Nature

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…

You’ll find black bears (Ursus americanus) in all of Arizona’s national forests, as well as in some riparian desert areas. They’re the only bear species found in…

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…

Aptly named, spadefoot toads spend the majority of the year in underground burrows they dig with their hind legs and bony, shovel-like feet. Four species live in Arizona:…

As tadpoles are to toads, water dogs are to tiger salamanders: the fully aquatic larval form of the species. When water dogs metamorphose into adult salamanders, some lose…

It's a familiar story, but in case you were sleeping through history class: Buffalo once roamed all across the grasslands of North America, from northwestern Canada, along…

Otters are about as intimidating as bears — teddy bears, gummy bears, Cal Bears. They're relatively nonthreatening, in part because of their chocolatey-brown fur, webbed…