Animals
Earwig
“No in-ear problems with the Earwig!” Earwigs are nocturnal insects that can be identified by the large pair of pincers…
Animals
Animals
Common Frog
With its smooth, moist skin, long, sticky tongue, and elongated hind legs, the common frog is one of the most…
Animals
Collared Peccary
The collared peccary (also called a musk hog or javelina) is commonly mistaken for a pig or boar. But despite…
Animals
Mouse
Few animals share as intimate a history with humans as this tiny, sharp-snouted creature, yet most people know surprisingly little…
Animals
Lizard
Snakes actually descended from lizards, not the other way around, and that is just the beginning of what makes these…
Animals
Iguana
From jungle canopy dwellers that communicate with their eyes to Caribbean invaders outnumbering humans two to one, these ancient reptiles…
Animals
Goose
Notorious for chasing joggers and terrorizing park visitors, this ancient bird has survived ice ages and crossed continents, hiding a…
Animals
Eagle
Nicknamed the king of all birds, this apex predator carries a grip ten times stronger than a human hand and…
Animals
Duck
These common waterfowl hide some genuinely strange traits beneath those familiar feathers, from feet that stay warm in icy water…
Animals
Red Knee Tarantula
With a lifespan that can outlast a family dog and a hunting strategy that relies on patience over pursuit, this…
Animals
Skunk
Few animals stop a predator cold with a single warning glance, but this one backs it up with a chemical…
Animals
Rat
A group of rats is called a mischief, and once you learn what these clever, social, surprisingly athletic rodents are…
Animals
Chipmunk
The tiniest member of the squirrel family packs some surprising secrets, from tunnels stretching 30 feet underground to a name…
Animals
Emu
Australia's second-largest bird can outrun most predators, survive brutal droughts, and deliver a kick powerful enough to kill a dingo,…
Animals
Stingray
Nicknamed the 'flat shark' for good reason, these boneless ocean gliders carry a secret weapon capable of delivering a fatal…
Animals
Hammerhead Shark
One species of hammerhead shark does something no other shark does, and its bizarre rectangular head hides sensory secrets that…
Animals
Starfish
They pump seawater instead of blood, see through the tips of their arms, and have survived virtually unchanged for 500…
Animals
Weasel
Small enough to slip into a mouse's burrow yet capable of killing prey twice its size, this ferocious hunter has…
Animals
Proboscis Monkey
Found only in the rainforests of Borneo, this bizarre primate sports an oversized, fleshy nose that serves a stranger purpose…
Animals
Baboon
These powerfully built Old World monkeys roam African savannas and Arabian deserts in troops that operate by surprisingly complex social…
Animals
Bobcat
North America's most widespread wild cat prowls forests, deserts, and suburban backyards alike, yet most people never catch a glimpse…
Animals
Asiatic Black Bear
Once roaming from France to Japan, this remarkable bear now teeters on the edge of extinction, hunted for centuries for…
Animals
Caiman
Ancient relatives of the dinosaurs, these semi-aquatic hunters of Central and South America have barely changed in 200 million years,…
Animals
Guinea pig
Domesticated for over 3,000 years and still one of the world's most popular pets, the humble cavy hides a surprisingly…
Animals
Akbash
The Akbash, also called the Coban Kopegi, the Akbas, or Aky, is an ancient large to giant dog breed from…
Animals
Saola
Classification and Evolution The Saola is a species of Antelope natively found in the forests on the border of north-central…
Animals
American Bulldog
When the first British colonists arrived in America, they brought their bulldogs with them. A few centuries of steady breeding…
Animals
American Coonhound
An American Coonhound, also known as an American English Coonhound, is a dog characterized by a laid-back personality. If this…
Animals
Alpine Dachsbracke
Favored by Austrian royalty and built to chase wounded boar through mountain terrain, this compact hound packs more history and…
Animals
Quetzal
Sacred to the Aztecs and Mayas, adorned with tail feathers that rival any crown jewel, this forest bird carries a…
Animals
Adélie Penguin
From stealing rocks from neighbors to dramatically shifting their diet over centuries, these small Antarctic penguins live surprisingly complicated lives…
Animals
Sheep
Over a billion of these woolly animals roam the planet, yet most people would struggle to tell a domestic breed…
Animals
Falcon
With 40 species spread across every continent but one, these birds of prey hold a record no land or sea…
Animals
Highland Cattle
With its floor-length shaggy coat, sweeping horns, and a stomach built to handle what most animals cannot, this ancient Scottish…
Animals
Scorpion
With venom that can kill, a glow that lights up under ultraviolet light, and ancestors that once ruled the seas,…
Animals
Lemming
Tiny Arctic rodents famous for a myth about mass suicide, lemmings hide far stranger truths beneath the tundra, from surviving…
Animals
Electric Eel
Locals call it the numb fish, scientists call it a knifefish, and most predators simply call it unapproachable. Beneath its…
Animals
Robin
The robin is one of the most common songbirds and a staple of the American ecosystem. Its rich and beautiful…
Animals
Honey bees
Inside a single colony of 80,000 bees, queens, workers, and drones play out a social drama so intricate it rivals…
Animals
Woodlouse
This tiny armored creature has been crawling the earth for over 300 million years, yet most people mistake it for…
Animals
Pufferfish
From freshwater puffers to saltwater Takifugu, these fish make use of a variety of adaptations to keep themselves safe from…
Animals
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are birds that live in nearly every region of the world except for New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, Australia,…
Animals
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family of brightly colored and unusual-looking birds that live near rivers and bodies of water all over…
Animals
Tiger Salamander
Few North American amphibians lead as secretive a double life as this striped burrower, which breathes through its skin, poisons…
Animals
Gar
Resembling a cross between a reptile and a fish, the gar is a family of long-nosed carnivorous animals that inhabit…
Animals
Sponge
Ancient, immobile, and brainless, these creatures blur the line between plant and animal in ways that have challenged scientists for…
Articles
Why This Shrimp Hits 218 Decibels—Louder Than a Fighter Jet
Bang. Bang. Bang. Do you hear that? The way the pistol shrimp cocks its distinctive claw back and “fires” repeatedly…