Wild Animals
Whether they crawl, fly, swim, slither, walk, run or pounce, wild animals rely on their instincts. Read about all kinds of wild animals, mammals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles and amphibians.
Toad vs. Frog: Differences in Anatomy, Habitat and More
What's the Difference Between a Newt and Salamander?
Mexican Salamander Could Hold Key to Spinal Cord Regeneration in Humans
Flying Ants Aren't a Separate Species, But a Life Stage
6 Facts About How Bees Learn, Think and Make Decisions
Do These Nightmare Parasites Hack Snail Brains to Survive?
The 3 Types of Ducks Every Birdwatcher Should Know
10 Types of Owls: From Tiny Screech-owls to Great Horned Owls
What Do Ducks Eat? Why You Shouldn't Feed Ducks Bread
The Biggest Catfish Ever Caught (That We Know Of)
The Fastest Fish in the Ocean Can Swim at Nearly 70 MPH
Why Do Sheepshead Fish Have 'Human' Teeth?
What Is the Biggest Cat in the World? Top 9 Species in the Wild
The Largest Bat in the World Has a Wingspan Over 5 Feet
Bison vs. Buffalo: What's the Difference?
The True and Tragic Story of Tilikum, SeaWorld's Captive Orca
10 Deep Sea Creatures That Are (Almost) Too Bizarre to Be Real
The Biggest Crab in the World, Plus 8 Enormous Contenders
The Biggest Alligator on Record, by Weight and Length
Papuan Olive Python: New Guinea's Behemoth in the Rainforest
Amethystine Python: Australia's Largest Native Snake
Learn More / Page 23
Oooooh, barracuda! It's not just a Heart song -- it's also a dinner dish. But should you be as suspicious of this creature on your plate as scuba divers are of encountering it in the water?
Crocodiles look a lot like dinosaurs, and they have certain similar characteristics. But are they related at all, or are the similarities all coincidence?
Most jackals have the same nuclear family as the one portrayed in "Leave it to Beaver" -- a father, a mother and the kids. So do Mama and Papa jackal call a babysitter when they want date night?
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Can a dead stingray's sting kill you? It's highly unlikely, but you'd still be in for a world of hurt if you get stung.
By Josh Clark
Do toads cause warts? The wart-like bumps protruding from their backs may give some that impression, but nothing could be further from the truth.
By Josh Clark
When we say someone is as slippery as an eel, it's not a compliment. But maybe eels get a bad wrap. They're slimy, but they have their reasons.
By Debra Ronca
We all know that the humps on a camel help it to survive in the harsh desert environment. What exactly is inside the hump of a camel? Does the hump store water? Find out the answer to these questions in this article from HowStuffWorks.
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Why do my home and office seem to be infested with gnats in the summer? Where are they coming from?
Humans have a peculiar knack for naming animals based on their doppelgangers instead of their biology. Sea horses aren't really horses is and koala bears aren't exactly bears. So what's the deal with mountain goats versus true goats?
Tasmanian devils are scrappy little marsupials with jaws as strong as tigers'. But a deadly form of cancer is threatening to annihilate the species. Can the devils be saved before it's too late?
By Alia Hoyt & Cristen Conger
A long, long time ago, lemurs lived all over the world. But something happened to kill them off — everywhere except in Madagascar. How did the island protect them from extinction?
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Lions aren't known for their tendency to pass up a big, juicy steak. So if you're an African buffalo, how can you keep your hide intact?
By Tom Scheve
Ever heard that the grass is always greener on the other side? While we may think of it as a quaint proverb, wildebeests abide by it. In fact, their entire lives' purpose is dedicated to finding the greenest, freshest patch of grass.
If a salamander gets in a scrape, it can drop its tail, scurry off and return to business as usual. What if we could do that? Scientists are using the salamander as a blueprint for human genome research to reveal how to regenerate human limbs.
Imagine that someone is pursuing you down a dark alley. Do you run? Duck behind a trash bin? The mimic octopus doesn't sweat this kind of scenario: It just shape-shifts to disguise itself. You'll be surprised by the tricks it's got up its tentacles.
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Remember practicing the stop, drop and roll drill in school? If you were an armadillo, rolling up into a tight little ball would be second nature. But how do these armored creatures tuck every last square inch of themselves into a sphere? And why?
Whether you're sleeping on a water bed or napping during a rainstorm, water has a calming effect. Walruses also make use of soothing waves, but why don't they drown when catching submerged shut-eye?
Those of us who wear glasses will just stew in our own astigmatic juices if we're called "four eyes." Nearsighted rhinos, however, use their pointy horns for payback.
Spider silk is five times stronger than steel and twice as strong as bullet-proof Kevlar. What exactly is spider silk, what is it made of and why is it so strong? Find out the answers to these questions and learn other facts about spider silk.
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A hippo doesn't need to lumber to the local drug store and buy sunscreen; it can make its own. And the method is pretty ingenious.
Scorpions have been around for 450 million years. But the species hasn't been sustained by a healthy, vibrant diet: This opportunistic eater would rather wait for food to come to it than go out hunting for it. So how many meals does that amount to?
Porcupines know nothing of bad hair days. These walking pin cushions use their prickly "hairs" to impale any animal that may pose a threat to their well-being.
If your home has termites and the exterminator is booked, you might want to send in an anteater or aardvark. Though both these animals love insects, they're two totally different species.
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Perhaps just as puzzling as the Rubik's Cube (though not as colorful), the purpose of wombat scat's geometrical shape seems mysterious. So what's the scoop on wombat poop?
Ever since word spread about the seven deadly sins, sloths have been getting a bad rap. These sluggish tree-dwellers conserve energy by stopping to smell (and eat) the roses.