About the Virunga Gorillas
Nearly half of the world's 700-some remaining mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains of central Africa, at the intersection of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The volcanic slopes here are lush with tropical forests and diverse mammal, bird, and reptile species—but they are also at the heart of a region in crisis.
Sandwiched between the 1994 Rwandan genocide and a brutal ongoing civil war in Congo, Virunga National Park, home to nearly 200 gorillas, has become a battleground for militia groups and the Congolese army. In addition, severe poverty in the region pushes poachers into the park to hunt gorillas for either meat or sale. Locals also generate income by cutting down trees to create charcoal—a nearly $30 million trade that wreaks havoc on critical habitat.
With the help of dedicated wildlife rangers, comprehensive monitoring, and community education programs, the endangered gorilla population in the Virungas experienced a nearly 20 percent increase in the early 2000s. But in 2007, at least ten gorillas in Virunga National Park were lost to murder and chaos.
Gorillas in other Virunga parks are faring a bit better, as is the other half of the world's remaining mountain gorilla population, which lives in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, just 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of the Virunga mountains.
For the Virunga gorillas, however, the future—and their survival—is uncertain.
Gorilla Features
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Gorilla Charge
A group of scientists gets charged by a family of wild gorillas.
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Lowland Gorilla Family
Kingo and his family of western lowland gorillas are giving researchers an intimate glimpse into their private lives.
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Gorilla Poaching
Wild African gorillas are hunted down and slaughtered for their meat with devastating results. Caution! Some images in this clip are of a disturbing nature.
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Hanging With Gorillas
A group of tourists lives out a fantasy trip: getting up close and personal with a family of wild gorillas on their own turf.
Creature Feature
Animals
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Aardvark
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Adélie Penguin
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African Elephant
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African Lion
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African Wild Dog
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Albatross
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Alligator Snapping Turtle
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Amazon Horned Frog
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American Alligator
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American Bison
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American Bullfrog
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American Crocodile
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Ammonite
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Andean Condor
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Anglerfish
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Ankylosaurus Magniventris
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Ant
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Arabian (Dromedary) Camel
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Arctic Fox
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Arctic Hare
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Arctic Skua
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Armadillo
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Asian Elephant
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Asian Lion
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Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
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Atlantic Puffin
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Aye-Aye
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Baboon
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Bactrian Camel
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Bald Eagle
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Baltimore Oriole
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Beaver
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Beluga Whale
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Bengal Tiger
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Bird of Paradise
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Black Bear
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Black-Footed Ferret
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Black Mamba
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Black Rhinoceros
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Blacktip Shark
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Black Widow Spider
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Bluebird
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Blue Crab
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Blue-Footed Booby
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Blue Jay
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Blue Marlin
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Blue Whale
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Boa Constrictor
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Bobcat
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Bottlenose Dolphin
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Box Jellyfish
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Brachychampsa Montana
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Brown Bear
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Bull Shark
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Burmese Python
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Butterflyfish
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California Condor
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California Sea Lion
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Canada Goose
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Cane Toad
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Canvasback
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Caribou
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Carolina Wren
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Cheetah
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Chimpanzee
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Chipmunk
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Cicada
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Clouded Leopard
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Clown Anemonefish
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Coelacanth
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Common Earthworm
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Common Loon
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Common Octopus
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Common Sandpiper
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Common Vampire Bat
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Common Wombat
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Coral
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Cottontail Rabbit
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Coyote
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Cretoxyrhina Mantelli
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Cuban Screech Owl
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Cubera Snapper
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Deer Tick
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Devil Frog
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Dingo
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Dog Snapper
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Dolichorhynchops Osborni
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Domestic Cat
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Domestic Dog
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Draco Lizard
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Dugong
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Eastern Coral Snake
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Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
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Eastern Gray Kangaroo
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Egyptian Giant Solpugid (Camel Spider)
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Electric Eel
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Elephant Seal
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Elk
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Emperor Penguin
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Fennec Fox
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Firefly (Lightning Bug)
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Flying Fish
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Flying Snake
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Fossa
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Frilled Lizard
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Fur Seal
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Galápagos Tortoise
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Gelada
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Gentoo Penguin
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Geographic Cone Snail
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Giant Anteater
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Giant Clam
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Giant Pacific Octopus
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Giant Panda
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Giant River Otter
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Giant Squid
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Gibbon
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Gila Monster
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Giraffe
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Golden Cowrie
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Golden Eagle
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Golden Jellyfish
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Golden Lion Tamarin
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Golden Poison Dart Frog
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Gray Whale
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Great Blue Heron
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Great Egret
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Greater Flamingo
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Greater Rhea
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Great Horned Owl
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Great White Shark
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Green Anaconda
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Green Basilisk Lizard
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Green-Eyed Tree Frog
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Green Iguana
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Green Sea Turtle
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Grizzly Bear
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Groundhog
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Hammerhead Shark
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Harbor Porpoise
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Harp Seal
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Hawaiian Monk Seal
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Hawksbill Sea Turtle
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Hedgehog
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Henodus Chelyops
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Hesperornis Regalis
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Hippopotamus
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Honeybee
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Horned Toad (Short-Horned Lizard)
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Hornet
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Horse
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Howler Monkey
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Humpback Whale
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Impala
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Indian Rhinoceros
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Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
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Jackrabbit
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Jaguar
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Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
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Killer Whale (Orca)
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King Cobra
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King Vulture
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Kinkajou
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Koala
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Komodo Dragon
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Krill
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Ladybug
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Laughing Kookaburra
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Leafy and Weedy Sea Dragon
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Leatherback Sea Turtle
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Leopard
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Leopard Seal
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Leptoceratops Gracilis
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Lesothosaurus Diagnosticus
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Lionfish
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Little Red Flying-Fox
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Llama
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Lobster
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Locust
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Loggerhead Sea Turtle
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Lynx
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Macaw
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Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
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Mallard Duck
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Manatee
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Mandrill
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Marine Iguana
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Matschie's Tree Kangaroo
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Meerkat
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Meller's Chameleon
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Mexican Axolotl
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Mola (Sunfish)
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Mole Rat
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Monarch Butterfly
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Mongoose
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Mononykus Olecranus
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Moose
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Mosquito
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Mountain Goat
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Mountain Gorilla
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Mountain Lion
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Mouse Lemur
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Mudpuppy
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Musk-Ox
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Narwhal
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Nile Crocodile
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North American River Otter
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Northern Leopard Frog
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Nudibranch
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Nurse Shark
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Nutria
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Ocelot
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Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
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Opossum
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Orangutan
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Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad
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Osprey
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Ostrich
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Oyster
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Ozark Big-Eared Bat
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Pachycephalosaurus Wyomingensis
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Parrot
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Parrot Fish
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Peacock
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Pelican
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Peregrine Falcon
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Pileated Woodpecker
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Platecarpus
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Platypus
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Poison Dart Frog
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Polar Bear
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Porcupine
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Portuguese Man-of-War
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Prairie Dog
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Praying Mantis
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Proboscis Monkey
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Pronghorn
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Protosphyraena
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Protostega Gigas
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Przewalski's Horse
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Pufferfish
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Queen Angelfish
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Quetzal
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Raccoon
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Rainbow Trout
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Raven
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Red Crab
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Red-Eyed Tree Frog
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Red-Footed Booby
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Red Fox
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Red Kangaroo
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Red Leaf Monkey
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Red Panda
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Red-Tailed Hawk
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Red Uakari
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Rhesus Monkey
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Right Whale
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Ringed Seal
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Ring-Necked Pheasant
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Ring-Tailed Lemur
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Rockhopper Penguin
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Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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Sailfish
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Saltwater Crocodile
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Sandhill Crane
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Sand Tiger Shark
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Scarab
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Scorpion
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Sea Anemone
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Sea Cucumber
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Seahorse
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Sea Otter
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Siberian Tiger
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Sifaka
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Skunk
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Sloth Bear
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Snow Goose
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Snow Leopard
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Snowshoe Hare
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Snowy Owl
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Sockeye Salmon
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Spectacled Bear
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Sperm Whale
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Spider Monkey
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Spotted Hyena
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Spotted Salamander
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Spring Peeper
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Squirrel
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Starfish (Sea Star)
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Steller Sea Lion
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Steller's Sea Eagle
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Stick Insect
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Stingray
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Styxosaurus Snowii
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Sumatran Rhinoceros
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Sun Bear
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Tapir
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Tarantula
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Tasmanian Devil
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Thescelosaurus Neglectus
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Thick-Billed Murre
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Thomson's Gazelle
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Three-Toed Sloth
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Tiger Salamander
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Tiger Shark
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Toucan
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Triceratops Horridus
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Triggerfish
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Troodon Formosus
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Tundra Swan
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Tusotheuthis Longa
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Two-Toed Sloth
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Tylosaurus Proriger
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Tyrannosaurus Rex
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Velociraptor Mongoliensis
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Wallaby
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Wallace's Flying Frog
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Walrus
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Warthog
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Warty Newt
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Wasp
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Water Buffalo
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Web-Footed Gecko
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Weddell Seal
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Western Lowland Gorilla
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Whale Shark
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White-Eared Kob
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White Rhinoceros
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White-Tailed Deer
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Whooping Crane
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Wildebeest
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Wild Turkey
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Wolf
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Wolverine
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Wood Stork
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Xiphactinus Audax
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Zebra