Animals… From Outside!

A poll tournament to determine Tumblr’s favorite animal.

[animals-from-outside]

Hey, you!

Do you like felines? Bugs? A particular species of fish you feel nobody has ever heard of? Any other critter in the kingdom Animalia? Now is your time to shine!

The goal of this blog is to determine Tumblr's favorite animal!

"How do we do that," you might be wondering.

Step 1. Submit your species to this Form! You may submit as many as you'd like. Animals count as anything in the kingdom Animalia, and you may submit extinct species as well. Please use binomial nomenclature when submitting species.

Step 2. I organize and seed the brackets! We will be organizing by group (mammal, fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, insect, misc.)

Step 3. You will vote for your favorite animal in each bracket!

Submissions are currently closed. Tags + extra info below.

Originally, this was going to be done by @anilams-from-outside who got the idea from @who-do-i-know-this-man, but the user has not been active since 2023. I am now taking it upon myself!

Tag Guide

#not a poll - Anything that's not a poll.

#tourney updates - Creature counts, executive decisions, etc.

#tourney questions - Answering questions and asks about the tournament.

#tourney propaganda - Propaganda promoting specific species!

[animals-from-outside]

GUYS I WILL CARRY ON WITH THE TOURNAMENT I PROMISE

[animals-from-outside]

Amphibians

Breviceps fuscus vs Pipa pipa

Common Name: Black Rain Frog | Surinam Toad Conservation Status: Least Concern | Least Concern Fun Fact: When threatened, Breviceps fuscus will inflate its body to make itself larger. This helps prevent predators from pulling it out of its burrow. | Females of the Pipa pipa species carry and incubate their eggs under the skin on their back.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Breviceps fuscus

Pipa pipa

Voting ended onSep 19, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Birds

Lyncornis macrotis vs Porphyrio melanotus

Common Name: Great Eared Nightjar | Australasian swamphen (or Pūkeko) Conservation Status: Least Concern | Least Concern Fun Fact: Lyncornis macrotis is capable of drinking while flying | Porphyrio melanotus prefers walking to flying and uses one of its feet to hold onto prey while it tears at it with its beak.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Lyncornis macrotis

Porphyrio melanotus

Voting ended onSep 19, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Fish

Mitsukurina owstoni vs Centrophorus atromarginatus

Common Name: Goblin Shark | Dwarf Gulper Shark Conservation Status: Least Concern | N/A Fun Fact: Mitsukurina owstoni has a protrusible jaw, meaning it can extend its jaw out of its mouth to ambush prey. | Centrophorus atromarginatus gives birth to live young and only one pup at a time.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Mitsukurina owstoni

Centrophorus atromarginatus

Voting ended onSep 19, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Arthropods (et al)

Opilio canestrinii vs Latrodectus pallidus

Common Name: Canestrini's Harvestman | White Widow Conservation Status: N/A | N/A Fun Fact: Opilio canestrinii is an invasive species in central and northern Europe, and is already beginning to replace native species (Opilio parietinus) in the Netherlands. | Latrodectus pallidus males are much smaller than females, and thus runs the risk of being eaten after mating. To help avoid this, they can detect chemical signals in the female's web to learn if she's recently fed.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Opilio canestrinii

Latrodectus pallidus

Voting ended onSep 18, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Arthropods (et al)

Speiredonia spectans vs Porcellio laevis

Common Name: Granny's Cloak Moth | Swift Woodlouse Conservation Status: N/A | N/A Fun Fact: Speiredonia spectans developed specialized hearing and can pick up on the echolocation of bats! This helps it avoid them. | Porcellio laevis can tolerate heavy metal contaminants in its body, which may make it useful in the cleaning of contaminated soil.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Speiredonia spectans

Porcellio laevis

Voting ended onSep 15, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Mollusks (et al)

Turritopsis dohrnii vs Aplysia californica

Common Name: Immortal Jellyfish | California Sea Hare Conservation Status: Least Concern | Least Concern Fun Fact: Though not immune to external factors, Turritposis dohrnii is considered biologically immortal. It can revert to a juvenile stage when threatened or injured. | Aplysia californica is hermaphroditic, and during the breeding season will create mating chains of up to 20 animals

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Turritopsis dohrnii

Aplysia californica

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Fish

Arapaima gigas vs Pristiophorus japonicus

Common Name: Arapaima | Japanese Sawshark Conservation Status: N/A | Least Concern Fun Fact: Arapaima gigas needs to surface every 10-20 minutes to breathe air | Pristiophorus japonicus' saw is functional, and it uses it to hack and slash at its prey.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Arapaima gigas

Pristiophorus japonicus

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Mammals

Acinonyx jubatus vs Hyaena brunnea

Common Name: Cheetah | Brown Hyena Conservation Status: Vulnerable | Near Threatened Fun Fact: Acionyx jubatus doesn't actually roar. Instead, it chirps and purrs. Because of this, it isn't actually classified as a big cat! | Hyaena brunnea sometimes travels up to 22 miles in a night to find food!

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Acinonyx jubatus

Hyaena brunnea

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Birds

Gypaetus barbatus vs Egretta rufescens

Common Name: Bearded Vulture | Reddish Egret Conservation Status: Near Threatened | Near Threatened Fun Fact: Gypaetus barbatus eats bones! It breaks them open by dropping them from high up | Rather than standing still and spearing its prey, Egretta rufescens will chase its prey down in the water.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Gypaetus barbatus

Egretta rufescens

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Arthropods (et al)

Graphium weiskei vs Gryllotalpa brachyptera

Common Name: Purple Spotted Swallowtail | Short-Winged Mole Cricket Conservation Status: Near Threatened | N/A Fun Fact: Found only in the highlands of New Guinea, Graphium weiskei lives at altitudes of 1,400 to 2,400 meters | Though most mole cricket species fly great distances, Gryllotalpa brachyptera is incapable of flight because its wings are too small.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Graphium weiskei

Gryllotalpa brachyptera

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Fish

Huso huso vs Stegostoma fasciatum

Common Name: Beluga Sturgeon | Zebra Shark Conservation Status: Critically Endangered | Vulnerable Fun Fact: Huso huso can live to be over 100 years old | As juveniles, Stegostoma fasciatum has stripes. As it grows, those stripes turn to spots!

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Huso huso

Stegostoma fasciatum

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Amphibians

Ambystoma gracile vs Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni

Common Name: Northwestern Salamander | Northern Glass Frog Conservation Status: Least Concern | Least Concern Fun Fact: Ambystoma gracile has glands that can excrete poison, which is a unique feature amongst mole salamanders. | Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni will lay their eggs on leaves above streams, where the males will care for them until they hatch and drop into the water.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Ambystoma gracile

Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

hi! i very purposefully tried not to submit many sharks that i couldn’t find pictures of, so i hope one of these works okay for cirrhigaleus australis:

(i think the 1st and 2nd are cutest but maybe that’s just me)

Yes, thank you so much for the contribution! I tried so hard to find pictures of ones that were still living and fried my brain doing so, so this is much appreciated.

[animals-from-outside]

Arthropods (et al)

Peoria approximella vs Latrodectus hesperus

Common Name: Carmine Snout Moth | Western Black Widow Conservation Status: Least Concern | N/A Fun Fact: Peoria approximella provides honeydew to ants in exchange for protection | Latrodectus hesperus has a chaotic, unorganized web instead of the symmetrical webs other spiders tend to weave.

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Peoria approximella

Latrodectus hesperus

Voting ended onSep 13, 2025

[animals-from-outside]

Fish

Scyliorhinus ugoi vs Cirrhigaleus australis

NOTE: I could not find a picture or an adequate diagram that I knew for sure was actually Cirrhigaleus australis. If anyone has one, feel free to reblog and add!

Common Name: Dark Freckled Catshark | Southern Mandarin Dogfish Conservation Status: Least Concern | N/A Fun Fact: Scyliorhinus ugoi got its name to honor the son of one of the first ichthyologists to describe its species. | Cirrhigaleus australis has a long mustache!

Which of these animals is your favorite?

Scyliorhinus ugoi

Cirrhigaleus australis

Voting ended onSep 13, 2025