Animals & Nature

Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) with its Summer coat on the left side and its winter coat on the right.

As temperatures drop and autumn gives way to the snows of winter, some animals in northerly climes exchange their pelage or plumage of summer for the purest white.

Scott Stephens—iStock/Thinkstock; Robb Hannawacker

All Hail the Queens: Ants, Bees, and Wasps

With more than 150,000 named species, ants, bees, and wasps are the three main types of insects that form the order Hymenoptera, one of the most ecologically important animal groups on Earth.

Coral, any of a variety of invertebrate marine organisms of the class Anthozoa (phylum Cnidaria) that are characterized by skeletons—external or internal—of a stonelike, horny, or leathery consistency. The term coral is also applied to the skeletons of those animals, particularly to those of the

The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.

How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?

Australia is notorious for its deadly animals. But how likely are they to actually kill you?

Leopard. Leopard (Panthera pardus) male leopard on a termite mound in Sabi Sand nature reserve, South Africa. panther, mammal, large cat, animal

6 Real-Life Man-Eating Animals

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Sergeant Stubby or also known as Mascot Stubby. Unofficial mascot dog of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the United States with the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. War dog. Possibly a Boston terrier - also sometimes described as a Boston bull terrier

8 Famous Animals

Learn about some celebrity critters.

Carnivorous Venus Fly Traps (Dionaea muscipula) and Sundews (Drosera capensis) Plants secrete digestive enzymes s until the insect is liquified and its soluble contents digested.

Beyond Venus Flytraps: The Plants that Eat Meat

It’s a plant-eat-bug world!

9 Animals That Look Like Leaves

Live and let leaf.

shoebill

Shoebill, (Balaeniceps rex), large African wading bird, a single species that constitutes the family Balaenicipitidae (order Balaenicipitiformes, Ciconiiformes, or Pelecaniformes). The species is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery

Spotlight: Brown Bears

These shaggy-haired bears, native to Europe, Asia, and North America, include species such as the Grizzly and the Kodiak bear, which weighs up to 720kg (1,600 pounds) and is often considered the world's largest carnivore.