Animal coverage roadmap

Expansion principles

Priority batch queue

16 planned expansion batches. Example species are candidates for research — not published pages.

• Deep-Sea Species Expansion

  high priority

  Delivered: dedicated, source-backed profiles for deep-sea animals — vampire squid, gulper eel, barreleye, yeti crab, snailfish, hatchetfish, black dragonfish, glass sponge, deep-sea coral, and the hydrothermal-vent tube worm — now link from the ocean depth pages.

  Examples: vampire squid, gulper eel, barreleye fish, yeti crab, snailfish, hatchetfish, black dragonfish, glass sponge

  Licensed images of deep-sea animals are scarce; images here were each license-verified (Public Domain / CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA) via Wikimedia Commons, favouring NOAA, Smithsonian, and museum sources.

  CompleteImages: hardPages: published

• Invertebrates Expansion — Batch 1

  high priority

  Delivered: representative profiles across underrepresented invertebrate groups — arachnids (tick, mite), annelids (leech), and bivalve molluscs (clam, oyster, mussel) — joining the existing scorpion, tarantula, centipede, millipede, earthworm, sea cucumber, and sea urchin profiles.

  Examples: tick, mite, leech, clam, oyster, mussel, scorpion, earthworm

  Safety-sensitive groups (tick, mite, leech) drafted with calm, source-backed framing and no medical/first-aid instructions; images each license-verified (CC BY / CC BY-SA, named authors) via Wikimedia Commons.

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Mollusks & Shellfish Batch

  high priority

  Delivered: representative coverage across the mollusk phylum — gastropods (abalone, sea slug, cone snail, limpet, whelk, cowrie), bivalves (scallop, giant clam, shipworm), the chiton (Polyplacophora), and the blue-ringed octopus — joining existing octopus, squid, cuttlefish, nautilus, clam, oyster, mussel, nudibranch, snail, and slug profiles.

  Examples: abalone, scallop, sea slug, cone snail, limpet, whelk, chiton, cowrie

  Venom species (cone snail, blue-ringed octopus) and edible shellfish were drafted with calm, source-backed framing — no medical, seafood-safety, or harvesting how-to; the shipworm is clarified as a bivalve, not a worm; images each license-verified (PD / CC BY / CC BY-SA, named authors).

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Red List Detailed Profiles Batch

  high priority

  Add more detailed endangered species profiles with licensed images.

  Examples: amur leopard, mountain gorilla, sumatran tiger, vaquita, saola, kakapo

  Extends the existing /endangered-animals cluster; reuse its compliance posture.

  Ready for researchImages: moderatePages: not yet

• African Fauna Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: 10 new African profiles (African buffalo, marabou stork, African grey parrot, Nile crocodile, African rock python, puff adder, Nile perch, tilapia, dung beetle, tsetse fly) plus integration of existing African animals into the /fauna/continents/africa layer.

  Examples: african buffalo, marabou stork, african grey parrot, nile crocodile, puff adder, nile perch, dung beetle, tsetse fly

  Dangerous species framed calmly (no first-aid/survival how-to); range framed cautiously with native vs introduced distinguished; African grey parrot pet-trade framed as a conservation concern; images license-verified (PD/CC0/CC BY/CC BY-SA, named authors), captive/illustration images captioned honestly.

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Asian Fauna Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: 13 new Asian profiles (snow leopard, Asian black bear, musk deer, sarus crane, mandarin duck, king cobra, reticulated python, Asian giant salamander, Asian arowana, mahseer, Mekong giant catfish, Asian giant hornet, silkworm) plus integration of many existing Asian animals into the /fauna/continents/asia layer.

  Examples: snow leopard, king cobra, reticulated python, sarus crane, mekong giant catfish, arowana, asian giant hornet, silkworm

  Dangerous species framed calmly (no first-aid/survival how-to); range framed cautiously (precise for mountain/island/freshwater; native vs introduced); CITES/threatened trade (arowana, Mekong giant catfish, musk deer) framed as conservation concern; captive/aquarium/specimen/illustration images captioned honestly.

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• European Fauna Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: 20 new European profiles (European bison, Eurasian lynx, European badger, red deer, roe deer, European hare, European hedgehog, European otter, Alpine ibex, white stork, barn owl, golden eagle, western capercaillie, European adder, grass snake, European tree frog, Atlantic salmon, European eel, brown trout, stag beetle) plus integration of existing European animals (incl. pine marten, fire salamander, wild boar) into the /fauna/continents/europe layer.

  Examples: european bison, eurasian lynx, alpine ibex, white stork, golden eagle, european eel, atlantic salmon, stag beetle

  Reintroduction history framed honestly (European bison, Alpine ibex — restored from remnants/captive stock); range framed cautiously (native vs introduced vs migratory; brown trout introduced elsewhere; white stork winters in Africa; barn owl/golden eagle cosmopolitan); European adder framed calmly (venomous but bites uncommon — no first-aid/handling how-to, route to medical/wildlife authorities); European eel Critically Endangered with uncertain oceanic spawning; captive wildlife-park (otter) and market (Atlantic salmon) images captioned honestly. eurasian-jay deferred; european-honeybee/red-wood-ant covered via existing bee/ant profiles.

  CompleteImages: easierPages: published

• North American Fauna Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: 20 new North American profiles (bighorn sheep, mountain goat, cougar, American black bear, polar bear, Arctic fox, bald eagle, wild turkey, whooping crane, sandhill crane, California condor, snowy owl, common loon, American alligator, snapping turtle, chinook salmon, alligator gar, lake sturgeon, monarch butterfly, luna moth) plus integration of existing North American animals (incl. pronghorn, elk, bobcat, coyote, skunk, American bison, rattlesnake, gila monster, axolotl, bullfrog, horseshoe crab) into the /fauna/continents/north-america layer.

  Examples: cougar, polar bear, bald eagle, whooping crane, california condor, american alligator, chinook salmon, monarch butterfly

  american-bison SKIPPED as a duplicate of the existing /animals/bison (Bison bison); largemouth-bass deferred (sport-fish framing); north-american-beaver/tarantula-hawk-wasp covered by existing beaver/wasp. Conservation framed cautiously and attributed-as-changeable (polar bear Vulnerable, whooping crane Endangered, California condor Critically Endangered, snowy owl Vulnerable; monarch migratory population 'of significant conservation concern'; chinook population-specific; lake sturgeon contested; luna moth not formally IUCN-assessed). Range cautious (Arctic/circumpolar for polar bear/arctic fox/snowy owl; crane migration; chinook native/hatchery/introduced; axolotl endemic to near Mexico City). Dangerous species (cougar, bears, alligator, snapping turtle) framed calmly with route-to-authority and NO first-aid/survival/handling; fish carry NO fishing/harvesting/food advice; alligator/gar myths corrected calmly. Images mostly USFWS/NPS public-domain; aquarium (alligator gar), hatchery/study (lake sturgeon), urban-edge (cougar) and summer-coat (arctic fox) captioned honestly.

  CompleteImages: easierPages: published

• South American Fauna Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: 20 new South American profiles (giant anteater, vicuna, guanaco, llama, spectacled bear, pink river dolphin, giant otter, harpy eagle, Andean condor, macaw, rhea, king vulture, scarlet ibis, marine iguana, Galapagos tortoise, arapaima, blue morpho butterfly, leafcutter ant, goliath birdeater, Amazonian giant centipede) plus integration of existing South American animals (jaguar, capybara, tapir, maned wolf, sloth, armadillo, ocelot, howler/spider monkeys, toucan, hoatzin, caiman, poison dart frog, piranha, electric eel, anaconda, boa, glass frog, coati, agouti, kinkajou, peccary) into the /fauna/continents/south-america layer.

  Examples: jaguar, harpy eagle, andean condor, pink river dolphin, marine iguana, galapagos tortoise, giant otter, blue morpho butterfly

  green-anaconda SKIPPED (existing /animals/anaconda is the green anaconda, Eunectes murinus); boa-constrictor SKIPPED (existing /animals/boa is Boa constrictor); glass-frog already existed. Galapagos endemics (marine iguana, Galapagos tortoise) tied specifically to the Galapagos Islands, not all South America; Andean species (vicuna, guanaco, spectacled bear, Andean condor) tied to the Andes; pink river dolphin to the Amazon/Orinoco. Group/complex species (macaw, rhea, Galapagos tortoise, arapaima, blue morpho) framed as 'status varies by species', attributed; goliath birdeater + giant centipede + leafcutter ant NOT IUCN-assessed; llama framed as DOMESTIC (not a wild status). Dangerous species (goliath birdeater, giant centipede) framed calmly with route-to-medical and NO first-aid/handling/keeping; arapaima carries NO fishing/harvesting/food advice. Images license-verified (PD/CC0/CC BY/CC BY-SA); wrong-species Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis chilensis) and museum-specimen blue morpho candidates were rejected in favour of correct wild/in-situ images; llama captioned as domestic.

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Oceania Fauna Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: 20 new Oceania profiles (wallaby, dingo, cuscus, dugong, humpback whale, tree kangaroo, galah, black swan, wedge-tailed eagle, takahe, saltwater crocodile, blue-tongued skink, cane toad, reef manta ray, leafy seadragon, box jellyfish, crown-of-thorns starfish, funnel-web spider, redback spider, giant weta) plus integration of many existing Oceania animals (kangaroo, koala, wombat, platypus, echidna, quokka, sugar glider, tasmanian devil, numbat, bilby, quoll, bandicoot, cassowary, emu, kiwi, kakapo, kea, lyrebird, bird-of-paradise, magpie, tuatara, frilled lizard, thorny devil, sea turtle, blue-ringed octopus, clownfish, stick insect) into the /fauna/continents/oceania layer.

  Examples: dingo, dugong, takahe, saltwater crocodile, cane toad, reef manta ray, box jellyfish, giant weta

  red-kangaroo SKIPPED (existing /animals/kangaroo centres on the red kangaroo, Osphranter rufus); green-sea-turtle SKIPPED (existing /animals/sea-turtle covers the green turtle, Chelonia mydas). STRICT dedupe vs the existing oceania record set (SA-QA lesson) — generator programmatically skipped any slug that already had an oceania record (0 skipped; baseline 25 -> 68). Sub-regions kept distinct (Australia / Tasmania / New Zealand / New Guinea / Pacific): NZ endemics (takahe, giant weta; plus integrated kiwi/kakapo/kea/tuatara) tied to New Zealand; New Guinea species (cuscus, tree kangaroo, bird-of-paradise) tied to New Guinea; saltwater crocodile framed as broad Indo-Pacific (not only/all Oceania); cane toad framed INTRODUCED/invasive (NOT native); marine species (dugong, humpback whale, reef manta ray, leafy seadragon, box jellyfish, crown-of-thorns starfish, sea turtle, blue-ringed octopus, clownfish) framed coastal/marine. Dangerous species (saltwater croc, box jellyfish, funnel-web/redback spiders, crown-of-thorns, cane toad toxin) framed calmly with route-to-medical/authorities and NO first-aid/handling. Dingo taxonomy left open (debated); box jellyfish / giant weta / blue-tongued skink / wallaby / tree kangaroo framed as groups with varying status. Captive wildlife-park (cuscus) + museum specimen/collection (cuscus gallery, giant weta gallery) images captioned honestly; wrong-species 'wallaby' (red kangaroo) and box-jellyfish (Lion's Mane) candidates rejected in sourcing.

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Polar / Antarctica Refinement

  medium priority

  Delivered (Antarctic/Southern Ocean refinement, NOT a land-fauna expansion): 10 new marine/coastal profiles — emperor penguin, Adelie penguin, snow petrel, wandering albatross, leopard seal, Weddell seal, crabeater seal, Antarctic krill, Antarctic toothfish, and icefish — plus integration of existing marine species (whale, humpback whale, orca, krill, albatross, squid) into the /fauna/continents/antarctica layer.

  Examples: emperor penguin, adelie penguin, leopard seal, weddell seal, antarctic krill, wandering albatross, antarctic toothfish, icefish

  NOT a fake Antarctic land-fauna expansion: every profile/record is a MARINE or COASTAL species. The continent page already states Antarctica has no native land mammals/reptiles/amphibians (only tiny invertebrates), and this work preserves that. NO Arctic/Antarctic conflation (no polar bears, Arctic foxes, walruses, reindeer in Antarctica — those belong to Arctic context). Range cautious: penguins/seals tied to Antarctic coasts + pack/fast ice (not the interior, not all of Antarctica); the wandering albatross breeds on SUBANTARCTIC islands, NOT the mainland; toothfish/icefish are Southern Ocean fish. Crabeater seal name corrected (eats krill, not crabs). NO fishing/harvesting/food advice for krill/toothfish/icefish (conservation-concern framing only via CCAMLR/IUCN); leopard seal framed calmly. STRICT dedupe vs the existing antarctica record set (baseline 2: penguin, seal -> 18; 0 skipped, 0 duplicates). Krill/toothfish/icefish images are research/specimen photographs captioned honestly. NOTE: emperor penguin IUCN status is framed cautiously as attributed/changeable (a recent reassessment may have uplisted it; the profile points readers to the IUCN Red List for the current listing rather than asserting a permanent category).

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Domestic & Farm Animals Batch

  medium priority

  Cover common domestic and farm animals, clearly labelled as domestic.

  Examples: chicken, turkey, donkey, alpaca, water buffalo, domestic duck

  Always label as domestic/livestock; do not present as wild fauna.

  PlannedImages: easierPages: not yet

• Pollinators Batch

  medium priority

  Delivered: a representative, source-backed pollinator ecology cluster across animal groups, anchored by the /wildlife/pollinators hub. 14 new profiles — bumblebee, carpenter bee, mason bee, leafcutter bee, orchid bee (bees); painted lady (butterfly); hawk moth, hummingbird hawk-moth (moths); hoverfly (fly); longhorn beetle (beetle); fig wasp, pollen wasp (wasps); honeyeater (bird); nectar bat (bat) — plus integration of existing bee, butterfly, monarch butterfly, moth, beetle, wasp, hummingbird, sunbird, and bat profiles.

  Examples: bumblebee, mason bee, orchid bee, hoverfly, hawk moth, fig wasp, pollen wasp, honeyeater

  Pollination is an ecological interaction, not a taxonomic group: the hub and profiles state explicitly that bees are not the only pollinators and that not every flower visitor is an effective pollinator. NO blanket 'all bees/butterflies/moths are pollinators or declining' claims; conservation framed cautiously and attributed (IUCN/Xerces). Honest counter-examples kept OUT of the pollinator records and shown separately (ants = usually ineffective; luna moth = adults do not feed; blue morpho = feeds mainly on fruit/sap). Range caution: orchid bees Neotropical, hummingbirds Americas-only, sunbirds Old World (NOT hummingbirds), honeyeaters Australasian, nectar-bat roles region-specific. NO medical/sting/allergy, hive/nest removal, pest-control/pesticide, beekeeping, handling, or gardening how-to anywhere. Images license-verified (PD/CC0/CC BY/CC BY-SA); specimen/museum/research photos (orchid-bee gallery, fig-wasp Blastophaga hero, pollen-wasp Celonites gallery, nectar-bat Glossophaga hero) disclosed honestly in caption + riskNotes. New typed data layer src/lib/ecology/pollinators.ts (23 records, 0 duplicates, no invented importance/urgency scores). Hub at /wildlife/pollinators.

  CompleteImages: easierPages: published

• Reptiles & Amphibians Expansion

  medium priority

  Delivered: a representative, source-backed reptile and amphibian cluster, anchored by the /animal-taxonomy/reptiles-amphibians hub. 11 new profiles — saw-scaled viper, coral snake, garter snake, burmese python (snakes); green iguana (lizard); leatherback sea turtle, green sea turtle, Aldabra giant tortoise, box turtle (turtles & tortoises); red-eyed tree frog, caecilian (amphibians) — plus integration of existing snake/lizard/turtle/crocodilian/frog/salamander profiles into the new hub and the reptiles encyclopedia.

  Examples: saw scaled viper, coral snake, burmese python, green iguana, leatherback sea turtle, aldabra giant tortoise, box turtle, red eyed tree frog

  Reptiles and amphibians framed as DIFFERENT groups (amphibians are not reptiles); caecilians = amphibians, NOT worms/snakes; hellbenders/newts = salamanders; sea turtles = marine; tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises; tuatara = its own lineage, not a lizard. Venomous-vs-poisonous distinction kept correct; NO invented venom potency/LD50/death or attack statistics; NO 'deadliest'/sensational framing. Coral-snake colour/mimicry mentioned only as a source-backed biology note, never as handling/ID advice. NO snakebite/venom first-aid, medical, handling/capture, pet-keeping/terrarium, or invasive-removal instructions anywhere (Burmese python Florida invasion framed as a cautious management issue, not a removal guide). Conservation attributed/changeable (IUCN). STRICT dedupe: SKIPPED gaboon-viper (existing /animals/viper is anchored on Bitis gabonica), black-mamba (=/animals/mamba), green-anaconda (=/animals/anaconda), boa-constrictor (=/animals/boa) to avoid same-species duplicates. Images license-verified (PD/CC0/CC BY/CC BY-SA, named authors), captions metadata-derived; the only non-wild image (burmese-python gallery head shot) asserts no wild context; green-iguana/aldabra galleries disclose garden/reserve locations. New Reptile Database source const added; caecilian removed from amphibian priorityMissingExamples. Hub at /animal-taxonomy/reptiles-amphibians.

  CompleteImages: moderatePages: published

• Urban Wildlife Batch

  low priority

  Cover wild animals that thrive around people.

  Examples: rat, squirrel, opossum, seagull, starling, house mouse

  Avoid pest-control framing; keep educational.

  PlannedImages: easierPages: not yet

• Venomous Animals Educational Batch

  low priority

  Cover venomous animals with a careful, safety-aware educational frame.

  Examples: scorpion, box jellyfish, cone snail, blue ringed octopus, king cobra, stonefish

  Educational only — no first-aid/medical instructions; clear safety framing.

  PlannedImages: moderatePages: not yet