Creature features

Coatis may look a little like raccoons, but these wild relatives have plenty of traits that make them unique.

The black and gold bumble bee is the state bee of Illinois. Learn where you might see if buzzing by.

Ospreys are impressive birds of prey that are built for catching fish. Learn all about these impressive birds.

Discover how caddisfly larvae use silk, sticks, stones and leaves to build underwater homes, and learn why these tiny bugs are important to healthy waterways.

The plains pocket gopher spends almost its entire life underground, digging long tunnels through sandy soil. Learn how this little mammal helps the environment, what it eats and how to tell its tunnels apart from a mole's.

The world's largest turtle lives in oceans far from Illinois, but it does share some traits with our local turtles. Learn about its amazing dives, jellyfish diet and how you can help protect this endangered species.

Meet Penny, a ball python who lives at Plum Creek Nature Center.

A large bird flying low over a field as it hunts could be any number of birds. It could be a hawk. It could be an owl. Or it could be a hawk that looks and acts a little like an owl. A northern harrier. (Photo via Shutterstock) Northern harriers are hawks, but they share a few traits with owls despite not being closely related to them. A harrier's face has a round disk shape just like an owl's. They also hear exceptionally well and can hunt in low light conditions like many o