Heather Ross is a secondary English teacher and mother of 2 humans, 2 tuxedo cats, and a golden doodle. In between taking the kids to soccer practice and grading papers, she enjoys reading and writing about all the animals!
The teacup Yorkshire Terrier, while considered a purebred today, initially wasn't. Their original parents, the Clydesdale and now-extinct Paisley terriers, were cross bred to give us the very feisty, tenacious,… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
Forever young might be the best way to describe what the American Kennel Club calls the "Peter Pan of the Sporting Group" of dogs. The Flat-Coated Retriever never wants to… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
The beluga sturgeon is found not only in the Caspian and Black seas (and at one time in the Adriatic Sea) but also in ancient Greek, Roman, and Chinese literature… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
Animals are all around us. Because of their proximity, many people take for granted how truly dangerous some animals really are. Let's discuss the 10 most dangerous animals in the… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
Developed in 1969 as guide dogs for people with allergies, Goldendoodles are a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, giving them the best of the two breeds. Goldendoodles… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
It's tough to miss the Chinese Crested dog's flowing mane reminiscent of a 1980's hair band and its big, fluffy ears. This hairless breed of dog comes in two varieties:… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
The Alaskan Shepherd, a hybrid crossbreed, blends together two hefty breeds: the Alaskan Malamute and the German Shepherd. The breed most likely originated in the United States in the early… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
Julius Caesar, it is said, described a Mastiff in his accounts of invading Britain in 55 BC. In other words, Mastiffs have been around a long time, at least since… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
A member of the spitz family of dog breeds and bred by the Inuit people to pull their sleds, the Alaskan Malamute is similar in appearance to the Siberian husky,… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
With their small and sturdy build, Havanese dogs are fairly affectionate and playful. They are often welcomed into families for their soft fur, intelligence, and desire to please their loving… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
While the International Cat Association recognizes 71 unique breeds of cats, these purebreds only represent about 5% of the overall cat population. Taking those numbers into consideration, it's easy to… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
What are big cats anyway? They are the lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard in the Panthera genus, the cheetah, which belongs to the Acinonyx genus, and the mountain… Read More
By Heather Ross 4 months ago
From their floppy ears to their giant trunks and massive size, there's a lot that stands out about the elephant. Elephant tusks are both a valuable tool and a potential… Read More
By Heather Ross 5 months ago
The Pygmy shark is the second smallest shark in the world, with females reaching lengths between 8.6 to 10 inches, while the males only measure 8.6 to 8.7 inches. They… Read More
By Heather Ross 5 months ago
There are two recognized species of jackdaw: the western or Eurasian jackdaw, which can be found almost anywhere between Western Europe and Central Asia, and the Daurian jackdaw, which calls… Read More
By Heather Ross 6 months ago
Spix's Macaw is named after German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, who collected the first of these birds in 1819. However, in 1638, German naturalist Georg Marcgrave was the first… Read More
By Heather Ross 6 months ago
The Amazon River dolphin (also known as the pink dolphin and botos) is a freshwater animal and a species of toothed whale. Considered the biggest and smartest animal of the… Read More
By Heather Ross 6 months ago
Siberian Huskies are the 12th most popular dog breed in the United States. The Siberian Husky breed originated in northeast Asia. These dogs were kept by the Chukchi people as… Read More
By Heather Ross 6 months ago
This breed is known for its sensitive temperament and high energy level. Named for Dalmatia, a region in Croatia on the Adriatic coast, the Dalmatian is known for its speckled… Read More
By Heather Ross 6 months ago
Where do you find copperhead snakes in the United States? Although they’re common snakes, they don’t live everywhere. Here’s a comprehensive list of the copperhead population by state. This map… Read More
By Heather Ross 7 months ago
Tigers and elephants are two creatures that live side by side in places like India and other parts of Asia. For the most part, they keep a respectful distance from… Read More
By Heather Ross 7 months ago
Animals are always on the move. But sometimes, animals' instincts drive them to make arduous, dangerous, and incredible treks in search of food, water, or better weather - not as… Read More
By Heather Ross 7 months ago
Hippopotamuses, also known as hippos, are monstrous mammals that reside in Africa, living part-time on land and spending significant amounts of time in the water. They share their range with… Read More
By Heather Ross 8 months ago
Straddling a fine line between oceans and land, seals and sea lions belong to a group of closely related semi-aquatic mammals called the Pinnipeds (this is a Latin term that… Read More
By Heather Ross 8 months ago
Ants are fascinating creatures that have a strict hierarchy within their colonies, with worker ants doing all the work. Found almost everywhere in the world, with more than 12,000 species… Read More
By Heather Ross 8 months ago
Key Points: Voles and moles exhibit similar behavior in tunnel digging. Voles are a type of small rodent while moles are not. While moles spend their entire lives below ground,… Read More
By Heather Ross 8 months ago
The Weimaraner is a large sporting dog that originated from 19th century Germany. The very first members of this breed were used by the German aristocracy to hunt large game… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Living together in massive colonies of anywhere between a few dozen individuals and a few million, ants make foraging a truly collective effort. If there’s even a small morsel of… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Service dogs are working dogs that are incredibly helpful to people for being able to perform necessary tasks on their behalf. But did you know that there are different types… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Alligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials - these toothy reptiles from the age of the dinosaurs go by many names, and each type has unique features. Today, we'll compare the alligator with… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Named after the mythical Aztec god of fire and lightning, the axolotl is a rare aquatic salamander that only exists naturally in the lake system of Mexico City. While related… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
South America is filled with amazing creatures. For example, this continent just so happens to be home to the heaviest snake of all. The anaconda is an enormous constrictor that… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Yellow cats are enormously popular. Their ginger, yellow, and orange fur is believed to go with an equally bright, sunny personality. While there’s no scientific proof of that theory, there… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Elephants and hippos are two of the largest and fiercest mammals to roam Africa. They’re both capable of scaring off or even killing lions, the supposed kings of the jungle.… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
It is fairly easy to tell apart a Honey Bee vs a Yellow Jacket on sight, but it can be hard to know how to do so without risking getting… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
The Bluegill vs Ocean Sunfish are two species often mistaken for each other. These fish are two distinct species, despite this common belief. There are some key differences, with habitat,… Read More
By Heather Ross 9 months ago
Lions, tigers, and jaguars are the best-known big cat breeds. However, most members of the Felid family are small wild cats that weigh under 50 pounds. Many types of wild… Read More
By Heather Ross 10 months ago
What is the oldest dog in the world? Lots of claims can be found on the internet about one breed lasting longer than another. However, the oldest living dogs of… Read More
By Heather Ross 10 months ago
Do you sometimes look at lambs and sheep and wonder 'Are lamb and sheep the same'? There’s a good reason lambs and sheep look similar. A lamb is a baby… Read More
By Heather Ross 10 months ago
Humans have made it second nature to reach for an aspirin pill when they feel any type of pain. Remember how that aspirin helped alleviate that headache you constantly have?… Read More
By Heather Ross 10 months ago
The Boxer is a popular mastiff-type Molosser dog breed in the United States, Germany, and the UK, and one of the top dog breeds in the United States. Different types… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
Robins are excellent mothers who are targeted by brooding parasite birds. Many bird species lovingly care for their eggs and go to great lengths to protect them. Females may sit… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
Few semi-aquatic mammals strike as much fear into the minds of humans as the hippopotamus. Hippos are estimated to be responsible for about 500 deaths per year throughout Africa. These… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
The birds that we can easily hear from our windows always seem loud just because they're nearby. It's a bird's prerogative to generally be audible enough to everyone in the… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
According to scientists, a desert is a place that gets less than 10 inches of rain every year. However, not all deserts are alike. They can be stony, windblown deserts… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
A nose with two nostrils is a trait shared by almost all animals and for good reason. The nose gives us an additional sense through its ability to smell, but… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
Have you ever wondered about the Australian Shepherd vs the Border Collie? Both of these breeds are working dogs that were originally used for herding farm animals. If you saw… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
For the most part, people tend to pay attention to a bird's intelligence only when the bird is very smart. But what about dumb birds? You've heard that the ostrich… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest cats are both large, long-haired species of house cat. It’s easy to confuse these similar felines. Neither are fully grown until around sometimes 5 years… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
Contrary to popular belief, humans are not the only creatures with opposable thumbs. Rather, it is as if we are in an exclusive club with the few other animals that… Read More
By Heather Ross 11 months ago
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