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.
Toad vs. Frog: Differences in Anatomy, Habitat and More
What's the Difference Between a Newt and Salamander?
Mexican Salamander Could Hold Key to Spinal Cord Regeneration in Humans
Flying Ants Aren't a Separate Species, But a Life Stage
6 Facts About How Bees Learn, Think and Make Decisions
Do These Nightmare Parasites Hack Snail Brains to Survive?
The 3 Types of Ducks Every Birdwatcher Should Know
10 Types of Owls: From Tiny Screech-owls to Great Horned Owls
What Do Ducks Eat? Why You Shouldn't Feed Ducks Bread
The Biggest Fish Ever Caught (By IGFA Standards)
The Biggest Catfish Ever Caught (That We Know Of)
The Fastest Fish in the Ocean Can Swim at Nearly 70 MPH
The Happiest Animal on Earth Is the Quokka
What Is the Biggest Cat in the World? Top 9 Species in the Wild
The Largest Bat in the World Has a Wingspan Over 5 Feet
The True and Tragic Story of Tilikum, SeaWorld's Captive Orca
10 Deep Sea Creatures That Are (Almost) Too Bizarre to Be Real
The Biggest Crab in the World, Plus 8 Enormous Contenders
How the Spider-tailed Horned Viper Tricks Unsuspecting Prey
The Biggest Alligator on Record, by Weight and Length
Papuan Olive Python: New Guinea's Behemoth in the Rainforest
Learn More / Page 8
Bees get a lot of credit for pollinating important food crops, but they get a lot of secret help from their nocturnal friends, the moths.
The elephant hawk moth is breathtakingly beautiful as an adult, but as a baby ... not so much.
Born pregnant? You bet. It's a survival instinct but could also explain how these garden pests spread like wildfire.
By Mark Mancini
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This exotic bird could seriously injure or kill a person or a dog in an instant with its deadly claws.
By Wendy Bowman
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, the colorful little fish with the craaaaazy long name, is Hawaii's state fish, but it wasn't always.
The basking shark, an endangered species, may look like a fearsome predator, but is actually a filter-feeder, gathering zooplankton and other tiny animals, such as shrimp, in bulk as it roams the seas with a wide open mouth.
By Mark Mancini
Piranhas are some of the most feared fish in the world, but is their reputation for ferocity a bit overblown?
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A master of camouflage, the cuttlefish can count, gender-bend and use a hidden weapon to outsmart its enemies.
By Alia Hoyt
The anteater has one of the strangest-looking noses in the animal kingdom, a truly fabulous hairdo and a tongue that reaches places never meant to see the light of day.
By Wendy Bowman
The deadly Asian giant hornet, the largest hornet in the world, was spotted in the U.S. for the first time in late 2019. You'll want to stay far away from this creature. Its nickname? The "murder hornet."
While yaks share the bovine family tree with cows, they're a different species altogether. And, unlike cow dung, yak poop doesn't stink.
By Katie Carman
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A new species of green pit viper found in India has been named after the founder of Harry Potter's Slytherin house.
Mayflies have the shortest adult life span of any animal, but swarms of them can still be seen on weather radar.
Some cicadas are annual breeders and some show up loudly about every 17 years, but all cicadas produce a "song" that can reach 120 decibels — very close to a level that can damage human ear drums.
Bird mobs are not roving gangs of thug birds. But they are bands of birds coming together to harass bigger predators. And the behavior is loud and raucous.
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What lives in water, has no gills, scales or fins and is not a fish? Yep, a starfish — which is why marine biologists have renamed these creatures sea stars.
By Wendy Bowman
Wondering what's going on in the animal world while you're all cooped up under quarantine? Check out these webcams and get a virtual glimpse into how the animals live.
Known in some circles as a 'musk hog' or 'skunk pig,' the javelina's good looks may be in the eye of the beholder, but there's a lot more to this beauty than meets the eye.
By Wendy Bowman
When a half-full plate of dinner sits before you and your overstuffed tummy, have you ever been told your eyes are too big for your stomach? The pelican's got a similar problem.
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Work by volunteers and nonprofit organizations, such as butterfly waystations and increased education efforts, has turned around long-term population decline for some butterfly species.
They both have prehistoric looking shells and squatty legs, but how are they different?
Fruit flies are annoying, but we also owe them a huge debt of scientific gratitude.
A bright pink manta ray named Inspector Clouseau is causing a splash on the runway of the Great Barrier Reef.
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Locusts are just mild-mannered grasshoppers until they swarm up and become monstrous. In parts of the world, locust plagues are becoming a way of life.
The arctic fox is able to thrive in temperatures as low as -58 degrees F (-50 degrees C), largely because it has fur on the soles of its feet and the warmest coat of any animal on Earth.
By Wendy Bowman