Low
The overwhelming majority of life on Earth. Harmless to humans, and frequently far more interesting for it.
Lowland Streaked Tenrec
A black-and-yellow striped Madagascan tenrec, roughly 125 to 280 g, with back quills that rub together to make high-frequency sound.
Luna Moth
A big green silk moth whose spinning hindwing tails pull bat attacks off its body, and whose adults do not eat.
Magnificent Frigatebird
A seabird whose feathers aren't waterproof, riding wings up to eight feet across and mugging other birds for their catch.
Mahi-Mahi
A gold-and-blue ocean sprinter that can pass 4 feet long in its first year.
Malabar Giant Squirrel
A giant squirrel of peninsular India that can leap six meters or more between trees and rarely leaves them.
Malayan Tapir
Born striped, grown two-tone, and armed with a prehensile snout for plucking leaves.
Mallard
The wild ancestor of nearly all domestic ducks, and a hen that lays larger eggs after mating with a male she prefers.
Mandarin Duck
The tree-hole nesting duck whose drake grows an enlarged, brightly colored sail feather every breeding season.
Maned Wolf
Stilt-legged golden canid of the cerrado that sees over tall grass and marks its territory with urine that reminds many people of a skunk.
Mantled Howler Monkey
A leaf-eating monkey whose males' calls seem to help keep neighbouring troops apart.
Marine Iguana
The only lizard in the world that forages in the ocean, grazing algae underwater and sneezing out the salt.
Meerkat
Sentinel shifts on its hind legs, glare-cutting eye patches, and some immunity to a scorpion's sting, just enough to make it lunch.
Megamouth Shark
A filter-feeding shark first known from 1976, when one got tangled in a research ship's parachute anchor.
Mimic Octopus
The octopus that acts out toxic animals, and seems to pick the impression to suit the threat.
Monarch Butterfly
A butterfly of about half a gram that wears milkweed poison as armor, and whose eastern migrants steer by the sun.
Moon Jellyfish
A see-through pulsing bell that ranks among the most energy-efficient swimmers on the planet.
Mound-Building Termite
A fungus-farming termite whose queens and kings can live as long as 20 years in the lab, while its workers live only a few months.
Muskrat
A marsh rodent that builds its home from piled-up plants and eats about a third of its own weight every day.
Naked Mole-Rat
The nearly hairless, essentially cold-blooded tunnel digger that shrugs off acid and chili burns, survives 18 minutes with no oxygen at all, and outlives every other rodent on record.
Narwhal
Deep-diving Arctic whale whose spiral tusk can grow up to 9.8 feet and may double as a sensory tool.
Nile Tilapia
A mouth-brooding cichlid; in one lab strain, a Y-chromosome gene proved essential for maleness.
Nine-Banded Armadillo
A bony-plated digger that smells invertebrates up to 20 cm underground and almost always gives birth to identical quadruplets.
North Island Brown Kiwi
A flightless night forager with its nostrils near the tip of its bill and an egg that averages 15 percent of its mother's weight.
Northern Cardinal
A red songbird that turns yellow food pigments into scarlet feathers.