Many of the natural habitats of birds are larger than any state in which they occur. This explains why some of the western plains states have the same bird as their state bird, the western meadowlark. Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming all share a part of the Great Plains, and within that habitat the western meadowlark is commonly seen and heard, so it makes a logical choice for state bird. In the eastern part of the US, habitats are not contiguous like the Great Plains, but the same kinds of habitats reoccur. Thus seven states have the cardinal state bird: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. It is very visible and has a nice song, and it agrees to live around us, making our lives better, so having it be a state bird seems fair.

Other state birds of the United States are less well known to the general population. The willow ptarmigan of Alaska is a good choice for that state, but is less well known in the Lower Forty-eight. The brown pelican of Louisiana is also a good choice and well on the way back from the brink of extinction. The mountain bluebird, state bird of New York is not well known to those who live in the Plains states or the West. This is not always the case however. The common loon of Minnesota and the chickadee of Maine are familiar to many people across the nation.

Those birds which include the state name in their’s are obvious choices for those states. These birds include the California quail and the Carolina wren (South Carolina). More confusing is the California gull, state bird of Utah, but there is a story related to this choice. In all, learning about the state birds can lead to a lot of natural history and geopolitical history lessons, in one easy package. Next time you are traveling across the States, learn about the state birds and why they were chosen as you go.

Beware of the Samurai Raccoon for he is coming for you! As if it was not crazy enough to stuff a raccoon, but to then stuff it standing up on it’s hind legs and then dressing it up as a Samurai? I think the person who created this fine piece of art work was a few cards short of a full deck!

I have seen a lot of hermit crabs over the years, heck I have even raced them at the local bar on Thursday nights from time to time. But I have never seen a hermit crab like this little guy. Check out this Crab of a Different Kind. I don’t know what kind of crab this is, but I strangely recognize what kind of shell it has.

O hia Guyz! Check out this polar bear surprise! I bet these guys got woke up real quick then this polar bear stuck his head in the window. I bet he was thinking lunch!

This is exactly why I don’t go swimming in the ocean. I am not one for swimming with sharks.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No it’s Super Dog!!

I am not a fan of spiders at all, but this has to be the worst spider in the world! I can’t think of anything more terrifying than finding this spider on me or hiding under the sheets of my bed!

I dedicate this video to all you people out there with Arachnophobia, enjoy!

Have you seen the Worlds Smartest Mouse Yet? I don’t know what they did or how much time they spent training this mouse to go through this obstacle course, but I have never seen anything like this before. It looks like gone are the days of a mouse wondering aimlessly through a maze. The Worlds Smartest Mouse has set the bar way past that! Check him out you will be amazed!