Nature Mental

This is the American pika, a small mountain-dwelling relative of rabbits that lives in the cold, rocky slopes of the Western United States.

They don’t hibernate — instead, they spend summer gathering grass and flowers to build ‘haypiles’ for winter snacks.

But here’s the problem: pikas can’t handle heat. In Nevada’s Great Basin, entire colonies have vanished as temperatures rise.

Scientists now call them the ‘canaries of climate change’ — warning us of what’s coming.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

This is the Hawaiian Hawk, known locally as the ʻIo — the only hawk native to the Hawaiian Islands.

Once a royal symbol in Hawaiian culture, it’s often seen soaring above the Big Island’s forests, hunting small birds, lizards, and rats.

In the 1990s, the species nearly vanished due to habitat loss, but conservation on Hawai‘i Island helped bring them back from the brink.

When you hear their piercing call, locals say it’s a sign of protection — a guardian watching from the clouds.

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Nature Mental

Meet the Mountain Beaver, one of North America’s oldest and weirdest rodents — and no, it’s not actually a beaver!

Found in the damp forests of the Pacific Northwest, this little creature is a living fossil, surviving almost unchanged for millions of years.

It spends most of its time underground, digging tunnels and storing piles of fern leaves for winter.

In Washington State, loggers often find its burrows weakening slopes — proof that even tiny animals can reshape the land!

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

This is the Sandfish Skink, a desert reptile found across North Africa and the Middle East.

It’s not a fish at all — but it moves under sand so smoothly that scientists nicknamed it the sand swimmer!

With its shiny scales, wedge-shaped head, and small limbs, it dives beneath hot dunes to escape predators and heat.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

This is the American bison — the largest land animal in North America.

They can run up to 35 miles per hour, leap over fences, and survive brutal winters.

Once nearly wiped out in the 1800s, fewer than 500 remained — until a massive conservation effort brought them back.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

This is the Alligator Snapping Turtle, one of the heaviest freshwater turtles on Earth — weighing up to 200 pounds!

It lurks motionless in murky rivers of the southern U.S., using a worm-like tongue lure to trick fish straight into its jaws.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

This is the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, one of the rarest birds in North America — found only in southwestern Colorado and Utah.

Every spring, males gather on open meadows to perform a wild mating dance — puffing up their chests, fanning tails, and popping air sacs like nature’s drumbeats.

But habitat loss has pushed them to the edge — fewer than 5,000 remain today.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

The Island Fox lives only on California’s Channel Islands, making it one of the smallest — and rarest — foxes in the world!

Each island has its own subspecies, uniquely adapted to its environment.

In the early 2000s, their population crashed by over 90% after golden eagles arrived and started hunting them.

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Nature Mental

This is the prairie dog — a social rodent found across the grasslands of North America.

They live in huge underground towns called prairie dog colonies, with tunnels stretching for miles!

Scientists discovered they have unique alarm calls that describe predators — even what color shirt a human is wearing!

2 months ago | [YT] | 0