Jesse Elop
Author for A-Z Animals

Snakes are incredibly interesting and diverse creatures. In fact, there are over 3,500 species around the world except in Antarctica, New Zealand, Greenland, Iceland, and Ireland. In the United States… Read More

By Jesse Elop 5 days ago

If you are an avid farmer or gardener, you may have come across or heard about aphids. Aphids are small pests that infest crops, gardens, and other flora worldwide and… Read More

By Jesse Elop 2 months ago

Have you ever seen a gorilla make a teeth-baring facial expression and thought, “Wow! Those are some big teeth!”? As the world's largest primate, gorillas are famous in the animal… Read More

By Jesse Elop 4 months ago

Gorillas are beautiful and unique creatures. They are also incredibly large! Within this colossal animal is a very interesting and complex skull that seems to be very different from a… Read More

By Jesse Elop 8 months ago

Although most people could probably tell a gorilla hand and a human hand apart, humans and gorillas are close relatives that share many similarities under their fur and skin. If… Read More

By Jesse Elop 9 months ago

When you are at the gym, a 20-pound dumbbell can seem pretty heavy. Now imagine 25 of those wrapped in fur running around the African wild! Silverback gorillas are huge,… Read More

By Jesse Elop 10 months ago

Gorillas are the world’s largest living primate species weighing in at a maximum of 860 pounds! You can learn more about the world’s largest gorilla here. These are definitely very… Read More

By Jesse Elop 10 months ago

Grizzly bears are an example of a keystone species. All animals and plants are important to their environment, but are some more important than others? Every ecosystem consists of complex… Read More

By Jesse Elop 11 months ago

Geckos are a very interesting group of lizards that are incredibly diverse. They are widespread in the wild and are also common household pets. Although a pet gecko can seem… Read More

By Jesse Elop 11 months ago

Gorillas are beautiful animals of enormous size! They are easy to recognize as they thump their chests with muscular arms and grin to reveal huge canine teeth. These amazing creatures… Read More

By Jesse Elop 12 months ago

Key Points: Grizzly bears are omnivores, eating both plants and animals. But the percentage of meat they eat, only 30%, categorizes them as hypocarnivores. Whereas, polar bears are hypercarnivores--their diet… Read More

By Jesse Elop 12 months ago

Ever wonder what inspired King Kong? Despite its gorilla-like appearance, inspiration for the fictional beast came from Komodo dragons studied on a 1926 expedition to Komodo Island! Komodo dragons are… Read More

By Jesse Elop 12 months ago

Colorful Tropical Rock lobster under water. They recognize other individual lobsters, remember past acquaintances, and have elaborate courtship rituals. Researchers say that their intelligence rivals that of octopuses—long considered to… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Have you ever had a tiny animal buzz by your head, tickle the back of your neck, or crawl out of your shoe? Well, it may have been one of… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

In North America, bigger is usually better. Both Canada and the United States are amongst the 10 largest countries in the world by area! In these big countries, there are… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

In the animal kingdom, reptiles have always been especially interesting. Clever behaviors, fascinating adaptations, and vibrant colors all make this class of animals incredibly unique. Reptiles come in a broad… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Coyotes are highly carnivorous but will eat vegetables. Their diet mostly consists of animals ranging from insects, to rodents, to deer Coyotes are fierce predators adapted to many climates. Coyotes,… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

How long can you stay in bed? The average person sleeps for 9 hours a day, the average dog sleeps 11 hours a day, and the average cat sleeps for… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

When people first think of mammals, they often think of elephants, monkeys, bears, and other land-dwelling animals. There are, however, many species of marine mammals as well. The class Mammalia… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Can you outrun a sloth? Probably. Can you outrun a cheetah? Probably not. Can you outrun a bear? That is a little trickier to answer. Most species of bears are… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

In 1789 the first recorded use of the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” came from King Frederick of Prussia, likely referencing his beloved Italian greyhound. Ever since,… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Insects compose around 90% of all animal species! There are about 6 million species of insects alive today! These various species exist throughout every continent including Antarctica. Many animals and… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Key Points: There are five main differences between apes and monkeys - the most visible being that monkeys have tails while apes do not.Apes are much more intelligent than monkeys… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

With terminology like “ape”, “great ape”, “monkey”, “primate”, and “gorilla” all meaning distinctly different things, it is hard to keep track of what’s what. In this article we'll examine the… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Key Points: Modern-day humans and neanderthals are of the same genus, but are completely separate species. Evidence suggests that neanderthals did not evolve into humans, but both species evolved from… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Monkeys come in all shapes and sizes and exist around the world. Most monkeys live in Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America. While many hang from branches and leap… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Polar bears are not only the largest bears in the world, but they are also the largest carnivores on land! These magnificent creatures are admired for their beautiful white coats… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

A male lion, with its formidable size and flowing mane, is a majestic animal rightfully known as king of the jungle. Female lions are similarly ferocious and are amongst the… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Key Points There are about 300 recognized species of squidThe colossal squid is the largest squid in the world and can weigh up to 1500 pounds.Many squid use bioluminescence as… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Key Points There are over 24,000 species of butterflies.Butterflies are not just beautiful, they are also very important pollinators. The world’s largest butterfly is the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing and has… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago

Jellyfish are incredibly unique creatures that have been the focus of scientific curiosity for hundreds of years. Based on recent discoveries in the fossil record, it has been determined that… Read More

By Jesse Elop 1 year ago