Karen Hill

Armadillos are small placental mammals that can be found throughout the Americas. Unfortunately, most of the armadillo’s defenses are completely unsuitable for dealing with cars. One of its strategies is to roll up into a protective ball completely surrounded by its armor, which can save it from a variety of natural things, but not an … Read more

Only bears that eat more vegetation than meat, like the brown and black bears sleep through most of the winter when they hibernate. Their main food supplies die or get buried under snow in winter, so it’s a good time for them to go undercover and live off their fat for three to seven months. … Read more

The black bear is the smallest and most common species of bear native to North America. Many black bears are, in fact, black. However, black bears come in many colors, and even the black ones often have a star-shaped white mark on their chests. For the record, black bears can also be brown, bluish, cinnamon, … Read more

The Kodiak bear, also known by its scientific name Ursus arctos middendorffi, is also called the Alaskan grizzly bear. The Kodiak bear is the biggest brown bear species in the world. The grizzly bear is the second biggest living bear in the world. The mighty grizzly looks mighty puny when compared to the Kodiak bear, … Read more

Bears are mammals of the Ursidae family, and can be found in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Bears are usually solitary animals and diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and sleep at night. The English name “bear” comes from Old English word “bera”, which means “brown” in Germanic languages. The ancient … Read more

Bear-baiting was popular in England for several centuries, from about the 16th century, and was practiced till the 19th century. Herds of bears were often maintained for bear-baiting, and arenas for spectators called bear-gardens were constructed, with a circular high fenced area called the “pit”, and raised seating for spectators. It’s sometimes difficult to understand … Read more

The giant panda bear’s diet is almost exclusively bamboo, but they will eat honey, eggs, fish, bananas and oranges when available. Giant pandas, although cute and cuddly, are related to carnivorous bears, and in fact have a digestive system, a simple stomach and short intestines, designed for meat eating. How and why they became bamboo … Read more

The Giant Panda Bear’s gestation period varies widely from 97 to 163 days. The panda has a delayed implantation cycle in which the fertilized egg can float free for anywhere from one-and-a-half to four months before implanting in the uterus. Baby pandas are pink, naked, and very small, weighing a mere three to four ounces … Read more

The Giant Panda, also known by its scientific name Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means “cat-foot black-and-white”, is a bear that is native to the Western regions of China. The bear has characteristic black patches around its eyes, ears, and around its body and front limbs. Not many people can agree on the origin of the Panda’s … Read more

The Gopher’s name comes from the French word “gauffre”, meaning “honeycomb.” Early French settlers called a number of burrowing animals by that name. Gophers are well built, are relatively large for a rodent, and can grow up to 12 inches in length. It’s not clear why gophers earned the name, but many theories suggest that … Read more

Badgers, also known as brocks, are short-legged, heavy-set omnivores in the weasel family, and the 8 species can be found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The name badger probably came from the French word “bêcheur”, which means “digger”, introduced during the reign of William the Conqueror. The less common name brock is from the … Read more

Gophers, also known as pocket gophers, are small burrowing rodents native to North America. Unlike ground squirrels, pocket gophers are the “true” gophers, Gophers are burrowers and create a large networks of subterranean tunnels called gopher towns which can be extremely destructive to commercial agriculture. Most species of gophers love to feed on shrubs and … Read more

The wolverine, also known as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or its scientific name Gulo gulo, is the largest species of the weasel family. It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, and looks more like a small bear than other mustelids. Wolverines are aggressive, badger-like animals that can kill prey many times their size, and can … Read more

The state of Wisconsin definitely has badgers, but it’s not why it’s called the badger state. Wisconsin doesn’t have many more badgers than any other state, but you have to admit that Wisconsin has one up on Michigan. However, the state wasn’t really called that because of its badgers, surprise, surprise, except indirectly. “Badgers” became … Read more

Gnu is another name for the wildebeest that is native to Africa. Gnus are antelopes, and otherwise known as hooved, or ungulate mammals. They are prey for lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, and crocodiles. The primary defensive tactic against these predators is herding where the young are protected by the older larger ones while the herd … Read more

The meerkat, also known by its scientific name Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal, and a member of the mongoose family. Native to South Africa, meerkats live about 12 to 14 years. The word “meerkat” means “lake cat” in Dutch, but the meerkat is not in the cat family and the name is a mis-identification. … Read more

The tapir is a large browsing mammal that is pig-like in shape, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs can be found in jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, and Southeast Asia. All four species of tapir are currently considered endangered or vulnerable. Tapirs can live up to about 25 to 30 years … Read more

The name Wildebeest means “wild beast” in Dutch, but you can’t believe every tag the Europeans gave animals, see gophers, aardvarks, groundhogs, etc. Also called the gnu, the wildebeest a hooved, or ungulate mammal. The wildebeest is a large antelope that roams through grassy plains of southern Africa, grazing in huge, usually placid herds. They … Read more

The moose did not get its name from the French dessert. Only crazy people think up such things. The moose got its name from a Native American word “moosu”, which comes from the Narragansett language meaning “he who trims or cuts smoothly.” The name refers to the neat way moose strip bark from trees. You … Read more

The moose which is known as elk in Europe, and by its scientific name Alces alces, is the largest living species in the deer family. Moose can be found in all of Canada, most of Alaska, much of New England and upstate New York, and the upper Rocky Mountains. An adult moose stands about 6 … Read more

Only about one in twelve moose gets killed when they are stalked by a wolf pack. A moose is so good at defending itself that if it stands its ground, wolves will back down. They’re fairly fearless, those moose. Reports from Newfoundland years ago say they began attacking train engines, running toward the iron beasts … Read more

Woodchucks are also known as groundhogs, or by their scientific name “Marmota monax”. Sometimes called the whistle-pig, the woodchuck is a rodent belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Woodchucks can be found throughout North America and even as far north as Alaska. The name woodchuck has nothing to do with … Read more

Armadillos are mammals with armor-like skin which it uses as a means of defense. Most armadillos, however, escape predators by fleeing or digging to safety. The Armadillo was named by Spanish Conquistadors, and its name means “little man in armor” in Spanish If you want to pronounce the Spanish word correctly, you should not say … Read more

Armadillos are very good diggers, and use their sharp claws to dig for food, which is is mostly insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some Armadillos prefer to build burrows near creeks and streams, close to food sources, making meal time quick and easy. Other Armadillo species eat just ants and not much else. Armadillo poop … Read more

To a bug or snail, armadillo bites are painful and deadly most of the time. However, to anything bigger like humans, armadillo bites aren’t really painful, unless you’re a wuss. Armadillos aren’t poisonous either, so there’s no need for a trip to the hospital. An armadillo’s teeth are located at the back of its mouth, … Read more

Armadillos are small placental mammals that have leathery armored shells. There are about 20 extant species of armadillo, and there are native to the Americas, where they live in many types of environments. Armadillos can swim, despite what has been commonly reported elsewhere. The bony plates that protect an armadillo weigh it down, but it … Read more

Some sheep farmers keep female milking goats on hand to “nanny” lambs when sheep mothers either die or reject their babies. But the name nanny goat didn’t come from this common practice. In English, Nanny is a derivative of the common name Anne. Like jack and jenny mules, there are billy, short for William, and … Read more

A Scapegoat is a member of a group singled out for undeserved blame or negative treatment. The word “scapegoat” is a mistranslation of the word Azazel. An early Greek translation of the Old Testament incorrectly translated the word Azazel as “ez ozel”, which means “the goat that departs”, and translated the word as “tragos apopompaios”, … Read more

Piggy banks are storage devices traditionally used for coins and are generally used by children of all ages. Piggy banks are usually made of ceramic or porcelain, and serve to teach children the value of money by encouraging them to save money. Money is inserted through a hole in the top and traditional Piggy Banks … Read more

Footballs aren’t really made of pigskin anymore. However, pigs are used for a wide variety of products beneficial to humans, particularly in the field of medicine. Pigskin, for instance, is placed as bandages on severe burns to protect skin while it grows and heals. The valves from pig arteries can be transplanted into humans with … Read more

Pigs have no functional sweat glands, and is one big reason why they love mud. One of the ways pigs keep cool is by wallowing in the mud in hot weather. Pigs also use mud as a form of sunscreen to protect their little pink hides and ears from the scorching sun. The mud dries … Read more

Guard dogs have been proven a useful tool for reducing sheep losses to predators, and are very effective when full-time members of a large flock. Llamas and donkeys are also often kept in sheep pens to scare off predators. Donkeys have been used for centuries to protect sheep and other herding animals, and are extremely … Read more

To refresh your memory, Babe was a 1995 film that tells the story of a pig that wants to be a sheep dog. The film is based on the book The Sheep-Pig and filmed in Robertson, New South Wales, Australia. Babe was also a box office success, was very warmly received. All forty-eight piglets used … Read more

Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The character was designed by animator Bob Clampett and introduced in the short “I Haven’t Got a Hat” which was released on March 2, 1935. The unmistakable voice of Porky Pig was originally done by Joe Dougherty, who … Read more

Sheep farming is practiced all over the world, and has been significant in the history of many civilizations. There are over 500 different breeds of sheep around the world. Their wool varies according to the breed. The New Zealand Romney sheep, for instance, produces the best wool for making carpet. The merino, in contrast, has … Read more

Although the popularity of wool has declined somewhat since the introduction of synthetic fabrics, wool is still a wonderful material for clothing and blankets. It’s warm, and it’s soft, and it comes from sheep. It’s naturally flame resistant, so it’s safer than many other materials used in clothing. And unlike goose down, which many jackets … Read more

Wool is produced from sheep, but the hair of some other animals is also sometimes called “wool”. Wool has is unique from from hair or fur because its scaling and crimp make it easier to spin the fleece by helping the individual fibers stay together. The crimp means wool fabrics have a greater bulk than … Read more

Domesticated sheep have descended from wild sheep native to Asia. Sheep are an important part of the global agricultural economy, but they have been replaced in most part by other livestock species, such as the cow, chicken, and pig. A sheep’s wool is the most widely used of any animal, and is usually harvested by … Read more

There were once sheep grazing on the White House lawn. Woodrow Wilson had a flock there during World War I, and sold wool to help raise money for the Red Cross. The sheep produced almost one hundred pounds of raw wool for the war effort. The flock of eighteen sheep also helped with White House … Read more

Domestic sheep, also known by its scientific name Ovis aries, are relatively small ruminant mammals, and were one the first animals to be domesticated by humans. The word sheep had its first use in Middle English and originated from the Old English word “scēap”. Sheep were domesticated by humans between nine and eleven thousand years … Read more

The word zoo is short for zoological garden, and is a facility in which animals are displayed to the public in enclosures, and often bred. Since ancient history, it was common for rulers to have collections of exotic animals in their castles, but that wasn’t exactly a zoo. Same thing for the gladiator fights of … Read more

The Aardvark, also known by its scientific name Orycteropus afer, is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of all Tubulidentata, and is sometimes called “antbear”, “anteater”, “Cape anteater”, or “earth hog”. The name aardvark comes from the Dutch words “aarde”, meaning “earth”, and “varken”, which means “pig”, … Read more

Catgut is a type of cord that is made from the walls of animal intestines. Sheep or goat intestines are usually used to make catgut, but the intestines of a hog, horse, mule, pig or donkey are sometimes used. Catgut is never made from cat intestines, even though it is possible. To make catgut, the … Read more

Sheep are born with very long tails, long enough to reach the ground. When a lamb is born, the owner puts a rubber band tightly around the base of the lamb’s tail so that the circulation to the rest of the tail is stopped. In about a week or two, the tail, made mostly of … Read more

Domestic chickens can indeed fly, but are not capable of long distance flight. Most chickens are able to fly for short distances, such as over fences or into trees where they roost in the wild. Chickens will also sometimes fly to explore their surroundings, but usually only fly when threatened and to escape predators. The … Read more

Walruses usually live to a ripe old age of about 20–30 years old in the wild. Male Walruses do not usually mate until fully developed around 15 years of age, about 8 years after they reach sexual maturity. The females begin ovulating when they are about 4–6 years old, and are polyestrous. Breeding occurs from … Read more

Polar bears will eat about anything that moves, as well as a lot of things that don’t. They probably would eat penguins if given a chance, but because the two are on opposite ends of the earth, it just won’t happen. Polar bears and penguins are literally poles apart. Polar bears live in the Arctic … Read more

Ones of the most prominent features of the walrus is its long tusks, which are elongated canine teeth. The tusks of a walrus are present in both males and females and can reach a length of over 3 feet and weigh up to 12 pounds. Male walruses have slightly longer and thicker tusks, and use … Read more

Penguins don’t live in the Arctic because they don’t like having to swim across warm water. They are perfectly happy where they are, however, you’d be surprised how far north they can go. There are colonies in Australia and New Zealand, as well as at the southern tips of South America and Africa. But the … Read more

It’s true that mother Penguins jump ship after laying her eggs, but to be fair to penguin mothers everywhere, it’s not the whole story. Penguins don’t normally spend much time on land, because all of their food is in the water. However, nesting changes the rules. The penguins take to the same land where they were … Read more

Penguins love to feed on krill, squid, fish, and other types of ocean life caught while swimming underwater. The emperor penguin is the biggest penguin species, towering over all the other sixteen species at four feet and weighing about a hundred pounds. The smallest penguin species, the fairy penguin, also known as the little penguin, … Read more

Millions of years ago penguins did in fact fly around like regular birds but they have evolved to swim instead of fly. Eventually, flying was no longer necessary. Penguins spent most of their time in the water, and did not have any predators on land that would require airborne escape. Wings for flight became flipper-like … Read more

Penguins are aquatic, flightless birds that live only in Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. The word “penguin” is neither French, Breton nor Spanish in origin. Many etymologists believe that the name is from the Welsh word “pen”, meaning “head”, and “gwyn”, which means “white”. An alternative etymology suggests the name originates from the Latin word … Read more

Auks are birds that are superficially similar to penguins because of their black-and-white colors and their upright posture. However, auks are not closely related to penguins, appear to have evolved similar traits separately. Modern auks are able to fly, unlike penguins, and are good swimmers and divers, but clumsy when walking on land. Auks love … Read more

Polar Bears have a rather good sense of smell. They can sniff out a dead seal from twelve miles away, and even detect a seal buried under 3 feet of snow. The polar bear’s most common hunting method is called still-hunting, where it uses its excellent sense of smell to locate a seal breathing hole, … Read more

Good question, it gets stupid cold in the Arctic. The average temperature goes down to about 90 degrees below zero, with a windchill factor that will freeze the nuts of a squirrel. Animals survive the cold with thick warm fur, a lot of body fat, small heads, ears, and tails to reduce heat loss, and … Read more

There is no difference between a Caribou and a Reindeer because they’re the same thing. Caribou and Reindeer are the same species, but they’re called reindeer in northern Europe because they’ve been tamed, serving as beasts of burden as well as providing meat and milk The name caribou comes from the French Canadians, it’s a … Read more

Cows naturally produce a gas called methane that can be burned by humans. Cows release methane as they chew, burp, and fart, but mostly when they burp. A herd of cows can produce up to 450 gallons of the stuff every day. Cow dung releases methane as it deteriorates, as well. What is left can … Read more

A cow can drink about a bathtub of water each day, which includes the moisture it receives from the wet grasses it eats. Cows are ruminants, which means that they have a digestive system that reuses partially digested food by regurgitating and re-chewing them as “cud”. Onions could definitely cause a cow’s milk to taste … Read more

Dairy farming has been part of agriculture for thousands of years. Dairy cows are adult female cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, and are usually of the species Bos taurus. There was little distinction between dairy cattle and beef cattle when cattle were first domesticated, with the same stock … Read more

Cows are the most common type of domesticated cattle, and are raised as livestock for meat, as dairy products, leather, and even dung. The word cow came from the Anglo-Saxon word “cū”, plural cȳ, which means “bovine animal”, and several derivatives include the Latin “bos”, the Greek word “bous” (βους), and in Sanskrit, “go”. The … Read more

Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, nearly tasteless protein derived from the collagen extracted from the boiled bones, connective tissues, and organs of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses. The word gelatin is spelled “gelatine” in some countries and comes from the French word “gélatine”, which means “clear jelly-like substance”, and Latin word “gelare”, … Read more

Crayons are sticks of colored wax, charcoal, chalk, or other materials used for writing, coloring, and drawing. A crayon made of oiled chalk is called an oil pastel. A grease pencil or china marker is made of colored hardened grease and is used for marking hard, glossy surfaces like glass. Water-soluble crayons are made by … Read more

If you can ignore the potentially lethal kicking legs, milking a cow is easy once you know how. Use a neck harness and a leg harness to keep the cow from kicking, to protect both yourself and your pail of milk. Distract the cow with some fresh hay. Wash the teats with antibacterial soap and … Read more

Goats don’t eat anything and everything, but they are certainly not picky. Goats are browsing animals, not grazers like cattle and sheep, and love to sample things, even tin cans and cardboard boxes. They prefer to eat shrubbery and weeds, more than grasses, unlike sheep. Alfalfa is their favorite hay, but mold in a goat’s … Read more

Both male and female goats can have beards, just like humans. Got more questions? Is goat hair used for anything? Mohair and cashmere are both fancied-up names for material made from goat hair. Neutered horses are geldings, but what’s a neutered goat called? A neutered goat is called a wether. How rude is it to … Read more

Some goats are bred for milk, which is drunk fresh or raw, although many recommend pasteurization to prevent growth of bacteria. Goat’s milk can replace sheep’s milk or cow’s milk in diets for those who are allergic. Goat’s milk, however, has lactose like cow’s milk, and may cause gastrointestinal problems for people with lactose intolerance. … Read more

Goats produce about 2% of the world’s total annual milk supply, and Goat’s milk has higher digestibility than milk from cows, and is nutritious and therapeutic. Goat’s milk also has a different alkalinity, and higher buffering capacity than milk from cows. Some goats are bred specifically for milk, and Goat’s milk is usually processed into … Read more

The Arctic is a lush paradise compared to Antarctica. The temperature is higher, there are more snow-free areas during the summer, the soil is richer, and the precipitation is heavier. Antarctica is, by virtue of its dryness, a desert; the Arctic is not. The Arctic has more than 400 species of flowering plants as well … Read more

The skua is a seabird that nests on the ground in temperate and Arctic regions and are long-distance migrants, and have even been sighted at the South Pole. The name skua comes from the Faroese word “skúgvur”, and refers to the species Stercorarius skua which is from the island of Skúvoy in central Faroe Islands, … Read more

Hummingbirds use spiderwebs and dandelion down to build their nests. As fast and small as the hummingbirds are, you’d think they’d be hard for scientists to keep track of, but we actually know quite a bit about them. A nesting hummingbird attaches dandelion thistles to the top of a tree branch under overhanging leaves, using … Read more

An ostrich egg is about four inches tall and four to five inches wide, and weigh over three pounds. Ostriches are oviparous, and females will lay their fertilized eggs in a single communal nest, in a pit. The eggs are glossy cream-colored, with thick shells marked by small pits. There’s about as much yolk and … Read more

Brown eggs being healthier than white eggs is a stupid myth that started because people assumed that brown foods like breads, sugar, flours are healthier than white ones. In fact, the fictional James Bond would only eat one type of egg, the one from the Helsumer chicken. Its egg is a dark, chocolaty brown, sometimes … Read more

Many weird religions would say the chicken came first without hesitation, claiming that their god created the animals and birds complete and without evolution or change. However, evolutionary evidence more strongly supports the egg-first theory. Genetically, chickens can be traced back to an earlier bird found in Indochina called the red jungle fowl. Over time, … Read more

The Bald Eagle selects old-growth coniferous or hardwood trees for its nest, and these trees must have good visibility, an open structure, and be close to prey. It is also important that the area has large trees surrounding a body of water. Bald Eagles build the largest nests of any North American bird, and they … Read more

High up in the air above the treetops, the two Bald Eagle lovers look deep into each others eyes. They then suddenly twist around, locking their talons together and holding onto each other for dear life as they plummet to Earth, spinning, turning, and diving with wild abandon. At the last minute, right before the … Read more

The bald eagle is like a thug when it comes to feeding, and loves to eat fish such as trout and salmon. Although bald eagles are capable hunters, they would rather scavenge for food. Bald eagles are kleptoparasites, or opportunistic feeders. They hang around and steal the catches of other animals, like coyotes and younger, … Read more

The Bald Eagle, also known by its scientific name Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is a bird of prey native to North America. Bald eagles have white head feathers that contrast with their brown-and-gray body feathers. The word bald actually comes from the Old English root bhel, meaning “gleaming,” or “white,” and this is where they got their … Read more

The bald eagle was chosen by the Second Continental Congress in 1782 to be the national emblem of the U.S. because the species was unique to North America. Other species were considered, however, Ben Franklin wanted the turkey as the national bird. It, too, was a native American species, but it wasn’t just the turkey’s … Read more

The name of the Turkey came from Europe before America was colonized and was originally applied to the guinea fowl. When European explorers saw an American bird that reminded them of the guinea fowl back home, they called it a turkey as well, and the name stuck. Incidentally, there’s a widespread myth that the country … Read more

Double eagle is a term used to denote three under par. This was once called an “albatross,” and in some circles it still is. An eagle is two under par; a birdie is one under. A Double Eagle is a also gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. The first double … Read more

Some very rude individual probably invented the middle finger gesture many years ago. By all accounts, the gesture was used in ancient Rome. Caesar Augustus, according to the historian Suetonius, “expelled Pylades the actor because when a spectator started to hiss, he called the attention of the whole audience to him with an obscene movement … Read more

Woodpeckers caused the delay of the Space Shuttle Discovery launch in 1995. Over Memorial Day weekend in June 1995, northern flicker woodpeckers began nesting in Discovery’s external tank, unbeknownst to NASA engineers and crew. When the woodpeckers want nests, they drill holes. When the holes, 200 of them, some as big as four inches in … Read more

There have been many presidential birds in the White House, and we’re not even counting Lyndon Johnson’s wife and daughter, Lady Bird and Lynda Bird. Martha Washington, although never technically in the White House, owned a parrot that George loathed. Apparently, the feeling was mutual. When George and the parrot found themselves in the same … Read more

Where owls make their nests depends on the owl. Some like trees, others like rafters in barns and attics, and still others make their nests in the ground. Burrowing owls, which live throughout the U.S., from Canada to Florida, usually recycle old, empty animal burrows instead of making their own. They’ve been known to inhabit … Read more

Hoot Gibson was born on August 6, 1892 in Tekamah, Nebraska, and was an American rodeo champion and a pioneer cowboy film actor, director and producer. Cowboy movie star Hoot Gibson takes us way back. Born Edmund Richard Gibson, the silent movie star was also known as the Smiling Whirlwind because of his boyish smile … Read more

Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a species of biting louse found only on owls. It is a member of the Mallophaga family, meaning the “chewing lice”. Biologist Dale H. Clayton, named the louse that has no common name after Gary Larson, creator of the cartoon The Far Side. In a letter to Larson, Clayton said that Larson’s … Read more

Unlike many other birds, an owl has eyes at the front of its head instead of on the sides. While this gives the owl excellent depth perception for hunting, it makes it hard for it to see to the back and sides of its body the way other birds can. To compensate for this, evolution … Read more

Most birds of prey have eyes on the sides of their heads, but owls have large forward-facing stereoscopic eyes that enable depth perception necessary for low-light hunting. The large eyes of an owl are for acute night vision, and they are also like pair of sunglasses. Being nocturnal, much of their hunting is done at … Read more