ADOPT A MAGPIE Magpies are small to medium sized birds found throughout the globe. There are about 20 species of magpie spread across Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and parts of Australia. Magpie inhabit grasslands, open woodlands, farmlands, hedgerows, gardens and parks. Magpies are closely related to crows, but the magpie has very distinguishable black and white feathers. The size of the magpie varies depending on species. Magpies looks much larger than they really are; their tails make

ADOPT A CARDINAL One of the most identifiable birds in North America is the northern cardinal. Also called the redbird, common cardinal and Virginia nightingale, they are usually referred to simply as cardinals. Cardinals are beloved by backyard birders because of their bright red colors, joyful singing and year-round presence. Cardinals are medium sized songbirds. Male cardinals are bright red, while females are light brown to gray with some red coloring on their wings, crests and tails. The

ADOPT A WOODPECKER Natural avian drilling experts, woodpeckers are well-known in popular culture. These notorious members of the Picidae family are almost exclusively tree-dwellers, and are found in treed areas throughout most of the world, with the exception of Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar and the more extreme Polar Regions. There’s far greater species diversity present in rainforest habitats, but woodpeckers can be found in savannahs, scrublands and bamboo forests as well. A few species

ADOPT A TAPIR Tapirs are large mammals with a pig-like appearance, an elephant-like snout and a tail like a rhinoceros. They are the most primitive large mammals on the planet, having been around for 20 million years – changing very little. They are most closely related to rhinos and horses. The tapir inhabits swamps, grasslands, forests and mountains in temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. There are four recognized species of tapirs: Baird's tapir, Mountain tapir, Malayan tapir and

ADOPT AN ANTEATER Anteater is a common name for the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") that eat ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with the sloths, they are within the order Pilosa. The name "anteater" is also applied to the unrelated aardvark, numbat, echidnas, pangolins and some members of the Oecobiidae. Species include the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, about 5 feet 11 inches long

ADOPT A BEETLE Beetles are a group of insects which are biologically classified in the order Coleoptera. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek, koleos, meaning "sheath"; and pteron, meaning "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Most beetles have two pairs of wings, the front pair being hardened and thickened into a shell-like protection for the rear pair and the beetle's abdomen. There are more beetles on the planet than other other animal. Almost 25% of all known types of animal life-forms are

ADOPT A SEA URCHIN The sea urchin is a fascinating and unique looking sea creature. Sea urchins inhabit ocean floors worldwide, living in coral reefs and along rocky ocean bottoms in shallow and deep waters. They are rarely found in polar regions. There are about 200 species of sea urchin, varying in shapes and sizes. Sea urchins that live on rocky seabeds are spherical and have protective spines. Sea urchins that live on, or burrowed into, sand are heart-shaped or flattened with short spines

ADOPT A ROBIN The quintessential early bird who catches the worm, robins are common birds around the world known for their orange breasts and cheery songs. They are one of the first birds to start the dawn chorus and one of the last to stop singing at night. Robins are a familiar site in towns and cities, as well as woodlands, forests, mountains and tundra. European robins have bright orange/red chests and are the most distinctive robin family species. The New Zealand robin and the North

ADOPT A LADYBUG The Coccinellidae are a family of small beetles, commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Britain, Ireland, the Commonwealth and some parts of the southern United States. Entomologists in the United States prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles, as these insects are not true bugs. Coccinellids are found worldwide, with over 5,000 known species. They are often yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs,

ADOPT A SKUNK Known for their highly effective and tremendously pungent defensive tactics, skunks are some of the most infamous animals around. Members of the family Mephitidae, the name of these distinctive little mammals likely originated from 1600’s Algonquian language. Although they can vary in appearance, almost all species of skunks are found in the Americas (ranging from Canada to central South America), with the exception of Asian stink badgers, which are generally found in Indonesia and

ADOPT A POLAR BEAR The polar bear rivals the Kodiak bear as the largest four-footed carnivore on earth and can live up to 25 years. Although the polar bear’s coat appears white, each individual hair is actually a clear hollow tube that channels the sun’s energy directly to the bear’s skin and helps it stay warm. The polar bear’s entire body is furred, even the bottom of its paws. That helps prevent bears from slipping on the ice. The polar bear is classified as a marine mammal. Its feet are

ADOPT AN OCTOPUS The octopus is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. The term may also refer to only those creatures in the genus Octopus. In the larger sense, there are 289 different octopus species, which is over one-third the total number of cephalopod species. Octopuses are characterized by their eight arms (not tentacles), usually bearing suction cups. Unlike most other cephalopods, the majority of octopuses have almost

ADOPT A THORNY DEVIL Thorny devils, also known as thorny dragons, thorny lizards and molochs, are small lizards covered from head to tail with spines and thorns. They inhabit the deserts of Australia, living in sand, spinifex grasslands and scrub. There are no other lizards like thorny devils anywhere on the planet. Thorny devils are only about the size of a mouse. They have an extremely spiky looking appearance, with a rigid body structure. Thorny devils have false heads on the back of their

ADOPT A FIREFLY The Lampyridae are a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. This chemically produced light from the lower abdomen may be yellow, green, or pale red. About 2,000 species of fireflies are found in temperate and tropical environments. Many are in marshes or in

ADOPT AN IBIS Ibis are a species of wading birds found throughout the world, especially in the more temperate regions of the southern hemisphere. Ibis are well known for their long beaks and necks used for getting food from the water. There are 30 different known species of ibis varying in color and size, from the tiny dwarf olive ibis to the giant ibis. The ibis has a long neck with a large, down-curved, pointed bill, round body, long legs and partially webbed feet. Ibis can be white, black,

ADOPT AN INVERTEBRATE Mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and birds all have backbones. All these animals make up less than 4% of the total animals species. Over 96% of all the animal species on earth are invertebrates. Invertebrates are cold blooded animals that do not have backbones and do not have a skeleton of bone, either internal or external. Some have fluid-filled skeletons, while others have hard exoskeletons, or outer shells. TYPES OF INVERTEBRATES ●  Marine invertebrates are ocean