North America
American Bison
American Bison
Scientific Name
Bison bison
Weight LB
699.6-2200 lbs
Average Life Span
15-40 years
Fact
American bison are surprisingly agile, capable of running up to 35 mph, jumping over 6 feet high, and swimming well, despite their massive size (up to 2,000 lbs). Their large shoulder hump, made of muscle, acts like a snowplow to clear snow for grazing in winter, and baby bison are born reddish-orange, earning them the nickname "red dogs".
Weight KG
318-1000 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
Grasslands
Type
Mammals
Diet
Herbivore
Conservation Status
Near Threatened
Axolotl
Axolotl
Scientific Name
Ambystoma mexicanum
Weight LB
0.15–0.5 lbs
Average Life Span
10–15 years
Fact
Axolotls can regenerate almost any part of their body, including limbs, their tail, and even parts of their heart and brain, without any permanent scarring!
Weight KG
0.06–0.22 kg
Continent
North America
Type
Amphibians
Barn Owl
Barn Owl
Scientific Name
Tyto alba
Weight LB
0.9–1.3 lbs
Average Life Span
2–4 years (Wild) / Up to 20 years (Captivity)
Fact
Barn Owls have the best hearing of any animal ever tested. Their ears are placed asymmetrically on their head, allowing them to pinpoint the exact location of a mouse rustling in total darkness.
Weight KG
0.4–0.6 kg
Habitat
Grasslands
Type
Birds
Diet
Carnivore
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Scientific Name
Cyanocitta cristata
Weight LB
0.16–0.22 lb
Average Life Span
7-26 years
Fact
Blue Jays are incredibly smart, mimic hawk calls to scare other birds, and their blue color comes from light, not pigment (their feathers are brown!), but a truly fun fact is their ability to pack their throat pouch with many seeds or acorns (over 100 sunflower seeds at once!) to hide and transport for later, helping to plant oak trees. They are also known for "anting," rubbing ants on themselves, possibly to help with digestion or pest control, and they mate for life.
Weight KG
0.07–0.1 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
forests, suburbs, Woodlands
Type
Birds
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Blue Whale
Blue Whale
Scientific Name
Balaenoptera musculus
Weight LB
200,000–400,000 lbs
Average Life Span
80-90 years
Fact
A Blue Whale's tongue alone weighs as much as an entire elephant, and its heart is the size of a bumper car.
Weight KG
90,000–180,000 kg
Continent
Asia
Type
Mammals
California Sea Lion
California Sea Lion
Scientific Name
Zalophus californianus
Weight LB
110-880 lbs
Average Life Span
17-30 years
Fact
A fun fact about California sea lions is their incredible vocal communication, using loud barks to defend territory, and their unique behavior called "rafting," where they float together with flippers up to regulate body temperature, sometimes even following dolphins to find food!. They're also highly social, intelligent, can hold their breath for 10 minutes, and are fast, agile swimmers that can reach speeds of 25 mph.
Weight KG
50-400 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
Beaches
Type
Mammals
Diet
Carnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Scientific Name
Crotalus adamanteus
Weight LB
5–10 lb
Average Life Span
10–20 years
Fact
The rattle at the end of its tail is made of hollow segments of keratin (the same protein found in your hair and fingernails). Each time the snake sheds its skin, a new segment is added to the rattle. However, you can't tell a snake's age by its rattle—segments often break off in the wild, and snakes may shed their skin multiple times a year depending on how much they eat!
Weight KG
2.3–4.5 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
Coastal dunes, Pine forests, scrublands
Type
Reptiles
Diet
Carnivore
Conservation Status
Near Threatened
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Scientific Name
Sciurus carolinensis
Weight LB
0.8–1.3 lb
Average Life Span
12.5-20 years
Fact
Eastern gray squirrels are like nature's little gardeners because they bury thousands of nuts and seeds and often forget where they put them, helping new trees grow, and they can even run down trees headfirst by rotating their hind paws backward to grip the bark. They also communicate with various calls and tail flicks to warn others of danger and have incisors that grow continuously, needing to gnaw to keep them filed down.
Weight KG
400-600 g
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
Woodlands
Type
Mammals
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Giant Pacific Octopus
Giant Pacific Octopus
Scientific Name
Enteroctopus dofleini
Weight LB
33–110 lb
Average Life Span
3–5 years
Fact
The Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is incredibly smart, capable of solving mazes and opening jars, but also has three hearts, blue blood (due to copper), and arms with their own mini-brains, allowing them to multitask; a female's life ends in selfless dedication as she starves to death guarding her massive egg clutch, from which only a few hatchlings survive, notes SeaDoc Society, OctoNation - The Largest Octopus Fan Club!, Hastings Aquarium, and explore . adventure . discover.
Weight KG
15–50 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
Ocean
Type
cephalopod, Mollusk
Diet
Carnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Gila Monster
Gila Monster
Scientific Name
Heloderma suspectum
Weight LB
1.5–5 lb
Average Life Span
20–30 years
Fact
A fun fact about the Gila monster is that a protein from its venom, exendin-4, led to the creation of a diabetes drug (Byetta) that helps control blood sugar, showing how this venomous lizard's bite can save lives. They are also one of the few truly venomous lizards in the world, spend most of their lives underground, and store fat in their tails to survive long periods between meals.
Weight KG
0.7–2.3 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Habitat
Deserts, Rocky foothills
Type
Reptiles
Diet
Carnivore
Conservation Status
Near Threatened
Gray Wolf
Gray Wolf
Scientific Name
Canis lupus
Weight LB
60–145 lb
Average Life Span
6–8 years (Wild); up to 15 years (Captivity)
Fact
Wolves are the ultimate marathon runners of the predator world. While a cheetah is built for a short sprint, a wolf can trot at a steady pace of about 5 mph (8 km/h) for almost an entire day. When chasing prey, they can reach speeds of 35–40 mph (56–64 km/h).
Weight KG
27–65 kg
Type
Mammals
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Scientific Name
Megaptera novaeangliae
Weight LB
55,000–66,000 lb
Average Life Span
45–50 years (though some may live up to 80–90)
Fact
Humpbacks are famous for their extraordinarily long pectoral fins, which can reach up to 16 feet (5 meters) in length—about one-third of their total body length. The scientific name Megaptera actually means "big-winged."
Weight KG
25,000–30,000 kg
Type
Mammals