Meintest du wilde westen?
Not monsters at all, Gila monsters are one of the few species of venomous lizards on the planet. These carnivores are classified as near threatened, and they are native to Arizona, California and Mexico.
Gila monster venom is about as toxic as that of a western
The ability of some conifer forests to recover after severe fire may become increasingly limited as the climate continues to warm, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists found in a new study published today in Global Change Biology. Although most of these cone-bearing evergreen softwood trees are well adapted to fire, the study examines whether two likely facets of climate change—hotter, drier conditions and larger, more frequent, or more intense wildfires—could potentially transform landscapes from forested to shrub-dominated systems.
“There are concerns for much of the western U.S. and
This Amphibian Week, take a closer look at what makes these species so wonderfully weird and worthy of our attention.
only in the mountains along a handful of rivers in western
The loggerhead shrike is a songbird slightly smaller than a robin. Despite its small stature, the behaviors of a shrike reflect those of a raptor. It is commonly known as the „butcherbird“ or „thorn bird“ for its habit of impaling prey on sharp objects, such as thorns and barbed wire fences.
the average lifespan of loggerhead shrikes in the wild
Bird House keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Alice, a female Stanley crane who died Jan. 28 during surgery to correct a limb deformity she had developed. She was 7 years old.
in human care is about 13 years; longevity in the wild
For frogs dying of the invasive chytridiomycosis disease, the leading cause of amphibian deaths worldwide, the genes responsible for protecting them may actually be leading to their demise, according to a new study published today in the journal Molecular Ecology by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and University of Central Florida researchers.
with some areas, such as the Rocky Mountains and the West
Find out how Smithsonian researchers are using camera traps to study bobcats on the Northern Great Plains.
That creates an area roughly 75 miles east to west
Harbor seals, also known as common seals, spend half their time in the sea and half on land. They have the widest distribution of any seal and live in both the North Atlantic and Northern Pacific oceans, ranging from cool, temperate waters to cold, arctic and sub-arctic coasts.
On the West coast of North America, their distribution
Red pandas, like giant pandas, are bamboo eaters native to Asia’s high forests. Despite these similarities and their shared name, the two species are not closely related. Red pandas are much smaller than giant pandas and are the only living member of their taxonomic family.
They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west
Pumpkinseeds are North American freshwater fish that are very similar in appearance to their cousins, the bluegill.
Fun Facts Pumpkinseeds are an invasive species in Western
