Due to its translucent color a ghost catfish is sometimes called a glass catfish, a phantom catfish or even an X-ray fish. At its largest size, this fish is 2.5… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
A-Z Animals Staff
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AZ Animals is a growing team of animals experts, researchers, farmers, conservationists, writers, editors, and -- of course -- pet owners who have come together to help you better understand the animal kingdom and how we interact.
Beautiful, somewhat dangerous cleaner of the coral reef People admire the surgeonfish, whether it's a yellowfin, palette, chevron, Achilles or black for its beauty, for many species flaunt jewel-like colors… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The mojarra fish has brilliant silvery scales that give it a shimmering glow. The mojarra is a family of marine fish found all over the tropical regions of the globe.… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
It only eats birds' eggs. The rhombic egg-eater snake is well-named. It has rhomboid-shaped splotches on its back, and it eats eggs and only eggs. Indeed, it only eats birds’… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The sockeye salmon, also called red salmon, is a Pacific salmon known for its deep red hue during spawning season. As an anadromous species, sockeye salmon start their lives in… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Whinchats are abundant, but their numbers are declining. The English name for this diminutive bird comes from its habit of hanging around the gorse plants of its native western Europe… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The call of a Savannah sparrow sounds a lot like an insect buzzing. Savannah sparrows are small, lively birds found throughout North America. They eat beetles, caterpillars, flies, and other… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The chipping sparrow gets its name from its distinctive call, chipping away as it forages for food. The chipping sparrow is a calm, merry bird with a widespread presence across… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Mahi-mahi, also called common dolphinfish, is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish species that lives in temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters around the world. The dolphinfish is also often called mahi-mahi and… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The tire track eel gets its name from the dark splotchy pattern on its long back that looks a lot like a tire tread. This eel lives in rivers and… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Summary The Black-Capped Chickadee is a popular and easily recognizable North American songbird. These birds travel together in small flocks, using their calls to signal where food can be found,… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The Snow Crab, also known as the Opie, is native to the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with high populations off the Alaskan coast. These crabs are… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Halibut Summary The halibut is a type of flatfish or flounder, with the common name "halibut" referring to any one of three flatfish species. The Atlantic halibut is the world's… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“It eats the fer-de-lance but is harmless to people.” The mussurana is a colubrid, and like many colubrid’s, it’s not the flashiest of snakes. Though mussurana babies begin life as… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“Bearded vultures eat the bones of dead animals.” The bristly black feathers beneath this bird’s bill makes it look like it has a beard. These birds live in a habitat… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Cory catfish are a group of freshwater fish belonging to the genus Corydoras. There are over 150 recognized species native to the rivers and streams of South America. Cory catfish… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Orangutans are a group of great ape species native to Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests. Until approximately 10,000 years ago, they enjoyed a wider range throughout China and Southeast Asia. Today,… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is an arboreal lizard native to the Caribbean and Pacific islands, as well as the southeastern United States. Other common names include the Carolina anole,… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The garden snail (Cornu aspersum) is a well-known species of land snail now found on six continents. They are a culinary delight in some regions (escargot in France, and bover… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a North American freshwater fish. The species is commonly referred to as copper nose, bream, sunny, or brim. They are the state fish of Illinois… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The European wildcat's tail is nearly half of its body." The European wildcat is the ancestor of the modern housecat. The small wildcat subspecies are native to Europe, mainly living… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"The European polecat can interbreed with ferrets." The European polecat is a small, slender mammal that is related to weasels, ferrets, and minks. Despite its diminutive size, it is a… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“It’s a lizard, not a snake!” Wondering why this legless lizard didn’t just go ahead and turn into a snake is beyond the scope of this article, but Ophisaurus ventralis… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"The Eurasian beaver was once hunted for its castoreum." The Eurasian beaver is a large rodent native to Europe, Scandinavia, and parts of Asia. You can find it in France,… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"The pygmy marmoset is the smallest monkey in the world." A marmoset is a group of over 20 different monkeys, spread across South America in rainforests and other lush areas.… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"The olive baboon forms one of the most complex social structures in the animal kingdom." This baboon is a type of old-world monkey (a monkey species from the Eastern Hemisphere)… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"The emerald tree monitor has a tail double the length of its body." The emerald tree monitor is a beautiful lizard that lives in the tropical rainforests of Indonesia and… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Though the green tree python is relegated to a relatively localized population in and around Oceania, their distinctively bright green appearance and interest from amateur snake enthusiasts have transformed them… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The stiletto snake is one of the most fearsome predators in Africa, even though it looks relatively harmless. With wandering fangs, these snakes can’t be held at any place on… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"The puff adder is thought to be responsible for more snake bites and fatalities than any other species in Africa." This large snake is so-named because it will puff up… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"People often mistake scarlet kingsnakes for coral snakes." This beautiful snake with its jewel-like colors is found east of the Mississippi River, in states from Virginia down to Florida. Completely… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
"Massasaugas produce young every one to three years, depending on access to food" The Massasauga is often mistaken for the Fox Snakes, Hognose Snake, and Milk Snake. Markings that consist… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
”Only in (North) America” Pine snakes are no-nonsense reptiles. They are pretty but not spectacularly beautiful. A typical spring or summer day might find one basking to raise its body… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“Blood pythons are popular pets and captive bred individuals are easy to handle.” Up and about at dusk or dawn, the blood python, also known as the red blood python,… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is a unique marine mammal that lives in Arctic waters. The species has earned a few common nicknames that relate to their special characteristics: Sea… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a subspecies of the common box turtle that is native to the eastern United States. T. c. carolina is the official state… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Key Points These omnivorous birds can be found in the wetlands of just about every continent with the Arctic and South America being the sole exceptions. Crane birds often have… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Sand crabs, also known as mole crabs or sand fleas, burrow backward just beneath the surface of sandy beaches to hide from predators and look for prey. If you happen… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“The Hellbender is the largest salamander in the United States, and the only living member of the Cryptobranchus genus ” Despite its unfortunate looks, this giant amphibian of Appalachia is… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Reproduction in evening bats is a bit unusual and a bit hair-raising. A female evening bat gives birth to twins whose total weight is half as much as hers. This… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Bed bugs are tiny parasitic insects that belong to the genus of Cimex. They come out at night to feed on human blood, which can cause painful bites and spread… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
Squash beetles are not the same as squash bugs. While the squash bug has a shield-like exoskeleton, the squash beetle looks much more like a ladybug. The squash beetle, also… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The common furniture beetle spends nearly its entire life living in and feeding on wood. The common furniture beetle is considered to be one of the most annoying wood-eating pests… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The Devil’s coach horse beetle has been associated unfairly with evil forces. In the Middle Ages, a superstition arose that the insect could curse a person just by pointing its… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“The Eurasian Nuthatch can fly 12 to 13mph” Eurasian nuthatches are omnivores with a diet of insects, seeds, and various types of nuts. They live in a forest habitat made… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“Birds of a feather hunt together” Also called the bay-winged hawk, the Harris's hawk is one of only two species of raptors that go hunting in “packs.” This behavior is… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The ringed kingfisher is the largest Kingfisher species native to North America. This bird is not exceptionally tall, but it can reach a length of 16 inches and a wingspan… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
The deathwatch beetle is a wood-boring insect that can infest wooden buildings and become an annoying pest. It can feed on all kinds of different wood, but old oak appears… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“The Nicobar pigeon is the last of the Caloenas pigeons” The Nicobar pigeon is the only member of the Caloenas genus and is believed to be the only living relative… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
“The blithe throstle” Though it’s a plain-looking little bird with plumage in colors of brown and buff, the song thrush is renowned for the beauty of its song. Indeed, it… Read More
By A-Z Animals Staff 3 years ago
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