Rob Amend
Author for A-Z Animals
Rob Amend is a writer at A-Z Animals, primarily covering meteorology, geology, geography, and animal oddities. He attained a Master's Degree in Library Science in 2000 and served as reference librarian in an urban public library for 22 years. Rob lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, photography, woodworking, listening to classic rock, and watching classic films—his favorite animal is a six-foot-tall rabbit named Harvey.
Black and White Crappies Popular amongst recreational anglers in North America, crappies are two species of medium-sized freshwater fish from the sunfish family. Because they are small enough to fit… Read More
By Rob Amend 9 months ago
As the warmth of spring returns to the Texas landscape, its flowering gardens can't be far behind. When the blooms begin to produce their sweet nectar, the fortunate observer may… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
If you live in the contiguous United States, winter begins to wind down in February, and spring will be here before you know it. Don't be caught flat-footed by unseasonably… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Wildflowers in California bloom on their own schedules. In some years, conditions are right for explosive wildflower growth in particular locations, while in other years, drought or other conditions cause… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Tourists worldwide come to the United States to see the national parks and their natural wonders. Given the idyllic surroundings of Montana's Lake McDonald and the beauty of Glacier National… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
The Cumberland River is a significant waterway, winding its way from the Appalachian Mountains through Kentucky and Tennessee before emptying itself into the waters of the Ohio River. From its… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
The Illinois River watershed is the backbone of Illinois' prairie climate and an integral part of the state's economy. The river cuts diagonally through the state's north until it ends… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
The black bear, otherwise known as the American black bear, is a medium-sized bear that lives throughout forested areas of North America. It is the most widespread bear species on… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Oregon's rugged landscapes provide a beautiful setting for hunters, photographers, artists, and other wildlife enthusiasts. And elk! This picturesque icon of the American West treks across Oregon's myriad terrains. The… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
In the United States, wild hogs have been an invasive pest and a hazard to crops, animals, and humans since the 16th century. It was then that European colonists brought… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Wild hogs in the United States are invasive, destroying crops and endangering animals and humans. They have been a problem since the 16th century when European settlers imported domesticated pigs… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
About Lake Chelan Washington's Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States. It was formed by a glaciation process that carved out what is referred to as… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Water, like food, is one of the necessities for survival that humanity has tried to cultivate and control for millennia. Since Arabian farmers began storing water for irrigation in craters… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Wisconsin is a boater's dream, with 15,000 lakes within its borders. Some of these lakes are quite large and play an important role in the culture and economy of the… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Across the world, there are thousands of underwater volcanos. Some are active, and some are dormant, but they all formed as the world's tectonic plates moved over magma hotspots from… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Introduction No country in the world has more lakes than Canada. It has more than 875,000—about 62% of the world's lakes. Some of these lakes are quite large. Including the… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Maybe it's something in the Delaware water. Well, it's something in the Delaware water—blue catfish! The record for the largest blue catfish caught in Delaware was broken again only 20… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Wild and feral hogs have been a problem in the United States for many years. These omnivorous pests devastate crops and pose a danger to other animals and humans. In… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Wisconsin, one of the Great Lakes states in the U.S., has many lakes. As a matter of fact, with over 15,000, it is second to only Alaska. Many of these… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Quick Answers: Sound travels at about 767 mph at sea level. Mach 8 is 6,136 mph, which is super fast! Creating a piloted plane capable of reaching Mach 8 is… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
What is the deepest lake in Northern Michigan? Well, that depends on what we call Northern Michigan and what we mean by a lake. Read on for a more in-depth… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Snakes vary in size, from the tiny size of the Barbados thread snake to the massive reticulated python. Sizes also vary within a species, and there can be several reasons… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
About 150 species of snakes live in the United States. The majority of these are non-venomous and mostly harmless. They play a vital role in controlling the population of rodents… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Units of measure vary from culture to culture throughout time. Some units of measure can even differ from person to person—like a cubit or a hand for measuring horses. Some… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Key Points: The San Antonio River is 24 feet at its deepest point and 2 feet at its most shallow. The 240-mile-long river includes five separate ecoregions - each with… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Introduction Animals come in various sizes, but regardless of the typical size, it's always fascinating to discover an outlier—especially a significantly larger species member. When we come across a huge… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Key Points: Buckeye Lake is one of Ohio's largest lakes, with a surface area of nearly 5 square miles and a shoreline of approximately 40 miles. The lake's maximum depth… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Key Points: The smallmouth bass is a freshwater member of the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family native to central and eastern North America. It has been introduced to other regions, becoming an… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
White-tailed deer populations are soaring throughout the country, and the U.S. state of Washington is no exception. In 2005, there were around 30 million white-tailed deer in the United States,… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
The United States has several recreational lakes, like Lake Lanier, created by damming rivers. Many of these artificial lakes have hundreds of miles of shoreline and thousands of acres of… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
The United States is home to various snakes, venomous or otherwise. The rattlesnake, cottonmouth, and copperhead are three of the most recognized. The copperhead is the most common of these… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Though our domesticated dog is quite far removed from its ancestor, the wolf, whose territorial nature usually precludes interbreeding, the two can mate, whether in the wild (which seldom happens)… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
In another article, we discussed which animal was the largest carnivore in the world. The winner in that scenario was an aquatic animal—the blue whale. This begs the question, "What… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
For many animals, this is an eat-or-be-eaten world. Peaceful plant-eaters are at the mercy of some of the fiercest meat-eaters in the world. What is the largest of these animals?… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
The spongy moth, formerly known as the European gypsy moth, is a species of insect native to Europe and Africa, which has become a troublesome invasive species in North America.… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Coues deer are a diminutive subspecies of white-tail deer. They are found in Arizona and New Mexico, but their range is more extensive in western and central Mexico. Coues Deer… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Many dinosaurs were massive animals, but the most enormous dinosaurs of all were the sauropods. These gigantic creatures roamed the Earth from the Early Jurassic to the Cretaceous Periods (201… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Of all the things that fascinate dinosaur lovers, perhaps nothing fascinates like the giant flying reptiles known as Pterosaurs. From the exaggerated fictional kaiju Rodan to the more realistic versions… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Though there are many species under the broad umbrella of "wood rat," we will speak here of the genus Nelsonia (diminutive woodrat), which includes two species and one subspecies: the… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Florida Mouse Summary The Florida mouse is a nocturnal rodent of the family Cricetidae found in the United States in central Florida and within the panhandle. It is the only… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Summary Giant golden moles are small burrowing insectivores found in the Cape region of South Africa. They belong to a larger family of golden moles (Chrysochloridae) containing 20 other species.… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Summary They are a sub-Saharan family of small, burrowing insectivores of 21 species. Though they are not "true moles," there is a striking resemblance, as they are tailless and blind… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
The striped bass is one of the United States popular game fish. It spends its adult life in the ocean. However, it can live in fresh and brackish water, swimming… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Key Points: Current estimates of the bobcat population in California are between 70,000 and 100,000.Bobcats are generally most active at night.Though they may prey on pets and small livestock, bobcats… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
"Though they can live entirely in freshwater, adult striped bass primarily spend their lives in river estuaries or the ocean." Striped Bass Summary The striped bass is a popular sport… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Introduction The tiger is one of the world's most revered megafauna. Identified scientifically as a species in the 18th century, tigers are known and respected worldwide, serving as mascots, story… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Largemouth bass do have large mouths: they use them as "vacuum cleaners," creating suction when they open them to devour their preys! Largemouth Bass Summary The largemouth bass, a member… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Introduction As bipeds and storytelling animals, we humans are curious about animals with different numbers of limbs. We look at spiders and octopuses with their eight limbs and wonder, "Are… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Introduction The White German Shepherd is a variation of the German Shepherd, known in Great Britain as the Alsatian, a rugged, hardworking dog used worldwide for jobs ranging from herding… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
Introduction The Maltese has an ancient lineage. Though it is believed to originate in Malta, many believe it was introduced to Europe by the Phoenicians before the rise of Greece,… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
