Monarch butterflies live in North, Central, and South America as well as Australia, some Pacific Islands, India, and Western Europe. They’re on the endangered species list. Find out how you can help protect their habitat.
Females have thicker veins in their wings.
Orcas have many hunting techniques, and bumping seals off ice is just one of them
Orcas have many hunting techniques, and bumping seals off ice is just one of them
Today, bison numbers have rebounded somewhat, and about 200,000 bison live on preserves
Today, bison numbers have rebounded somewhat, and about 200,000 bison live on preserves
, gray wolfs are classified as endangered, but in most places, they are seen to have
, gray wolfs are classified as endangered, but in most places, they are seen to have
Learn all about these bamboo eaters.
To stay healthy, they have to eat a lot—up to 15 percent of their body weight in
Seahorses are tiny fishes that are named for the shape of their head, which looks like the head of a tiny horse. There are at least 50 species of seahorses. You’ll find them in the world’s tropical and temperate coastal waters, swimming upright among seaweed and other plants. Seahorses use their dorsal fins (back fins) to propel slowly forward. To move up and down, seahorses adjust the volume of air in their swim bladders, which is an air pocket inside their bodies. Tiny, spiny plates cover seahorses‘ bodies all the way down to their curled, flexible tails. The tail can grasp objects, helpful when seahorses want to anchor themselves to vegetation. A female seahorse lays dozens, sometimes hundreds, of eggs in a pouch on the male seahorse’s abdomen. Called a brood pouch, it resembles a kangaroo’s pouch for carrying young. Seahorse young hatch after up to 45 days in the brood pouch. The baby seahorses, each about the size of a jelly bean, find other baby seahorses and float together in small groups, clinging to each other using their tails. Unlike kangaroos, baby seahorses do not return to the pouch. They must find food and hide from predators as soon as they’re born.
These fish don’t have true stomachs, just a digestive tube, so they need to eat all
A moose swims across a mountain lake, reaching the shore alongside a forest. The moose’s antlers—which stretch nearly six feet wide from tip to tip—drip water as the animal exits the water and trots toward the forest. The massive moose (weighing nearly 2,000 pounds) is the largest animal in the deer family.
ALL-WEATHER CHAMP Moose primarily live in areas that have cold, snowy winters.
Fastest mammal on land, the cheetah can reach speeds of 60 or perhaps even 70 miles (97 or 113 kilometers) an hour over short distances. It usually chases its prey at only about half that speed, however. After a chase, a cheetah needs half an hour to catch its breath before it can eat. The cheetah’s excellent eyesight helps it find prey during the day. The cheetah is hard to see because its spotted coat blends with the tall, dry grass of the plains. Suddenly, the cheetah makes a lightning dash. It knocks its prey to the ground and then bites its throat. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, cheetahs today are racing toward extinction. Loss of habitat and declining numbers of their prey combine to threaten the future of these cats. Cheetahs live and hunt mainly in open grasslands and bushy areas in parts of Africa and the Middle East. Cheetahs eat small- to medium-size animals, such as hares, impalas, wildebeest calves, and gazelles. Because of their size, strength, and predatory skills, cheetahs are considered one of the “big cats.” Tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, and cougars are also part of this grouping. Take the big cat quiz to see how much you know about these fierce felines. Then, just for fun, see which wild cat you’re most like with our personality quiz.
Unauthorized use is prohibited. 1 / 6 1 / 6 WET AND WILD: Cheetah moms have
The kittens are born with their spots but have gray coats and blue eyes that turn
The kittens are born with their spots but have gray coats and blue eyes that turn
From extra-fluffy fliers to chatty chirpers, these owls are utterly outstanding.
Scientists think barn owls, which live on all continents except Antarctica, might have
