Entomologists estimate there are 20 quadrillion ants on Earth. That equates to approximately 2.5 million ants for every person worldwide. These invertebrates are found everywhere on the planet except for… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 5 months ago
Mike Edmisten
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Mike is a writer at A-Z Animals where his primary focus is on geography, agriculture, and marine life. A graduate of Cincinnati Christian University and a resident of Cincinnati, OH, Mike is deeply passionate about the natural world.
In his free time, he, his wife, and their two sons love the outdoors, especially camping and exploring US National Parks.
All birds descend from dinosaurs. While reptiles such as crocodiles and alligators may appear to be the most dinosaur-like creatures today, birds are actually the closest living connection to dinosaurs. … Read More
By Mike Edmisten 5 months ago
New York State is part of the bobcat’s (Lynx rufus) huge native range, but how many bobcats are roaming in the state today? The Bobcat Bobcats are medium-sized wildcats, roughly… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 6 months ago
There is a widespread misconception claiming while black bears can climb trees, grizzly bears cannot. This is simply not true. Grizzly bears can, indeed, climb trees. So let's set the… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 7 months ago
Few things appear more cute and cuddly than a bear cub. Black, brown, giant panda, and polar bear cubs are all adorable, which is why we often shudder to think… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 1 year ago
The Carolina Reaper is a chili pepper that was created by “Smokin’” Ed Currie, a chili pepper breeder who founded the PuckerButt Pepper Company in 2003. Today, the company is… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 1 year ago
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest and most dangerous lizard in the world. Any animal with those kinds of superlatives is endlessly fascinating to humans. Here is a… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 1 year ago
Arkansas is a state in the south-central United States. The state spans 53,179 square miles (137,732 square kilometers), making it the 29th largest state by total area. It borders six… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 1 year ago
Key Points Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories is the deepest lake in North America and the ninth-deepest lake in the world. The lake is over 150 feet deeper… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 1 year ago
An Alabama saltwater fishing record has potentially been shattered with the recent catch of a tiger shark. The current state record for a tiger shark catch stands at 988 pounds,… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 1 year ago
Russia is the largest country in the world by a wide margin in terms of land area. Here is a look at the massive size of this nation. Note: these… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key PointsThe striped bass is a hard-fighting sport fish that is a favorite among anglers.Striped bass can grow larger in saltwater than in freshwater, with the world record saltwater striped… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
The long Independence Day weekend didn’t just bring thousands of beachgoers to New York beaches. It also brought a flurry of shark activity. Three swimmers in New York were bitten… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Let's talk about bass sizes! Bass are among the most popular targets for anglers, but many don’t realize just how many different bass species exist. There are hundreds of different… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key PointsKentucky has over 1,000 waterfalls, with the highest concentration in the southeastern region.Yahoo Falls is the tallest waterfall in Kentucky, located in the Big South Fork National River and… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points: The Charles River ranges from fifteen feet deep near the Esplanade to two to three feet deep between the Newton Yacht Club and Watertown Square. The river spans… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points Fishing and auto racing are normally thought of as “boy’s clubs,” but Lea Anne Powell is rewriting those outdated rules in both sports. Powell was fishing with Dalton… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
A shark bit a fisherman’s hand and pulled him into the water in the Florida Everglades. The incident happened on Friday in Florida Bay in Everglades National Park. The fisherman,… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Ohio is one of only three states that does not include a fish on its list of official state animals (Indiana and Iowa are the others). That is a bit… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points Oregon has six state animal symbols, including the state animal - the beaver - which played a critical role in the state's ecology and economy. The Western Meadowlark,… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Crappies are small to medium-sized freshwater fish. They are the second most popular freshwater fish among U.S. anglers, behind the largemouth bass. These panfish are a staple of casual family… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Oklahoma could have chosen a large, imposing fish as their state fish. The state is home to some lunker largemouth bass, for example. The state record largemouth weighed 14 pounds,… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Massachusetts has well over 50 official state symbols. That is far more than many states, but it does not set the record for the most symbols in a state. That… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is North America's most popular freshwater sport fish. Anglers of all stripes target these fish, from recreational anglers fishing in neighborhood ponds to professional anglers… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
There are over 3,000 catfish species across 35 different families. In fact, one out of every twenty known vertebrates on Earth is a catfish. Catfish are found on every continent… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Black bass are the most popular freshwater game fish in North America. There are 13 species of black bass, including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass (often known as… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Ohio owes its nickname to a tree, some possible revisionist history, and a nineteenth-century political campaign. Here is the story of how Ohio came to be known as “The Buckeye… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
The United States is the third-largest country in the world in terms of land area. With such a vast expanse of land within its borders, the U.S. is an ecologically… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
There are over 800 lakes and ponds in New Hampshire, per the state’s Department of Environmental Services. Which of those hundreds of lakes is the clearest in the state? That… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
There are 196 fish species swimming in Illinois waters. These species represent 77 genera and 28 families. However, out of those nearly 200 species, only one is honored as the… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points: Most of the deepest lakes in the United States are located in the northern regions of the country with few lakes in the southern region with depths of… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
The giant panda bear is roughly the same size as the American black bear. Mature adult pandas stand two to three feet tall at the shoulder and measure four to… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Illinois is known by several nicknames, such as the "Land of Lincoln" (adopted as the official state slogan in 1955), the "Corn State," and the "Garden State." The most commonly… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
According to a study by the Vision Impact Institute, around 75% of Americans need corrective lenses. Clearly (or not-so-clearly, depending on your point of view), a lot of us need… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the Ohio River in the history, expansion, culture, and economy of the United States. The river flows through six states. Over 25… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
There are a ton of places in the United States that are named after animals. Some are regal, such as White Horse, New Jersey. Some are just bizarre. We’re looking… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points: There are no sharks or other fish that pose a risk to human swimmers in Lake Michigan. Pollution is present in the lake, mostly from plastic waste that,… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points: Lake Jocassee is located in Oconee and Pickens counties in the extreme northwest reaches of South Carolina. Some areas of the lake reach over 350 feet deep, making… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
The Preakness Stakes is an annual Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the third Saturday of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the second jewel in… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
A field of freshly baled hay is a sure sign that warm weather has arrived. The first baling of the season is generally in mid-May in the southern United States… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Alabama has multiple nicknames along with the Yellowhammer State. It is known as the Cotton State, due to its central location in the cotton belt. Cotton was a major economic… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Pennsylvania has six state animals — actually, seven if we include the extinct trilobite (Pennsylvania’s state fossil) in the list. A fish is counted among the Keystone State’s animal symbols.… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points A non-profit group called OCEARCH has tagged several large sharks for research. One of the sharks named Breton weighs 1,500 pounds and has travelled 24,000 miles since being… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Nebraska has some rather interesting state symbols. For instance, there are two official state drinks: milk (state drink) and Kool-Aid (state soft drink). Nebraska also has a state folk dance… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Over 280 fish species swim in Mississippi’s many freshwater lakes, rivers, creeks, and ponds, but only one is the official state fish. The official Mississippi state fish is the largemouth… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
There are two species of hippopotamuses: the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). The pygmy hippopotamus is the smaller of the two by far, weighing only… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
Key Points Largemouth bass can weigh between 8-12 pounds. They are between 13-20 inches long. The largest largemouth bass ever caught in Nevada weighed 12 pounds and was 26 inches… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
The Westminster Kennel Club Show is the premier dog show in the United States. The most coveted award in the dog show universe is 'Best in Show' at Westminster. On… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
There are big fish. There are really big fish. Then, there are just absurd fish. A Colorado man just caught a lake trout that can only be classified as utterly… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
A 22-year-old man is recovering after being bitten by a shark while spearfishing the Florida Keys. Ethan Wilder was spearfishing near Davis Reef off Islamorada on Friday when a shark… Read More
By Mike Edmisten 2 years ago
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