Animals

Free Animal Pictures: 162 Photos of Wild Animals, Birds, Pets and Insects

· 3 min read
Alpaca walking

162 free animal pictures from the BigFoto library: tigers and snow leopards, giraffes, elephants and rhinos, monkeys and apes, parrots, toucans and penguins, farm animals and pets, and a close look at butterflies, dragonflies and spiders. Most were taken in zoos and wildlife parks, a few in the wild and on the farm.

How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.

Big cats and wild mammals

Tigers, lions, snow leopards and a cheetah; giraffes, zebras, elephants, rhinos and bears; kangaroos, deer and wild cattle.

American bison with a calf
Banteng cattle at a zoo
Brown bear on rocks
Elephants at a zoo
Elephant at a zoo
Cheetah lying in the grass
Giraffe head against the sky
Giraffe standing tall
Giraffe in an enclosure
Wildebeest resting
Hippopotamus
Kangaroo mother with a joey
Snow leopards resting together
Lion lying in the grass
Lioness resting
Lion asleep on rocks
Giant pandas at play
Mouflon ram
Two white rhinos
Rhinoceros lying down
Stag lying in the sun
Tiger walking
Tiger lying in the grass
Tiger on a rock
Wallaby with a joey
Watusi cattle with long horns
Zebras in an enclosure
Tigers resting in a sandy rock canyon
Sloth asleep in a tree
Squirrel on a branch
Flying fox hanging in a tree
Marmot by its burrow
Arabian oryx lying down

Monkeys and apes

Macaques, a gibbon, orangutans and a lemur.

Two apes on a rock
Rhesus monkey eating
Red ruffed lemur in the leaves
Chimpanzee on a rock
White-cheeked gibbon
Monkeys grooming
Orangutans sitting in the grass

Birds

Macaws and toucans, flamingos and storks, penguins, owls, swans, ducks, gulls and a peacock.

Marabou stork
White bird on a branch
Nutcracker bird on the ground
Two whistling ducks on a rock
Ducks on the water
Mallard ducks on a wall
Flamingos
Flamingo preening
Goose in the grass
Great grey owl
Jackdaw on a stone
Snowy owl
Two red macaws
Blue and yellow macaw
Peacock with its tail
Penguin swimming
White fantail pigeon
Two pigeons on a ledge
King penguin
Seagulls on the water
Seagull in flight
White stork in the grass
Stork in its nest
Swallow nest under a roof
Black swan on the water
Toucan on a bench
Toucan close up
Man and a toucan
Two swans on a lake
White spoonbills

Farm animals and pets

Horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens and a camel; cats and dogs at home.

Alpaca walking
Black bull in a meadow
Camel in an enclosure
Ginger cat resting
Ginger cat on a car
Hens in the grass
Chickens pecking the ground
Rooster in the grass
Brown and white cow grazing
Dog chasing a tennis ball
Red setter dog
Dog in a pushchair
Goat on a road
Goats in a green meadow
Horse grazing
White horses by a rapeseed field
Two horses grazing
Rooster in a garden
White hen in the grass
Two sheep close up
Two draught horses in harness
Donkeys in a meadow of flowers

Insects, reptiles and sea life

Butterflies, dragonflies, beetles and spiders, crocodiles, tortoises and a python, frogs and snails, orcas, dolphins and seals.

Ants on a twig
Bumblebee on a purple flower
Owl butterflies feeding on fruit
Paper kite butterfly
Orange butterfly on a leaf
Red lacewing butterfly
Black and white butterfly
Crocodile snapping at food
Alligator in the grass, Florida
Small crocodile held in a hand
Crocodiles resting by water
Dolphin leaping at a show
Green dragonfly on a stem
Dragonfly with spread wings
Dragonfly on a leaf
Blue damselfly on a twig
Carp crowding at the surface
Carp with open mouths
Fish in a pond
Frog on a leaf
Giant tortoise
Grasshopper on gravel
Harbour seal on a rock
Hummingbird hawk moth at a flower
Green rose chafer beetle on a finger
Ground beetle
Wasps on their nest
Wasp on blue
Water strider on a pond
Fly on a green leaf
Shrimp close up
Caterpillar cocoon on wood
Jellyfish in an aquarium
Killer whale leaping at a show
Killer whale breaching
Green lizard on a tree trunk
Sea lion standing by a pool
Snail on a path
Snail on a twig
Python coiled up
Spider in its web at night
Garden spider
Wasp spider in its web
Giant tortoise resting
Tortoise head close up

More animals from our travels

Nubian ibex in the Negev, reindeer in Iceland, zebras and an elephant on Brijuni, macaques on Elephanta Island, camels in Jordan, and a crocodile and water dragon near Cairns.

Camel with a saddle blanket on the beach
Reindeer grazing on a green meadow
Reindeer stag with big antlers in Iceland
Macaques walking on the ground on Elephanta Island
Monkey grooming another monkey
Macaque sitting on a wall
Nubian ibex on the rocks in the Negev
Ibex resting among desert rocks
Ibex climbing a rocky hillside in the Negev
Ibexes on the wall at the Mitzpe Ramon lookout
Three camels in Wadi Rum
Herd of black goats resting in the desert
Seagull flying over the Kornati
Seagull on the edge of a waterfall
Grey donkey at the Krka ethno village
Resting camel with a striped blanket by the road
Horse resting in the tall grass on Velebit
Two fluffy chicks on the grass under a pine on Brijuni
Zebras behind a wooden fence on Brijuni
Zebras on a meadow in the Brijuni safari park
Elephant in an enclosure on Brijuni
Shoal of fish in turquoise water
Australian water dragon on a rock
Saltwater crocodile in murky water
Australian brush turkey in the leaf litter

Photographing animals

Animals pictures free download

Animals never cease to fascinate us. From the graceful giraffe in the grasslands of Africa to the simple snail in our back garden. From the power and pace of the cheetah to the tired tread of the tortoise. From the cheek of the chimpanzee to the pride of the peacock. The world of all creatures great and small holds us human animals in its thrall. Many photographers are bitten by the wildlife-photography bug but it can be one of the most challenging forms of photography. Not only are sound technical skills required to capture well-lit, sharp and perfectly composed images, but a fair amount of field craft and a good knowledge of the behaviour of the animal being stalked are also essential. While wildlife photography can be practiced using basic equipment, eventually the keen wildlife photographer will add a variety of equipment to his arsenal. Depending on the specific type of wildlife, this will range from macro lenses for insects to long focal-length lenses for birds and elusive animals, and special underwater cameras and lenses for marine life. A further very important aspect is to be in the right place at the right time, something that is much less a matter of luck and far more a question of research, experience and a considerable portion of patience. 

A lot of people ask me how they can also take great wildlife pictures like this. It’s a good question. I always recommend starters to run start out with a digiscoping setup and watching a bunch of YouTube videos on this topic. Training makes mastery, my friend.  Animals pictures free download …

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Questions about these photos

Can I use these animal pictures for free?

Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.

Can I use these animal photos for school projects?

Yes. They are free for school, personal and commercial use; a link to BigFoto.com is all we ask.