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Not only are German Shepherds quite active, but they can also become mischievous and high-strung if not given ample amounts of exercise and attention daily. Therefore, they must have socialization and obedience training at an early stage to prevent over-guarding and aggressive behavior. German Shepherds are also known as Alsatians, German Shepherd Dogs or GSDs. The Different Types of German Shepherd Crossbreeds Common German Shepherd crossbreeds include: Alaskan Shepherd: Alaskan Shepherds are independent dogs that blend together two hefty breeds: the Alaskan Malamute and the German Shepherd....

There are many reasons to make bears your favorite animals— especially sloth bears. Although pretty aggressive towards humans, sloth bears are among the most adorable with their attractive round ears and cute faces. Did you know that the British military once kept these bears as pets and trained them to be dancing bears? One of the most distinctive features of the sloth bear is its gigantic claws, especially when compared to its slim body....

Are there Wild Cats in Texas? There are six species of wild cats that have either lived or are currently living in Texas. Five of these species are native to the state, and three of these Texas cats are in danger of becoming extinct. Wildlife biologists and ecologists are well aware of the importance of predators in nature, including Texas cats. These top-down regulators, also known as keystone or flagship species, regulate populations of large herbivores and aid in preventing the ensuing destruction of the flora....

Classification Wild lettuce and dandelion plants are frequently mistaken for each other, and that’s understandable because they look very much alike and both belong to the same plant family, namely Asteraceae. Familiar flowering plants like aster, daisy and sunflower also belong to this family. The scientific name for wild lettuce is Lactuca virosa and it refers to the white, bitter latex produced by all of the wild lettuce plant. Known as lactucarium, this bitter sap is found in the roots, leaves, and stem....

While they are great for humans, they are toxic to dogs. Giving your dog any food with a high sugar count is terrible, but that’s not why raisins are bad for dogs. In this article, you’ll learn about why dogs can’t eat these treats and how deadly they can be. Keep reading to know what to do if your dog gets into some and the importance of keeping these out of your dog’s reach....

#10. Blue-footed Booby The fleet-footed blue booby is perhaps the master of the eccentric courtship ritual. Swathed in white plumage and brown wings, with additional brown streaks around the head, these large marine birds can be found throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the coast of California to Peru; around half of all mating pairs congregate together around the Galapagos Island. In order to attract a mate, the male will strut around, first lifting one foot and then another....

Rhinos are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. They eat a wide variety of vegetation, including twigs, leaves, and grasses. They also consume fruit and flowers from trees. Rhinos have few predators in the wild. However, lions and hyenas sometimes attack young rhinos or calves when separated from their mothers by a fence or other barriers. The lion pulls the calf down with its teeth and claws while the hyena tears at its hide to get the meat underneath....

Ancient Ancestors of Modern-Day Mammals Pelycosaurs are an extinct group of creatures that closely resemble reptiles, but are some of the earliest branching members of the group that aren’t technically classified as such. Essentially, Pelycosaurs look like reptiles, but they distinctly split away from other reptiles and later evolved into modern-day mammals. The best way to think about Pelycosaurs is as a middle-man between reptiles and mammals. Pelycosaurs first appeared as the earliest synapsids, a group of animals that are defined as having a single opening behind the skull where muscles attach....

The video below shows a kingfisher doing its thing in the face of a fisherman who isn’t having any luck. An animal video is always better with a little context, though, so we’re going to learn a few things about kingfishers before we get to the video. Kingfishers are an ill-understood family of birds containing 144 known species that spread the world ’round. Let’s appreciate kingfishers a little bit then take a look at one of them as it flexes its skills on an unlucky fisherman....

Can you imagine finding a motorcycle while magnet fishing? This is precisely what happened in a recent viral video that has a lot of people talking, specifically about what they would do if they found a bike that huge when magnet fishing. The video shows a man who looks like he is in his early twenties attempting magnet fishing from a small dock across what seems like a very big lake....

The fish’s name translates as “sword-ray” in Latin. High among the largest fish to have lived in the Cretaceous, it had a ferocious appetite. Several fossils of this fish have been found in association with fossils of other aquatic creatures it either preyed on or was a prey to itself. What Did Xiphactinus Look Like? Sharks are kings in today’s aquatic ecosystem. But back in the Cretaceous, these sharp-toothed predators weren’t as high up in the food chain as they currently are....

The Background on Ticks Although ticks are a common insect name to humans, only a few of us know much about them. These small-scale insects may appear complex to study because of their small sizes. Fortunately for us, acarologists have made it simpler to understand how these insects feed, what they eat, and how long they survive without food. Most ticks need a host to attach to and feed on within a month....

What Types of Flowering Succulents are There? There are many types of flowering succulents, including crassula ovata, aloe vera, senecio, echeveria, prickly pear, string of pearls, sempervivem, haworthia, and pincushions, but let’s stop there because the majority of succulents will flower in the right conditions! Succulents flower to attract pollinators. Their pollen gets stuck to the pollinator, so if they fly to another succulent they’ll fertilize it. It’s the same process we see in our gardens all year round....

The video starts where the Mississippi River starts, Lake Itasca, MN. Did you know that the Mississippi travels about 2,350 miles? The widest part of the Mississippi River is 11 miles wide at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, MN. The deepest part is 200 feet deep in New Orleans. When it reaches the Delta and the Gulf of Mexico it discharges at a rate between 200,000 and 700,000 cubic feet per second!...

The video begins with a cameraperson that is entirely too close to a black cobra that measures several feet long. The snake is too busy to pay attention to the human, though. Its eyes are fixed on a mongoose, a small mammal. The cobra lunges at the mongoose but comes up empty, unable to sink its venomous fangs into the critter. The mongoose gets even closer to the cobra as it draws its head off the ground and spreads its hood....

From head to tail, their shells have three ridges with sharp points. This particular snapping turtle has eyes on the sides of its head, unlike all other varieties. While it’s difficult to tell what type of turtle is in the video linked below, the alligator snapping species looks the closest. By pressing play on the video, you’ll watch one of these prehistoric creatures clamp down on a fresh goldfish dinner....

Sneaking up may not be the best description, however, given the size of this massive rhino. It’s hard to imagine them moving anywhere quietly. Rhinos can get up to 1.5 tons with the largest species, the white rhino, weighing in at almost 8,000 pounds as a fully grown adult. That is one massive animal! They also have fierce horns that can get over four feet long. The rhino in this video is a fully grown adult with a large horn....

The territorial nature of wolves ensures that natural occurrences of wolfdogs are rare — but they aren’t unheard of, and some breeders are looking to foster new breeds and characteristics by selectively breeding hybrids of wolves and domesticated dogs. But whether or not these hybrids make for good pets is another story. Here’s everything you need to know about keeping wolfdogs as pets. The Characteristics of the Wolfdog In 1999, the number of wolfdogs in existence sat at over 100,000, but significantly more people than that claim their dog has wolf blood....

Chinchillas are equipped with thick fur because of their original habitat. These rodents can live at a height of 9,800 to 16,400 feet where it can be very cold. Chinchillas are known to survive in the wild in family groups, where they form plenty of colonies called herds, and look for food. But as tiny mammals who live in such elevations, we can’t help but wonder, what do chinchillas eat?...

Cory catfish are commonly kept in aquariums as ornamental pets. They are not aggressive and are often included in large tropical community aquariums with other fish. Corys have the unique ability of being able to breathe both water and air—they often come to the surface to gather a breath. In the wild, they are found in small, slow-moving streams and along the banks of ponds and rivers. They prefer to live in groups and often gather together into schools of hundreds or thousands of fish....