Active Wild Admin
Ammonite facts, pictures and information.
Ammonites are prehistoric marine mollusks with distinctive curled shells. Once abundant in Earth’s oceans, ammonites – along with the dinosaurs and many other species – became extinct during the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event that occurred around 66 million years ago.
Ammonites were cephalopods, and are related to living cephalopods such as octopuses and nautiluses.
Read on to find out more about these once-abundant prehistoric animals…
Welcome to the Active Wild Online Zoo, a virtual zoo for kids (& adults). Discover amazing animals from all over the world… without leaving your home!
For many people, a dog is part of the family – a companion and protector, always ready to play a game, or to keep its owners safe at night.
Dogs play an important role in the lives of many humans, not only as pets, but also as working dogs, helping to solve crimes, acting as our eyes if we can’t see, or rounding up sheep on a farm.
Dogs are known as “man’s best friend” and there’s a good reason for this; dogs improve our lives in many different ways!
On this page we’ll discover some amazing facts about dogs for kids (and adults!)
The elk is the second-largest species of deer in the world (only the moose is larger). It is found in forest, shrubland and grassland habitats in North America and eastern Asia. Bull elk are characterized by their impressive, branched antlers and loud “bugling” cries, which can be heard during the fall mating season.
Elk are thought to have evolved about 20 million years ago in the steppe regions of Beringia, a mass of land that once stretched between Siberia in northeastern Asia and Alaska in northwestern North America.
Today, the total elk population numbers around two million individuals, and is thought to be increasing. The species’ conservation rating is “Least Concern”.
Read on for more elk facts…
Yes, whales are mammals whose bodies have evolved for an aquatic existence. Despite having flippers and a tail rather than arms and legs, whales possess all of the characteristics of mammals, and are related to land mammals such as hippos.
In order to prove this, we need to take a deeper dive into what makes a mammal a mammal, and how the land-living ancestors of whales eventually evolved into fully-aquatic animals…
The raccoon is a mid-sized mammal that is widespread throughout much of North America. It is a member of the carnivoran family Procyonidae, which also includes animals such as coatis and ringtails. The raccoon originally lived in forests, but this adaptable animal is today found in a wide variety of additional habitats, including urban environments.
The gray fox is a small, omnivorous, new world fox species belonging to the family Canidae (the dog family). Sometimes known as the “tree fox” or “cat fox”, the gray fox is one of only two canid species that can climb trees.
Although the gray fox is fairly common, it is elusive and can prove difficult to spot in the wild. It is widespread across North and Central America and is found from southern Canada all the way down to Venezuela and Columbia.
The temperate rainforest biome encompasses rainforests found between the tropics and the polar regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Although not as biodiverse as tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests are nevertheless highly-valuable habitats for countless animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
On this page you’ll find out about the temperate rainforest biome, and the animals and plants that call these forests home…
Examples of animals that migrate include the gray whale, caribou, monarch butterfly, Arctic tern, bar-tailed godwit, Canada goose, Chinook salmon, leatherback sea turtle and blue wildebeest. The best-known and most visible migratory animals are birds, but mammals, reptiles and even insects and amphibians all have migratory species.
On this page is a list of some of the best-known animals that migrate, together with facts about animal migration…
Primates are mammals in the order Primates. Modern primates include bushbabies, lorises, lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes (including humans). Primates evolved from forest-dwelling ancestors and have adaptions for an arboreal (tree-dwelling) existence, including flexible shoulders and dextrous hands.
Fun facts on porcupines: find out where these quilled rodents live, what they eat, how they defend themselves and much more…
Subscribe to the Active Wild newsletter for fascinating articles, news, offers, reviews and more.
Sign up today and receive a FREE printable animal fact sheet with your welcome email!
Not an adult? Please ask your parent / guardian to sign up 🙂
By subscribing, you agree to receive email updates from us. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe to the Active Wild newsletter for fascinating articles, news, offers, reviews and more.
Sign up today and receive a FREE printable animal fact sheet with your welcome email!
Not an adult? Please ask your parent / guardian to sign up 🙂
By subscribing, you agree to receive email updates from us. You can unsubscribe at any time.