DESCRIPTION: Arctic foxes are well adapted to the cold: They are small and stout compared to other foxes; their short snouts, stubby legs, and little, curled ears help to minimize heat loss. Thick fur ...

The northern long-eared bat — distinguishable from its close relatives, as one might presume, by its long ears — is a small bat associated with mature, interior forest environments. Unlike most other ...

The word jaguar comes from the South American Tupi and Guarani languages. A likely origin is the word yaguareté, meaning “true, fierce beast.” DESCRIPTION: The largest cat native to North America and ...

Wolverines, the largest land-dwelling species in the mustelid family, are famous for their daring and tenacity — they've been known to prey on animals as big as moose, and many stories tell of ...

Native to the Gila River basin, the loach minnow and spikedace are adapted to the beautiful yet vulnerable ecology of southwestern desert rivers. These rare, pint-sized fish are just two of many river ...

The variability among living organisms on the earth, including the variability within and between species and within and between ecosystems. Biological diversity, often shortened to biodiversity, is ...

For every county in the United States, the map below shows information on all the animals and plants protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered. To see the number of ...

Freshwater mussels are some of the planet's most fascinating and underappreciated animals. With their beautifully colorful shells, diversity of shapes and interesting adornments — including ridges, ...

Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences that make up about 40 percent of the world's ocean ...

When a Chiricahua leopard frog wants attention, it snores — at least, its distinctive call sounds like a snore. But the sound of snoring around desert streams, springs and even stock tanks is a lot ...

Flatwoods salamanders get their name from their native habitat of longleaf pine wiregrass flatwoods — now extremely rare — in the lower Southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States. Only about 3 ...

Every year, more than 340,000 people visit the Barton Springs swimming hole in Austin, Texas. Few swimmers realize they're taking a dip in the home of one of North America's most endangered species — ...