Critter Science
The Science of Animals
Related to the ground squirrel, the yellow-bellied marmot (aka whistle-pig) can be found in different parts of south-western Canada and in the western parts of the U.S. Yellow-bellied marmots like open habitats that include: alpine meadows, forest edges, pastures, and steppes. They are
The northern spotted owl prefers to live in old growth evergreen forests and hails from British Columbia down to Mexico. Northern spotted owls are 1 of 3 known subspecies of spotted owls. The other 2 are the California spotted owl and the Mexican spotted owl. Spotted owls
It’s not a ginormous mosquito, it’s a crane fly. These large flying insects have gained popularity by being called mosquito hawks, due to the misconception that they hunt mosquitoes. They are also called daddy long legs, in Europe. These insects are more closely related to
Found from the Klamath River in Northern California to the Kuskokwim basin of western Alaska, it’s the sockeye salmon. These sizeable fish are a favorite of fly fishermen. The sockeye population, which has the longest salmon migration, has been known to travel up the Columbia River to
Despite their namesake, the northern flying squirrel doesn’t actually fly, but rather glides from tree to tree. Bats are the only mammal known to actually fly. There are 43 known species of flying squirrels in the world, from North America, to Asia, to Europe. 90% of the world’s
One of the most frequently encountered lizards in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts is the desert iguana. These critters reside in ranges of creosote bushes which consists primarily of dry, sandy scrublands and desert regions, as well as rocky river beds. Desert iguanas are
One of the biggest animal myths I know of is the myth that daddy longlegs are the most venomous spider in the world. Well, there are two things wrong with that statement: The first being that even though they are arachnids, they aren’t spiders; they’re more closely related to scorpions than spiders
The American kestrel is the smallest falcon species in North America and the 2nd smallest falcon in the world. They can be found from Alaska all the way down to South America and from the east to the west coast. Their beautiful plumage makes them fairly easy to spot and their call is
You’ve seen them crawling up your wall, cozying up in that stack of old newspapers or cardboard boxes, and maybe in your bathroom. It is the silverfish. Ancestors of these nuisance insects are among the most primitive known to man. They evolved around the mid-Devonian period
The little brown bat can be found in the U.S. and Canada, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. There have also been documented instances in the forested areas of Mexico, at higher elevations. They typically live in forests, along rivers & lakes, but they also hide out in buildings and