Wild Animals

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

Have you ever seen a water bag hanging in a restaurant? It's not a design trend - some people say the bags repel flies. Does this method hold water?

By Robert Lamb

If you're snacking on fig bars, make sure to check the nutritional content for wasps. Wasps risk their lives to provide enough figs to satisfy every fruit- and cake-related craving.

By Robert Lamb

You don't reign supreme over the marine food chain without acute senses that can smell blood or hear injured prey from great distances. And sometimes a "sixth sense" doesn't hurt either.

By Molly Edmonds

Swat it, smash it, spray it. It's tough to get rid of the world's most annoying roommate: the housefly. But at least the housefly won't steal your food -- whoops, never mind.

By Robert Lamb

A caterpillar spends its life eating -- foliage, some animals like ants and snails, and even its own skin it previously shed. What do caterpillars do with all of this stored up food? And why do they use their waste as projectiles?

By Tracy V. Wilson

The difference between butterflies and moths is a lot like the difference between frogs and toads. There are some rules of thumb you can follow to tell them apart, but there are also exceptions to those rules. So how do you tell the difference?

By Tracy V. Wilson

Have you ever been so hungry that you could eat anything? How about a hubcap? Or maybe a suit of armor? If you said "yes," you might have something in common with the second deadliest shark.

By Molly Edmonds

Sharks are an intelligent and sometimes dangerous species of saltwater fish. Learn more about these often feared, often misunderstood creatures of the deep in this gallery.

I've heard that the black and white stripes on a zebra provide camouflage. How can this be if they're not in a black-and-white environment?

If you have ever been out in the woods or an open field in spring, summer or fall, you may have gotten chiggers around your waistband or on your ankles. They leave red, itchy bumps on your skin. Learn more about these arachnids.

The brilliantly colored orange wings of a monarch butterfly are as recognizable as the plumes of a peacock. Why are butterfly colors some of the best and brightest in nature?

By Jennifer Horton

How do coral polyps mere millimeters in length form the world's largest living structures? Will these giants of the sea last much longer if the present rate of destruction continues?

By Jennifer Horton

If you've seen a butterfly in your lifetime, you probably noticed their colorful wings, or saw one basking in the sunlight. But I bet you didn't realize that it would soon die. Why are their life spans so short, and are they nearly extinct?

By Tracy V. Wilson

To elude predators, the octopus will change color in an instant and even alter its shape to look like other sea animals. Does its magic put the chameleon to shame?

By Jennifer Horton

Each year, thousands of male Pacific walruses pack the beaches of Round Island off the coast of Alaska. Is there a reason for this months-long male bonding?

By Jennifer Horton

Wasps and bees are different, yes. But how can we distinguish? Here's a hint: The bee's the one near the flowers. The wasp's the one buzzing around your turkey sandwich.

By Jennifer Horton

Frogs have been around for about 200 million years. In that time, they've adapted to their changing surroundings to ensure their survival. How have they changed, and what's the difference between frogs and toads, anyway?

By Tracy V. Wilson

Since 1990, there have been only five panda cubs born in the United States. This may seem a little low. Getting pandas to mate in captivity is extremely difficult. Why is the birth rate for giant pandas so low? Find out the answer in this article.

By Tracy V. Wilson

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