Posts

Have you watched the movies from the early 2000’s ‘Daniel and the Superdogs,’ ‘Because of Winn-Dixie’ and ‘Are We Done Yet? ‘and any guesses on the common factor among the three movies? Yeah? Your guess is right! We are talking about the scruffy-looking, lively and intelligent dog. The famous dog breed from all these movies is the Berger Picard, also known as Picardy Shepherd. The Berger Picard is slightly longer than it is tall, and is the oldest and one of the most popular French sheepdogs, hence they often landed movie roles....

What comes to your mind when we ask you about the fastest animal? A cheetah, probably but you would be surprised to learn that it is not a cheetah but a bird belonging to the falcon species. The diving speed of a bird in the falcon species is about 242 mph (390 kph) which is almost three times more than the speed of a cheetah.Let’s study one such interesting species of falcon named the black falcon....

If you love tiny sparrows then this article is for you. This article is about the brown-headed chirping sparrow that can be found in its natural habitat in the North American continent. The chirping sparrow is also known as the chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina). These birds are lightweight and clumsy and can be seen flying and chirping for the whole day in the woods and even on the ground in cities....

Epidexipteryx hui, or E. hui (Epidexipteryx abbreviation), was named by Zhang. It lived in the Late Jurassic period 168 million years ago. Its fossils were found in China in the Daohugou Beds. Only one well preserved partial skeletal fossil has been found. The dinosaur was a small paravian dinosaur belonging to Scansoriopterygidae. They are feathered dinosaurs who are considered ancestors of modern birds. It had ornamental tail feathers for display and insulation....

One very distinctive creature that swims in the depths and darkness of the 0cean is a squid. Eight arms with suckers, a big elongated head, and a bilateral body symmetry are a few features of these ocean predators. A squid is enjoyed as cuisine across a lot of Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. This fact file is about the flying squid species which includes the Japanese flying squid and neon flying squid....

Fun Galápagos Mockingbird Facts For Kids What do they prey on? Small Lizards, Seabird Eggs, Bird Chicks, Baby Turtles, Grasshoppers, Crickets, Caterpillars, Centipedes What do they eat? Omnivorous Average litter size? 3-4 How much do they weigh? 0.112-0.123 lb (50-54.4 g) How long are they? 9.84-10.23 in (25-25.9 cm) How tall are they? N/A What do they look like? Gray, Dark Brown, Black Skin Type Feathers What were their main threats?...

One of the scariest species in the Animalia kingdom, the Hercules baboon spider (Hysterocrates hercules) is a venomous tarantula that is found in a few countries in the African continent, including Nigeria. It is believed that these tarantulas may be extinct as the last specimen was found 100 years ago. This specimen currently resides at the Natural History Museum in London.These large-sized tarantulas generally dwell in burrows and are found in grasslands, dry scrublands, and savannah woodlands....

The long-tailed skipper, Urbanus proteus, belongs to the Lepidoptera order of insects. This skipper is known to go through a metamorphosis. This transition can be observed through four stages: eggs turn into larvae or caterpillars, and these change into a pupa or a chrysalis before finally taking their ideal shape as butterflies. The lifecycle of this insect ranges between 15 days and a month long. This skipper has a pair of dark wings with a few white bands and great hues of green and blue flashing on its back....

Few creatures can feel as otherworldly as the mantis shrimp. In this article, we will explore the mantis shrimp that inhabit the depths and burrows of the oceans and also read about some interesting, true facts about the Mantis Shrimp. These crustaceans, belonging to subphylum crustacea have roamed the ocean for about 340 million years where they branched from class Malacostraca. These predators are divided into two categories based on their claws, the smashers (have a developed club sued to smash and bludgeon) and the slashers (have sharp claws that are made to stab prey)....

There are a total of 160,000 species of moths in the world including butterflies and moths. In the United States alone there are a total of 11,000 species of moths. Butterflies and moths are often confused with one another, however they are different species. Nessus sphinx (Amphion floridensis) is a flying species of moth and not harmful to humans although they resemble stingers belonging to the family sphingidae. Amphion floridensis are endemic to Canada, Mexico, and North America including places like Virginia and Florida....

The North Atlantic right whale or scientifically known as Eubalaena glacialis are baleen whales, which is among one of three species from the genus Eubalaena. These large whales are one of the biggest marine mammals. They are one of the critically endangered species present on the earth and are protected under the United States Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and Canada’s Species at Risk Act. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is also known as the black right whale....

A partridge is a very popular game bird (hunted for food or practicing someone’s shooting) and a ground-dwelling species. They have a vast diversity, with over 40 species from 14 genera. They are found across Europe, Asia, Africa, and recently a small population was introduced in North America. Partridges are a very popular and common bird in many regions of Europe. Their habitat includes lowlands, grasslands, and agricultural areas. They share a close resemblance with pheasants and quail birds....

The river cooter, Pseudemys concinna, is one of the most popular and common freshwater animals. The name is based on the African word Kuta which means turtle in their language. The eastern river cooter and the Florida and Texas river cooters are three subspecies, where the eastern river cooter is considered to be the most common pet. The other species of cooter may have come to different parts of the world through the pet trade giving way to compete in the market with other species and making terms and topics like river cooter vs yellow-bellied slider, or red-eared slider vs river cooter popular....

The sand skink is an iconic lizard that is scientifically known as Plestiodon reynoldsi, Neoseps reynoldsi, or Neoseps reynoldsi Stejneger. It belongs to the skink family, Scincidae, and is a member of the Plestiodon genus. This species is quite small, measuring 4-5 in (10.2-12.7 cm) in length (snout to tail). Surprisingly, half of its body comprises its long tail. This unique lizard has a tan to gray coloration. Its head is wedge-shaped, with front limbs that are really small, featuring only one toe that can be retracted into its body grooves, along with thicker hind limbs which feature two toes....

The sapsucker birds are a species of North American woodpeckers. The woodpeckers of the order Piciformes fall under the genus of Sphyrapicus. The genus was introduced with the species of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius, in 1858. The genus now has four recognized species of woodpeckers - Red-naped Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and Williamson’s Sapsucker.The Red-breasted woodpeckers were first considered the same species as the Yellow-bellied woodpeckers and the Red-naped woodpeckers....

The Spiclypeus is an extinct dinosaur in the Ornithischia order that lived during the Late Cretaceous in the Upper Cretaceous or the late Campanian stage, now known as Montana, North America. This horned dinosaur was discovered by Dr. Bill D. Shipp, a nuclear physicist in 2000 along with his colleague John C. Gilpatrick, a veteran fossil collector. They found its fossil remains on their first trip to Winifred, Montana. Dr. Bill D....

The Tolype velleda is a moth species that belongs to the kingdom Animalia and the family Lasiocampidae. Some common names of this moth include the large tolype moth, phalaena bombyx velleda stoll, and velleda lappet moth. It is found in various parts of Canada and the United States, including Michigan, Minnesota, and North America. Moths are similar to butterflies as they both go through the same life-transformation process. The identification characteristics of the adult moth include hairy body, head, forepart, and edges of thorax white, the center of thorax black, and belly gray to white....

The white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis) is a species of dabbling duck. They are like the other southern ducks, which look similar. They are mostly brown in color and have white cheeks and a bill that is gray and red-based. The white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis) feeds on the aquatic plants and other small creatures that they obtain with the help of dabbling. White-cheeked pintails are recognizable because of the white spot that is there on their cheeks....

The white marked tussock moth is a fairly common moth found in parts of the USA and Canada. Its scientific name is Orgyia leucostigma. Its genus name Orgyia is from the Greek word for ‘outstretched arms’. This name was given because when the moth is resting, it stretches out its forelegs in front, making them look like arms. Over the summer, between April to June, the caterpillars eat their way through the leaves of a wide variety of trees....

Polka dots have always been a fashion statement, haven’t they? Well, they might have set a trend among salamanders too!The yellow-spotted salamander has not one but two straight rows of yellow dots running down their bodies. A commonly sighted amphibian in North America, these spotted salamanders are among the larger members of the family of mole salamanders. Mole salamanders are more advanced than the usual salamander clan, and are distinctive in feature due to the presence of ‘axolotls’....