Knowing when to pick figs can make the difference between fruit that is rich, soft and intensely sweet and one that tastes disappointingly bland. Unlike fruits that can continue changing …
Introduction The hands of a monkey are usually imagined as grasping tools: flexible fingers tipped with flat nails, wrapping around branches much as a human hand might. Pygmy marmosets complicate …
Under ordinary visible light, a springhare looks much like an animal built to disappear into an African grassland: earthy brown fur, a pale underside, enormous hind legs, and a long …
A marine iguana emerging from the Pacific can look as though it has just sneezed a cloud of seawater from its nose. Moments later, pale crystals may begin accumulating around …
A bird bath for the garden can attract visitors that may completely ignore traditional seed feeders. Food preferences vary enormously between bird species, but virtually all birds depend on water …
For decades, wildlife books have introduced the sailfish as the fastest swimmer in the sea, often attaching an astonishing figure of about 68 miles per hour to the claim. Modern …
A flock of great white pelicans moving across a shallow lake can suddenly become something more organized than a gathering of hungry birds. Individuals align in a line, arc, or …
Across the open landscapes of western North America, the pronghorn can accelerate into a run that seems excessive for the predators pursuing it today. That mismatch has inspired one of …
Few mammals look as immediately adapted to their environment as the fennec fox. Its compact body, pale coat, furry feet, and especially its enormous ears all reflect life in the …
High in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia lives a mammal that appears to turn almost its entire body into a wing. The remarkable colugo gliding membrane stretches from the …