Patrick Sather
Author for A-Z Animals

If you live in North America, specifically the central and eastern United States and Mexico, chances are you’ve encountered a box turtle in the wild. These largely terrestrial turtles appear similar to tortoises but actually belong to the pond turtle family. There are six different species of box turtles in the family Emydidae. They each […] Read More

Few creatures on planet Earth fill people with as much fear as wasps. These tiny insects can pack a painful sting, and a swarm can potentially prove life-threatening in certain circumstances. Wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera and look like a mix between a bee and an ant. Most wasps bear distinctive yellow and black […] Read More

To many people, particularly gardeners, moles are little more than pests. Their conical mounds can easily become a blight on your backyard, leading many people to seek solutions to get rid of them. In reality, moles serve an important ecological function and are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Moles are small mammals in the […] Read More

Have you ever seen the movie, Bambi? In it, audiences are introduced to Bambi, a young deer, who must learn how to survive in the wild. In one scene, Bambi meets Thumper, a young rabbit, who teaches him about the joys of eating clover. Bambi tucks into the greens with relish, only to be reprimanded […] Read More

Crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, which also includes grasshoppers and locusts. Maybe people often mistake crickets for grasshoppers, which is easy to understand. These small, cylindrical insects possess round heads and long antennae. While they can fly using their wings, they are more likely to jump using their strong hind legs. You’ve likely seen […] Read More

Cicadas often get a bad wrap. These tiny herbivorous insects often get mistaken for locusts and while they are similar they are not the same thing. Unlike locusts, cicadas do not swarm and are generally less destructive towards crops. Cicadas belong to the superfamily Cicadoidea, and the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, which also includes leafhoppers and froghoppers. […] Read More

When asked to think about animals with great defense, many people will think of a hedgehog. These small, spiky mammals are covered in hundreds of sharp spines made of stiff keratin. That said, they are not to be confused with a porcupine or echidna, which are different species. Hedgehogs belong to the family Erinaceidae, which […] Read More

Mice often get a bad rap. Many people think of mice as pests and go to extreme lengths to try to get rid of them. Some people develop a strong phobia of mice, all without knowing anything about these tiny creatures. Mice belong to the order Rodentia, which comprises nearly 40% of all mammal species […] Read More

When most people think of chipmunks, they likely think of Alvin and his brothers, Simon and Theodore. These adorable cartoon characters are certainly entertaining but aren’t exactly indicative of what actual chipmunks are like. Chipmunks are rodents belonging to the family Sciuridae. They are native to North America, although another species, the Siberian chipmunk, is […] Read More

Have you ever seen a hermit crab or owned one as a pet? These tiny decapod crustaceans are known for their interesting habit of finding shelter. Rather than growing their own protective shell, such as some other animals do, hermit crabs must inhabit shelters produced by others. You can often find them hiding in snail […] Read More

Have you ever gone to a local pond or lake and seen people throwing bread into the water? Chances are you have, and it’s also likely that these people were throwing bread to feed some wild geese. Geese are common waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Most species migrate south for the winter, but some will […] Read More

Have you ever read Winnie the Pooh? Chances are you have, which means you know that there’s nothing Pooh loves more than honey. He eats the stuff by the bucket load and often thinks of little else except when he’ll get his next smackeral of honey. If your only exposure to bears was this children’s […] Read More

Think back to a time when you were a kid playing outside on the playground. Do you remember seeing a little creature crawling across the ground that rolled into a ball when you tried to touch it? Chances are you do, which means that you encountered a rolly poly, also known as a pill bug. […] Read More

Of all the orders of insects, few are as captivating or deadly as the mantises. Mantises are insects belonging to the order Mantodea, which includes around 2,400 species. Their closest relatives include termites and cockroaches. You can find them throughout the world, although they primarily live in tropical or temperate habitats. They also go by […] Read More

Have you ever tried to make your own bird feeder? One of the most common ways of doing this is with a pinecone, peanut butter, and birdseed. Simply slather the pine cone in peanut butter, roll it in seeds, and hang it outside for your neighborhood birds to enjoy. These sorts of projects are a […] Read More

Of all the domesticated animals on earth, none is more abundant or important as the chicken. Originally raised for cockfighting or ceremonies, chickens are now primarily raised for food. In fact, as of a few years ago, people now consume more chicken than any other domesticated animal. More than 23 billion chickens are raised in […] Read More

There are lots of sayings about pigs. “You can’t fatten the pig on market day. You can put wings on a pig, but you don’t make it an eagle. Pork is a nice sweet meat.” Okay, that last one is a line from Babe, but you get the point. Pigs have served a central role […] Read More

Have you ever taken a bag of trash out to the trash can, only to discover a pile of wriggling worms at the bottom of the can? Chances are, this has happened to you more than once. When most people see worms crawling through the trash, their first instinct is to shudder with revulsion. After […] Read More

Have you ever seen a rabbit that you didn’t want to just scoop up and cuddle? These cute and cuddly little balls of fur are popular domesticated pets, and it’s easy to see why. With their long ears, big eyes, and gentle dispositions, it’s hard not to fall in love with a bunny. Yet, at […] Read More

Have you ever heard the story of the grasshopper and the ant? In the story, the grasshopper chooses to play all day while the ant works hard to store food for the winter. When winter arrives, the grasshopper is cold and hungry, while the ant is warm and well-fed. The story is an allegory that […] Read More

Have you ever been spent time at a pond and seen a winged insect zip past your vision? Chances are, the beautiful buzzing creature that you saw was a dragonfly. Dragonflies belong to the order Odonata and the infraorder Anisoptera, meaning “unequal wing.” Not to be mistaken for the similar-looking damselfly, dragonflies are agile fliers […] Read More

Gorillas are the largest of the great apes and one of the most intelligent animals in the world. There exist two extant species of gorilla, both of which are native to Sub-Sahara Africa. The more numerous species, the western gorilla, lives in the tropical forests of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of […] Read More

Have you ever seen a creature lying still and seemingly dead by the side of the road, only to watch it stand up and walk away as if nothing happened? Chances are, the animal you saw was an opossum. Opossums belong to the order Didelphimorphia and live only in the Americas. Overall, there exist over […] Read More

People often associate groundhogs with Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day’s roots lie in the Christian tradition of Candlemas, a feast commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem. Some believed that a sunny Candlemas predicted a longer winter. Germans took this a step further, believing that small animals that saw their shadow on Candlemas […] Read More

Geckos are one of the most common yet least well-recognized reptiles on the planet. They belong to the order Squamata, which includes other lizards as well as snakes and worm lizards. There exist seven distinct gecko families that combined contain almost 2,000 different species. This makes geckos the most diverse lizards on the planet and […] Read More

Fish rank as the most diverse group of vertebrates in the world. Scientists recognize over 34,000 distinct species, and many more are waiting to be discovered. Most fish fall into the ray-finned group of bony fish. However, other groups include cartilaginous fish and jawless fish. Fish live at every depth and in every time of […] Read More

Animals’ appearances are shaped by a number of factors that include biological, environmental, and social pressures. Typically, animals with a drab or muted appearance evolved that way to help them evade detection. Meanwhile, other animals with a more eyecatching or flamboyant appearance evolved to their features to attract a mate or identify with one another. […] Read More

Animals range in terms of their size, shape, and appearance. While some possess drab, plain-looking feathers, scales, or skin, others sport brightly-colored features. Typically, females appear less colorful than males. This adaptation usually helps to protect the females from predators. Such an adaptation is especially important considering that females usually take on the primary parenting […] Read More

Many animals possess a singular identifying feature that people often associate with those animals. For example, when you think of a rhinoceros, you probably think of its horn. As for an elephant, you likely imagine its trunk. The list goes on and on, from a rattlesnake’s tail to a tiger’s stripes. Birds also possess unique […] Read More

What comes to mind when you think of punk rock? Perhaps you think of anti-authoritarian lyrics or bands like Blink-182. Others think of the style, and particularly that most iconic of punk hairdos: the mohawk. While certainly co-opted by punk rockers as a sign of their dislike of norms, the mohawk as a hairstyle predates […] Read More

Picture the most colorful bird that you can imagine. Can you see what it looks like in your mind? Perhaps you thought of a peacock, or maybe even a scarlet macaw. These birds with bright feathers stand out vividly both in our minds and in the wild. Birds rely on their plumage to help them […] Read More

Let’s face it, some animals have cooler names than others. For example, how could the blobfish ever hope to compete with the hellbender or the goblin shark? Typically, animals get their names from a combination of variables including their location, appearance, diet, or original discoverer. For taxonomic purposes, animals within the same family typically share […] Read More

Animals evolved different types of teeth depending on what kind of food they eat. Generally, herbivores possess flat teeth suitable for grinding vegetable matter. Meanwhile, carnivores rely on their sharp teeth to pierce and tear off animal flesh. Some animals, such as sharks, constantly regrow their teeth, while others, like narwhals, have teeth shaped like […] Read More

Birds come in an assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors. Big or small, long or short, bright or dull, birds are as varied as they are numerous. Some birds grow bright feathers in shades of blue, green, purple, or pink. People often recognize the most colorful birds based upon their plumages, such as the flamingo […] Read More

Birds come in all shapes and sizes. Some birds evolved long wings to help them fly over great distances, while others developed short, powerful wings. Meanwhile, some birds possess long beaks to help them catch fish, while others have short beaks to break open seeds. Depending on their environment, birds can rely on a different […] Read More

Have you ever tried to balance on one leg? While some yoga masters make this move appear simple, it’s not as easy as it looks. It requires a considerable amount of concentration, strength, balance, and coordination to do for more than a few seconds. For humans, balancing on one leg is a great way to […] Read More

Most birds spend hours, days, or even weeks painstakingly building their nests. Some birds make nests out of mud, while others build nests in trees. Still, other birds that nest on the ground simply scrape out a simple depression. Meanwhile, some birds, such as the winter wren, build intricate domed nests out of grasses and […] Read More

Many people pride themselves on their capabilities as hunters. These men and women spend significant amounts of time honing their skills to track and catch prey. Of these hunting enthusiasts, some prefer to pit their skills against all manner of fish. Whether it’s fly fishing along a stream or fishing in the open ocean, fishing […] Read More

Of all the insects in the animal kingdom, few fill people with as much dread as wasps. Wasps make up a very diverse group of insects, with around 30,000 species currently identified by scientists. While most pose little threat to humans aside from a painful sting, some possess lethal amounts of toxin. As a result, […] Read More

In nature, most animals eat whatever they can to survive. While some animals adapted to eat nuts, seeds, or berries, others evolved to consume other animals. Of these hunters, a few developed a taste for and the skills necessary to hunt for snakes. Ophiophagy, or “snake eating” in Greek, refers to this behavior of routinely […] Read More

Birds come in a wide variety of colors. Some feature relatively dull plumage, while others sport brightly colored feathers. Birds with bright feathers usually evolved specific colors in order to help them attract mates. Depending on the environment where they live, a bird’s coloration can also help camouflage them from predators. In addition, many birds […] Read More

The duck is one of the most common backyard birds in the world. You can find these diverse waterfowl on every continent except Antarctica and in a wide variety of habitats. That said, most live in wetlands or other aquatic areas including rivers, lakes, and near coasts. While swans and geese belong to the same […] Read More

The vast majority of birds are diurnal, meaning that they are active during the day and sleep at night. On the other hand, nocturnal birds stay awake at night to hunt, fly and socialize. According to estimates, well over 70% of birds classify as diurnal, with the remaining 30% identified as nocturnal. Nocturnal birds come […] Read More

Few birds enjoy as much popularity and recognition worldwide as penguins. These flightless birds live in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in Antarctica and its surrounding islands. While relatively awkward on land, penguins move with amazing agility and speed through the water. These black and white birds use their webbed feet and wings as flippers, enabling […] Read More

When it comes to building a nest, birds use a wide variety of tactics and materials. Some birds, such as the puffin, burrow into the ground or take over abandoned rabbit warrens. Others, such as the bald eagle, build giant nests atop tall trees that grant them a view of the surrounding landscape. Some, such […] Read More

Few insects fill people with as much horror as ticks. These parasitic arachnids may only measure a few millimeters long, but they can do a lot of damage if left unchecked. Ticks feed off the blood of animals and can carry a host of nasty viruses and pathogens. A few tick-borne diseases include typhus, spotted […] Read More

Frogs are the most common amphibians on the planet, and it’s not even close. Of the nearly 8,000 known species of amphibians, nearly 7,000 of them classify as frogs. Frogs need moisture to live and tend to live in ponds, rivers, or lakes, as well as woodlands or grasslands. They range throughout every continent excluding […] Read More

Aside from a few ground-dwelling birds, the vast majority of birds can fly. Birds possess powerful muscles in their wings, along with feathers and bones, that make them adapted for flight. By beating their wings, birds generate force to take off and propel them forward. With their aerodynamic design, they can glide, hover, dive, and […] Read More

Lizards are one of the most adaptable members of the reptile family. You can find them on every continent except Antarctica, and in varied habitats from forests to deserts. They range in size from giant Komodo dragons to tiny geckos that can fit in your hand. Over millions of years, lizards evolved a host of […] Read More

Foxes often get a bad rap, and not just in fairytales, where they often act as antagonists or tricksters. People who raise small animals know well the damage a fox can do if it gets into your yard. Despite their bad reputation, foxes can actually act quite friendly. They usually pose little to no threat […] Read More