Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map above. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography, and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the High Plains!
Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map below. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the Blackland Prarie!
After the sun goes down and the stars come out, the world around us comes to life. Nocturnal animals, or animals that are active during the night and sleep during the day, begin their day as the sun sets. Animals can be nocturnal for many different reasons. Some animals are awake at night to hunt because that is when their prey, the animals they eat, are most active. Others are active at night to avoid predators. These animals use adaptations, or characteristics that help the animal live in the dark. Some of the most common characteristics we see are enhanced senses. This includes things like better vision with larger eyes, better hearing or better smell. Animals you may see at night include birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects! Some animals have changed their behavior to be nocturnal, or active at night, to avoid humans. This includes animals like raccoons, opossums and skunks that live in cities and areas with more people. Some animals are active at night because of other factors, like the temperature. To avoid the summer heat, these animals sleep during the day and move more at night. Animals can be nocturnal for more than one reason! Let’s take a deeper dive into some native Texas nocturnal critters.
Texas is very rich in snake diversity with over 100 different species and subspecies of snake. However, only 15 of those are venomous. The first thing we need to identify is the term venomous. Venomous animals are often incorrectly referred to as poisonous, but there is a difference. An animal that injects venom, using something sharp like a stinger or teeth, is venomous. An animal that makes you sick when you eat it is poisonous.
Texas, the Lone Star State, is an amazing state with over 50 state symbols. This article will not cover all of them, but here are a few honorable mentions: state shoe is the cowboy boot, the state motto is Friendship, the state large mammal is the Texas Longhorn and the state shell is the Lightning Whelk. There are many more, but this issue will focus on some of the more well-known plant and animal symbols.
There are over 150 different species or types of dragonfly in Texas. Dragonflies are in the insect order, Odonata, which comes from a Greek word meaning tooth. Dragonflies are insects, which means they have six legs, and their body is split into three parts, the head, thorax and abdomen. They have a pair of compound eyes and a mouth with sharp teeth on their head. Their legs and four wings connect to the thorax and the long abdomen contains most of their organs. Dragonflies have a large pair of compound eyes, which take up most of their head. The compound eyes are made up of thousands of individual eyes called ommatidia.
There are over 20 species or types of salamander in Texas. In fact, the United States has the highest diversity of salamander species in the world. Salamanders are found in other parts of the world too and can range in size from the 2 cm long minute salamanders that live in Mexico to the 1.8m long Chinese giant salamander. The salamander order includes newts, waterdogs and eel-like creatures called sirens and amphiumas.
Texas is home to about 30 different species or types of turtles. All species of turtles have some adaptations in common, but they look very different and have special parts, or structures, that function differently depending on their diet and habitat.
Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map above. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography, and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the High Plains! 
Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map below. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the Blackland Prarie! 
After the sun goes down and the stars come out, the world around us comes to life. Nocturnal animals, or animals that are active during the night and sleep during the day, begin their day as the sun sets. Animals can be nocturnal for many different reasons. Some animals are awake at night to hunt because that is when their prey, the animals they eat, are most active. Others are active at night to avoid predators. These animals use adaptations, or characteristics that help the animal live in the dark. Some of the most common characteristics we see are enhanced senses. This includes things like better vision with larger eyes, better hearing or better smell. Animals you may see at night include birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects! Some animals have changed their behavior to be nocturnal, or active at night, to avoid humans. This includes animals like raccoons, opossums and skunks that live in cities and areas with more people. Some animals are active at night because of other factors, like the temperature. To avoid the summer heat, these animals sleep during the day and move more at night. Animals can be nocturnal for more than one reason! Let’s take a deeper dive into some native Texas nocturnal critters. 
Texas is very rich in snake diversity with over 100 different species and subspecies of snake. However, only 15 of those are venomous. The first thing we need to identify is the term venomous. Venomous animals are often incorrectly referred to as poisonous, but there is a difference. An animal that injects venom, using something sharp like a stinger or teeth, is venomous. An animal that makes you sick when you eat it is poisonous. 
Texas, the Lone Star State, is an amazing state with over 50 state symbols. This article will not cover all of them, but here are a few honorable mentions: state shoe is the cowboy boot, the state motto is Friendship, the state large mammal is the Texas Longhorn and the state shell is the Lightning Whelk. There are many more, but this issue will focus on some of the more well-known plant and animal symbols. 
There are over 150 different species or types of dragonfly in Texas. Dragonflies are in the insect order, Odonata, which comes from a Greek word meaning tooth. Dragonflies are insects, which means they have six legs, and their body is split into three parts, the head, thorax and abdomen. They have a pair of compound eyes and a mouth with sharp teeth on their head. Their legs and four wings connect to the thorax and the long abdomen contains most of their organs. Dragonflies have a large pair of compound eyes, which take up most of their head. The compound eyes are made up of thousands of individual eyes called ommatidia. 
There are over 20 species or types of salamander in Texas. In fact, the United States has the highest diversity of salamander species in the world. Salamanders are found in other parts of the world too and can range in size from the 2 cm long minute salamanders that live in Mexico to the 1.8m long Chinese giant salamander. The salamander order includes newts, waterdogs and eel-like creatures called sirens and amphiumas. 
Texas is home to about 30 different species or types of turtles. All species of turtles have some adaptations in common, but they look very different and have special parts, or structures, that function differently depending on their diet and habitat.