Animal Adventures North America

Animal Adventures
North America

North America has a wide variety of different biomes including deserts, coral reefs, forests, and tundras. North America is as diverse in topography as it is in climates ranging from mountains in Alaska that reach elevations of 20,310 ft (6190.5 m) to Death Valley in California, which at 282ft (86m) below sea level is the lowest point on the continent. At 9,540,000 square miles (24,709,000 km²) it is the third largest continent on the planet behind Asia and Africa. North America is home to the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Superior, and the largest island in the world, Greenland.

Dung Beetle

There are three categories of dung beetle based on how they use dung. Tunnelers bury their dung, dwellers live in piles of it, and rollers roll it into big balls. Sometimes after a beetle rolls a ball of dung, other beetles will try to steal it from...

Earthworm

Earthworms are very important for soil health because they transport minerals into the soil through their waste. They also change the structure of soil so water can move through it more easily. This makes earthworms very helpful for farmers and...

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Rattlesnakes use the rattle at the end of their tail to distract prey and to warn potential threats before attacking. They don’t have ears, which makes them unable to hear most sounds. They make up for this with their sense of touch by detecting movement through...

Firefly

Fireflies’ light comes from a reaction that happens when oxygen is combined with a substance in their abdomen called luciferin. They use this natural light, which is referred to as bioluminescence, in order to communicate with each other and each species has a...

Gecko

Geckos have hairlike structures on their toes that bond to any surface they step on. This allows them to run across tree branches and even crawl up walls and across ceilings. Geckos are one of very few types of lizards to have a voice and sound a little bit like a...

Giant Squid

At 10 inches (25cm) in diameter, giant squids have the second largest eyes out of any animal. Their huge eyes help them see deep underwater where it would be too dark for most animals to see anything at all. Because they live so deep undersea, scientists know very...

Gila Monster

Gila Monsters were named after the Arizona Gila River Basin, which is where they were first discovered. Their bright colored splotches are meant to ward predators off by showing that they are poisonous. Gila monsters store fat in their tails which allows them to go...

Great Horned Owl

Great horned owls are named for the horned shaped tufts of feathers, which are called plumicorns, on top of their heads. No one knows the exact reason for these feathers but scientists have a few ideas of what they could be for. It's possible that they’re used as...

Great White Shark

Great white sharks rely on stealth when they hunt. When they choose a target to be their prey they position themselves underneath it so they can swim straight up and burst out of the water to catch it. Great white sharks have an excellent sense of smell and can...

Green Sea Turtle

Green sea turtles spend most of their time underwater and can spend up to 5 hours before coming up for air when they’re resting. They have long migrations from their feeding to nesting sites and have been recorded to travel over 1,615 miles (2,600km). When females...