Wildlife

Caterpillars with fake snake eyes are harmless mimics. Here are the US species you will actually find and the two second test that settles it.

The squirrel tree frog changes color between green and brown, which is why it gets mistaken for a green treefrog. The side stripe settles it in seconds.

Grunts, wails, bleats and teeth clicking: how to tell moose sounds apart, when each call peaks, and which one means you should back away.

Mink tracks are paired five toed prints about 1.5 in long, always near water. How to measure them and separate them from weasel, fisher and otter.

Flame, harlequin, pinstripe, Lilly White, Cappuccino and axanthic explained, with the difference between a pattern grade and an actual genetic trait.

Painted turtles live 20 to 30 years in the wild and 25 to 30 in captivity, with verified individuals past 50. What decides which end of that range a turtle reaches.

An alligator in a dream points to something submerged. How the dream ends decides the reading, from attack to escape to a baby alligator.

A fox sighting is read as a call for cleverness over force. Here is what it means by tradition, by situation and by the color of the fox.

Raccoon prints show five long toes with claws and a hand-like front foot. How to read them in snow, mud and sand, and how to rule out opossum and skunk.

Skink droppings are dark pellets with a chalky white tip and visible insect parts. Here is how to measure them and rule out mouse, rat and gecko waste.