Cane Toad

The much maligned venomous cane toads earned their bad reputation shortly after being released into the Australian ecology in 1935 with the hope that they would control the destructive cane beetle population. They turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but remarkably successful at reproducing and spreading themselves. About 3,000 cane toads were released…

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Tiger Salamanders, Tiger Salamander Pictures, Tiger Salamander Facts

Tiger salamanders’ markings are variable throughout their extensive range, but the most common marking resembles the vertically striped pattern of their mammalian namesake. They are usually brown in color with brilliant yellow stripes or blotches over the length of their bodies. Their base color, however, can also be greenish or gray and their markings can…

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Hooded Orioles, Hooded Oriole Pictures, Hooded Oriole Facts

This slim oriole has a fondness for palms. Polytypic. Length 8" (20 cm). Identification Long, strongly graduated tail. Thin, noticeably downcurved bill, blue-gray on the basal half lower mandible. Adult male: a crisp black bib, face, and back contrasting with the orange or yellow-orange lower back and rump. Black wings, with black shoulders, 2 white…

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Bobcat

Bobcats are elusive and nocturnal, so they are rarely spotted by humans. Although they are seldom seen, they roam throughout much of North America and adapt well to such diverse habitats as forests, swamps, deserts, and even suburban areas. Bobcats, sometimes called wildcats, are roughly twice as big as the average housecat. They have long…

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Pike

The pike is a large species of freshwater fish, natively found in North America and across Eurasia. There are five recognised species of this large predatory fish which are the American pickerels, the Northern Pike, the Muskellunge, the Chain Pickerel and the Amur pike. Pikes are also one of the world's oldest fish, thought to…

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Evening Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeak Pictures, Evening Grosbeak Facts

This noisy finch is relatively secretive during the breeding season, yet forms large, gregarious flocks during the winter. It is found during summer mainly in coniferous forests across boreal Canada and in the Rocky Mountains; its winter movements are both erratic and irruptive, likely due to fluctuating food supply. Polytypic. Length 8” (20 cm). Identification…

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Great Egret

This long-legged, S-necked white bird is found throughout the Americas and around much of the world. It is typically the largest white egret occurring anywhere in its range (only the white-colored form of the great blue heron is larger). Great egrets are found near water, salt or fresh, and feed in wetlands, streams, ponds, tidal…

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Nicole Duplaix

A photographer, writer, and zoologist for nearly 30 years, Nicole Duplaix has dedicated her life to the environmental sciences, including international conservation and coordination of endangered species, wildlife trade, and habitat programs. She has worked in more than 70 countries, often under difficult conditions, and is a co-founder of TRAFFIC, an organization that monitors and…

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American Alligator

The American alligator is a rare success story of an endangered animal not only saved from extinction but now thriving. State and federal protections, habitat preservation efforts, and reduced demand for alligator products have improved the species’ wild population to more than one million and growing today. One look at these menacing predators—with their armored,…

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Green Basilisk Lizards, Green Basilisk Lizard Pictures, Green Basilisk Lizard Facts

The green basilisk lizard is also called a plumed or double-crested basilisk; but its amazing ability to run on water gives this species its most recognizable moniker: the Jesus Christ lizard. Abundant in the tropical rain forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to Panama, green basilisks spend much of their time in the trees…

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