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This 4-inch-long (10-centimeter-long) fish shares an amazing partnership with another sea creature: the anemone (pronounced: uh-NEM-uh-NEE). The partnership benefits both participants, and the close relationship led to the fish being named an anemonefish. Anemones have tentacles that sting, but the clownfish isn’t bothered by them. In fact, it lives among the tentacles. Living among the tentacles of the anemone, the clown anemonefish gains protection from predators—which don’t dare get near the stinging protector. The anemonefish also gets to eat leftovers from the anemone’s meals. The anemone benefits from having the fish around, too. The useful fish nibbles away parasites that bug the anemone. And sometimes the anemonefish brings food into the tentacles which the anemone can also eat. Generally several anemonefish make one host anemone their home.
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A queen stretches out in her spacious home as her subjects scurry around her. The queen’s workers try to make her comfortable and keep her dwelling clean. This “royal” is well cared for, but you couldn’t exactly call her lifestyle luxurious. That’s because she’s a termite! LARGE AND IN CHARGE Over 2,000 species of termites can be found around the world. Termite colonies, which can include thousands of individuals, often live in large dirt mounds. When a female termite hits breeding age, she may emerge from her colony and find a mate. The pair then creates a burrow in the ground and the female (called a queen) begins to produce eggs—a lot of them. In fact this female generates around 30,000 eggs a day! Once her offspring hatch, they become part of her colony. As the female produces more and more eggs, she begins to grow. Over time she can become the length of an adult human’s index finger. That’s a hundred times bigger than any of the termites that surround her. Eventually the queen gets so large that she can barely move. Luckily members of the queen’s community are there to wait on her, um, antenna and foot. TERMITE TOWERS Many of the offspring that hatch from the queen’s eggs become worker termites. They help the queen by keeping her clean, feeding her plant fibers, and looking after newly laid eggs. These insects may also double as construction workers, carrying up soil from underground to create the colony’s mound. Some termite mounds can reach over 17 feet in height. Sounds like the termite queen and her workers really know how to go big! Watch an amazing video about termites. Text by Andrea Silen, NGS Staff
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The ocelot quietly stalks through the grass in a Mexican forest. It crouches, then—bam!—pounces on an unsuspecting mouse. Dinner is served. The rodent probably never saw this wild cat coming. Its unique spotted coat helps it blend into the forest while it hunts for prey. The ocelot’s camouflage also helps protect it as it sleeps during the day on tree branches or in bushes. Although the cat is twice the size of an average house cat, ocelots are prey for harpy eagles, pumas, jaguars, and anacondas. NIGHT CAT Ocelots are nocturnal, meaning they’re most active at night. They use their sharp vision and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, frogs, monkeys, and birds. When they’re ready to eat, the wild cats don’t chew their food—instead they use their teeth to tear meat into pieces and then swallow it whole. Like a domestic cat, an ocelot’s raspy tongue can clean a bone of every last tasty morsel. CUTE KITTENS An ocelot family usually includes a mom and one or two young. The kittens are born with their spots but have gray coats and blue eyes that turn golden brown when they’re about three months old. Ocelots live with their mom for about a year and then leave to find their own territory. There’s a whole lot to love about ocelots! Text by Allyson Shaw / NGS Staff
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A 40-pound mammal creeps along a tree branch in a steamy forest. The animal looks like a cross between a cat and a bear. And its appearance isn’t even its strangest quality. What’s even weirder is the creature’s smell: It gives off the scent of buttered popcorn! This is the binturong, an animal that’s full of surprises. GET A GRIP Binturongs live in the rain forests of Southeast Asia. They belong to a family of carnivorous mammals that also includes civets. The animals spend most of their time hanging out in the treetops. When they aren’t lounging on branches, they’re looking for yummy snacks such as insects, birds, and fruit. The animal uses its tail—which is almost as long as its body—like a fifth limb as it climbs through the forest. This tail is prehensile, which means it’s capable of gripping things. The binturong is one of only two carnivores that has a prehensile tail. (The other is the kinkajou.) By grasping onto branches and trunks with the furry extension, the binturong is able to move more easily along the trees. PASS THE POPCORN As they travel, binturongs rub a pungent substance produced in their scent glands onto branches and foliage. The animals use the odor to mark territory as well as to attract mates. The substance smells like buttery popcorn. With all its cool qualities, you definitely can’t turn your nose up at this odd-smelling animal! Text by Andrea Silen, NGS Staff
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Caribou are mammals that live in the northern regions of Europe, North America, Asia, and Greenland. When snow begins to fall, caribou move south and travel to more sheltered climes where they can feed on moss or lichens. These members of the deer family dig for food using their large hooves. The underside of each hoof is hollowed out like a big scoop and allows the caribou to dig through snow in search of food. Caribou trek north in the summer in one of the largest animal migrations on Earth. They travel more than 600 miles (965 kilometers) along well-traveled routes. They spend the summer feeding on grasses, mushrooms, and plants in the tundra. They begin to move south in the winter and over one year they will have migrated over 1,600 miles (2,574 kilometers). One adult caribou eats about 12 pounds (5 kilograms) of food each day. Caribou are hunted by indigenous northern people throughout much of their range. Woodland caribou are listed as endangered, but other caribou populations are stable.
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The fennec fox is the smallest of all the world’s foxes, weighing only 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram). It has enormous ears, measuring 6 inches (15 centimeters), which it appears to have borrowed from a much bigger relative. Fennec foxes are sometimes called „desert foxes“ because they live in desert zones of North Africa and the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas. They are nocturnal and avoid the daytime heat of the desert environment. Their batlike ears radiate body heat and help keep the foxes cool. They also have long, thick, soft fur coats with a wooly undercoat that insulates them during cold nights and protects them from the hot sun during the day. They have been known to jump in the air 2 feet (.6 meters) high from a standing position, and they are able to leap a distance of 4 feet (1.2 meters). These foxes dwell in small groups of up to ten individuals. Like dogs and other canids, male fennecs mark their territory with urine. They forage for plants but also eat rodents, eggs, reptiles, and insects. Like most desert dwellers, the fennec fox has the ability to go for long periods without water. These foxes are cream-colored with black-tipped tails.
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Co-what-i? You may not be familiar with this fur ball, which inhabits parts of South America, Central America, and North America. But you no doubt know about the mammal’s famous family. The coati is closely related to the raccoon. And like its cousin, this mammal is the size of a large house cat, has a ringed tail, and hangs out in trees. SNOOZE AND CHEWS Unlike the nocturnal raccoon, which is active at night, the coati mostly gets its z’s when it’s dark. These animals turn treetops into bedrooms, even building comfy twig-and-leaf nests in branches for their babies. As a coati sleeps, it tucks its nose into its belly. During the day, the coati is all about snacking. It uses its long, flexible nose to probe gaps between rocks and search under piles of leaves for grub. Coatis eat insects, fruit, rodents, lizards, and small snakes. MAKE SOME NOISE Female and baby coatis eat, sleep, and travel in packs of about 30. At age two, males leave to live on their own. In groups these animals are chatty—they click, grunt, whistle, and bark as they forage for food. So while it may not be as well known as its raccoon relatives, the coati definitely lets you know it’s there. Text by April Capochino Myers
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A red-bellied piranha calmly swishes through a river. Suddenly, it spots dinner: a shrimp swimming nearby. The fish glides closer and opens its mouth to reveal rows of razor-sharp, triangular teeth. Then it snaps up its prey in its powerful jaws and swallows the shrimp whole. Finished with its first course, the fish swims off in search of more food. ON THE HUNT Red-bellied piranhas live in lakes and rivers in South America. They sometimes use their mighty mouths to gobble up other fish or animals such as shrimp, worms, and mollusks. They swim and hunt in shoals, or schools, that can include more than a hundred individuals. According to legend, the animals, which can grow about 14 inches long, have even devoured human swimmers. MISUNDERSTOOD FISH Despite their big bite, scientists believe that the animals’ fearsome reputation has been exaggerated. Researchers think that these fish swim in groups for protection, not to carry out underwater takedowns . And reports of the fish going after humans are extremely rare. When some red-bellied piranhas do get aggressive, they have an interesting way of telling others to „back off“—they make bark-like sounds! Guess these guys are all bark, and just some bite. Text by April Capochino Myers
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Black-tailed jackrabbits are not actually rabbits, but are hares. Hares are born with fur and are larger than rabbits. They usually have taller hind legs and longer ears. These speedy animals are capable of reaching 40 miles (64 kilometers) an hour. They have powerful hind legs that can propel them on leaps of more than 10 feet (3 meters) . They use these leaps and a zigzag running style to evade their many predators, including coyotes. Jackrabbits produce a lot of young called leverets or bunnies. Females give birth to several litters a year, each with one to six young. The young mature quickly and require little care from their mothers. While the endangered status of most species is least concern, the Tehuantepec jackrabbit is considered near threatened. Other species of jackrabbits live in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
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Bull sharks are among the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they’re an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters. They’ve been known to swim up into freshwater rivers. Humans are not part of a bull shark’s normal prey. Bull sharks will eat almost anything, but their diet consists mainly of fish. They also sometimes eat dolphins and sea turtles. Bull sharks even eat other sharks. They hunt during the day and at night. Sharks must keep salt in their bodies to survive, and most can live only in salt water. But bull sharks have developed special adaptations—the way their kidneys function and special glands near their tails—that help them keep salt in their bodies even when they’re in freshwater. Scientists are still studying these sharks to figure out why they developed this unusual ability.
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