According to some estimates, nearly 40 percent of U.S. households own at least one dog—including pups like Duke here.
Photograph by Douglas Segers
Map
Domestic Dog Range
Audio
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Mammal
- Diet:
- Omnivore
- Size:
- Height at the shoulder, 6 to 33 in (15 to 84 cm)
- Weight:
- 3 to 175 lbs (1 to 79 kg)
- Group name:
- Pack
- Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
-
Dogs were probably the first tame animals. They have accompanied humans for some 10,000 years. Some scientists assert that all dogs, domestic and wild, share a common ancestor in the small South Asian wolf.
Today humans have bred hundreds of different domestic dog breeds—some of which could never survive in the wild. Despite their many shapes and sizes all domestic dogs, from Newfoundlands to pugs, are members of the same species—Canis familiaris. Although they have domestic temperaments, these dogs are related to wolves, foxes, and jackals.
Domestic dogs still share many behaviors with their wild relatives. Both defend their territories and mark them by urinating on trees, rocks, fence posts, and other suitable sites. These scent posts serve notice to other dogs that an animal is occupying its territory.
Many pet dogs also bury bones or favorite toys for future use, just as their wild relatives sometimes bury a kill to secure the meat for later feasts.
Dogs communicate in several ways. Scent is one method, another is physical appearance. Body position, movement, and facial expression often convey a strong message. Many of these signals are recognizable even to humans, such as the excited tail-wagging of a happy dog or the bared teeth of an angry or threatened animal. Vocally, dogs communicate with a cacophony of sounds including barks, growls, and whines.
Domestic dogs serve as more than companions; many earn their keep by working hard. Dogs herd livestock, aid hunters, guard homes, and perform police and rescue work. Some special animals even guide the blind—a poignant symbol of the dog's longstanding role as man's best friend.
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Aardvark
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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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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 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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Sun Bear
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Tapir
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Thomson's Gazelle
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Warty Newt
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Wasp
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Water Buffalo
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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
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