Nature

There are a few undeniable truths about burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia): They’re cute. They’re social. And they’re the American Birding Association’s 2022 “Bird…

At first glance, you might think a white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) — also known as a coatimundi — is a raccoon. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll discover…

Named for naturalist John James Abert, Abert’s squirrels (Sciurus aberti) are tassel-eared, tree-fond creatures that are found in ponderosa pine forests across…

Say howdy to the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), which is one of more than a dozen horned lizard species in North America. Often referred to as horny…

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is one of only two members of the dog family capable of…

If we’re being painfully honest, yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) don’t have the loveliest call in the animal kingdom. They make up for it…

There’s no mistaking a North American beaver (Castor canadensis) for another semi-aquatic mammal, such as an otter. Beavers are bigger, beefier and, of course,…

The idea of traveling 4,000 miles can be daunting, but not for rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus). They routinely fly that far as part of their annual…

The scientific name for the desert iguana — Dipsosaurus dorsalis — is going to make you think you’re looking at a dinosaur, and it’s easy to imagine this species being a…