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.

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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

These nasty pests are developing cross-resistance to multiple classes of insecticides.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

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Arguably the most charming rodent in the world, the capybara is also the largest.

By Jesslyn Shields

The colorful superstars of backyard water gardens are actually ornamental varietals of domesticated carp.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky & Zach Taras

Cottonmouth snakes are often called water moccasins and are one of only four venomous snakes found in North America.

By John Perritano & Talon Homer

It is the largest animal ever to exist on the planet.

By Tara Yarlagadda

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Though a copperhead will bite if disturbed, and it is venomous, its bite is rarely fatal.

By John Perritano & Zach Taras

Just like bees, wasps are pollinators that are also endangered. But you rarely hear anyone pleading to save wasps. A study finds out why wasps are despised by the public and researchers alike.

By Dave Roos

Despite being known as the "lesser panda," the red panda is so totally cute, we simply can't use that moniker. No way. Not now. Not ever.

By John Perritano

The parrots of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco are legendary, but how did they get there?

By Jesslyn Shields

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It's one of the gentle giants of the sea. It loves sunbathing, dining on crabs and taking deep dives to the ocean floor.

By Mark Mancini

The ocelot may look like a slightly wilder version of a domesticated tabby cat, but they are three times the size of house cats, much fiercer and, though abundant in some areas, still endangered.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Garter snakes are harmless, very common and beneficially feed on slugs, leeches, large insects and small rodents in North American gardens.

By John Perritano & Talon Homer

Ninety percent of brown recluse bites don't have any effect at all - but the mythology around these creatures and their bites is legendary.

By Jesslyn Shields

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These adorable little rodents are popular as pets, but they require some special care.

By Jesslyn Shields

Is the "banana spider" you're looking at the one that sits around harmlessly catching flies, or could its bite kill a small child? If we rely solely on common names, this question is complicated.

By Jesslyn Shields

It may seem like just the cutest thing in the world to you, but owning a pet monkey is a really bad idea. Here's why.

By Tara Yarlagadda

These little critters are super cute, so why do they have a reputation for being one of the worst of the mammal world?

By Mark Mancini

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Llamas and alpacas are very similar animals, but the differences in personality are striking.

By Jesslyn Shields

Is that a dolphin pancreas? Some extremely firm manatee vomit? Nope, it's sea pork!

By Jesslyn Shields

Because most of what we know about honey badgers comes from a three-minute comedy video, there are a lot of misconceptions about these wily weasels.

By Jesslyn Shields

The biggest land-dwelling arthropod can crack into everything from coconuts to carcasses, but they're also really vulnerable.

By Jesslyn Shields

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These nasty little bugs have been reported in 28 U.S. states and can cause an illness called Chagas disease.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

These arachnids are aggressive, unbelievably fast and love to murder ants for no reason, but don't worry - they're harmless.

By Jesslyn Shields