Animal Atlas(2004–)

30 MPH

What animals, whether two-legged, four-legged or winged, can break the land speed/air speed of 30 miles per hour, the footspeed man has never reached. From the very fast: the cheetah, the horse, the peregrine falcon; to the slow and steady tortoise.

Who's a Symbol?

Animals who represent something to us, beyond themselves and majestic wildlife: the lion as courage; the bear as strength and fortitude; the bald eagle as freedom; the kangaroo as progressiveness, and a whole lot more.

Telltale Tails

The nature, function and wide variety of tails in the animal kingdom, from the prehensile tails of the New World monkeys, to the fly swishing tails of the pig family, to the display tails of lemurs, as well as why some animals don’t have a tail at all.

Something's Fishy!

Everything that’s special about fish, both the bony and the cartilaginous, from breathing with gills, to their scales, to their fins, both single and paired, to the wide variety of coloring and markings. How fish live, swim and survive.

Man's Best Friend

A closer look at the domestic dog: its super senses, how breeding has changed its appearance and why, different breeds and their histories and background and what working dogs do. Also featuring the wolf, the dog’s ancestor, and various other members of the dog family from foxes to wild dogs.

Curious Cats

The cat family, from the domestic cat to the wild cats: how size is not the factor that separates the big cats from the rest of the wild cats, where domestic cats came from, and how wild cats hunt.

Felids & Canids

A comparative look at the members of the dog and cat family: their super senses, their respective roles as carnivorous predators, which is the fastest and which is the long distance runner, and how they live: the wolf’s/dog’s pack, the lion’s pride, and the solitary cheetah.

Who's a Reptile?

A panoramic look at a variety of reptiles, from snakes to lizards to alligators to turtles and tortoises. What makes a reptile a reptile, what characteristics they all share and what makes them different and why.

The Kingdom of the Horse

The world of the domestic horse, from breeds to breeding, to the biggest and the smallest, the horse’s historic relationship with man; members of the horse family, from the donkey to the zebra; and the horse’s distant relatives in the wild, from the tapir to the rhino.

Variety Show!: The Greatest Mysteries of the Animal Kingdom

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

A panorama of interesting animals whose looks defy their true identity, from the naked mole rat (not a mole, not a rat), to the okapi, the only living relative of the giraffe, to the false gharial and its “true” crocodilian counterpart.

Rats and Pigs

A walk on the wild side with members of the pig family and those rodents whose names have negative connotations but who are really remarkable, if not admirable creatures.

Big Hairy Spiders & Other Toxic Creatures

A visit into the world of the arachnids, and a vivid explanation of which animals are venomous and why, like the tarantula and the rattlesnake, and which are poisonous, like the poison dart frog.

Skin, Fur & Feathers

A very close look at animals with interesting skin such as turtles in their shells and thick-skinned pachyderms like the hippo and the elephant; to remarkable, animals with fur, like the polar bear with its hollow hairs; and also birds, the only animals with feathers.

Variety Show!: The Most Amazing Animal Fact

A panoramic look at animals that are truly amazing, from the echidna, an egg-laying mammal, to a kangaroo that lives in trees, to the only living North American marsupial, the opossum.

The Wild Life: A Chimp's Life

A close look at a family of eight chimpanzees, living in an-almostlike-the-wild habitat in the zoo, their individual stories and some amazing facts about these great apes.

The Birds & the Bees... and Bats

An introduction to animals with wings from birds, to mammals, to insects, and what makes flight possible, and necessary, in the animal world.

Super Senses

Animals who have more than the traditional five senses, from the smell-taste sense of those possessing the amazing Jacobson organ (snakes, lions, zebras), to the swim bladder that keeps fish from colliding into each other.

The Wild Life: Life on the River's Edge

A journey down the life-sustaining river where near-the-water dwellers include the humongous Nile hippopotamus, the giant anteater, the river otter, and the strange looking bush dog.

Variety Show!: The Top Misconceptions in the Animal Kingdom

Some of the whopping misconceptions that still exist from ‘dolphins are fish’ (not), to ‘bald eagles are bald’ (not), to the belief that there’s only one kind of elephant (not).

Wings & Butterflies!

Delving into the secrets of one of the most beloved insects in the world: the colorful, graceful, winged butterflies: what they eat, how they live and how they fly.

Meet The Gibbons: The Lesser Apes?

A closer look at the smaller, ‘not great’ apes who are often mistaken for monkeys, including the amazing singing siamangs, the sopranos of the forest.

What’s that In the Rainforest?!

An exploration of the life inside tropical rainforests. We ask what defines a rainforest? Where are rainforests located? What animals live there? Along the way we meet the giant anteater, the capybara, the bush dog, sloths, tapirs, and jaguars, too.

Show Me Some Backbone

An exciting look into what it takes to stand up and show some backbone. We're investigating the vertebrates- animals with a backbone, or spinal column; and what these mammals have in common with other types of animals.

Animal Q&A: The Big Questions of the Animal World

Misconceptions of the Animal Kingdom

A look at some animals who are not what they seem, and in most cases, more than they seem, from the “rabbit antelope of Africa”, to the dogs with harmonious voices and the remarkable egg-laying mammal, the echidna.

Piggly Wiggly Squeak

Time to get dirty with an all-encompassing look at the pig family and other animals whose filthy appearance, oftentimes, disguises their incredible qualities within the Animal Kingdom.

Warning Signs and Animals to Avoid

Looking at some animal’s you might not want to get too close to and animals whose look says “look out!” because they pack a toxic punch that deserve our respect.

Animals on the Outside

Strange Creatures and Surprising Critters

The Domestic Wild

A visit with some animals from the comfort of home where we’ll see the shelters of the outside world, inside- from the city scape, to the barnyard, and even in the underground burrows of the prairie; the animal world is full of amazing shelters.

Common Sense

River Dwellers

An expedition down some of the biggest rivers all over the world to check out the home of countless big fish, colorful birds, lurking reptiles, amazing amphibians, and even mammals.

To Tell The Truth

Winged Creatures

Flying high, darting around, and showing off some wings as the wonderful world of winged creatures takes off for flight school; from the big, feathered fliers to the paper-thin wings of butterflies it’s a high-flying life for these fearless animals.

Living Dinosaurs

The Social Side of Wildlife

A look at some amazing animal societies from our very complex human social system, to communal river otters, to solitary falcons and other social groups that live in distinct familial groups.

Mammals and Us

The Way We Move

Discovering the way that animals get around; whether it’s flying through the air, swimming underwater, hopping over land, or swinging from branch to branch; animals or all sorts travel in every way imaginable.

JAWS!

On search for JAWS, jawed vertebrates that is; a fascinating look at this distinct group that includes cartilaginous fish, bony fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Animal Extremes

A panoramic look at some animal who have a special quality that other animals don’t including the extreme strength of the rhinoceros beetle, the shear size of the African elephant and the enormous mouth of a whale shark.

Mammal Mammas

A very engaging look at tender moms, strict moms, funny moms, and even some of the aunts, sisters, and dads who help raise a family of young mammals in the Animal Kingdom.

What's for Dinner

An exploration into what delights an animal’s appetite which includes a wide array of tastes and dietary needs as you travel around the Animal Kingdom; from fish for the grizzly bear, fruit for chimpanzees, carrion for bald eagles and many more other interesting snacks in between.

Commonalities

A visit with some animals who are closely related and share similar physical adaptations but don’t necessarily look or behave alike one another including the flight birds and bats, the water-walking basilisk lizard and the jacana, as well as the echolocation of dolphins, bats and whales.

Fitting In

A fascinating look at how animals have evolved to fit in with their environment through varying physical adaptations; from the koala’s ability to eat toxic eucalyptus leaves, to polar bears surviving the frigid artic temperatures and hardy armadillos who thrive in the desert heat.

Tangled in the Food Web

A look at who eats what in the tangled food web of the Animal Kingdom with a focus on predators and prey animals who have to get their food out in the wilderness.

Tooth Sleuth

Hungry as a Bear

A journey into the wilderness to visit every type of bear on earth: the polar bear, the giant panda, the sun bear, the spectacled bear, the black bear and the brown bear. What makes them all unique, where they live out in the wild and some surprising discoveries about what foods they eat.

The Cat's Meow

Discovering the true identities of feisty felids: from the domestic kitty to the roaring lion and cats of all shapes and sizes. The particular manner in which they walk, what it takes to roar as loud as a lion and how they use their extraordinary senses in their lives as predators.

Amazing Animal Facts: The Primates

An exploration into the world of the primates: from apes, to monkeys, to prosimians. How they differ, how to tell them apart, what they have in common.

When Is a Monkey a Monkey?

A closer look at monkeys: the old world and the new world; the biggest and the smallest; the baboons, the guenons, the tamarins.

Life as an Ape

A fascinating exploration into the world of the four great apes: the gorilla, the orangutan, the chimpanzee, and the bonobo.

Amazing Animal Facts: The Birds

All that’s fascinating about birds: from feathers, to flight, to beaks and bills. The biggest, the flightless, the raptors, the nut-crackers. The parrots, the owls, and the ostrich.

Night & Day: Nocturnal & Diurnal

An exploration into the world of animals that are not only nocturnal and diurnal, but crepuscular. We look at why animals are awake at one time instead of another, and what special sensory adaptations they have for nocturnal living.

Maturity & Longevity

Amazing Animal Facts: The Reptiles

We delve into the secrets of snakes and lizards, alligators and crocodiles, and turtles and tortoises.

Ancient Animals: The Creatures that Time Forgot

A look at the animals living today who were around at the time of the dinosaurs, and even before. We look at how some animals have changed a great deal while others have hardly changed at all, and why these animals survived when the dinosaurs didn’t.

A Shiver of Sharks, a Zeal of Zebras

A wild ride into animal nomenclature.

Bones? Who Needs ‘Em?!

A closer look at bones, from animals with a backbone (vertebrates), to those with skeletons made of cartilage (sharks), to those animals who don’t need bones at all (invertebrates). We ask what constitutes an exoskeleton, a hydrostatic skeleton, and a turtle’s carapace.

What’s Wild in the Neighborhood?

An exploration into the world of wild animals that live in our human neighborhoods. What makes a habitat livable? We look at how the temperature, plant life, and climate determine where an animal lives.

The Life Arboreal

A panoramic look at animals that live in trees. We ask how they get up there in the first place (climb, fly, leap), what adaptations they have to live as tree-dwellers (claws to prehensile tails), and which animals we can expect to find in trees (birds, monkeys), including those we don’t (kangaroos).

“S” Is for Species

A wild ride through animal classification! What determines an animal’s species? Why do the same kinds of animals sometimes look different from each other? What makes a subspecies? All in all, who is related to who, and why.

Life As an Amphibian

An exploration into the watery life of amphibians, including colorful frogs, toads, newts, salamanders. An examination of what amphibians have in common with other cold-blooded creatures such as fish and reptiles, and what sets them apart. Finally, a trip from an amphibian’s larval stage through its adult stage, and a look at the important role water plays in the amphibian lifecycle.

Animal Appetites

Animal Babies

Wild Cats

Monkey Business

Animal Locomotion

Elephants and Us

What's That?!

Goin' Ape

A Crash of Rhinos

The Bear Facts

Seafarers: The Amazing Water World of Marine Mammals

Habitats

Herbivores

Home Sweet Home: Primordial Worlds of Swamps and Rainforests

Who's a Rodent?!

Marsupials

Animal ABCs

Savanna Safari

Animal Senses

Great Birds of a Feather

Masters of Disguise

Down on the Farm

Down On The Farm, E-I-E-I-O

The behavior of animals in the wild shows a delicate balance between predators and their prey.

Big Bad Wolves

Comparing the reality of wolves' behavior to their bad reputation.

Monsters in the Sea

Dangerous but fascinating sea creatures such as sharks,rays and eels.

Home Sweet Home: Shore, Sand and Sea

The creatures that make their home near the seashore, including fish and seagulls.

Animal Talk

Animal Beauties

Animal Intelligence

Primates

Ancient Animals

Reptiles

Sea Creatures

Mermaids, Sirens and Sea Cows: Legends of the Manatee

An in-depth look at this gentle yet endangered mammal of the sea.

Dolphin Show

Explore animals worldwide and how they adapt to survive and thrive in the wild.

Crocs & Gators

Explore animals worldwide and how they adapt to survive and thrive in the wild.

Tortoises & Turtles: By Land And By Sea

A contrasting and comparative look at these slow-moving giants of and of sea.

Loss of the Wild: Wild Cats, Great and Small

Wild cats find sanctuary at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.

Fish Tales: Let’s Swim!

The magical world of fish and their underwater surroundings.

Animals of Myth & Legend

Fact or Fiction? A truthful look into the animals of legend and folklore.

What’s That? Under The Sea

Unusual-looking underwater animals that are often mistaken for something they’re not.

Florida Springbreak, Wildlife-Style!

A romp with animals that are indigenous to the state of Florida.

Bright Birds

The majestic world of the airborne aves who are brilliantly adapted to their respected environments.

The Greatest of Apes

A study into the behaviors of these “man-like apes”.

Monkey See, Monkey Do? Let's Talk About Anthropomorphism!

Giving human characteristics, behavior or motivation to animals.

Big Bird Don’t Fly!

A close look at the amazing flightless birds, from ostriches and emus to penguins.

The Ungulates: By Hoof, By Claw or By Nail

An exploration into this remarkably diverse group of hoofed mammals.

Adapt & Thrive

Incredible animals who have adapted and thrived under the most difficult of circumstances.

Secrets of Animal Communication

The amazing ways that animals communicate.

Who’s Got Milk: A Day at the Dairy Farm

An amusing and informative look into the life of the milk cow.

Life’s A Beach!: Animal Dwellers At The Seashore

The extraordinary diverse group of animals who live where the ocean meets the land.

Monkey Around

A look into the world of the “not great” apes—including the amazing singing siamangs, the sopranos of the forest—that are smaller than the great apes and often confused with monkeys.

Aquatic Mammals

A look at the rare mammals that live in the ocean, such as dolphins and whales, and how their food and environment make them appear and act unique.

Kingdom of Animal Names

The origin of animals’ names and the interesting stories behind their meanings.

Moving Right Along

An animal’s legs and feet can reveal information about its home, its food, and how it survives.

School of Mammals

What makes a mammal a mammal? Hint: It isn’t just feeding its young with milk. It’s a whole lot more.

From Home to Farm to Wild

A look into the animals that live in our homes and on our farms and how they became domesticated.

Animal Populations

A look into the reasons that some animal populations have dramatically decreased because of loss of habitat and climate change and what it means to be endangered.

Going Amphibious

A look at animals that live on land and underwater and how they survive submerged—from amphibians to turtles to swimming reptiles.

Animals of the Largest Continent

A look at the animals of Asia, such as tigers, great pandas, and great apes.

Feathered Friends

Grab your binoculars for this panoramic look at birds. We inspect their wings, beaks, feet, and how they fly. We’ll also ask why the famed penguin and ostrich are flightless.

Three Household Favorites

The most recognizable animals in America may be dogs, cats, and horses.

American Animals

A look at animals, both unusual and familiar, from North and South America and an investigation into how they differ by continent.

The Modern Zoo

A look at the evolution of zoos from the simple caging of animals for recreational viewing to the construction of animal habitats to give captive animals more physical and mental stimulation..

Surviving the Wild

How animals have adapted to survive the wild.

Bear Country

A look at bears from all over, including the polar bear, American black bear, the brown bear, and more.

The Horse, Of Course

Enter the world of the domestic horse. Learn where horses come from, who their relatives are in the wild, how they range in size, and what they have been bred to do.

Reptile Roundup

A rousing roundup of all the reptiles in the animal kingdom. First, what is a reptile? To answer that question, we have to travel way back in time, to the dinosaurs! We’ll also look at who qualifies as a reptile and who doesn’t. You might be surprised.

Cats and Dogs

What do cats and dogs have in common? For starters, they have both moved into our homes by the millions. But that’s not all. From super senses to predatory behavior, cats and dogs share characteristics that might surprise you. From the lion to the housecat, from the wolf to the Labrador retriever puppy, we’ll meet them all.

Happy Cat

Is our tame, playful domestic cat really related to the authoritative, wild lion of the African savanna? Absolutely. We’ll explore the incredible diversity of cats, and look at characteristics they all share, whether they’re pouncing on a ball of string or a wildebeest.

Dog Days

Has man’s best friend always been a friend? Ask the wolf. Dogs trace their history back to wild canines that man bred into loyal animals for working, hunting, and companionship.

Fish Friendly

Grab your fins and come swim with the fishes. No two fish species are alike, and some species called “fish” are anything but. Sounds fishy, doesn’t it? From the tropics to the cold, dark, rocky seafloor, we’ll shine a light on a variety of fins.

Head Cases

What’s in a head? What’s not? Animals sense the world through their heads, and judging from the vast variety of head shapes, sizes, and designs, they sense the world in unique ways.

What's in a Tail?

Sure, a tail can be long, short, fluffy, or hairless, but how do animals use their tails? Are they merely decorative? No way. We’ll show you the incredible ways that animals use their tails.

Symbolic Creatures

What does an animal mean? Tough question. Ever seen an eagle on a dollar bill? Or a bear on a state flag? How about a lion on a shield? Yes, for thousands of years man has made animals into symbols to convey a meaning. We’ll explore who’s a symbol and why.

Animals 101

A look at how the Animal Kingdom is divided up: those animals with a backbone, those without; animals who eat meat, those who eat only vegetation, those who eat both; animals with even numbers of toes and those with an odd number of toes; and other fascinating categories that illuminate what an animal looks like and who it’s related to.

The Biggest & the Fastest

A closer look at the biggest animal in the world, the elephant, and the fastest animal in the world, the cheetah. How they live, and why they are so big and fast, respectively, along with other interesting animals who are either, or both, huge and speedy.

Animal Babies, Too

A very close look at some remarkable animal babies: horse foals, kangaroo joeys, baby porcupines, wolf cubs, water buffalo calves, hawk chicks, baby owls, and ape infants. How childhood differs in the various species, how the young learn to be like the adults of their species.

Livin’ Large In The Rainforest

An exploration into the amazing array of creatures that live in the damp and fertile rainforests of the world, from colorful birds, to huge snakes and spiders, to various monkeys, to strange-looking mammals and fierce predators.

The Wonderful World Of Bears

A visit to some of the eight kinds of the bears in the world: the giant panda, the polar bear, the black bear, the brown bear, the spectacled bear and the sun bear. How they differ from each other, what they have in common, and their interesting close relations, from the dog family to the pinnipeds.

Big Cats, Wild Cats, Kitty Cats

An exploration into the world of cats of all description: wild (lions, tigers, mountain lions, leopards, jaguars, etc.) and domestic, both large and small. From feeding habits, to extraordinary senses, to social behavior, to their lives as predators.

Elephants Recall All

An up close and personal look at the extraordinary elephant, both the Asian elephant and the African elephant, including the misconceptions, myths and facts surrounding this mighty pachyderm. A closer look at their trunks, ears, artistic endeavors and their reputation for having incredible memories.

Two Pandas: Just Bamboo, Thank You!

A closer look at two very rare and very beautiful animals from the remote forests of China: the giant panda and the red panda. What a “panda” actually is; how the pandas got their name; what these two have in common; what makes them very different; and the true story behind their shared passion for bamboo.

Farm Livin’

A journey into the world of domesticated animals: where they live, whether with us on our farms, ranches, or in our urban homes; which animals were the first to be domesticated; what is the difference between tame, domesticated and feral; what these animals have historically provided for us and how they have transformed our lives.

Mammals: Milk & Hair

A panoramic look at what makes a mammal a mammal (hair, mammary glands, warm-blooded) and why; including some unusual mammals: monotremes (egg-laying mammals); aquatic mammals (dolphins, whales, manatees); and what mammals have in common with other types of animals (fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates).

The Wild Life: Living Outdoors

An exploration into how animals live outdoors: how they survive temperature extremes, what kind of shelters they find and/or make, how they keep warm or stay cool, how fur and feathers can act as insulation, how rocky outcrops become fortresses and burrows become retreats, how fish manage to survive in a forever-wet world.

Life in a Shell

An engaging exploration of the world of tortoises and turtles, the oldest living reptiles. The secrets of the shell; a closer look at various fascinating species; the keys to their success as a group.

The Good Life: Meet the Otters!

A closer look at three kinds of otters: marine otters, river otters, Asian small-clawed otters: what they have in common, how they differ, how they hunt, swim and live a semi-aquatic life.