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Corn snakes, also known as red rat snakes, are a slender species of snake known for their orange coloration. This native Georgia species lives in many different habitats, ranging from forests to inside barns and attics. Corn snakes were once in trouble due to collection from the wild for the pet trade, but breeding programs have mitigated this threat.

Eastern indigo snakes are the largest native non-venomous snake in the United States. Rather than relying on constriction to disable their wide variety of prey items, they simply overpower their prey with their muscular jaws and swallow it whole. Their conservation status is of concern because their preferred habitat, the longleaf pine forest, has been heavily fragmented by agricultural and logging practices.

Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are the largest venomous snakes the U.S. They are maligned and slaughtered, both opportunistically by rural citizens and systematically in locally promoted rattlesnake roundups. Despite their large size and the medical importance of the rare accidental bite to a human, these are quiet and reclusive snakes that do very little harm unless harassed or restrained.

The appearance and habits of the naked mole rat enthrall scientists and observers alike. Naked mole rats are eusocial mammals, with a social system structured in service of a queen, much like bees.

These strikingly-patterned monkeys have very long tails that help them balance as they move quickly through trees. They feed primarily on leaves in a variety of forest types and live in social groups made up of a single dominant male and multiple females.

In the case of Harris hawks, birds of a feather don’t only flock together – they hunt and nest together, too. In some regions where they live this species is social, but in most regions, they are observed alone or with just one other hawk. Hawks belong to a group of birds known as raptors, … Continue reading "Harris Hawk"

When you think of storks, you most likely picture a European white stork. These large birds are most closely related to herons, bitterns, ibises, spoonbills, the shoebill, and the hammerhead.

Cranes are a family of birds comprising 15 species that live across five continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia). Wattled cranes are named for the flaps of skin, or “wattles,” that dangle from their chins. These wattles indicate a crane’s mood, shrinking when they are nervous and elongating when they are excited.

Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one,” referring to the bony plates that cover much of an armadillo’s body. These bony plates are made of keratin – the same protein that makes up our hair and nails. Of the 20 species of armadillo, this is the only one that can roll up completely in a ball. Since this species is more likely to curl up in a ball rather than run from potential danger, they are easy targets for hunters.

The brown armor that covers the body of an armadillo, known as a carapace, is made of keratin – the same protein that makes up our hair and nails. The screaming hairy armadillo is native to South America and is considered a cultural symbol of the Bolivian highlands. They are often found building homes in sand dunes where they are easily able to dig.