The giant manatee is a monster of a mammal that can grow 15 feet long. It may look ominous but it is harmless; its diet consists solely aquatic plants. It is one of the few mammals who spend their entire lives in water.

The buttes and pinnacles of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona, were once a continuous layer of rock. Some of the massive red sandstone monoliths that rise from the desert floor are more than 1,000 feet.

The armadillo is the only North American mammal to have an armored shell. Females often give birth to quadruplets.

The Mississippi River is the greatest river in America; it courses 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico; so meandering it takes 1,500 miles to travel 600 miles as the crow flies.

A puma, cougar, panther, and mountain lion are all names for the same mammal. They are solitary animals, except when breeding.

Once dubbed merely “a retreat for the rascally Indian” by the United States Army in the 1800s, the 1.5 million acre Everglades National Park is the second-largest in the lower 48 states, and host to a variety of interesting wildlife. Despite its dense tree islands, display of stunning wild orchids, and rare species of panthers, crocodiles, and eagles, the fog-laced park’s 95 degree summer temperatures and 100 percent humidity prevents the park from being among the nation’s 10 most-visited parks.

Alligators are a living link to dinosaurs. It is able to subsist on just one meal a month.

The majestic Sandhill Crane leaps, bows, and displays its wings during its elaborate courtship dance. Pairs often mate for life, the span of which is about 30 years!

©Lori S. Anton