larvae, called tadpoles (or pollywogs), hatch from their eggs and change into adult frogs, which look and act differently. Tadpoles have gills and fins and completely live, breathe, and eat in water. Adult frogs have lungs and legs and live, breath, and eat out of water.     (CC) Photo: Martin Helgan Bees, like many insects, pollinate flowers—transferring the flowers' pollen in return for nectar, which the bees drink as food. Flowers are often adapted to attract and accept only one species of animal.     (CC) Photo: Dave Sag Donkeys are a domesticated animal whose mechanical strength is often harnessed by humans as transportation.     (CC) Photo: Carmelo Aquilina Jellyfish are a type of cnidarian. They are gelatinous predators that float in the ocean, using tentacles to bring whatever prey they catch into their mouths.