Wild Animals

Despite their name, rat snakes don't eat just rodents. This huge family of snakes, which lives on every continent except Antarctica, also eats lizards and amphibians.

By Mark Mancini & Zach Taras

From the four-headed male reproductive organ to hosting the world's largest flea and sporting a body covered in spiny hairs, this cute little creature takes the cake for mammalian weirdness.

By Wendy Bowman

Most species of the rarely seen anglerfish live up to a mile beneath the ocean, where the females lure prey with a head-dangling hook appendage and permanently fuse with male suitors. It doesn't get much stranger than that.

By Katie Carman & Talon Homer

Black widow spider venom can be deadly but how likely are you to be bitten? It might surprise you that these arachnids are on the shy side.

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

While the black mamba possesses a lethal bite and formidable hunting skills, the snake's size and speed fall short of its legendary reputation.

By Desiree Bowie

The protection of these strange looking, ancient animals, and creatures like them, may be a key component in helping a planet in climate catastrophe.

By Jesslyn Shields

While the cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, the peregrine falcon, a large predatory raptor, is by far the fastest bird on planet Earth.

By Wendy Bowman

These brightly colored crustaceans can smash aquarium glass or quickly cut through a human finger, so whatever you do, keep your distance.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Pikas are little mammals that, though they may look like rodents, are more closely related to rabbits.

By Jesslyn Shields

Biochemically like a heron and anatomically similar to a pelican, the shoebill stork has been called "Monsterface" and even "Death Pelican." But wait until you hear the staccato rat-a-tat-tat of its booming machine-gun call.

By Carrie Tatro & Zach Taras

This kitten-looking wild cat is known as the 'hummingbird of the cat family' and could almost fit in the palm of your hand, but its diminutive size belies a ferocious personality.

By Wendy Bowman

Aardwolves aren't closely related to either aardvarks or wolves, but these little hyenas resemble both in some ways.

By Jesslyn Shields

While luna moths aren't exactly rare, they're hard to find so every encounter seems extra special.

By Jesslyn Shields

Generations of cereal eaters grew up sharing the breakfast table with Toucan Sam, famous for following his long, colorful nose - but what's that bill for besides hawking cereal?

By Jesslyn Shields

That's right - daddy longlegs isn't an actual kind of spider, but a colloquial name that's been applied to a wide range of spiders and non-spiders, insects and non-insects.

By Mark Mancini

The stoat and the weasel might look alike, but they're not the same animal. The stoat is a serious predator that kills its prey like a vampire!

By Wendy Bowman

Lemmings don't commit mass suicide as is popularly believed, but they are aggressive and have even been known to charge larger predators.

By Jesslyn Shields

Technically they're called tanuki, but these furry critters might as well be called raccoon dogs because that's what they look like. So are they just as domesticated and loving as the canines we know?

By Patty Rasmussen

These two sea creatures can be easy to confuse. But they're actually quite different. We talked to experts to find out how to tell them apart.

By Wendy Bowman

There are more than 50 species of snakes that live in the seas. Some are super venomous and they can zip through the water with ease.

By Mark Mancini & Talon Homer

The swordfish's nose might look crazy weird, but these gladiators of the sea are perfectly outfitted for ocean battle.

By Jesslyn Shields

The prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America and has a bite that, it's said, can snap a wooden broom handle in half.

By Mark Mancini

Roly-poly bugs are natural soil conditioners because they process decomposing matter, helping keep your garden soil clean and healthy. And - fun fact - they're crustaceans, not insects.

By Jeremy Glass

The snakehead fish can breathe air, double its population in 15 months and has a huge appetite, which is not a good thing for native species.

By Jesslyn Shields

Spider monkeys, an endangered species, are the largest monkeys in the Americas and live in the forest canopy, where they swing through the trees with the greatest of ease.

By Jesslyn Shields