a website to assist in identifying fauna and flora

This site assists in identifying fauna and flora. Because it's fun to know the name of that bird, butterfly or beetle you have just spotted and sometimes it is very difficult to find the correct name. In the information jungle, identification is almost a scientific study - anyone who has started on that trail will be well aware! This site provides links to Wikipedia and other pages for more information, because once you have identified your target more detailed information can be found easily.

Start your search immediately by selecting a category icon (click our logo top left) or read more about this website and our plans (mission) to improve. We present to you our app with the same information and added functionality like increased photo resolution, offline functionality and detailed location information. You can have this complete website on your phone for use in the field.



Search and Find
Search by size, shape, colour and specific characteristics for animals in Europe.
Keep track of us through our blog and we will keep you posted on website and App improvements.
If you have any questions please email us.
Explanation on search criteria can be found on the buttons above with an i.
To search a name use the index at the bottom right of each page.

What you will like about our website
One uniform interface for all categories.
All search criteria can be used simultaneously.
The search results will display immediately.
It is easy to change search parameters while searching.
A comprehensive classification system covering all observable features.
Each record has a details page with access to family members, Look Alikes (LA), more extensive internet information and occasionally a small video.

Some tips on optimising search results
Select a category and start with the features you feel confident about.
To many results? Just add or remove criteria to limit or increase the number of results.
You can select multiple colours simultanously. For all other criteria you can select one item.
You can start from scratch at any time by clicking the logo top left.
If you cannot make a possitive identification, remove some search criteria. It is possible you have seen something extraordinary. (we love to hear about it)
As default the website uses Europe, we have flora and fauna from other continents but not a complete set. For those interested go to set region in the footer and select a differnet region!
If the links to more information or video's don't work check whether your browser is blocking popups. To solve this change your browser setting.


Decisions we have made
Family name: we use the Latin name as starting point and attach one English name to that. This name can differ from books or other websites.
Latin names: even today flora and fauna are regularly renamed due to new categorisation into family, genus or order. We try to use the latest name and will mention previous names on the details page if possible.
Ecozone: Animals and plants do not respect national boundaries but sometimes there are oceans or mountains to limit their range. Select the region you are interested in as a starting point of your search.
All photos are carefully selected and most are made by us (RikenMon). Others are made by friends or photographers who offer to freely use their photos. All photo's are protected by various Creative Commons Licences, the relating license and name/link is given for each photo. Do you have photos we can use, please send us an email!

Why we made this site
A couple of years ago we traveled around and discovered we needed a compact guide for flora and fauna, preferably on our telephone since we always have our phone at hand. It did not exist so we started making it ourselves. The complete story can be found on our blog.

What is on our wishlist?
We have a long list, however on a short term this is our focus:
A larger set (more animals) for Europe.
Some records have no or just one photo only, getting more would be great.
Develop search criteria for our flora categories.
Selling our APP so we can continue our development.
At this moment we offer the website in 9 languages. We are looking for people who can help us check the google translations. Mail us if you think you can contribute.



How close we check some errors have escaped our attention and we apologize for that. If you find an error we appreciate an email with a description. We will do our best to give you a proper answer and resolve the issue.




Site is updated at: V3

Version log:
Summer 2019 Change our graphics from bitmap (.jpg) to vector (.svg) to make our website look nicer.
Summer 2019 Change region to realm. We moved all borders of our regions a bit to follow with WWF biogeographic realms or Ecozones.
Jun-2018 Transfer to new server with IPv6 support, essential for Apple App.
Jan-2018 With online translators we have transfered all texts to the 7 remaining languages.
Sep-2017 Start with search items on flowers, mushroom and trees.
Mar-2017 Website layout with sprites and 9 languages.
Feb-2017 Transfer website to HTTPS and introduce CDN (content delivery network)
Nov-2016 Birds shape category is now changed and start location entry.
July-2016 Changed layout of website to support multi screen sizes (responsive design).
May-2016 Updated Apps for multi language support.
Mar-2016 Database update to support automatic version numbering.
Mar-2016 New BLOG en website layout.
Oct-2015 All European animals with checked uniform texts.
Aug-2015 iPhone App ready and available on iTunes.
Jun-2015 Android App is ready and in the Android App store.
Sep-2014 Web pages Dutch 1.1 + Web pages English 1.0 + Record dBase 1.1 + Blog
Apr-2014 Web pages Dutch 1.1 + English 1.0
Dec-2013 Web pages Dutch 1.0 + Web pages English 0.9 + Record dBase 1.0