Animals

Close-up of a green parrot with a large pale beak and distinctive red feathers above its beak, looking directly at the camera. The background is blurred.

Puerto Rican Parrot

In 1493, when Christopher Columbus sailed into the Caribbean island now known as Puerto Rico, he was warmly greeted by
July 5, 2013 No Comments
Aerial view of a blue whale swimming near the ocean surface, with water streaming along its back and a visible tail.

Finback Whale

The Finback Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the world’s second biggest living animal. Finbacks can grow to nearly 70 feet in
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A small black turtle with an orange stripe on its neck is resting on bright green leaves and moss. The turtle’s shell is shiny and its head is slightly raised.

Bog Turtle

The bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) is the smallest turtle found in the United States. The largest bog turtle ever found
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A wolf stands alert among shrubs and rocks on a hillside, with a clear blue sky in the background.

Mexican Gray Wolf

The Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), a highly intelligent and socially complex carnivore, is the most endangered wolf subspecies
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A small shorebird with a white belly, light gray back, black band around its neck, and orange legs stands on sandy ground near seashells.

Piping Plover

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus), a sparrow-sized, coastal dwelling bird, is a true North American treasure. Found only along the
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A sage grouse with fanned tail feathers stands on snowy ground surrounded by sagebrush, displaying its distinctive plumage in a winter landscape.

Greater Sage-grouse

The sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a large, rounded-winged, spike-tailed, ground-dwelling bird, about two feet tall and weighing from two to
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Two white cranes with black wing tips fly above a grassy, foggy wetland, with low shrubs and a cloudy gray sky in the background.

Whooping Crane

The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is the tallest North American bird. They are early five feet tall and live for
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Close-up view of a freshwater mussel shell partially buried in shallow water, showing greenish and yellowish-brown ridges and natural texture, with rocks visible in the background.

Tan Rifleshell

Range: Found only in two rivers in Eastern Tennessee and three in southwest Virginia. Unconfirmed populations reportedly found in the
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A close-up of a male King Eider duck resting with its head tucked into its black back, showing its green, white, and orange head plumage and orange bill, on a calm, gray water background.

Spectacled Eider

The Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) is a large sea duck that breeds on the coasts of Alaska and northeastern Siberia.
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A colorful fish with green and reddish markings and spotted fins swims close to a rocky, gravel-covered bottom, with a blue background in the water.

Kentucky Arrow Darter

The headwaters of the Kentucky River Basin reach a nexus in the heart of Appalachia: the northern Tennessee and southeastern
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