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.
Key Points Scituate Reservoir's Gainer Memorial Dam is the largest in the state of Rhode Island at 100 feet tall and 3,200 feet long. The resulting reservoir is the main… Read More
By Rob Amend 9 months ago
From the tiny, well-populated states in the eastern U.S. to the large, sparsely-populated ones covering the interior mountains and plains west of the Mississippi, there is quite a diversity among… Read More
By Rob Amend 9 months ago
Key Points The Navajo Dam was created for flood control, irrigation, and recreation. The resulting reservoir, Navajo Lake, extends across the border of New Mexico to Colorado. Before the dam's… Read More
By Rob Amend 9 months ago
Unlike swimming pools, swimming holes offer an unchlorinated retreat from the heat in a natural setting. Some spots are sheltered and shaded by arboreal canopies reaching the water's very edge,… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months 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 10 months 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 10 months ago
Most people would not think to search for waterfalls in the driest state in the U.S., but that means they are more impressive when you find them. Many waterfalls in… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
We live in a universe that is constantly moving and changing. Galaxies spin away from each other in a significant expansion. Comets and asteroids often visit solar systems like ours… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
Key Points: The largest dam in the state of New York is the 230-foot-tall Mount Morris Dam, which sits on the Genesee River just to the west of the village… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
Key Points The nickname for Ohio is the "Buckeye State" because of the Ohio buckeye tree. Ohio's flag is a swallow-tailed burgee (like a pennant with a split tail.) It… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
Lake Mead, located between the states of Nevada and Arizona in the Southwestern United States, is a man-made reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. Considering water… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months 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 10 months ago
The northeastern region of the United States is home to several naturally and historically significant lakes. Lake George, known as the "Queen of American Lakes," is one of its most… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
Tornadoes can be terrifying weather events. These storms pack the power of a hurricane into a tight, localized spiral. They cause intense paths of destruction through some parts of the… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
Grasshoppers are well-known leaping insects that have existed for approximately 250 million years. These chewing, plant-eating creatures have large hind legs capable of prodigious jumps to escape danger. Their green… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months ago
Introduction Across much of the United States, extreme frontal shifts can cause concern as storm clouds roll in and winds pick up; many people will be searching the skies for… Read More
By Rob Amend 10 months 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 10 months 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 11 months ago
The U.S. Northeast is a beautiful region of mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Some of these lakes possess some of the most transparent water in the country and can be… Read More
By Rob Amend 11 months 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 11 months 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 11 months 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 11 months ago
Key Points: The U.S. state of Washington is home to approximately 100,000 white-tailed deer. Large white-tailed deer populations can cause damage to crops as well as pose a hazard to… Read More
By Rob Amend 11 months ago
Key Points: Key differences between black and white crappies include spot patterns, number of spines, eye placement relative to the dorsal fin, weight, and whether they prefer calm or turbulent… Read More
By Rob Amend 11 months 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 11 months 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 11 months 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 11 months ago
The Largest Lymphatic Organ: Introduction The human body is a wonderful collection of organs and systems, including the lymphatic system. This article will identify and discuss the largest organ in… Read More
By Rob Amend 12 months 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 12 months 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year ago
For most people, climbing the highest point in a state that averages about 760 feet above sea level doesn't have the excitement of scaling the Matterhorn or climbing Mt. Everest.… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year ago
Key Points: Lost Dakota was a section of land at the tripoint of the states of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho that was left out of the map. Today, that area… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Dogs are wonderful companions, and they are typically eager to please. So what's a dog to do when you teach it to "stay" and then use "stay" in a conversation… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Dogs are cute when they sleep. Perhaps you have watched them as they lie there, curled up on their favorite cushion, as they twitch and sometimes whimper, and asked, "do… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
Sometimes the stuff of nightmares, sucking blood, biting with fangs, stinging with stingers, injecting venom, scurrying with multiple legs, and watching us with many sets of eyes, arachnids can be… Read More
By Rob Amend 1 year ago
As human flu season approaches, you may wonder whether or not your dog is at risk of getting the flu. The short answer is "yes." Please read below to learn… Read More
By Rob Amend 2 years ago
