Mammals

Whaddya get when you cross a lion and a tiger? Yep — you get a liger, of course. But why are they considered controversial?

By Wendy Bowman

The proverbial "king of the beasts," lions are second in size to just one other cat in the world, the tiger. But a lion's biggest fear? Tangling with a porcupine the size of a small dog.

By Mark Mancini

Reindeer are, of course, best known for their main gig om Christmas Eve every year, but there's more to them than just their flying and sleigh pulling prowess.

By Laurie L. Dove

Beaver attacks get a lot of media attention but are beavers really crazed killers that we should be afraid of? And what good do they really do?

By Nathan Chandler

They look so cute and fluffy, but koalas have a fierce side too. Still, their biggest threat to survival is mankind.

By Alia Hoyt

Gorillas can live to be about 35 to 40 years old and are much gentler (and much sleepier) than you might think.

By Jesslyn Shields

The female emu may lay the eggs, but the male emu does all the caretaking. And that's just one fascinating thing we learned.

By Patty Rasmussen

They're the cutest and most curious masked mammals around. But they also have a reputation for being a nuisance. Here's everything you need to know about the raccoon.

By Meg Sparwath

Sea otters are adorable, back from the brink of extinction and will totally bite you.

By Jesslyn Shields

Move over Dracula. These fish, birds and bats really are the vampires of the animal world — and they do need to eat (or suck) blood to sustain life.

By Mark Mancini

Manatees are so gentle and sweet they'll break your heart, but in 2021, there have been more manatee deaths than in any year in previously recorded history. Why are these gentle giants dying in such unprecedented numbers?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

It turns out that bobcats do just fine if not actively hunted by humans.

By Jesslyn Shields

The wars between mink species and humans quietly rage worldwide.

By Jesslyn Shields

Though ol' Wile E. never did catch the Road Runner, coyotes are some of the most ingenious and adaptable animals on the planet.

By Tara Yarlagadda

These impressive and intimidating animals have an illustrious past that helped them wend their way through America and settle in the heartland of the South.

By Mark Mancini

These berserker weasels are the ultimate cold weather survivors — cagey, smart and omnivorous.

By Jesslyn Shields

Groundhogs don't actually make great weathermen, but they are pretty cool in every other respect.

By Jesslyn Shields

Kinkajous, or honey bears, are generally docile creatures, but they definitely don't mix well with humans.

By Jesslyn Shields

Jackals, formidable members of the canine family, are often portrayed in traditional world folklore as wily tricksters, up to no good. They are actually brilliant survivalists.

By Tara Yarlagadda

These adorable marsupials look as sweet as their name. But what, exactly, are sugar gliders?

By Jamie Allen

Those red butts on baboons do serve a purpose, sort of, but it's probably not quite what you think.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Orphaned Bornean orangutans need all the help they can get — the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation steps in to teach them the art of survival.

By Jesslyn Shields

It's the job of the huge grizzly bears at Montana's Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center to test the everything from coolers and trash cans to food storage containers.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Clearing land with goats rather than machinery is eco-friendly, effective and adorable.

By Jesslyn Shields

Fisher cats aren't actually cats, but cat-sized members of the weasel family, and their favorite snack is — yikes — the porcupine.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky