256 entries · page 2 of 11
Field Notes, page 2
How to identify the plants, animals, mushrooms, tracks and rocks you find outside, with the look-alikes and safety notes that matter.
Posts, page 2 of 11
Wallace Keck / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)FN-0231 · Mammals
How to Identify a Skunk (Striped vs. Spotted)
Mephitis mephitis
How to identify a skunk: the striped skunk is cat-sized with a white back stripe, while the spotted skunk is smaller with broken white spots.
User:Postdlf / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0230 · Reptiles & Amphibians
Alligator vs. Crocodile: How to Tell Them Apart
Alligator mississippiensis
Alligator vs. crocodile: tell them apart by snout shape, teeth, and color — alligators have wide U-shaped snouts, crocodiles narrow V-shaped ones.
USDA photo by Scott Bauer / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)FN-0232 · Mammals
White-Tailed Deer vs. Mule Deer: How to Tell Apart
Odocoileus virginianus
White-tailed deer vs. mule deer: tell them apart by ears, tail, and antlers — mule deer have huge ears and forked antlers, whitetails flag white tails.
Ivar Leidus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 ee)FN-0229 · Trees
Pine vs. Spruce vs. Fir: How to Identify Evergreen Trees
Picea abies
Pine vs. spruce vs. fir: identify evergreen trees by needle shape, cones, and bark — pines bundle needles, spruce are square, fir are flat.
Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0228 · Birds
How to Identify a Northern Cardinal (Male vs. Female)
Cardinalis cardinalis
How to identify a northern cardinal: the male is all-over red with a black face, the female is warm tan-brown with red wings, tail, and crest.
JeffreyGammon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0227 · Mammals
Gray vs. Fox vs. Red Squirrel: How to Tell Them Apart
Sciurus carolinensis
Gray vs. fox vs. red squirrel: tell them apart by size, belly color, and tail — grays have white bellies, fox squirrels orange, reds are small.
Needsmoreritalin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0224 · Mammals
How to Identify a Mink (vs. Weasel and Otter)
Neogale vison
How to identify a mink by its dark fur, white chin patch, and long low body — and tell it from a weasel, otter, or muskrat near the water.
D. Gordon E. Robertson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0226 · Reptiles & Amphibians
Lizard vs. Salamander: How to Tell Them Apart
Ambystoma maculatum
Lizard vs. salamander: how to tell them apart by skin, claws, ears, and habitat — one is a dry, scaly reptile, the other a moist amphibian.
CarlesMillan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0225 · Rocks & Minerals
How to Identify Fluorite (Crystals, Colors, and Fakes)
How to identify fluorite by its cubic crystals, rainbow colors, softness, and octahedral cleavage — plus simple tests to tell it from glass.
Wilson44691 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0222 · Fossils
How to Identify Shark Teeth on the Beach
Shark tooth
How to identify shark teeth on the beach: look for glossy black triangles with a root and fine serrations, and tell them from rocks and shell bits.
StBlueD / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0223 · Mammals
Rabbit vs. Hare: How to Tell Cottontails From Jackrabbits
Sylvilagus floridanus
Rabbit vs. hare: how to tell them apart by size, ears, legs, and newborns — and why a cottontail is a true rabbit but a jackrabbit is really a hare.
ClaudiaTen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0221 · Tracks & Signs
How to Identify Animal Poop in Your Yard (Scat Guide)
Vulpes vulpes
How to identify animal poop and scat in your yard by its shape, size, and contents — from rabbit and deer pellets to raccoon, fox, and coyote droppings.
Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0220 · Tracks & Signs
How to Identify Raccoon Tracks (vs. Opossum and Cat)
Procyon lotor
How to identify raccoon tracks by their hand-like five-toed shape and size — and tell them from opossum, skunk, and house cat prints.
Michael Gäbler / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)FN-0219 · Fossils
How to Identify Petrified Wood (Real vs. Fake)
Petrified wood
How to identify petrified wood by its stone weight, preserved wood grain, and quartz hardness — and tell real petrified wood from fakes.
Holger Krisp / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)FN-0218 · Reptiles & Amphibians
How to Identify a Rattlesnake (Safely)
Crotalus atrox
How to identify a rattlesnake by its rattle, blocky triangular head, and thick body — and safely tell it from harmless lookalike snakes.
Becker1999 (Paul and Cathy) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)FN-0215 · Mammals
How to Identify a Bobcat (vs. Mountain Lion and Cat)
Lynx rufus
How to identify a bobcat by its short black-tipped tail, ear tufts, and spotted coat — and tell it from a mountain lion or house cat.
“Jonathan Zander (Digon3)" / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0216 · Reptiles & Amphibians
How to Identify a Box Turtle (Eastern vs. Ornate)
Terrapene carolina
How to identify a box turtle by its high domed shell and hinged plastron — and tell an eastern box turtle from an ornate one.
Ji-Elle It feels nice and warm It feels like a love storm / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0217 · Rocks & Minerals
How to Identify Obsidian (and Tell It From Fake Glass)
How to identify obsidian by its glassy black shine, conchoidal fractures, and hardness — and tell real volcanic glass from manmade fakes.
USDA photo by Scott Bauer / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)FN-0214 · Tracks & Signs
How to Identify Deer Tracks (and Tell Them Apart)
Odocoileus virginianus
How to identify deer tracks by their split-heart shape, size, and stride — and tell them from elk, moose, hog, and dog prints.
James St. John / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)FN-0213 · Rocks & Minerals
How to Identify Agate (and Tell It From Common Rocks)
How to identify agate by its banding, waxy translucence, and hardness — and tell real agate from jasper, chert, quartz, and plain rocks.
Cephas / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0212 · Mammals
How to Identify a Groundhog (vs. Muskrat and Beaver)
Marmota monax
How to identify a groundhog (woodchuck) by its stocky body, short furry tail, and burrow — and tell it from a muskrat or beaver.
Kenneth Catania, Vanderbilt University / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0211 · Mammals
Mole vs. Vole: How to Tell Which Is Wrecking Your Yard
Scalopus aquaticus
Mole vs. vole: how to tell which pest is tunneling through your yard by the ridges, holes, runways, and plant damage each one leaves.
Chuck Homler, Focus On Wildlife / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0210 · Reptiles & Amphibians
How to Identify a Snapping Turtle (Common vs. Alligator)
Chelydra serpentina
How to identify a snapping turtle by its huge head, long saw-toothed tail, and jagged shell — and tell a common snapper from an alligator snapper.
Carl D. Howe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)FN-0209 · Reptiles & Amphibians
Bullfrog vs. Green Frog: How to Tell Them Apart
Lithobates catesbeianus
Bullfrog vs. green frog: how to tell these two look-alike frogs apart by the skin ridges on the back, body size, and their very different calls.
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