Snails. They live all over the world, even in the ocean and in freshwater streams, lakes and marshes. They’re known both for their extreme slowness and for the houses (shells)… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Brandi is a professional writer by day and a fiction writer by night. Her nonfiction work focuses on animals, nature, and conservation. She holds degrees in English and Anthropology, and spends her free time writing horror, scifi, and fantasy stories.
Snails. They live all over the world, even in the ocean and in freshwater streams, lakes and marshes. They’re known both for their extreme slowness and for the houses (shells)… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Stingrays, also known as sea rays, are flat-bodied members of the Myliobatiformes order; the same order sharks are in. Within this order, there are eight distinct families of stingray, with… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Pigs, also called swine or hogs, will famously eat anything. They’re hyper intelligent for livestock, and spend their lives focused on one thing; food. Domestic pigs are even toed, omnivorous,… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Goats (Capra hircus) have been domesticated for over 10,000 years. For some, they’re meat. For others, they’re milk producers. And for still others, they serve as adorable pets, or petting… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Cows have been domesticated for over 10,000 years. They’re cloven hooved herbivores of the Bovidae family. We use them for everything from meat to milk to leather. They’re raised all… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
African bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus) are the third largest frog species on the planet. They live across sub-Saharan Africa, and prefer areas where water is plentiful and fresh. These monster frogs… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Dolphins live in all the world’s oceans, and even some of the largest freshwater rivers. Like whales, they’re considered cetaceans–marine dwelling mammals. There are four main families of dolphin, with… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Tigers are one of the rarest, and most magnificent creatures in the world. Humans have long been fascinated with them for both their deadliness and alluring beauty. Today, there are… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Wolves are known the world over as the bad guys in children’s stories, hunters of deer and elk, and relatives of our beloved dogs. There are over 30 species of… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Mice are known the world over as pests, pets, and cheese-eaters. There are 38 species of the genus ‘Mus’ alone, but there are more than 1,100 subspecies of what we… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Ask any person on the street, and they can probably describe a jellyfish to you. But do you know how long a jellyfish lives, or what their life cycle looks… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Hamsters are members of the rodent family Cricetidae. There are 19 distinct species, and many of them (including the Syrian and Teddy Bear hamster) are popular as household pets because… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Crocodiles are the largest reptiles on earth. They live throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia, and are just as at home in saltwater as they are in freshwater. All… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Alligators have 74 to 80 teeth. Alligators are famous roadside attractions throughout the southeastern United States. These semi-aquatic reptiles are members of the Alligatoridae family within the Crocodilia order–the same… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Adult camels have 34 teeth. Camels are members of the Camelidae family along with alpacas and llamas. They’ve long been domesticated for meat, milk, and transportation, and are famous for… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Key Points Komodo dragons have venom that contains an anticoagulant.They also have deadly bacteria living in between their teeth. If their prey gets away, it will likely die of an… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Sperm whales are the largest toothed predator on Earth. Sperm whales are the largest toothed predator in the world, and the largest toothed whale. They’re members of the Cetacea order,… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Squirrels belong to the rodent family Sciuridae. The word ‘squirrel’ may actually refer to any member of this family–including prairie dogs, tree squirrels, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, and… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Rabbits are well known for their prominent buck teeth. They may be small, and reminiscent of other big toothed creatures like hamsters and guinea pigs, but they’re not rodents. Rabbits… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Opossums are the only marsupial endemic to the Americas. There are over 120 species of opossum worldwide, but only one species makes the United States and Canada its home: the… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
With 56 species on six continents (Antarctica excluded), it’s no wonder rats are recognizable to just about everyone. But what are rats’ teeth made of? And why do they have… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Guinea pigs are known throughout much of the world as adorable pets with quirky personalities. They make a wide variety of squeaks and whistles and come in all kinds of… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Black widows are well known for their dark bodies and red hour glass markings. They can be found in temperate areas all over the world, and are particularly prevalent in… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Species of small lizard can be divided into the small (under ten inches), and the absolutely tiny (less than one inch). Small lizards live all over the world, in a… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Pond turtles belong to the Emydidae family of turtles, which includes more than fifty species of freshwater turtle. They live in slow or stagnant freshwater across North America, parts of… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Venus flytraps are famously known for their exciting, sometimes horrifying method of feeding. Have a fly problem? Get a Venus flytrap! But are Venus flytraps really all they’re made out… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Leeches are well known, feared, and despised throughout much of the world. With nearly 700 species of leech living on six continents (Antarctica being the exception), it’s no wonder they’re… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Otters are well known and loved for their playful antics and method of eating food on their tummies as they float on the water. But one variety of otter, the… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Sheep are one of the oldest breeds of domesticated animal in the world. People were keeping sheep long before the Romans came to power. They are still raised the world… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
The word fawn refers to more than just a color, or a behavior; it's also what we call a baby deer. Members of the Cervidae family—which includes elk, moose, reindeer… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Leopards are known the world over for their distinctive spots and hunting prowess. Loved by some, feared by many, and recognizable to all; leopards live across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Bullfrogs are known far and wide for their bellowing calls. Go out to any still body of water near dusk and you’re likely to hear the distinct ‘jug-o-rum’ croak of… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Katydids, which are often called ‘bush crickets’ or ‘long-horned grasshoppers’ are related to both crickets and grasshoppers, though they are neither. There are more than 6,000 distinct species of katydid… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Bass can be found all over the world, in both fresh and salt water. In North America, largemouth and smallmouth bass are the most popular species for fishers to target.… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
For many, roadrunners are synonymous with Saturday morning cartoons. They are incredibly fast runners. They can even outdistance humans, though coyotes are actually faster than roadrunners. Roadrunners generally live in… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Wolf spiders are well known throughout the world. They live on every continent except Antarctica, and have even been found north of the Arctic Circle. They prefer to live in… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
When you think of a spider, you may think of something big and hairy, like a tarantula, or something small and poisonous, like a black widow. But what about the… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Stick bugs, also called stick insects or walking sticks, come in all shapes and sizes; but they all have one thing in common: they tend to look like a stick.… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Meerkats are recognizable for their pointed snouts, beige color, and upright stance. In fact, if you imagine a Meerkat, you probably see it standing up, keeping guard. Meerkats are native… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago
Rabbits are one of the most recognizable mammals on the planet. They live on every continent except Antarctica, even inhabiting tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean, and some parts of… Read More
By Brandi Allred 3 years ago