2018: Animals of the year

The starling is the bird of 2018. In large flocks, they can be very noisy. But when alone, they can surprise with their vocal skills. A starling can imitate almost any sound: the ringing of a mobile phone, a police siren or even a dog's bark. When starlings gather, they form the most breathtaking flight formations.

Underwater, the spotlight will shine on the three-spined stickleback. Sports fishermen and divers chose the tiny fish — average length of 5 cm (2 inches) — because it has an interesting colorful appearance and follows a specific breeding pattern. Every year, the stickleback moves from coastal waters into the lower stretches of rivers to lay eggs. During mating season, the male's chest turns red.

The European wildcat is an endangered species in Germany, with only about 6,000 of them left. Even though it looks strikingly similar to its domestic counterpart, it has no relationship to our friendly felines. Humans hardly ever see wildcats — they're nocturnal, and prefer to avoid humans. Chance encounters, however, often end fatally, with young wildcats regularly getting hit by cars.

You're much more likely to run into this prince among amphibians. Although its numbers are declining, the European common frog is only endangered in three of the 16 German states. The amphibian of the year lives in both running and stagnant waters. With woodlice, worms, spiders and slugs on the menu, it doesn't have to worry much about finding enough food to eat.

With farmers increasingly using machines instead of animals, the Württemberger warmblood horse has become endangered. There are only 45 mares and 10 stallions left in Germany, spread out among 24 breeders. It's not as if there's a lack of work: beyond the standard farm labor, these horses can also pull carriages, serve as therapy animals and even take part in riding competitions.

The white-legged snake millipede is equally at home on the forest floor, in a cave or even just a tree trunk. But in order to survive, it needs a frost-free retreat. That's why German speleologists have named it the cave-dwelling animal of the year. The millipede represents a whole variety of other animals that are dependent on subterranean spaces for survival through the long winter months.

The German Wild Bee Register has chosen the great banded furrow bee as its bee of the year, putting the focus on insect protection. Traditionally, the bee is at home in the Mediterranean region and southern Germany. However, due to the effects of climate change, its habitat is moving north.

The common scorpionfly isn't dangerous — what looks like a stinger is actually a huge sexual organ. The scorpionfly lives off of fruit and other insects, and is a skilled climber. It can even move about freely in a spider's sticky web.

The pygmy damselfly has been chosen as the dragonfly of the year. The insect represents a whole group of dragonflies that has evolved to live in Europe's moorlands and swamps. The tiny damselfly is so delicate, it's easy to miss. That could be why it remains relatively unknown to researchers.

The large tortoiseshell is the butterfly of the year, chosen because the lepidopterologists of North Rhine-Westphalia want to highlight its status as an endangered species in that western German state. In the country's other regions, the formerly very common butterfly is not endangered, but is on a warning list.