Animal Checklist

Get animal

get_animal

Read-onlyIdempotent

Read one species: every common name, scientific name, habitats, country observation counts, the full photo credit and the Wikipedia summary.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "id": "<id>"
    },
    "name": "get_animal"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`id`	Yes	Species slug from search_animals, for example `red-fox`.
`lang`	No	Display language.	en

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`id`	Yes	Slug of the animal taxon, for example `red-fox`.
`obs`	Yes	iNaturalist observation count when available.
`name`	Yes	Name in the requested language, English when none exists.
`text`	Yes	Wikipedia excerpt. Keep attribution, licence and source links, changes and supplied notices. Check source article exceptions.
`image`	Yes
`names`	Yes	Common name per language. A language is absent when no name is known.
`inatId`	Yes	iNaturalist taxon id.
`nameEn`	Yes	English common name.
`nameSci`	Yes	Scientific name.
`habitats`	Yes
`tickable`	No	Whether a new checklist sighting is allowed.
`countries`	Yes	Up to twelve countries with the most observations.
`sourceUrl`	No
`taxonRank`	No	Taxonomic rank. Legacy records default to species.	species
`categoryId`	Yes
`wikidataId`	Yes
`parentNameSci`	No	Parent species scientific name for a subspecies. Null for species.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed7 schema fields changedOct 3, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / image / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "description": "Photo credit. Check the licence and source before reuse.",
-    "properties": {
-      "author": {
-        "description": "Credited author. Empty when the source gives no name.",
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "license": {
-        "enum": [
-          "CC0",
-          "Public domain",
-          "Pexels License",
-          "Pixabay Content License"
-        ],
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "source": {
-        "description": "Photo source.",
-        "enum": [
-          "inaturalist",
-          "commons",
-          "gbif",
-          "pexels",
-          "pixabay"
-        ],
-        "examples": [
-          "inaturalist"
-        ],
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "sourceUrl": {
-        "description": "Page to link when you show it.",
-        "format": "uri",
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "url": {
-        "format": "uri",
-        "type": "string"
-      }
-    },
-    "required": [
-      "url",
-      "sourceUrl",
-      "license",
-      "author",
-      "source"
-    ],
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "description": "Photo credit. Check the licence and source before reuse.",
+    "properties": {
+      "author": {
+        "description": "Credited author. Empty when the source gives no name.",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "license": {
+        "enum": [
+          "CC0",
+          "Public domain",
+          "Pexels License",
+          "Pixabay Content License"
+        ],
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "licenseUrl": {
+        "description": "Licence terms or public-domain status guidance.",
+        "format": "uri",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "source": {
+        "description": "Photo source.",
+        "enum": [
+          "inaturalist",
+          "commons",
+          "gbif",
+          "pexels",
+          "pixabay"
+        ],
+        "examples": [
+          "inaturalist"
+        ],
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "sourceUrl": {
+        "description": "Page to link when you show it.",
+        "format": "uri",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "url": {
+        "format": "uri",
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "url",
+      "sourceUrl",
+      "license",
+      "author",
+      "source"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / text / description

Previous value: -"Wikipedia extract, CC BY-SA 4.0. Keep the credit and the source link."New value: +"Wikipedia excerpt. Keep attribution, licence and source links, changes and supplied notices. Check source article exceptions."

addedOutput schema / properties / text / properties / attribution
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / text / properties / changes
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / text / properties / license
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / text / properties / licenseUrl
```
Added value: +{
+  "format": "uri",
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / text / properties / notice
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed10 schema fields changedOct 1, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / image / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "description": "Photo credit. Check the licence and source before reuse.",
+    "properties": {
+      "author": {
+        "description": "Credited author. Empty when the source gives no name.",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "license": {
+        "enum": [
+          "CC0",
+          "Public domain",
+          "Pexels License",
+          "Pixabay Content License"
+        ],
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "source": {
+        "description": "Photo source.",
+        "enum": [
+          "inaturalist",
+          "commons",
+          "gbif",
+          "pexels",
+          "pixabay"
+        ],
+        "examples": [
+          "inaturalist"
+        ],
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "sourceUrl": {
+        "description": "Page to link when you show it.",
+        "format": "uri",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "url": {
+        "format": "uri",
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "url",
+      "sourceUrl",
+      "license",
+      "author",
+      "source"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

removedOutput schema / properties / image / description

Removed value: -"Photo credit. Check the licence and source before reuse."

removedOutput schema / properties / image / properties

Removed value: -{
-  "author": {
-    "description": "Credited author. Empty when the source gives no name.",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "license": {
-    "enum": [
-      "CC0",
-      "Public domain",
-      "Pexels License",
-      "Pixabay Content License"
-    ],
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "source": {
-    "description": "Photo source.",
-    "enum": [
-      "inaturalist",
-      "commons",
-      "gbif",
-      "pexels",
-      "pixabay"
-    ],
-    "examples": [
-      "inaturalist"
-    ],
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "sourceUrl": {
-    "description": "Page to link when you show it.",
-    "format": "uri",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "url": {
-    "format": "uri",
-    "type": "string"
-  }
-}

removedOutput schema / properties / image / required

Removed value: -[
-  "url",
-  "sourceUrl",
-  "license",
-  "author",
-  "source"
-]

removedOutput schema / properties / image / type
```
Removed value: -"object"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / obs / description

Previous value: -"iNaturalist observation count. Drives the ranking."New value: +"iNaturalist observation count when available."

changedOutput schema / properties / obs / type

Previous value: -"integer"New value: +[
+  "integer",
+  "null"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / sourceUrl

Added value: +{
+  "format": "uri",
+  "type": "string"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / taxonRank / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "species",
-  "subspecies"
-]

addedOutput schema / properties / tickable

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Whether a new checklist sighting is allowed.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

Changed4 schema fields changedOct 1, 2026

changedOutput schema / description

Previous value: -"One species with every name, the full photo credit, a summary and country counts."New value: +"One animal taxon with every name, photo credit, summary and country counts."

changedOutput schema / properties / id / description

Previous value: -"Slug of the species, for example `red-fox`."New value: +"Slug of the animal taxon, for example `red-fox`."

addedOutput schema / properties / parentNameSci

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Parent species scientific name for a subspecies. Null for species.",
+  "type": [
+    "string",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / taxonRank

Added value: +{
+  "default": "species",
+  "description": "Taxonomic rank. Legacy records default to species.",
+  "enum": [
+    "species",
+    "subspecies"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

First observedSep 26, 2026

TDQS

A4/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, destructiveHint), lowering the bar. The description adds valuable disclosure about the output payload (all common names, full photo credit, Wikipedia summary), which is beyond what annotations provide. It doesn't mention auth or rate limits, so it's not a 5.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

A single compact sentence that front-loads the core action and lists the payload. Every clause earns its place; there's no filler or repetition.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The tool is a straightforward detail lookup with only two parameters, an output schema, and full schema coverage. The description is sufficient for an agent to call it correctly: it knows the identifier comes from search_animals, that language is configurable, and what rich data to expect. No gaps that would prevent correct invocation.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema documents both the slug provenance and the lang enum. The description doesn't add parameter-specific syntax, but its enumeration of returned fields implies that lang affects localized content (common names, Wikipedia summary). This goes slightly beyond the schema's generic 'Display language', though the baseline for full coverage is 3.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb (Read) and resource (one species), and immediately enumerates the rich payload it returns. It's clear what the tool does, but it doesn't contrast itself against siblings like search_animals or list_countries, which would have earned a 5.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Usage is only implied: an agent can infer this is the detail-fetch step after a search, reinforced by the schema's note that the id comes 'from search_animals'. There's no explicit when-to-use statement, no conditions, and no mention of alternatives.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All Animal Checklist tools Inspect

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