There is hardly an animal out there that is more entertaining, and more charming, then the raccoon. Or rather, there are plenty charming as long as you aren’t the one enduring their attention! Raccoons are notorious for breaking into garbage cans, outbuildings and sometimes even homes in their never-ending quest for food and nesting areas. … Read more
All birds of prey are majestic. Whether it is a hawk, a falcon, an eagle or some other species there is just something about the image of a predator taking prey on the wing that stirs the spirit. However, as capable as these birds are all of them play a distant second fiddle to the … Read more
The fox is regarded as a trickster, a livestock predator and a symbol of cleverness and cunning in virtually every culture around the world where these animals are found. That’s for good reason, and there are few wild animals that are as evasive as foxes. But as human settlements expand, foxes are seen in increasing … Read more
Out of all the bears that you might encounter in North America, it is the black bear, the smallest of the North American bears, that you are likely to run into. Black bears are crafty, curious, and commonly encountered in and around towns and homes when searching for food. Although their antics can be amusing, … Read more
Every once in a while, you’ll hear someone talking about how they caught a glimpse of one of the United States’ most elusive inhabitants. Preternaturally quiet, stealthy and extraordinary hunters, the mountain lion is the largest wild feline on the continent, and rarely encountered even in its natural range. They are magnificent animals, no doubt … Read more
It’s hard to think of an animal that is more charismatic than the grizzly bear. Something about that big, pudgy body, those perfectly fuzzy round ears, inquisitive expression, and all of the antics that we see them get up to in various national parks that makes them undeniably charming. However, something tells me that those … Read more
Most people instinctively understand which wild animals are dangerous. Precious few people need to be told that a moose, bear, lion or snake can hurt you, and most folks only need to learn their lesson with bees or wasps once! But not all animals are dangerous, and to make things even trickier some animals that … Read more
I don’t think it is any great assertion to say already that pretty much every single adult alive, at least in North America, knows what a skunk is and what it can do to you. I also don’t think it’s any great stretch to say that there is no person on Earth who wants to … Read more
A growing concern in the United States, Europe and elsewhere in the world, wild boars are a known menace on farms and other agricultural installations. They cause untold damage, and have resulted in the collapse of a local ecosystems. They eat a ton, root up all kinds of plants, reproduce quickly and have basically no … Read more
You are wise to be cautious when dealing with any snake out in the wilderness, but the similarities between various species, including venomous and non-venomous ones, make the matter of positive identification anything but easy. Confusing a harmless snake for a dangerous one can lead to panic and fear for nothing, and the opposite might … Read more
For most of us, suddenly coming upon an unknown snake at close range out in the world is certainly enough to get our heart rate going just a little bit quicker. But what is sure to get your heart beating double time is seeing a jet-black snake, tearing through the grass or out of the … Read more
When most people think of a snake, they probably think of a satiny brown, green, or black reptile slithering stealthily through the undergrowth. But as it turns out not all snakes are content with drab camouflage. Some snakes want to draw attention to themselves, usually as a warning to any larger animals to keep well … Read more
If there is one thing you generally don’t want to encounter when out and about in the wilderness, it is a huge and menacing snake. Be it a monstrous 6-foot rattlesnake or an even more colossal python, these primordial serpents are the stuff of nightmares for many people. However, most snakes simply don’t get that … Read more
Among every order of animals on earth, there are always a few individual species that seem to go against the norm of expected behavior, color, and other distinguishing characteristics. Among snakes, you might say that the ringneck is that species. These snakes are wildly colored and exhibit a strange “curly cue” defensive pose, but they … Read more
Most people typically think of earth tones, camouflage patterns, and similar colors when they imagine snakes, but many snakes can have striking or even beautiful coloration. One of the most striking colors that adorn the scales of snakes, and arguably the most sinister, is black. From the matte black of the cottonmouth or certain rattlesnake … Read more
If you live near wetlands, large bodies of water, or any other place that stays moist and damp you have probably encountered a ribbon snake before. These tiny, slender, quick snakes are extremely good swimmers and, if you care to watch the surface of the water, you’ll probably see the rippling wake they leave behind … Read more
For many of us, snakes are scary enough just on their own. A snake could be lying there basking in the sun, and if someone who is frightened of them were to see it, they’d probably run in the opposite direction. But things can get a whole lot worse when you’re dealing with a snake … Read more
Out of all the animals on Earth that slither or crawl, probably none are as subject to as much fundamental fear and revulsion as snakes. Snakes as a category are practically synonyms for evil and treachery, and is no wonder that pretty much everyone avoids them and many people kill them on sight. However, snakes … Read more
The garden snake, more properly called the garter snake, is not a single species but is actually many subspecies, and many of them are quite common throughout the United States, often encountered, as you might guess, in the garden! That is bound to upset some people, but since these snakes are so common we had … Read more
Even if you don’t like snakes, most snakes that you encounter in the wild are nothing to write home about. Most are tiny and furtive, quickly taking cover, and slithering through leaf litter and underbrush to get away from you. However, some snakes are so big, so powerful and so impressive they are genuinely intimidating … Read more
As much as we might hate the sight of a snake slithering around on our property, it is important to know that not all snakes are dangerous…Many of them are very important because they help reduce the populations of rodents and other animals in the wild. How about the corn snake for instance? Is the … Read more
There are all kinds of snake species in North America, and countless more around the globe. In fact, there is so much variety when it comes to snakes (species, subspecies, and even regional variations, and color morphs) that it makes positively identifying any given snake using color alone quite challenging most of the time… Assuming … Read more
Pretty much every single prepper can be expected to have an emergency supply of food for troubled times. Whether it’s a natural disaster or the collapse of society, you’ve got to be able to eat no matter what! Prepping for a weekend power outage, a few weeks of roughing it after a hurricane or even … Read more
Have you ever had a revelation before? Like a real revelation. Like slam on the brakes, gasp in terror, holy smokes sort of revelation? I have. And what’s more, lately I am talking to more and more folks who have woken up in much the same way to the notion that no one is coming … Read more