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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Wonder what would happen if everyone you knew disappeared? Don't call the authorities yet. A mysterious condition called Colony Collapse Disorder affects beehives, causing some bee populations to vanish and possibly die.

By Jessika Toothman

Even the most maniacally energetic people can appreciate crashing on the couch occasionally. Can sharks take the same break without dying?

By Molly Edmonds

Sharks have a bad reputation, but is it warranted? Maybe for these 10, which are considered the most dangerous of all.

By Molly Edmonds & Patrick J. Kiger

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Hammerheads have itty-bitty mouths, a tall dorsal fin and an impressively odd noggin. Why do these creatures of the deep look so strange?

By Charles W. Bryant

The good news is, you're not likely to meet with one of these creatures on your next beach vacation. If you did, it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

By Cristen Conger & Ada Tseng

A large, flightless bird that lives in the dry grasslands of Africa, the ostrich is raised for its feathers and skin in South Africa, Egypt and California. Ostriches form the single remaining species in an ancient, primitive order of birds.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Studies have shown that you're never more than ten feet away from a spider is and one estimate puts you as close as three feet. Check out some more spider facts.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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They range in size from 8 inches to 60 feet, so obviously their food preferences will differ. Sometimes what seems like a good meal, isn't, so they spit it out. That includes humans.

By Cristen Conger

Bushy mustaches like the ones that Magnum P.I. or Super Mario sport are a bold fashion statement. But for baleen whales, they never go out of style.

By Molly Edmonds

Ever wonder -- as you're treading water in the ocean -- how a shark might hunt you down? They have a special sense that helps them locate prey.

By Cristen Conger

The lure of a free meal is enough to get most of us moving and maybe even throwing an elbow or two as we battle for the last slice of pizza. Compared to sharks though, our feeding frenzies are tame.

By Molly Edmonds

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Sharks have been around longer than the dinosaurs. After a few hundred million years, it's humans that might kill them off.

By Charles W. Bryant

Amphibians are a diverse and unique group of animals. In this collection of amphibian pictures, you'll find Amazon horned frogs is african tree frogs, caecilians, newts and more.

By Marie Bobel

World-famous 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, died on Sept. 4, 2006, in a shocking accident with a stingray. But stingray-related fatalities are almost unheard of, so what happened? Find out.

By Julia Layton

People are so fascinated with this fierce, fast ocean predator that they've lowered themselves into steel cages to observe it up close. If you read this article though, you won't have to do that.

By Molly Edmonds

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She's a vicious social climber, willing to do anything to get to the top. In her quest to be queen, she's snubbed girls and stolen their men. Oh, yes -- and she's a meerkat.

By Josh Clark

When it comes to lending a helping paw, meerkats are quite altruistic. Strangely, they evolved from the mongoose -- a real loner. What gives?

By Josh Clark

Mealtime in the Kalahari Desert isn't exactly an all-you-can-eat buffet. Meerkats eat what they can get -- even poisonous scorpions. Why doesn't the venom hurt them?

By Josh Clark

From sonnets to Skype, humans have been perfecting communication for centuries. Meerkats have their own ways of pointing out danger, food and even happiness.

By Josh Clark

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You're probably familiar with celebrity meerkats like the Whiskers clan and Timon. But do you know anything else about this creature from the Kalahari?

By Maria Trimarchi

You think you and your siblings don't get along? Try being a shark. You might not even make it out of the womb without your brother or sister eating you.

By Molly Edmonds

Mellow probably isn't the first word that you think of when it comes to sharks, but these slackers of the sea could change your mind. What's their life of leisure like?

By Molly Edmonds

Great whites are the flashy man-eaters of the silver screen. But bull sharks may be the most dangerous, with a dinner menu that sometimes consists of sloths, dogs and cows. What can you say? They're opportunists.

By Charles W. Bryant

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Sharks can have up to 15 rows of teeth growing behind their front row of chompers, so it's no surprise how many shark teeth litter beaches. But why do people collect them?

By Charles W. Bryant

Despite the fact you'll never find anything called "wasp honey," wasps perform a vital service by helping to pollinate the world's plant life -- and eliminate various six- and eight-legged pests.

By Robert Lamb