Amanda is a feature writer and Assistant Editorial Director. She has a degree in Animal Science and enjoys obsessing over red foxes, rock climbing, surfing, and planning out her next big mountain ascent.
A crest-tailed mulgara — thought to be extinct for more than 100 years — was found burrowing through the sand dunes of New South Wales. Known previously only through fossilized remnants, the animal is one of two species of mulgara found throughout Central Australia. These marsupials have crested bushy tails, measure up to a foot […] More
The remains of a carnivorous, tyrannosaurid dinosaur were found in Alaska — named Nanuqsaurus, or “polar bear lizard”, after the cold, snowy upper latitudes of its natural habitat. The single species Nanuqsaurus hoglundi is known from a partial skull fragment from the Prince Creek Formation of the North Slope of Alaska, dating back to the Late Cretaceous period. Although related to Tyrannosaurus […] More
A lynx balances precariously in the treetops and makes a giant leap after a squirrel — but the squirrel has a plan of its own. Lynxes are medium-sized wild cats distinguished by their short tails and tufts of black hair on the tops of their ears. They have large, padded paws for strolling silently across snowy terrain […] More
Whale hello there! Although belugas commonly learn to imitate other species, this beluga whale was the first ever recorded giving up its own language in order to speak to its dolphin companions. More
The species Dracorex hogwartsia is known only from one complete skull and four cervical vertebrae — but it’s a fascinating animal with spiky horns and an armored head. The skull, the atlas, third, eighth and ninth vertebrates were unearthed from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota and eventually donated to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for study in 2004. The […] More
With its frilled gills, layered needle-point teeth, snake-like appearance, and quick-striking abilities, this shark is one of the most engrossing creatures of the deep sea. Chlamydoselachus anguineus, most commonly referred to as the frilled shark, is widely distributed throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but rarely ever encountered. This deep-sea dwelling animal prefers to live […] More
The Bornean bay cat (Catopuma badia) is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN list. Less than 2,200 individuals currently inhabit the island, threatened primarily by habitat loss, and that number is declining. Bay cats are normally chestnut in color with lighter hued tails and limbs and long white-streaked tails. The animals boast rounded ears […] More
Scientists discovered the fossils of the oldest arthropod with a mandible — a 508 million year old marine animal. Tokummia katalepsis was first discovered in Burgess shale of Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada. This arthropod was identified as a four-inch long predator from the late Cambrian period. Tokummia walking on the bottom of the seafloor. The lobster-like […] More
While spiders commonly decorate their webs with ornaments, this unusual species actually builds elaborate decoys of themselves out of insect matter and debris. Part of the genus Cyclosa, these spiders are found in the Peruvian Amazon and the Philippines. They have been observed collecting dead insects, plant matter, and debris to construct large, spider-like decoys […] More
Scallops may seem like pretty uninteresting creatures — except for the hundreds of eyes imbedded amongst tentacles along the edge of their shells. Scientists have long wondered about the secret behind a scallop’s sight. LiveScience reports that Michael Land first discovered the mirrors at the back of scallop’s eyes and that they projected images onto […] More
This giant moth boasts five-inch wings, a humongous body, and when agitated, it is capable of producing a loud hissing noise to scare off its enemies. The privet hawkmoth (Sphinx ligustri) is an strange creature endemic to the northern half of the eastern hemisphere including much of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Although they inhabit large woodland […] More
Meet the lake sturgeon — a fish that has been around since the time of the dinosaurs. Lake sturgeons are shark-like in appearance, measuring an average 3-5 feet in length and weighing anywhere from 10-80 pounds, but much bigger specimens have been reported. The fish bears an overall streamlined shape and is equipped with five rows of […] More
