Wild Animals

Fainting goats don't really faint -- their muscles tense up and they fall over when they get scared. But why would anyone want a fainting goat?

By Robert Lamb

Cicada singing is often heard during the hot summer months. The distinctive high-pitched noise often fills the air. What's the purpose of that noise?

By Robert Valdes

Contrary to popular belief, bats don't go around biting people and sucking blood. Bats got a bad reputation from the Dracula stories, but they actually prefer eating insects over blood. Find 13 incredible bat facts only at HowStuffWorks.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Bats are often found sleeping upside down during the day. They roost in secluded areas such as hollowed out trees and caves. Have you ever wondered why bats sleep upside down? Find out the answer to this question in this HowStuffWorks article.

Some say that during a rainstorm, turkeys will stare up at the sky with their beaks hanging open, transfixed, until they drown. Is this really true?

By Stephanie Watson

Chiggers are tiny arachnids that are known for delivering bites that itch intensely. Find out how chiggers work and learn about the chigger reproduction cycle.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Termites have existed for 50 million years and can be found throughout the world. Learn about termites and find out how termite colonies are structured.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Monkeys and apes have lots of similarities, but they're not the same animal. In a lot of ways, it all comes down to the tail.

Until now, no one has documented a definite case of chimpanzees using tools to hunt in the traditional sense. Find out what a new study on chimpanzees may reveal about human evolution.

By Julia Layton

Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts -- human or otherwise -- and are known for carrying diseases. Learn all about ticks, including how to remove them.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Fleas are essentially freeloaders that live off the blood off the blood of us and our pets. So how can you get rid of these nasty parasites?

By Tracy V. Wilson & Wendy Bowman

Did you know you conserve energy every time you walk across a room? You do, in evolutionary terms at least. Find out how and why humans began walking upright and what this has to do with our body's energy use.

By Jacob Silverman

Cow flatulence produces the greenhouse gas methane, which is linked to global warming. Find out how scientists are working to reduce cow flatulence in livestock.

By Jacob Silverman

Although no one can yet tell how old lobsters get, they show no apparent signs of aging. Learn why lobsters live so long and get so big, and what this means for other animals, including humans.

By Jacob Silverman

Squid have been featured in sailing myths and legends for more than 300 years. They're swift, agile and surprisingly intelligent creatures with brains larger in proportion to their bodies than most fish and reptiles have. Learn about all squid, squid anatomy and how big squid can can actually get.

By Stephanie Watson

Bees exhibit many traits found in stories and myths -- traits that have led many cultures to view them with reverence or awe. Explore how bees make honey and examine the potential causes and effects of Colony Collapse Disorder.

By Tracy V. Wilson

If you're wandering on the beach and happen upon a large mass of some sort of waxy substance, take a closer look. It could be the rare "floating gold" of the sea: ambergris. Find out whether this whale poop can help you retire rich.

By Julia Layton & Alia Hoyt

Entomologists estimate that there are between 5 and 10 million species of insects on Earth. But if asked which insect they hate the most, many people would have no trouble choosing just one -- the cockroach.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Although jellyfish have been around for over 650 million years, they're still very mysterious. Learn the all about the fascinating jellyfish life cycle.

By Stephanie Watson

A snake can swallow an animal that’s twice as big as its own head -- and swallow it whole. Snakes are amazing creatures with some astonishing capabilities. Did you know that a few of them can even fly? Learn how snakes get around, how they kill and eat their prey, and how they court and reproduce.

By Lacy Perry

Alligators are amazing animals that have been around for millions of years. These fearsome creatures are expert predators at the top of the food chain.

By Marshall Brain

Love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to admit that spiders are some pretty impressive animals. Movies like "Arachnophobia", "Spider-Man" and "Eight Legged Freaks" even spin their stories around spiders. Check out the real-life web-slinging, wall-crawling, venom-injecting inspiration.

By Tom Harris

Despite their monumental proportions, the most phenomenal thing about whales isn't how big they are: It's the way they live. Whales are mammals -- warm-blooded, air-breathing creatures -- but they spend their entire life in the ocean. Find out about these awe-inspiring creatures.

By Tom Harris

I always see moths circling around and landing on my porch light. Why do they do this? Is it somehow advantageous to them?

In 2005, there were 3,000 verified cases of West Nile Virus in the U.S. alone, and we can probably expect even more this year. This mosquito-borne disease keeps popping up. Find out all about mosquitoes.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.