Bulls or oxen have been depicted in art since time immemorial. This is likely due to both their impressive strength and their proximity to humans. Cattle were among the first animals to be domesticated, and they were soon put to use pulling carts and plows and turning millstones... Read more
There are about 30 species of iguana that live in tropical regions of the Americas and surrounding islands. Iguanas live on land, burrow underground, climb trees, and even swim in the ocean. The largest can get well over six feet in length and weigh nearly 15 pounds. They can live for 20 years in the wild... Read more
Bearded dragon is the common name of a group of eight lizard species. They are named for the spikey "beard" beneath their necks which can turn black due to stress... Read more
The children's book The Lorax was released in 1971. The small, furry Lorax is the title character. He "speaks for the trees" in the face of environmental destruction... Read more
Thirteen years after the release of the animated film Finding Nemo, Disney and Pixar provided fans with a sequel - Finding Dory. This film expounds on the backstory of one of the franchise's most beloved characters... Read more
Tom and Jerry was introduced in 1940. The cartoon shorts feature a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Games of "cat and mouse" are, of course, the order of the day... Read more
Tweety Bird first appeared onscreen in 1941. By 1949, Tweety's backstory was complete. He was owned by the protective Granny, along with a bulldog named Hector or Spike. Tweety was no longer a wild bird living in a tree. Tweety often faces off against Sylvester the cat, who desires to eat the small bird... Read more
Shadow the Hedgehog was first introduced to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in 2001. Shadow is an antihero, a darker counterpart to Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow's mission is to protect the world, a promise he made to his best friend Maria before she died of murder. Because he is willing to do anything to achieve his goals, he is often at odds with the protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog... Read more
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss was published in 1957. The title character from this tale of mayhem has since become one of the most recognizable of children's story characters in one of the all-time best-selling children's books... Read more
Bambi is the title character of a cherished children's book and a 1942 Disney animated film. We first meet Bambi as a newborn fawn. During his first year of life, he befriends a rabbit named Thumper and a skunk named Flower. He avoids the attention of a female fawn called Faline. He also learns of the dangers of the meadow and the need for caution... Read more
There are many fictional allusions to mockingbirds in literature. Perhaps the most famous is the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and its subsequent 1962 film adaptation. The novel, often read by American junior high and high school students, broaches the subjects of rape, racial inequality, and lost innocence. The mockingbird that should not be killed is thought to represent the idea of innocence that can be destroyed by evil... Read more
Tigger is a fan favorite from the Hundred Acre Wood. This hyperactive stuffed tiger made his debut in the children's book The House at Pooh Corner in 1928. Like his counterparts - including Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Kanga - he was based on a stuffed animal owned by author A. A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin... Read more
The common house cat is the smallest member of quite a large family. There are about 60 breeds of domestic cat, and it the smallest of 39 cat species that include giants such as the lion and tiger... Read more
Donald Duck is a classic Disney character. He debuted in 1934 in The Wise Little Hen and is famous for his quacking voice that is hardly intelligible. He also has a quick temper... Read more
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, called TMNT or just Ninja Turtles for short, began as a comic book in 1984. The characters were a parody of others popular at the time, including Daredevil, New Mutants, and Ronin... Read more
Paw prints are a type of footprint left behind by animals. Generally, only mammals are described as having paws. The paw consists of the claws or toenails, the digital pads or fingertips, the large metacarpal pad, and the dewclaw and carpal pad located higher up the leg... Read more
Emojis are small drawings that can be added to text messages or emails to convey emotion. The unicorn emoji was released in 2015. It is used to represent the mythical beast, whimsy, fantasy, uniqueness, and the LGBTQ community... Read more
How did a flying reindeer enter the Christmas tradition? The holiday has a long history of amalgamating customs from various sources. For example, Christmas itself was born from interposing the Christchild on the Roman religious festival of Saturnalia. Later, aspects of the celebration were drawn from Druid religious rites and... Read more
Blue jays are backyard birds that are common across North America. They eat nuts, seeds, fruits, and insects. The blue jay's scientific name means "crested blue chatterer."... Read more
Goofy made his cartoon debut in 1932 in Mickey's Review. This classic character is an anthropomorphic dog and a friend of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. He is good-natured but clumsy and accident-prone - thus his name...
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