The axolotl is the Peter Pan of amphibians-it refuses to grow up. Living in a single secluded lake in the mountains of Mexico, adults of this species hang on to the frilly gills and finned tails of their childhood, making them look like a cross between a lizard and a decorated eel. Axolotls can...
African lions have no fear. These big cats reign as kings in the predator-filled African savannahs. Lions live together in "prides", and the males protect the group and chase away rivals that might want to make a home in their territory. Smaller than the males, the agile females do the hunting...
The bearded anglerfish tricks its prey with a special underwater lure that glows in the dark. This fish generates its own light more than a mile deep in the darkness of the ocean and uses it to attract curious creatures. When prey swims close to investigate the light, the bearded angler snaps...
Danger lurks almost everywhere in South American rainforests, and that's the home territory of the boa constrictor-a deadly threat on the ground and in the air. This well- camouflaged predator hunts on the forest floor and squeezes the life out of its victims with its powerful coils. Big and...
The toco toucan might look like it wants to eat your Fruit Loops, but this bird only feasts on real fruits-plus a sprinkling of insects, spiders and lizards. In South American forests, the toucan uses its long bill with a jagged edge to grab fruit from the top of trees, and snag live prey. When...
This creepy insect was once thought by superstitious people to count down the last minutes of a person's life. The death-watch beetle burrows into wood, which is then sometimes used to build houses and other buildings. When the beetle searches for a mate, it bangs its head against the wood...
You'd think a bird with bright blue and yellow feathers would be easy to spot, but not when its rainforest habitat is just as colorful and the bird usually stays hundreds of feet above the ground. The blue & yellow macaw (also called a parrot) eats fruits and nuts at the tops of tall trees...
This rattlesnake is commonly called a "pygmy," meaning it's smaller than most other rattlesnakes. The massasauga is still an effective predator; it has adapted by hunting exclusively at night when it's hard to see. The small snake waits in ambush and spots prey through scent and body heat. When...
Not to be confused with the Giant Whip Scorpion. Tailless whip scorpions are cousins of both spiders and scorpions, but these arachnids are actually a creature apart. They don't weave webs or have killer stings on their tails, but these predators are still deadly to their victims. Whip-like...
When you think of a reptile, scaly skin comes to mind, but thrinaxodon was a lizard with a different look. Sporting long whiskers on its nose and a thick fur coat, this creature resembled a mammal, like a dog, even though 240 million years ago there were no mammals on Earth. This small predator...
One of a kind in the natural world, the Platypus looks like a cross between a duck and a beaver. With waterproof fur and webbed feet, it is well equipped for its life of hunting in the river beds of Australia and Tasmania. Sixth Sense: Keeping its eyes closed underwater. the Platypus relies on...
Is it a snake? A fish? Nope. This small, crafty creature is an octopus, and it does the best imitations in the ocean. It can twist its arms to look like a lionfish, or lay flat like a poisonous flatfish called a sole. Predators are easily fooled by the mimic octopus, and definitely stay away...
Few things in the ocean are as "clear" as the crystal jellyfish. This jellyfish's body (called it's "bell") is transparent and almost always invisible in the water, unless it's giving off a soft green light. This glow warns potential enemies of the jellyfish's toxic tentacles. Normally, this...
The deeper you go in the ocean, the stranger the inhabitants get. Up to three miles below the surface, you'll find one of the most unusual creatures by far-a fish that appears to have legs! The tripodfish stands above the sea floor on the elongated rays of its pectoral and tail fins. This...
The female cuckoo wasp lets other insects do the work of feeding her young. This wasp lays its eggs in the nests of bees and other wasps. The larvae can then steal the food meant for the resident's young, and when it needs to, the cuckoo larvae can even eat the young in their own nursery! If...
Water striders are talented insects that seem to skate across the surface of lakes, ponds, and even some parts of the oceans. These creatures skim the top in search of prey that have fallen in the drink and are struggling to escape. The strider zips across the water to grab its meal. But this...
Descriptions of the wels catfish may sound like fish tales, but this creature is the real deal. This fish grows to monstrous sizes and gorges itself by using a huge mouth that can engulf large prey that other predators would have to chew to pieces. Whisker-like barbels surround the wels...
The ocean sunfish is one of the sea's real wide bodies. This creature's 4,000 pound bulk is flat, and the fins underneath and top of its body stretch around its circular frame and propel it at surprising speed-it looks like a giant swimming cookie. While the ocean sunfish can zip along, it...
