Critter Science
The Science of Animals
They’re slow-moving, gentle grazers of sea grasses that mean no harm to anyone. The manatee, aka sea cow, is found in only a few locales in the world and there are only 3 known species of these docile creatures in the world today: the West Indian manatee, the Amazonian manatee, and the West African
Sheep where domesticated more than 10,000 years ago and raised for their wool, milk, and meat. They can now be found on every continent, sans Antarctica, with their numbers estimated at around 1 billion strong! China has more of these animals than any place else in the world and Australia & New Zealand are
The North American river otter, aka Canadian otter, is found in North America from Canada and Alaska to the Rio Grande. They steer clear of arid deserts and treeless Arctic regions. Theses otters prefer riparian zones and can be found in the same locations as beavers. They can live around both marine
With around 155 known species in North America alone, the vole is a common critter that can be found in meadows, savannas, forests, dense grasslands, prairies, swamps, arctic tundra, home gardens, and farmland. They can be found from the Alaskan tundra all the way down to Mexico
The musk ox resides in the frozen Arctic tundra areas of North America and Greenland. At one point the musk ox was wiped out of Europe and Alaska due to over-hunting. Their number are starting to bounce back after being successfully reintroduced. These large herding critters are part of the Bovidae
The armadillo is a small, barrel-shaped critter covered in a suit of fleshy armor. Its name means “little armored one”, in Spanish. Their body armor provides protection against most would-be predators. Unfortunately, their armor doesn’t protect them against vehicles. They are also sadly known as
There are 35 known species of gopher that are found from Northern to Central America. Gophers prefer coastal areas, woodlands, prairies, and mountain regions. Gophers, in general, are considered pests due to the substantial amount of damage they can cause to fields, gardens,
Along with the bald eagle, the American bison is one of the most amazing revival stories of our time. Once hunted to near extinction, the bison has made a huge comeback. If it weren’t for the the aid of private citizens working with
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
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