This widespread western species is frequently seen perching on bushes, boulders, fences, and utility wires. Polytypic (4 ssp.; 3 in North America). Length 4.5” (11 cm). Identification Grayish brown above; darkest on wings and head, especially lores and behind eye. Breast and throat are paler, more grayish; contrast with tawny-cinnamon belly and undertail coverts. Contrasting…
Marine scientists have undertaken the difficult task of replacing the beloved starfish’s common name with sea star because, well, the starfish is not a fish. It’s an echinoderm, closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars. There are some 2,000 species of sea star living in all the world’s oceans, from tropical habitats to the…
Despite being fairly large and having an extremely broad range, the spotted salamander is actually pretty hard to, well, spot. They can reach 9 inches (23 centimeters) in length and are prevalent in mature deciduous forests from eastern Canada throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. But these secretive salamanders spend almost their entire lives…
The breeding male scarlet tanager is one of the easier North American birds to identify. Often seen in small flocks during migration, the scarlet sings on the breeding grounds and feeds high in the canopy. It moves sluggishly and can be difficult to spot. Monotypic. Length 7” (18 cm). Identification Sexually dimorphic. Both sexes have whitish…
The fennec fox is the smallest of all the world's foxes, but its large ears, measuring 6 inches (15 centimeters), appear to be on loan from a bigger relative. Fennec foxes dwell in the sandy Sahara and elsewhere in North Africa. Their nocturnal habits help them deal with the searing heat of the desert environment,…
This common desert woodpecker replaces the closely related Nuttall’s in arid regions; the 2 species are known to hybridize at a few localities in southern California. Polytypic (about 8 ssp. in North and Middle America; birds north of Mexico are cactophilus). Length 7” (18 cm). Identification The barred black-and-white back pattern of the ladder-backed woodpecker…
The presence of this nuthatch is typically announced by its nasal calls. The red-breasted nuthatch has the unusual habit of smearing resin around the entrance hole to its nest, presumably to deter predators and competitors from entering the nest. During the breeding season, the red-breasted is usually found in forests dominated by firs and spruces;…
Ammonites were predatory, squidlike creatures that lived inside coil-shaped shells. Like other cephalopods, ammonites had sharp, beaklike jaws inside a ring of tentacles that extended from their shells to snare prey such as small fish and crustaceans. Some ammonites grew more than three feet (one meter) across—possible snack food for the giant mosasaur Tylosaurus. Ammonites…
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of 22 volcanic islands 600 miles off the western coast of Ecuador. They are best known for their unique flora and fauna, including the Galápagos tortoise, which the islands are named after (galápago is the Spanish word for tortoise). In addition to its impressive size, this tortoise also has…
Catherine Karnow was born in Hong Kong and lived there until she was 11. When she started experimenting with cameras in high school, she knew she would be a professional photographer for the rest of her life. The Brown University graduate currently lives in San Francisco and shoots both travel and documentary photography for magazines and books….