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Wildlife Articles
Wildlife animals are amazing creatures. Learn more about wildlife, birds and sea creatures.
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Bison Facts
The American bison, also known as the American buffalo, is the more common of the only two extant species of bison. American bison once lived in plains and forests in North America, numbering in millions. Since facing extinction in the 19th century because of the commercial hunting, bison have shrunk dramatically in numbers; they now exist mostly in national parks and reserves. About 30,000 bison are recognized as existing by the IUCNs standards, only around 15,000 of which are considered wild due to their free-range environment.
Bison Facts
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Frog Facts
Frogs are amphibians belonging to the taxonomic order anura, a term derived from Greek words that together mean without tail. Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes, and the absence of a tail. Frogs are widely known as exceptional jumpers, and many of the adaptations that are characteristic of frogs, particularly their long, powerful legs, serve to improve jumping performance.
Frog Facts
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Animal Extinction
People have a greater influence on animals than they realize. The extinction of animals is inevitable, and it is believed that about 99.9% of all species to have existed have gone extinct. However, the rate at which species become extinct is currently the highest it is known ever to have been; for the first time since the extinction of the dinosaurs, organisms are losing genetic diversity and becoming endangered and extinct at a higher rate than that at which they can evolve to survive changes in their environment. This ongoing event is often referred to as the sixth mass extinction, and is caused most notably by human activity.
Animal Extinction
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Different Species of Sharks
There are 440 different species of sharks. However, they comprise less than 1 percent of all living fish. Sharks are widely considered to be the apex predators of the ocean; their place is near, or at the top of the food chain. However, not all sharks fit this description, and many aren’t aggressive at all. Some of the most well-known sharks include the extinct megalodon shark, the great white shark, the tiger shark, the bull shark, the oceanic whitetip shark, and the hammerhead shark.
Different Species of Sharks
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Overview of the Polar Bear
The largest of the bears, the polar bear is also the worlds largest land carnivore. An adult male can weigh up to 1,500 pounds, although the largest confirmed weight was 2,210 pounds. Polar bears live in the icy Arctic, on ice floes. They roam the Arctic in search of food, particularly seals.
Overview of the Polar Bear
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What is the Difference Between a Wolf and Coyote?
Coyotes and wolves are two different species. A coyote is a member of Canis latrans, while a wolf is a member of Canis lupus. Wolves are much larger animals than coyotes. Wolves grow to approximately 5 feet in length and nearly 3 feet in height at the shoulder, while coyotes grow to nearly 3 feet in length and approximately 2 feet in height at the shoulder.
Coyote vs Wolf
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Types of Skunks
There are 10 subspecies of skunks, divided into 4 genera: hooded and striped skunks, spotted skunks, stink badgers and hog-nosed skunks.
Types of Skunks
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Habitat of the Panda
The Giant Panda Bear are solitary living alone in the mountain forests of central China. Giant Panda Bears live in China. Most Giant Panda Bears live in Sechuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces of China.
Habitat of the Panda
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Overview of the Cougar
The cougar, also known as the mountain lion or puma, is the largest of the small cats. It holds the Guinness world record for the animal with the greatest number of names; it has over 40 names in English alone. The cougar has the greatest range of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, extending from the top of Canada to the bottom of South America.
Overview of the Cougar
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Overview of the Koala
Koalas are native to Australia. They spend much of their time in trees; they sleep, breed and eat in the branches of eucalyptus trees. Koalas only climb down when moving to a new tree. They are exceptional climbers, and climb trees with a series of jumps. They use their strong arms, large hands and big claws to hold on tightly. Koalas also have two opposable thumbs per hand.
Overview of the Koala
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Overview of the Coyote
The coyote, also called the American jackal or prairie wolf, are a species of canine found in Central and North America. They can be found as far north as Alaska, and as far south as Panama. There are 19 subspecies, with 3 found in Central America, and 16 found in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Overview of the Coyote
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Giant Anteater
The giant anteater is a subspecies of anteater that can grow up to 4 feet excluding the tail in length. The giant anteater feed on ants and termites, and can consume over 30,000 insects, plus their eggs and larvae, in a single day.
Giant Anteater
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Overview of the Armadillo
Armadillos live in savannas, pampas, forests, deserts, and grasslands in southern North America and in South America. Only one armadillo subspecies, the nine banded armadillo, is found in the southern parts of the United States. The giant armadillo is a subspecies of armadillo that can grow up to 5 feet in length.
Overview of the Armadillo
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Moose Profile
The moose or Eurasian elk, is only behind the bison as the second largest land animal in North America and Europe. Moose are a member of the deer family, and inhabit forests of the Northern Hemisphere. All moose are herbivores, and need to consume nearly 10,000 calories per day to maintain their body weight.
Moose Profile
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Overview of the Hyena
10 to 12 million years ago, the hyena family had split into two distinct groups: the dog-like hyenas and the bone-crushing hyenas. The dog-like hyenas died out, but the bone-crushing hyenas lived on. The strength of hyenas jaws is such that both striped and spotted hyenas have been recorded to kill dogs with a single bite to the neck, without breaking the skin.
Overview of the Hyena
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Rhino Profile
Rhinoceroses have great hearing and smell, but poor vision. Many live to be over 60 years old. Nearly all rhinoceros species are listed as critically endangered.
Rhino Profile
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Overview of the Raccoon
Raccoon, sometimes spelled as racoon, is the largest of the procyonid family. It has a body length of over 2 feet, and a weight of up to 20 pounds. The heaviest recorded raccoon weighed over 62 pounds.
Overview of the Raccoon
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Overview of the Anteater
The anteater belongs to an order of mammals with small brains and few, or no teeth. Anteaters have extra backbone joints that help strengthen their lower back and hips, which are useful for digging. While they have no teeth, anteaters do have a long, sticky tongue, which helps them catch insects, like ants and termites.
Overview of the Anteater
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Bengal Tiger Habitat
Overcrowding in the areas where the Bengal Tiger once flourished has drastically reduced their numbers. The natural habitat of the Bengal Tiger has been significantly reduced in size forcing them to into protected reserves in order to survive.
Bengal Tiger Habitat
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African Lion Facts
Lions are nicknamed the King of the Jungle. Lions live in the grassy plains, savannas, open woodlands and scrub country. Unlike other big cats the lion does not have a patterned coat. Lions have tawny coats and tufts at the ends of their tails. A lions tan coloring allow them to blend with the grass of the African plains. Male lions have hairy manes that frame their face.
African Lion Facts
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Overview of the Camel
There are two different types of camels, dromedary and Bactrian. The dromedary camel has a single hump, while the Bactrian camel has two humps. The camel is an expert at surviving in harsh conditions: it can survive for months without water in dry, barren places, while consuming only thorny and salty desert plants, and relying on the single or double hump (stores of fat) on their back for energy.
Overview of the Camel
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Overview of the Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their iconic black and white striping, and their ability to secrete a liquid with a foul odor. The scientific name of the striped skunk, Mephitis Mephitis is derived from a Latin word that means poisonous vapor. Skunks live in Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Americas. There are 10 subspecies of skunks, divided into 4 genera: hooded and striped skunks, spotted skunks, stink badgers and hog-nosed skunks. They vary in length from 1 to 3 feet, and in weight from 1 to 18 pounds.
Overview of the Skunk
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Overview of the Kangaroo
The kangaroo is a marsupial native to Australia. It is also the national symbol of Australia. There are four species that are commonly referred to as kangaroos: the antilopine kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo, the red kangaroo and the western gray kangaroo.
The Antilopine Kangaroo is the northern equivalent of the Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos. The Red Kangaroo is the largest surviving marsupial in the world - a large male can be nearly 7 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds.
Overview of the Kangaroo
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Overview of the Panda
The Giant Panda, also known simply as the panda, is a species of bear native to China. While the dragon has traditionally been Chinas national emblem, the panda has also served this role, especially recently.
The scientific name of the giant panda literally means black and white cat-foot.
Overview of the Panda
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Bengal Tiger Facts
Bengal Tigers are often called Indian Tigers, or Indian Bengal Tigers. Bengal Tigers play an important role in Indian tradition and legend. Bengal Tigers can be found in India, Nepal Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mynamar Burma and Tibet.
Bengal Tigers are the most common of the tiger subspecies. Bengal Tigers are the second largest of all living tiger subspecies. Unfortunately Bengal Tigers are critically endangered due to poaching and destruction of their natural habitat.
Bengal Tiger Facts
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Giant Panda
The scientific name for the Giant Panda is Ailuropoda melanoleuca.
Giant Pandas are solitary living alone in the mountain forests of central China. The Giant Panda’s pop has dwindled due to the destruction of the bamboo forests to make for activities like farming.
Giant Panda
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White Rhinoceros
White Rhinos are found in northeast and Southern Africa. The most populace of the five rhinoceros species the white rhino lives on the African savanna. In the last century there has been a rapid decline in their numbers. The White Rhino is the largest of the rhino species. After Elephants, White Rhinos are among the largest living mammals.
White Rhinoceros
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Siberian Tiger Facts
Siberian Tigers are mostly found in Siberia and Manchuria. At one time they could also be found in China and Korea though their numbers have sharply declined in those areas due to illegal poaching. Siberian Tigers are an endangered species.
Siberian Tiger Facts
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Gray Wolf Facts
The scientific name for the Gray Wolf is Canis Lupus. Gray Wolves are also known as Timber Wolves, Tundra Wolves, Plains Wolves, Arctic Wolves, Buffalo Wolves, Lobo Wolves and Mexican Wolves.
Gray wolves have a thick bulky coat that consists of layers that insulates and protects the wolf. The Gray wolves coat is usually gray but it can vary from nearly white to red, brown, black or even a combination of colors.
Gray Wolf Facts
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Giant River Otter Facts
The Giant River Otter is the largest mustelid. Giant River Otters live in shallow slow-moving rivers, marshes and forests in South America. The Giant River Otter or Giant Otter is found in north and central South America throughout the Amazon Basin.
Giant River Otter Facts
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White Tiger Facts
White tigers have are far more rare than their orange counterparts, they have a recessive gene that causes the lighter coloring. Only 1 in 10,000 tiger births in the wild result in a white tiger. Many white tigers are related to each other. In order to continue the species inbreeding is required.
White Tiger Facts
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Red Panda
The scientific name for the Red Panda is Ailurus Fulgens.
The Red Panda is found in south and southeast Asia, usually at a high altitude. The Red Panda is a endangered species due to destruction of their natural habitat.
Red Panda Facts
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Black Rhino Facts
Black Rhinos are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. The black rhinoceros is found in African mostly in Kenya and Tanzania. The Black Rhino lives in the dry grasslands and feeds on twigs and newly grown shoots.
Rhinos have thick bodies, short legs and and thick skin, that acts as an armor.
Black Rhino Facts
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Facts About Skunks
Skunks belong to the Mustelidae family, with other otters and polecats. Skunks are closely related to badgers, otters and weasels. There are 13 species of skunks.
Skunks are found in North America in the woods, grassland desert and even urban areas.
Facts About Skunks
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Meerkat Facts
The scientific name for the Meerikat is Suricata Suricatta. Meerkats are also sometimes called Suricates.
Meerkats are part of the mongoose family, like others in the mongoose family they live on the ground sheltering in burrows. Meerkats are found in south western Africa. Their habitat is primarily semi-desert scrub and possibly woodland but they prefer open stony country. Meerkats are carnivores.
Meerkat Facts
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Zebra Facts
Zebras are part of the Equidae family. Zebras live in the grasslands, sometimes with light woodlands , scrub and mountains. Zebras are located in eastern, central and southern Africa.
Zebras are covered with black and white stripes. The striped pattern varies from zebra to zebra.
Information About Zebra
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Tiger Facts
The scientific name for tigers is Panthera Tigris.
Tigers are the largest members of the cat family. At one time there were eight subspecies of tigers but since the 1950s three have become extinct. Deforestation and hunting have significantly reduced the tiger populations. In addition tigers are sadly often hunted as trophies. Many tiger body parts are also used in traditional Chinese medicine which have also caused their dwindling numbers. The five remaining tiger subspecies are all endangered and under protection programs.
Tiger Facts
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Sea Otter Facts
Sea Otters have flipper-like hind feet and a long dense coat, with straw colored fur on its head. Sea Otters are up to 3 feet long with a tail of up to 13 inches. Sea Otters have excellent vision for seeing underwater, a rudder-like tail and thick dense fur to insulate it. Sea Otters have big rounded teeth. Sea Otters are able to dive to depths of 98 feet.
Sea Otter Facts
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Wolf Facts
The scientific name for the Wolf is the Canis Lupus. Wolves and humans evolved during more or less the same period. The wolf is the is the ancestor of all domestic dogs.
The habitat of the wolf varies from arctic tundra, plains, savannas and forests.The main threat to wolves is loss of their natural habitat. Wolves vary in color from almost white as in the colder regions to yellowish-brown or black in the more southern regions.
Wolf Facts
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Dolphin Facts
Dolphins are not fish, they are sea mammals. While dolphins are shaped like fish they do not have gills, and they must surface to breathe air. Dolphins are also warm-blooded and they give live birth and produce milk for their young. All dolphins are in fact toothed whales. There are approximately 32 species of dolphin worldwide. The biggest dolphin is actually the killer whale.
Dolphin Facts
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Rhinoceros Facts
There are five species of rhino, three live in tropical Asia and two are native to Africa. There are three kinds of rhinos living in Asia, the Indian, Javan and Sumatran. While the White and black rhinos live in Africa.
Rhinoceros Facts
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Giraffe Facts
Giraffe is one of the most amazing animals especially because of the long neck that makes it sometimes cumbersome and prone to a couple of problems. We will see them as we proceed and you will be able to understand more.
Giraffe Facts
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Cheetah Facts
Cheetahs are the fastest animal on earth. Unlike other large cats, Cheetahs hunt with speed rather than stealth. Cheetahs can go from 0 to 60 mph in only 3 seconds a feat few cars can accomplish. Not only can cheetahs run extremely fast, they are also quite nimble and agile able to quickly navigate turns in pursuit of their quarry.
Cheetahs are born to run. Cheetahs are slender with long legs and a deep chest.
Cheetah Facts
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Giant Panda Bear Facts
Giant Panda Bears are protected by law and considered a treasure in Chinese Culture. Chinese people call Giant Pandas large bear cats. Unfortunately Panda Bears are susceptible to poachers. In an effort to protect the Giant Panda Bears, the Chinese Government has imposed a life sentence on anyone convicted of poaching the Giant Panda Bear.
Panda Bears have thick woolly coats that keep in warm in the climate of the cool forests. Most Giant Panda Bears are black and white, though there are also a rare brown and white variation. Each Giant Panda’s markings varies slightly from other Pandas.
Giant Panda Bear Facts
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Bald Eagle Facts
Bald Eagle were named the national bird of the United States of America in 1782. It has been a tried and true symbol of American Liberties and Freedom for over 200 years. The Bald Eagle is an integral part of many of the symbols and seals, related to the government of the United States of America.
The Bald Eagle population experienced a sharp decline in the mid 20th century to due to the loss of habitat, and harmful pesticides like DDT which caused infertility or the shells of laid eggs to be brittle.
Bald Eagle Facts
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Pink Dolphin Facts
Pink Dolphins are actually the Amazon River Dolphin, which is a freshwater river dolphin found in the Amazon rivers in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela. Pink Dolphins have a number of different nomers including: Boto, Boutu, Pink Freshwater Dolphin, or Pink Porpoise, Pink River Dolphin or Amazon River Dolphins.
Pink Dolphin Facts
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Emperor Penguins
The Emperor Penguin is most noted for its size, reaching up to four feet in height, making it the tallest penguin of its species. Its stomach is white and its wings and back are black, lending its trademark tuxedo look. Although penguins have wings they do not fly, but swim through the water at an average speed of four to six miles per hour, with possible bursts of up to twelve miles per hour. Although water mixed with cold temperatures causes humans to experience hypothermia and even death, penguins have a preen gland which secretes an oil that they use to coat their feathers with so water will run off of them.
Emperor Penguins
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African Elephant
The largest land mammal on the earth, weighing up to 16,000 pounds, elephants have captivated observers for centuries. Elephants have been used for labor, war, entertainment and hunting. Elephants are one of the most unique animals due to their enormous size and unusual physical characteristics.
African Elephant
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Wild Animal Endangerment
Wild animals are beautiful creatures with varying sizes, colors, and habitats. Although some can be seen in zoos, the place they are meant to be is in their own environment. Unfortunately, animals such as whales, panda bears and sea otters, are not always safe in these places and are dying out. What is causing their threat of extinction? Several factors have an influence on this growing problem.
Wild Animal Endangerment
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Canada Geese
Few spectacles symbolize autumn better than a gang of Canada Geese crossing a cloudy sky in V-formation. Common throughout most of North America, Canada Geese live around ponds, rivers, and lake shores where they feed on aquatic grass, roots, and young sprouts, as well as corn and grain. A strong inward pull called instinct urges these waterfowl into the skies to make this great annual southward migration. But instinct does not determine the route the birds take. Canada Geese migrate in family groups, and they will travel the same route year after year. The young geese learn the route from their parents, and use the same route in subsequent years with their own young.
Canada Geese
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Monkeys, Chimps, or Apes: A Primate Primer
“Look, it’s a monkey!” the father says to his son, pointing at the caged chimpanzee sitting with his back to the onlookers. The information sheet posted on the wall corrects the misnomer, but I doubt the man will read it. Sure enough, the pair strolls forward to look at the next ‘monkey,’ which is really an orangutan.
With more than 350 species of primates in the world, I suppose it is easy to get confused over who is who, and what is what. However, as a primate myself I have to wonder if our cousins are as disgusted as we are when we’re mistakenly called by the wrong name, or assumed—because of a resemblance—to be related to someone we dislike. Highly speculative. But in the tradition of political correctness I will endeavor in this article to present a primate primer. I know that a baboon by any name will never smell very sweet, but something about knowing my gorillas from my gibbons puts everything in its proper place, and helps me feel as if the world has order.
Primate Primer
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Kangaroos
The kangaroo is a singular creature. What other animal can jump a distance of 28 feet, or a height of 6 feet? What other animal can hop at speeds of 43 miles per hour? What other animal uses its muscular tail as a third “leg” to help balance and stabilize and holds kickboxing matches to determine breeding rights? There’s only one animal that fits this description—the kangaroo.
Kangaroos
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Caribou on the Move
Although they’re not the least bit aware of it, caribou have become the subject of a hot political debate that has been boiling over the past five years. It would seem these unobtrusive creatures of the remote arctic tundra and boreal forests of North America and Greenland would be far from the spotlight of national politics, but their future became uncertain when Washington announced plans to open the Alaska National Wilderness Reserve (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling.
Caribou on the Move
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Koala Kismet
To gaze into their eyes is to touch tranquility. Perhaps it is because they spend so much of their lives removed from our terrestrial sphere that these creatures can inspire such serenity in just one glance. Perched in the canopy of the tall Eucalyptus forests of Australia, koalas pass their lives unperturbed, nap to nap, meal to meal.
Koala Kismet
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Echidnas
What has the beak of a bird, the spines of a hedgehog, the gait of a reptile, the pouch of a marsupial, and the lifespan of an elephant? If you answered an echidna, you are correct! Echidnas may not be the most famous creatures on this planet, but fossils dating back to 100 million years ago prove that they’ve been around a long time. Elusive and enigmatic, these “spiny anteaters” have bewildered scientists and wildlife enthusiasts for centuries.
Echidnas
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How to Observe Wildlife without Leaving Home
While lumbering herds of elephants and stalking Bengal tigers capture the imagination of most animal lovers, we often neglect the nature closest to us. Sometimes we need a reminder that we are part of a habitat, and that the miracle of life exists under our very noses. Educator and naturalist Carolyn Duckworth has said, “If you want to understand and become connected to your environment, keeping a field journal is one of the fastest ways to accomplish this goal.”
How to Observe Wildlife without Leaving Home
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Puffins, The Parrots of the Sea
It is August on the coast of Iceland, and the air is filled with the deep garbled growls of hundreds of puffins. The social birds have come to shore for the short breeding season, and the rocky banks are dotted with their squat, football-shaped bodies. From the ocean bursts a shiny five-year-old male carrying a dozen small herring in his beak. Flapping his wings mightily, he rises from the waves to the rocky cliffs where a hungry chick waits silently in a burrow hidden in the rocks. The puffin circles the sky above the burrow several times, looking out for herring gulls, which sometimes wait ashore to steal a puffin’s catch.
Puffins, The Parrots of the Sea
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Arctic Wovles
The sun hangs leaden in the sky over the frozen tundra of the high arctic. Flat expanses of land are dotted with low-growing shrubs dusted with frost. From the south a herd of musk oxen loiter along, digging away the icy surface of the ground to reach nutritious lichen and ground plants, oblivious as eight stealthy white figures move in around them. As the wolves get closer, the herd snaps into action, forming into two rings, with younger calves in the middle protected by the adults facing outward. The circle would be impossible for one wolf to penetrate, so the pack must work as a team. Back and forth race the wolves, snapping at the legs of creatures five times their weight.
Arctic Wolves
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Musk Oxen
One look at herd of Musk Oxen, and you wonder if you’ve traveled back in time to the Pleistocene, the age of Saber-toothed Tigers and Woolly Mammoths. Reportedly, these venerable beasts have existed since the last ice age, 600,000 years ago. With their distinctive curved horns and shaggy long hair, this “Bison of the Tundra” roams the arctic river valleys of North America, Greenland, and the northern countries of Europe, grazing on grass, reeds, and sedges, using its cloven feet to dig beneath the snow to reach lichen and nutritious ground plants when necessary.
Musk Oxen
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The Kodiak Bear
Early May on Kodiak Island. Fog drowns the lush forest in mystery. Spattered across a black earthen floor, slushy snow melts in shadowy rings. From a wooded den, a shaggy brown head appears. Unbelievable in size, the creature emerges slowly. Ursus arctos middendorffi, Alaska’s Kodiak Bear, awakes from her long winter’s nap. She's not alone. Snuggled close to her massive front paws sit two cubs, the size of stuffed Teddy bears. Together they weigh only twenty pounds, and are hardly noticeable in comparison to their 500 pound mother. Though large, the sow is lean, for she has lost 30% of her body weight over the winter. Giving birth, nursing, and caring for her young has taken its toll, and now is the season for eating. One at a time, she carries her cubs in her jaw out of the den and sets them rolling on the forest floor.
The Kodiak Bear
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Best Places to See Animals in Nature
While a zoo definitely has it's place in animal watching, it doesn't compare to seeing animals in their own natural habitat. After a recent visit to Yellowstone National Park, this felt especially true for me. A traffic jam caused by young buffalo calves and their mothers crossing the road is an experience not to be missed. It made me wonder about other places that would be conducive to viewing wildlife in a natural setting. From my research I have come up with a list of some of the best places to visit if viewing animals in nature is your objective.
Fun Places in Nature to See Wildlife
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Unusual Deep Sea Creatures
We are all familiar with dolphins, whales and sharks; we know what tuna and snapper look like, but what about some less familiar fish such as lizardfish, giant squid, or blind eels? There are so many lesser known animals in the depths of the ocean that we hear little or nothing about most times, it is interesting to investigate a few of these creatures and understand them a little more.
Unusual Deep Sea Creatures
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Unusual Wild Animals and Birds
We all know what wolves and coyotes look like, and nearly everyone is familiar with bears, deer and turtles; what about some less familiar animals such as capybara, kiwi, or tapirs? There are so many lesser known animals on this planet that we hear little or nothing about most times, it is interesting to investigate a few of these creatures and understand them a little more.
Unusual Wild Animals and Birds
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