Beat Darwin
Identify the day's mystery animal species from a photo in four attempts.
Every day: One numbered mystery animal a day, the same for every player: identify the species from a photo, choosing from a list of close relatives, in up to four attempts. New puzzle: Midnight UTC.
Beat Darwin shows a photo of one wild animal a day and a list of similar species to choose from, such as nine kinds of bat. You have four attempts to pick the right one. Photos come from iNaturalist, and each species has a page with its conservation status and taxonomy.
About Beat Darwin
Beat Darwin is a daily species quiz. Each numbered puzzle shows a real photograph of a mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian, and you pick its exact species from a shortlist of close relatives. That is where it gets hard: telling a Jamaican fruit-eating bat from a great fruit-eating bat takes more than knowing it is a bat.
You have four attempts, with hints available, and the aim is to beat Charles Darwin, the game's mascot. After you finish you get a fact about the animal and a link to its full species page, with its IUCN conservation status and taxonomy. Photos come from the iNaturalist biodiversity database.
The animal is the same for everyone and changes daily, with a countdown to the next one, a list of the day's top scores, streaks and a challenge link to send to a friend. Past animals can be browsed.
It suits nature lovers and anyone who wants to learn a little zoology each day.
How to play Beat Darwin
- Open Beat Darwin and look at the day's photo.
- Read the list of candidate species.
- Pick the one you think it is; you have four attempts.
- Use the hints if you need them.
- Read about the animal, then share your result or challenge a friend.
Tips
- Look at diagnostic features such as ears, nose leaves and markings, not overall shape.
- Eliminate species whose range or habitat does not fit the photo's setting.
Questions
How many attempts do I get?
Four.
Where do the photos come from?
From iNaturalist, a global biodiversity database.
When does the animal change?
The game picks a new species at midnight UTC.
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