The freckled hawkfish, also known as Paracirrhites forsteri, belongs to the Cirrhitidae family. It is the most abundant type of hawkfish found in the Red Sea, which is the saltiest and warmest sea on Earth. Hawkfish primarily feed on small fish and invertebrates living among coral. Art by Darien Satterfield, Instagram & Twitter & Tiktok…

The opossum, the only marsupial in the United States, often has thirteen nipples. It has so many because it can give birth to up to twenty young at once, and only those that receive milk survive. Art and fact by Kirsten Sheehy,  Twitter @1010sheehy   [Edited by Nicole Rodrigues] Reference: Marable, A.D., & Smith, M.D….

Phoridae is a family that contains insects, commonly known as coffin flies. They are referred to as ‘coffin flies’ due to their abundance in decaying corpses. Phorid flies are characteristically hump-backed in appearance and are known to run instead of fly. Art and fact by Allen Chew, Instagram & Twitter @toldentops [Image and text edited…

Rhinecanthus verrucosus, also known as triggerfish, are durophagous, which means that they eat hard shelled and tough prey like snails or clams. To accommodate this diet, they possess extremely strong jaws with very large muscles relative to other fish. Art and fact by Darien Satterfield, Instagram & Twitter & TikTok @DiverDarien  [Edited by Nicole Rodrigues]…

Tabanidae is a family that contains insects commonly known as horse flies, deer flies, or gadflies. Tabanids are large and conspicuous insects. While the males are mostly harmless, females have piercing mouthparts that they use to draw blood. Art and fact by Allen Chew, Instagram & Twitter @toldentops [Edited by Nicole Rodrigues] Reference: Chainey, J.E….

Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode. It can survive extreme cold weather at -80°C by entering a state of suspended metabolism called cryptobiosis. A similar mechanism to survive extreme cold weather is used by a newly discovered species found in the Siberian Permafrost. Art and fact by Wenzhe Li, Instagram @dustybutkindofnice [Edited by Nicole Rodrigues] Reference:…

Check out this fun fact about the octopus!

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Check out this fun fact about leaf slugs!

The North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) is known for being a skilled predator, consuming a variety of animals like crabs, fish, small mammals, reptiles, birds and more! They will choose to attack larger prey first, to maximize the amount of energy they receive from their food. Art by @miri_leshem_pelly [Edited by Isabelle McDonald] Reference:…

Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are native to an expansive home range, including Eurasia and North America. Their diet consists of a wide variety of foods like meats, berries, and other plants. They perform a behavior called caching, which is where they hide food to save it for later; they will often need to guard their…

The Yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta) live in what are called cold seeps, which are areas of the ocean floor where there is a plethora of sulfides and methane that seep from fissures in the ground. In order to thrive in these harsh conditions, Yeti crabs have an epibiotic relationship with bacteria that live on the…

The European badger (Meles meles) has a reputation for being a feisty creature, likely due to their territorial nature during the breeding season, when these animals are quick to fight one another. However, during the rest of the year, European badgers are very social, spending time grooming one another and denning together. Art by @miri_leshem_pelly…

The polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), is a giant silk moth, with eyespots on its wings. The moth uses these spots to perform a distraction display to threaten predators, which essentially makes the insect appear larger and more threatening to whatever is trying to eat it. The moth gets its name from the Greek myth of the…