The school shark, aka tope, tope shark, snapper shark, and soupfin shark, is a species of houndshark that can be found off the coastlines of nearly every continent, sans Antarctica. Sadly, due to overfishing and over harvesting these sharks are
The leopard slug, aka great grey slug, is among the largest of the terrestrial keeled slugs, with the ash-black slug being #1. They hail originally from Europe but have been accidentally introduced to various other countries around the world.
The roundworm is the most common parasitic worm in humans. Even more so than the dreaded tapeworm. They are found in sub-tropical and tropical countries, the world over. These worms are found among soil, feces (poop), and on contaminated food. Once ingested
The bombardier beetle is a adephagan (ground) beetle with more than 500 species worldwide. They get their name from their famous defense mechanism. When threatened they can release a surprisingly effective counter attack. So be sure to take a second and be careful
There are approximately 600 species, 34 genera, in 9 families of scorpionfly the world over. But what do they do? Do they sting? Are they a threat? With the male’s raised and curled tail, they resemble a scorpion, but are they as ominous as the famed arachnids? These insects are […]
The common pheasant, aka ring-necked pheasant, or blue-headed pheasant, is native to Asia. However, they have been introduced to Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand as game birds. The primary threat these birds face is that of hunting
The house mouse, aka fancy mouse or laboratory mouse, has a presence on every continent around the world, sans Antarctica. They also don’t exist on Greenland. They are the most widespread of all mouse species (Mus). Due to their global distribution, they are subjected to trapping and
The whipworm is a parasitic species of roundworm that is usually obtained from eating food or drinking water that contains these worms. They can infect both animals and humans alike. These parasites can cause trichuriasis, aka whipworm disease. This results in
The striped dolphin, aka euphrosyne dolphin or streaker, is found globally in tropical and temperate waters. These dolphins are included in the genus Stenella; however, recent genetic work by LeDuc et al. in 1999 indicated that Stenella is not a natural group. They face the usual
The horse fly, aka deer fly (misnomer) or gadfly, can be found all over the world, sans a few select islands and the polar regions. Female horse flies can transfer blood-borne diseases from 1 animal to another via their feeding habit. In locations where those diseases occur,
