Critter Science
The Science of Animals
In honor of Samhain (Halloween), I give you the cryptozoological creature of this year – The Thunderbird. Native American legends talk of this mystical creature being a protector but also that it could punish those who displayed little or no morals. It could be
The gopher snake, aka bull snake (named for it’s attitude), is a hefty, non-venomous, colubrid snake that makes its home from Canada all the way down to Mexico. Gopher snakes live on prairies, in marshes, agricultural lands, deserts, conifer forests, and
The alligator snapping turtle is the largest of all the freshwater turtles. It’s also the meanest. They can be found in canals, rivers, lakes, and swamps throughout the southeastern parts of North America. Laying motionless, they sit and wait for passing
The goblin shark, aka elfin shark, vampire shark, or tengu-zame (named after the red-faced, long-nosed Japanese demon known as the tengu – zame meaning shark) is as creepy looking as it is cool. While common off the coast of Japan, in the Pacific Ocean, it can also be found in
One of the slimiest and possibly the most repulsive creature in the waters has to be the hagfish. These creatures are arguably the most disgusting critter in the world, sans maybe a botfly. From a super slimy and choking defense mechanism
They are the largest living lizard species on earth, they rob human graves, and can kill with a single agonizing bite. Enter the Komodo dragon. These giants are very clever, strong swimmers, and can even give birth via a method called parthenogenesis. Komodos live on 4 islands in Indonesia: Komodo,
The moray eel is the largest of all the eel species. They are aggressive, dangerous, and even have xenomorph jaws to boot. These eels are found in warmer salt and brackish water environments. There are 200 known species of moray ranging from 6 inches to 15 feet long! Divers will
The gharial, aka gavial makes its home in the fast-flowing rivers in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Once widespread, these crocodilians now dwell in a mere 2% of their original habitat. This is due to dams, artificial embankments, hunting, over-fishing, egg
With over 2,800 species in over 160 genera throughout the world, the golden silk orb-weaver spider belongs to the third largest family of spiders known, next to the jumping spiders. Another name for these beauties is the banana spider. These spiders can be found in Asia, Africa,
The Japanese giant hornet. They’re twice as large as a normal hornet, aggressive, their sting can cause tissue necrosis (tissue death), and they bring their young the decapitated bodies of their enemies. These highly territorial wasps find strength in numbers
The binturong, aka bearcat, aka Asian bearcat, aka Asian civet belongs to the same family as a variety of other small carnivores (eat meat) such as mongooses, civets, genets, and fossa. They also share a variety of traits with them too, including a long nose and having
The mata mata turtle originates from South America’s Amazon and Orinoco basins. With many names to its credit, the mata mata, which translates to “kill, kill” in Spanish, has been renamed 14 times over the last 200 years, with the most recent naming being in 1992. They
Native to parts of Africa and Asia, the snakehead is a dangerously invasive fish that has been introduced to several states in the U.S. and poses a huge problem for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in Hawaii, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, and Rhode Island. Due to their
The bearded vulture, aka lammergeier is one insane bird! One might even go as far to say, this vulture is the most metal of all birds. From eating bones to dying its feathers with dirt and blood, this critter is among the top of the list of insane birds. There are many legends
The peacock mantis shrimp, aka “thumb-splitter”, is a small, aggressive marine crustacean that lives in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans from Hawaii to Eastern Africa. They are part of the same family as lobsters, crabs, shrimp, crayfish, and