The Wiki has pretty much all the information we currently have on animals so you should check it out! I'm sure that devs will reveal more as they progress with the development.

And you shouldn't expect to know every animal in the world, I'm sure you will need to discover some of them by playing.

Yeah, I would hope that only those who are domesticated or common around settlements should known at the start. Elyrian equivalents of horses, common birds (e.g. finches, robins, swallows, crows, vultures...but not all variants of these), common small mammals who live on the fringes of humanity (mice, rats, raccoons, squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes) and some common predators (bears, wolves).

I'd hope we have a chance to discover creatures like the Explorers of Old...bringing back tales of elephants and hippos and giraffes and llamas and sloths and lemurs...

I hope this too :) I like the scenario that I dont know what animals are out there and what I can tame or Hunt. And if I only think about a scenario that something hurt me und the only thing that I am thinking is 'Holy F* (not sure about swear words(?) and if I get some warnings) what was that thing?'