The plaintive song of the humpback whale can travel for great distances underwater. Humpback whales are known for their magical songs, which travel for great distances through the world's oceans. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often ...
Read More
Resembling a small primate but actually related to the raccoon, the Central and South American kinkajou uses its long tongue to remove honey from beehives and nectar from flowers. Kinkajous live in the tropical forests of Central and South America, where they spend most of their ...
Read More
Sacred to ancient Mesoamerican people, gorgeously plumed quetzals live in the mountains of Central America. The resplendent quetzal is an aptly named bird that many consider among the world's most beautiful. These vibrantly colored animals live in the mountainous, tropical forests ...
Read More
Bobcats, named for their "bobbed" tails, have ears that resemble their feline cousin, the lynx. Bobcats are elusive and nocturnal, so they are rarely spotted by humans. Although they are seldom seen, they roam throughout much of North America and adapt well to such diverse habitats ...
Read More
Mountain lions do not like to share their territory and are constantly on the lookout for invaders. This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a puma, cougar, and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps ...
Read More
The lynx is known for the black tufts of fur on the tips of its ears, which function as hearing aids. The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia. Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during frigid ...
Read More
An endangered loggerhead turtle swims gracefully along the sea floor. Loggerhead turtles are the most abundant of all the marine turtle species in U.S. waters. But persistent population declines due to pollution, shrimp trawling, and development in their nesting areas, among other ...
Read More
Olive ridleys get their name from the coloring of their heart-shaped shell, which starts out gray but becomes olive green once the turtles are adults. They have one to two visible claws on each of their paddle-like flippers. The olive ridley turtle is named for the generally greenish ...
Read More
Wood storks fish with an unusual but effective method: Opening their bills underwater, they wait for a fish to pass by, then snap!, like a mousetrap, the bill is closed, and the fish is eaten. Wood storks are tall, white denizens of freshwater or brackish wetlands and swamps. They ...
Read More
Most sandhill cranes live in freshwater wetlands, feeding on plants, grains, mice, snakes, insects, and worms. Sandhills are the most common of all the world's cranes. A fossil from the Miocene Epoch, some ten million years ago, was found to be structurally the same as the modern ...
Read More
Portrait of an ostrich. The flightless ostrich is the world's largest bird. They roam African savanna and desert lands and get most of their water from the plants they eat.Though they cannot fly, ostriches are fleet, strong runners. They can sprint up to 43 miles (70 kilometers) ...
Read More
Green basilisk lizards can avoid danger by darting across water. They have specially designed feet and a unique running style that keeps them from sinking. The green basilisk lizard is also called a plumed or double-crested basilisk; but its amazing ability to run on water gives ...
Read More
The web-footed gecko's salmon-colored skin and light-brown stripes help it stay camouflaged in the Namib Desert's reddish sands. The ghostly web-footed gecko is nearly translucent with a pale, salmon-colored undertone and light-brown stripes. Their color provides perfect camouflage ...
Read More
