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Biodiversity

Catalogue of Life API

CoL

CoL's Catalogue of Life API provides access to taxon info, synonyms, classification and more. Global coverage, updated monthly. No authentication required.

Taxon infoSynonymsClassificationReferencesDistributions

No AuthFreeMonthlyGlobal

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Encyclopedia of Life API

EOL

EOL's Encyclopedia of Life API provides access to species pages, taxonomy, images and more. Global coverage, updated weekly. Free tier available.

Species pagesTaxonomyImagesDescriptionsDistributions

API KeyFreeWeeklyGlobal

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GBIF API

GBIF

GBIF's GBIF API provides access to species occurrences, taxonomy, datasets and more. Global coverage, updated daily. No authentication required.

Species occurrencesTaxonomyDatasetsChecklistMaps

No AuthFreeDailyGlobal

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GBIF API

GBIF

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2B+ species occurrence records.

Species OccurrencesTaxonomyGeographic DistributionObservation PhotosSeasonal Patterns

No AuthFreeReal-timeGlobal

Quick start

const res = await fetch(
  'https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?scientificName=Panthera+leo&limit=5'
);
const { results } = await res.json();
results.forEach(r =>
  console.log(`${r.species} — ${r.country} (${r.year})`)
);

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iNaturalist API

iNaturalist

Citizen science biodiversity data. Species observations from around the world.

Wild Species ObservationsPhotosGPS LocationAI Species IDObserver Community

OAuthFreeReal-timeGlobal

Quick start

const res = await fetch(
  'https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations?taxon_name=Panthera+leo&per_page=5&order_by=created_at'
);
const { results } = await res.json();
results.forEach(o =>
  console.log(`${o.species_guess} — ${o.place_guess} (${o.observed_on})`)
);

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iNaturalist API

iNaturalist

iNaturalist's iNaturalist API provides access to observations, species, places and more. Global coverage, updated realtime. Free tier available.

ObservationsSpeciesPlacesProjectsIdentifications

OAuthFreeReal-timeGlobal

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IUCN Red List API

IUCN

Conservation status of species. Endangered, vulnerable, extinct classifications.

Conservation StatusPopulation TrendThreatsHabitatGeographic Range

API KeyFreeAnnualGlobal

Quick start

const res = await fetch(
  `https://apiv3.iucnredlist.org/api/v3/species/page/0?token=${process.env.IUCN_TOKEN}`
);
const { result } = await res.json();
result.slice(0, 5).forEach(s =>
  console.log(`${s.scientific_name} [${s.category}]`)
);

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IUCN Red List API

IUCN

IUCN's IUCN Red List API provides access to threat status, population trend, habitat and more. Global coverage, updated annual. Free tier available.

Threat statusPopulation trendHabitatRangeThreats

API KeyFreeAnnualGlobal

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Ocean Biodiversity IS API

OBIS

OBIS's Ocean Biodiversity IS API provides access to marine species, occurrences, datasets and more. Global coverage, updated daily. No authentication required.

Marine speciesOccurrencesDatasetsNodesTaxon info

No AuthFreeDailyGlobal

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