The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon

Order| Columbiformes While it may come as a shock, the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is indeed a Pigeon. It’s also the closest living relative of the now extinct Dodo bird! These birds are named for an island chain of the coast of India where many of them live, though they can be found all the … Continue reading The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon

The Journey So Far

The other day, I was going through a pile of junk (which I have a lot of) and came across this. This intentionally blurred piece of paper was the very beginning of #TheWildLife. It’s just a bunch of notes and ideas that I was jotting down while I tried to decide what I wanted to … Continue reading The Journey So Far

The Wild Life’s 50th Episode Celebration: Live Trivia Show!

Well, we’ve come a long way. We’re at our 50th episode! We will be hosting a live show on Zoom!and YOU are invited. On May 1st at 7pm CT, we’ll be playing trivia (of course, based on topics from our first 49 episodes [and no, you don’t have to have listened to all of them … Continue reading The Wild Life’s 50th Episode Celebration: Live Trivia Show!

Become a Wildlife Ambassador

So, here’s the thing: we, at this moment, are rolling out a new newy thing. It’s super cool—the Wildlife Ambassador program! Basically, when you become a member at Patreon.com/TheWildLife, you can pick a species of some kind of personal importance to you and we will donate 10% of your contributions each month to either a … Continue reading Become a Wildlife Ambassador

Is it a Worm? Is it a Wasp? No! It’s the Elm Sawfly!

This past weekend as I sat below an old oak tree while drinking my morning cup of coffee and looking out on a glassy Lake Darling in Alexandria, Minnesota, something fell from the sky and landed at my feet. Small and curled up like a slightly puff green and yellow sour gummy worm. It's face … Continue reading Is it a Worm? Is it a Wasp? No! It’s the Elm Sawfly!

When a Spider isn’t a Spider

If you're reading this right now, you might be realizing that we're about to be playing a game of semantics (systematics, rather). For many, if it looks like a Spider, that's all they need to know to shiver in disgust and engage in fight, freeze, or flight. It may be pretentious to dwell on the … Continue reading When a Spider isn’t a Spider

Sunday Fish Sketch| The Common Sea Dragon

This #SundayFishSketch comes from Ichthyologist, Rene Martin. Visit her shop on InPrint to see more of her artwork or to order prints! Meet the Common Sea Dragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus While it may be a dragon by name, the Common Sea Dragon is no more a dragon than a sea horse is a horse. One, it would be … Continue reading Sunday Fish Sketch| The Common Sea Dragon

TWL Hiking Club|The Always Adorable, Sometimes Vicious, Shrew

It's #TWLHikingClub Tuesday! To continue our series on often less appreciated critters, this week we are talking about the always adorable, and sometimes vicious, shrew.

Mud-Puddling: The Dirty Truth About Butterflies

Ever have a butterfly land on your skin and start licking you and thought "Awe, I've got a new best bro!" Well, you were wrong. Butterflies have a dirty secret!

S1E8 Leave it to Beavers

In this episode, Devon and Richard go on a totally real, not-recorded-indoors, time travel adventure to explore the life history of the busiest mammal out there---the beaver.

#SundayFishSketch Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish

The Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish is found in the coastal river drainages of the Sunshine State, Florida, over to southern Georgia.

#SundayFishSketch Splendid Toadfish

If you've ever been down to Cozumel, Mexico, you've been to one of two places (the other being Glover's Reef in Belize) on earth that this species of fish can be found.

The Electric-Light-Loving, Scuba-Diving, Toe-Biting, Giant Water Bug

Toe-Biter, Electric-Light Bug, Alligator-Tick; people have come up with many names for the fascinating critter. It's actual name is perhaps the most boring---the Giant Water Bug. They are the largest of the 'true bugs' and belong to the Belostomatidae family of insects.

Not a Lemur, Nor a Cat. This Raccoon-Like Critter is a “Clever Fox”.

That adorable creature is none other than a Ringtail, Bassariscus astutus. No, not like a lemur---though the resemblance is uncanny.

#SundayFishSketch Deep-Sea Dragonfish

Meet the Deep-Sea Dragonfish
The Deep-Sea Dragonfish, a scaleless eel-like fish about 6 inches in length that lives (you guessed it) in the deep sea, specifically the bathyal zone of the Atlantic Ocean beyond where any light can reach.