Nature & Wildlife
In the United States, we celebrate the annual Friendship Day on the first Sunday in August, which this year is August 2. (The globally recognized date established by the United Nations is July 30.) This designated day is meant to honor the bonds that enrich our lives and to promote peace, solidarity and cross-cultural understanding.
Nature & Wildlife
Tool use isn’t unique to humans. Various species across the animal kingdom, including birds, insects and mammals, exhibit the behavior. For example, sea otters use stones to crack open shellfish, while crows modify twigs to probe for hidden prey—and even have been observed using cars to crack open nuts.
Nature & Wildlife
The word birdbrain became a common slang term for a stupid person in the early 20th century. And while it’s still sometimes used as an insult, it’s a misnomer. In fact, the brains of birds are so large (relative to their body size) that scientists say they are practically braincases with beaks.
Nature & Wildlife
On the surface, gophers and wolves don’t seem to have much in common. Gophers are small (just a few inches long), burrowing rodents that primarily consume bulbs, roots and other underground plant parts; while wolves (which can reach several feet in length) are much larger predators that hunt and primarily eat meat.
Conservation
There are many types of intelligence in the animal kingdom, and it seems that almost every day, we learn something more about them.
Nature & Wildlife
Although invisible, noise pollution—defined as consistent exposure to elevated sound levels—is real. Also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, noise pollution often takes a back seat to other concerns, such as air, chemical and water pollution, since it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Sound is measured in decibels.
Nature & Wildlife
You know them because you see them in your neighborhood every day. And you certainly have heard their distinctive, harsh caws and kraas. They are crows and ravens, the corvids that are well-known for their black color. Crows can be found all over the world in a variety of habitats.
