Articles by Kirsten Brooker

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now we are in the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas. Santa Claus is finalizing his accounting of the naughty and the nice, which is completed by Dec. 4, Santa’s List Day…. Read More

Turkeys are large birds native to North America. The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is known for its fan-shaped tail, gobbling calls, and large wattles hanging from its neck. The birds thrive in a variety of living conditions, such as forests,… Read More

South Florida – primarily the Everglades – is dealing with an exploding population of Burmese pythons. The snake species, now classified as invasive, is causing a significant decrease in the state’s native wildlife population because they are highly successful predators…. Read More

Tasmanian devils are marsupials like kangaroos and koalas, the only large, carnivorous (meat-eating) marsupials alive today. They live exclusively on the Australian island of Tasmania, about 150 miles from the mainland, but at one time they were found throughout the… Read More

The original White House began construction at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 1791. Though he never got to live in the house, President George Washington chose its location along the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Since its creation, the “Executive Mansion”… Read More

Sloths are dog-sized animals that live in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. They are known for moving very slowly – this is due to their extremely low metabolic rate. Because sloths do not move well on the… Read More

There are Halloween traditions galore: trick-or-treating, dressing up in boo-tiful costumes, watching scary movies, visiting haunted houses, and especially carving faces on pumpkins. Why pumpkins? Apparently, the concept was adopted by the Irish and takes us back about 200 years… Read More

There are 36 known species of rattlesnake in the world and dozens of subspecies. They can be found in Central America, South America, and North America. Scientists believe that the rattles on rattlesnakes evolved primarily to ward off bison and… Read More

Have you ever heard of birds passing down heirlooms from one generation to the next? Bearded vultures are mountain-dwelling, scavenging birds whose diet consists of 70% – 90% bone. The birds occupied Spain until about a century ago. They are… Read More

Quails are small birds that live all over the world. They spend most of their time on the ground because their stout, plump bodies make it difficult to take long flights. A quail is in the same family as the… Read More

Sept. 24 is set aside each year to honor punctuation. It may seem odd, but punctuation is a valuable tool that clarifies writing and reduces confusion and misconception. The earliest known use of punctuation is found on the Mesha Stele… Read More

Polar bears are large, carnivorous mammals that live in parts of Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Norway, and Russia. Global warming is negatively affecting the beautiful animals’ habitat, as they prefer cold, icy temperatures. As ancestors of the brown bear, polar bears… Read More