Bullfrogs can and will eat almost anything, getting big enough that we then eat them
Bullfrogs will eat just about any animal smaller than they are. Scientists have found in bullfrog stomachs rodents, lizards, snakes, small birds, spiders and even bats – with a tongue that propels out like a slingshot so frogs can use their hands to stuff large prey into their maws.
Eastern garter snakes have a skunklike defense and other surprises, but don’t worry about a bite
The state reptile of Massachusetts is the harmless garter snake – well, mostly harmless – which is an easy one to distinguish because of three yellowish stripes that run the length of their dark bodies. They have some unusual-seeming birthing and defense methods, and that forked tongue has some remarkable aspects as well.
Connection to the mystery of the Roanoke colony is just the start of this butterfly’s fascinating tale
The first illustration of a North American butterfly – a watercolor sketch of an eastern tiger swallowtail – was by John White, who came in 1587 to explore, map and draw but lost his family forever to the “Croatoan” mystery. The species has gentler mysteries of its own, including an identity that was settled as recently as 1991.