Wildlife

Box turtles close their shell like a box, live 40 to 50 years, and never leave their few acres of woods. Identification, habits and the one rule for a turtle in your yard.

Most owls are nocturnal, but four North American species hunt in broad daylight. Which owls are which, how night vision and hearing work, and why a daytime owl is usually fine.

Wild chipmunks average 2 to 3 years while captive ones reach 9 or 10. The gap is decided in the first winter, and this guide explains where the losses happen.

The barking tree frog is the largest native treefrog in the Southeast, and its doglike call carries for hundreds of yards. Here is how to identify it, where it lives and whether it can be kept as a pet.

The Cuban tree frog is the largest and most damaging tree frog in the southeastern US. Two checks tell it from natives, and Florida asks residents not to release them.

A leopard gecko needs floor space, belly heat on a thermostat, and three hides. Here are the exact sizes, temperatures and substrates, and the starter kit mistakes to skip.

Snapping turtles bite on land and retreat in water. Here is how to tell the two North American species apart, what they eat, and what to do when one shows up in your yard.

Wild house mice rarely reach 12 months, pet mice average 18 to 24, and lab records pass 4 years. Here is what sets each number and what actually extends it.

The Greek tortoise stays under 8 inches, lives past 50 years, and eats weeds rather than salad. Subspecies differences, care needs, and what one actually costs.

Green iguanas are strict herbivores. Here is the 80 percent greens rule, the calcium ratio that decides whether the diet works, and the foods that cause kidney damage.